Lapping film, try it.

[steveclarkus]

This is a slice off a a sheet of lapping film. I get a bit more than 3 pieces from a sheet. This was made by 3M but you can find Chinese film on eBay. You place the film on a wet piece of acrylic or polished stone. It doesn’t permanently stick to the substrate and you just use progressively finer grits by changing the film on the stone or acrylic. Just don’t buy the type of film that has an adhesive on the back.

 

[sg.]

I’m Portuguese and I’m finding troubled to understand what’s a lapping film. I mean I do know to translate but do not mach with my knowledge. I know Sand paper though but maybe it’s not same.

Search YouTube for user "Slash McCoy" and 3-part video "Hone on Film". Note that some of the techniques demonstrated in the video are out-dated -- for example, the current recommendation for base is Acrylic plastic.

 

[Rotiv]

View attachment 999569
This is a slice off a a sheet of lapping film. I get a bit more than 3 pieces from a sheet. This was made by 3M but you can find Chinese film on eBay. You place the film on a wet piece of acrylic or polished stone. It doesn’t permanently stick to the substrate and you just use progressively finer grits by changing the film on the stone or acrylic. Just don’t buy the type of film that has an adhesive on the back.

Fine!


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[Rotiv]

Search YouTube for user "Slash McCoy" and 3-part video "Hone on Film". Note that some of the techniques demonstrated in the video are out-dated -- for example, the current recommendation for base is Acrylic plastic.

Again, fine!
Where do you buy the 3m film?


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[Ray Settanta]

I have used eBay and Amazon. Buying from within the EU will avoid duties and may or may not be cheaper.

 

[Tanuki]

Google for TAP Plastics. Get a 3/4" thick piece of acrylic from their website, 3" x 12", for each of three balsa strops, and at least one more for use with film. It's the latest and greatest thing. Nice and thick, very flat, reasonably light. Won't shatter if you accidentally drop it.

Porcelain is not flat enough. Polished marble or granite usually (no guarantee!!!) is. You could get one of the orange apron guys to show you where the polished marble or granite tile is. They got it. But better to go with the acrylic IMHO.

While I have a lovely granite 12x12 wall tile from Lowe’s, I am in the grip of overexcitement about honing. So I biked the few blocks to my friendly local TAP Plastics. Haven’t been in to visit TAP very often since divesting my fiberglass-lined hole in the water.

Anyway... they have a sizable discount bin of small offcuts. Thin stuff, priced by the pound. The extremely helpful gal at the counter told me the good (thick) stuff is kept in the back. She brought out a nice slab of 15/16” cast acrylic. Same price per pound. Then she cut my pieces to size, no charge.

So if you have a friendly local TAP, try your luck with a visit. You might walk out with a bunch of 12x3 acrylic for peanuts. Made my day!!

 

[Twelvefret]

I don’t put my balsa on a substrate.

 

[Slash McCoy]

While I have a lovely granite 12x12 wall tile from Lowe’s, I am in the grip of overexcitement about honing. So I biked the few blocks to my friendly local TAP Plastics. Haven’t been in to visit TAP very often since divesting my fiberglass-lined hole in the water.

Anyway... they have a sizable discount bin of small offcuts. Thin stuff, priced by the pound. The extremely helpful gal at the counter told me the good (thick) stuff is kept in the back. She brought out a nice slab of 15/16” cast acrylic. Same price per pound. Then she cut my pieces to size, no charge.

So if you have a friendly local TAP, try your luck with a visit. You might walk out with a bunch of 12x3 acrylic for peanuts. Made my day!!

Nice. I wish we had one here in New Orleans. Thick cast acrylic is some really useful stuff. Especially for messing about with razors.

 

[steveclarkus]

I don’t put my balsa on a substrate.

Substrate keeps it from warping.

 

[Twelvefret]

Substrate keeps it from warping.

You’re brainwashed.!

 

[steveclarkus]

You’re brainwashed.!

Didn’t take much soap.

 

[Twelvefret]

Didn’t take much soap.

My new balsa is 1” thick.

 

[Wallerwilly]

So... i just spent 45$ to get a .3 micron. Still cheaper than a 30k grit shapton glass or an ultra fine polishing jnat mind you.

Any of you know a good ressource outside the 3M films from amazon for future needs. I'm canadian and the films are shipped from the US, why the price is so high. Maybe other brand or provider.

 

[Twelvefret]

So... i just spent 45$ to get a .3 micron. Still cheaper than a 30k grit shapton glass or an ultra fine polishing jnat mind you.

Any of you know a good ressource outside the 3M films from amazon for future needs. I'm canadian and the films are shipped from the US, why the price is so high. Maybe other brand or provider.

My source is eBay.

 

[Tester28]

View attachment 999569
This is a slice off a a sheet of lapping film. I get a bit more than 3 pieces from a sheet. This was made by 3M but you can find Chinese film on eBay. You place the film on a wet piece of acrylic or polished stone. It doesn’t permanently stick to the substrate and you just use progressively finer grits by changing the film on the stone or acrylic. Just don’t buy the type of film that has an adhesive on the back.

Ive been searching online for 3M 1micron lapping film without the PSA backing...can't find it.
The only non PSA film Ive seen is at Thorlabs....but you have to buy 10 sheets...if you cut them into 3 inch strips
you get 30 strips, and if you use each strip for approx 20 honing sessions, that is 600 honings.

I doubt I need that much since I am planning to use the Balsa Method as prescribed by Slash McCoy.

Since I won't be using lapping film all that often and certainly not anything other than 1micron,
Im now wondering if I should just get the 3M one with PSA backing and stick it to an acrylic block
with rubber feet.

The PSA backed 3M film has odd dimensions .... 8.5in X 11in. Would it be ok to just cut a 4" X 11"
strip to hone the razor on? That will give me 2 strips per sheet. Any other considerations that might
affect honing...I have a 7/8 Koraat blade with a slight smile on it so will need to use bow shaped strokes.

 

[macintoshBR]

Ive been searching online for 3M 1micron lapping film without the PSA backing...can't find it.
The only non PSA film Ive seen is at Thorlabs....but you have to buy 10 sheets...if you cut them into 3 inch strips
you get 30 strips, and if you use each strip for approx 20 honing sessions, that is 600 honings.

I doubt I need that much since I am planning to use the Balsa Method as prescribed by Slash McCoy.

Since I won't be using lapping film all that often and certainly not anything other than 1micron,
Im now wondering if I should just get the 3M one with PSA backing and stick it to an acrylic block
with rubber feet.

The PSA backed 3M film has odd dimensions .... 8.5in X 11in. Would it be ok to just cut a 4" X 11"
strip to hone the razor on? That will give me 2 strips per sheet. Any other considerations that might
affect honing...I have a 7/8 Koraat blade with a slight smile on it so will need to use bow shaped strokes.

I use the PSA backed films without a problem, don’t worry about that.

And yes, cut the 3M strip into two.

 

[Tester28]

I use the PSA backed films without a problem, don’t worry about that.

And yes, cut the 3M strip into two.

Thanks for that. Is it tricky cutting these...Im terrible at DIY.
Can you throw me a pointer or two on how to approach this?
I have a cutting mat and a flimsy cutter that I use to slice open
the tape on packages.

 

[Biglo13]

Get at craft store or on line. Or just use the one at copy center

 

[Tester28]

ok, nice, Ive seen these at the place where I got my balsa.
it's all coming together.

 

[Robert Anderson]

I have used the PSA film on a piece of marble. I just wet the marble before applying the film and it peels right off when I finished. IME I did not get anywhere near 20 honings per use. I usually honed two or three razors at a time then discarded the film. YMMV.