Lapping film, try it.

[Slash McCoy]

Going for my second actual attempt tonight after I go off duty. I feel that these film sheets from Taylor Tools/Amazon aren't worth a fart in a high wind. I'm going to go at it tonight with a fresh sheet for all stages of the progression and see if that helps.

I just tried the 30u film from TayTools and TBH, I am not impressed, either. It doesn't seem to be very well populated with abrasive. It doesn't seem to be as coarse as the claimed grit. It has a more papery feel to it than the 3M and similar brands. I won't be ordering that any more, you can be sure of that. I honestly don't know why I didn't order from NanoLapTech except to get the free shipping, and the grits I needed were mostly available with Prime. Amazon is getting too easy. CLICK and it's on its way. I honestly think I could spend $1M in less than an hour clicking on small items. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Done. Another load of stuff on the way with next day delivery. Sorry, credit card. That must hurt, huh? LOL. Anyway so now I am set for the next year or three, but when I start to get low it's back to nanolaptech.com for me.

<EDIT> BTW I see lots of 3M on Amazon and in no way am I disparaging that particular product. Genuine 3M lapping film is very good.

 

[slim6596]

I trashed the sheets I had cut to size and already used once. Cut all new, including 30u. Settled down with my audiobook in the background and commenced to lapping.

I did count laps, but only because I have a touch of CDO (the letters have to be in alphabetical order, so it's not OCD, but CDO).

30, 12, 9, 3, 1, .3, then strop. In between each step, I inspected the bevel as best as possible with my phone camera zoom (so not well at all). After around 220-250 laps on the strop, from what I could see, the bevel is like a mirror.

Shaving with it tomorrow.

 

[Slash McCoy]

I trashed the sheets I had cut to size and already used once. Cut all new, including 30u. Settled down with my audiobook in the background and commenced to lapping.

I did count laps, but only because I have a touch of CDO (the letters have to be in alphabetical order, so it's not OCD, but CDO).

30, 12, 9, 3, 1, .3, then strop. In between each step, I inspected the bevel as best as possible with my phone camera zoom (so not well at all). After around 220-250 laps on the strop, from what I could see, the bevel is like a mirror.

Shaving with it tomorrow.

Good. Did you turn it edge up and look for any reflection from the edge? There should be none. Also you should be able to get at least a 3 on the HHT. And it should treetop at a bare minimum of 1/8" above the skin. Either test is good. Just make sure you can count on the edge so there is no doubt whether it is your edge or your shaving at fault if the shave doesn't work well for you.

Hope you remembered to include some pull strokes. if you do a pair of pull strokes for each 5 to 10 regular laps, and you are honing in hand and the pressure is light, it is nearly impossible to have too many laps. So if you are only going like maybe 20 laps per grit, you might not be getting it done. Something to remember if the edge comes out so-so.

And the bevel was definitely set, with zero doubt, right?

After about 60 laps on the strop, additional laps don't really do much. There is nothing left to do. This has been verified experimentally, not just subjectively. This is because the strop does not remove steel, only burnishes and aligns it.

 

[slim6596]

Oops on the pull strokes. Forgot that. I did about 40-50 laps on 30, 150 or so on 12, 200ish on 9, 3 and 1, then a few dozen on the .3 with less pressure on each successive dozen. Last few laps felt like I wasn't making contact.

I didn't count a set amount of laps and say done when I reached a certain number. I did inspect the edge/bevel at the end of each set of 25 laps in bright light.

Fingers crossed.

Thanks, Slash for all the information, top, pointers, and apparently infinite patience.

 

[steveclarkus]

I just tried the 30u film from TayTools and TBH, I am not impressed, either. It doesn't seem to be very well populated with abrasive. It doesn't seem to be as coarse as the claimed grit. It has a more papery feel to it than the 3M and similar brands. I won't be ordering that any more, you can be sure of that. I honestly don't know why I didn't order from NanoLapTech except to get the free shipping, and the grits I needed were mostly available with Prime. Amazon is getting too easy. CLICK and it's on its way. I honestly think I could spend $1M in less than an hour clicking on small items. Click. Click. Click. Click. Click. Done. Another load of stuff on the way with next day delivery. Sorry, credit card. That must hurt, huh? LOL. Anyway so now I am set for the next year or three, but when I start to get low it's back to nanolaptech.com for me.

<EDIT> BTW I see lots of 3M on Amazon and in no way am I disparaging that particular product. Genuine 3M lapping film is very good.

How do you order from Namolap? I want a few sheets of 3u and 5u rather than packaged selection.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[Biglo13]

How do you order from Namolap? I want a few sheets of 3u and 5u rather than packaged selection.

Thanks,
Steve

It’s an odd processs/ old school. You call or email. They then send you a pro forma invoice then you call accounting and pay. Shipping was pricey... prolly will be less if you can ship to commercial address. It sometimes takes awhile for them to get back to you, I ended up having to call. I think they are more set up for larger business orders not our small orders.

