Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
8-1/2" x 11" is the standard size.
In that metric business it works out to 216mm, approximately. Cut it in thirds longways and you get three 72mm wide strips. Fits on your 3" wide acrylic block with about 1/8" to spare on the width and 1" on the length so that works out well.
I got my last order of film from nanolaptech.com. I don't remember if they will sell a single sheet or not. ThorLabs sells 9" x 13" sheets. Good product, pleasure to do business with them. And they send you free lab snacks. LOL. But yeah I think they do a 10 sheet minimum which will be a lifetime supply if you stick with just one or two razors.
I would most definitely prefer the plain back film. The sheet itself is made to very precise specs. The backing paper is sort of a wild card. PSA has been used. Then again, a brick has been used, too.
Rubber feet? Why? You will be holding it in hand, not resting on a bench. The more you try to "control" the razor against an unmoving, unyielding surface, the more errors you will make and the more significant they will be. On the bench is used successfully by some experienced honers. It is not the best way to learn, though.
It is not tricky to cut film. Maybe intimidating, if you only have one sheet and need to get it right the first time, I guess. And PSA would be slightly harder to cut than plain back but not an impossible operation at all. A box cutter type utility knife works fine. Measure and mark it in thirds along top and bottom. Use a straightedge or a high quality ruler lined up with the marks as a cutting fence. Press down firmly so the straightedge cannot shift around. Put a fresh blade in your box cutter and lay the side of the blade point against the edge of the straightedge, and cut, as if you were drawing a straight line with a pencil. Practice on a sheet of paper first. That's how I do it. I have a proper paper cutter but I have been too lazy to unbox it. I use a utility knife and an aluminum yardstick. Likewise I have a proper straightedge, but the yardstick is convenient and microprecision is not needed.
One third of the 8-1/2" sheet width is sort of an odd number. 2.8333" repeating. If you try to cut 2-7/8" you get two pieces and then one piece left over at 2-3/4" which is still okay. Up the precision to 1/32 and you get a little closer... 2-27/32" wide for the first two pieces and 2-13/16" for the third one. Close enough for anybody's work except the most anal. This doesn't really matter. But okay go with 1/128" precision and you get two pieces 2-107/128" and one piece only a paltry 2-53/64". If you go metric you get a close approximation at 72mm per piece. But metric is for people who can't do math. You don't drink a meter of ale. You don't stand on your own two 30.48cm's or go out and mow your meter. You drink a yard of ale (or a pint if you are driving home), stand on your own two feet, and mow your yard. Horses race by furlongs. Press your thumb against something and mark it off in thumb widths. Those are inches. How about that? Stretch out your arms to the side holding a rope and you have measured one fathom or six feet. Feet and inches are the natural order of things. But I digress. If it is any easier for you, you can measure 72mm wide and just don't tell anyone. We both know you are actually measuring 2.8333333333333333333333 inches.
Are you in the UK? Maybe you could post on BST with a WTB (Wanted To Buy) post for a single sheet or a cut piece of film, just to try it. I definitely feel your pain at facing the purchase of 10 sheets when you have not even tried it yet. Or maybe you could set up a group buy with members in your country. It might be beneficial if you put your country of residence in your profile. If a member is of a mind to PIF you something, often they will click your profile to see if you are in country or not.