How many sheets of each did u want? If I can find the right kind of envelope I might could sell you a few sheets from. My last order from them.

 

[macintoshBR]

I recommend Specialized products, with $12 you get 25 half sheets of a grit and free shipping when spending $25 or more

If your razors are already shave-ready, then get the 3u and 1u for $25-ish with free shipping and you are settled for the rest of your life.

 

[steveclarkus]

It’s an odd processs/ old school. You call or email. They then send you a pro forma invoice then you call accounting and pay. Shipping was pricey... prolly will be less if you can ship to commercial address. It sometimes takes awhile for them to get back to you, I ended up having to call. I think they are more set up for larger business orders not our small orders.

How many sheets of each did u want? If I can find the right kind of envelope I might could sell you a few sheets from. My last order from them.

Thanks. I’m just lookimg for a coupel of sheets of 30u and 5u. Nothing critical though. I just got a fresh packet and I don’t hone as much as I used to.

 

[Sukeroku]

I bought my lapping film at a high street store in Tokyo. The brand is Fujistar (manufacturer is Sankyo Rikagaku). Since it is a Japanese-produced lapping film, I am assuming that it is high quality (though not always the case). The price was 500 yen a sheet (about $4.50) but that is probably due to the markup of retailer. I have no idea about the material science behind their product but they have a webpage (here is the English version) Super finishing film | Polishing film - Products for ｍetal and electronic parts polisshing | AbrasivesManufacturers Sankyo Rikagaku - https://www.fujistar.com/product/film/super_finishing_film.html

 

[steveclarkus]

Where do you guys buy this stuff?

There are sets of sheets available on eBay. Moneyfighterhongcong is US based genuine 3M film and has the appropriate selection in the pack. About $25.

 

[steveclarkus]

I bought my lapping film at a high street store in Tokyo. The brand is Fujistar (manufacturer is Sankyo Rikagaku). Since it is a Japanese-produced lapping film, I am assuming that it is high quality (though not always the case). The price was 500 yen a sheet (about $4.50) but that is probably due to the markup of retailer. I have no idea about the material science behind their product but they have a webpage (here is the English version) Super finishing film | Polishing film - Products for ｍetal and electronic parts polisshing | AbrasivesManufacturers Sankyo Rikagaku - https://www.fujistar.com/product/film/super_finishing_film.html

I’ve used Chinese film with no problem. Expect Japanese is better actually.

 

[Sukeroku]

I cannot seem to find Moneyfighterhongcong on eBay. Can you post a link? I did find some 3M sheets at a high street retailer here that were even pre-cut for a lower price!

 

[Sukeroku]

Be sure to add a few pull strokes to prevent formation of fin edge. That is probably the leading cause of harshness. The .3u film is hard to manage anyway, comfort-wise, and I abandoned that grit early on. I stopped with 1u. Later on, I got into balsa and diamond and tossed all my .3u film.

Slash, I think you mentioned in another thread about the .3u leading to a sour edge. What about .5u? Have you tried this? Is it worth the effort? Again, I am not keen on using balsa and paste via The Method, due to space considerations in my small Japanese apartment...

 

[Slash McCoy]

Slash, I think you mentioned in another thread about the .3u leading to a sour edge. What about .5u? Have you tried this? Is it worth the effort? Again, I am not keen on using balsa and paste via The Method, due to space considerations in my small Japanese apartment...

I have never used .5u and until recently it was not even available except in diamond. No, I don't think it would be much better than .3u but I have no experience with it.

 

[rbscebu]

The Pull Stroke Explained

For those of you who are having difficulty in understanding the pull stroke, it is explained here.

 

[dullest]

I picked up a vintage Ew Elliot and I assumed it would arrive shave ready, I was wrong. I ordered the Sheets 2 pack from best sharpening stones site. What progression should I use? Also can I use my quartz counter top edge as my flat?

 

[rbscebu]

If you can hold your quartz countertop in one hand then it should be okay to use as a substrate for your lapping film . Otherwise use acrylic as stated in this topic.

You haven't read this topic from start to finish, have you?

What micron ratings does you lapping film have?

 

[Slash McCoy]

I picked up a vintage Ew Elliot and I assumed it would arrive shave ready, I was wrong. I ordered the Sheets 2 pack from best sharpening stones site. What progression should I use? Also can I use my quartz counter top edge as my flat?

You can hone on a brick if you want to. Do you want to? Maybe not, huh? If not, you probably don't want to hone on a counter top, either. You should be honing in hand. Best bet is a 3/4" or 1" thick piece of acrylic from TAP Plastics, 3" x 12". Get that, if you want to do this right. If you don't want to do it right, if results are not important, find a nice brick. Or hone on your counter top.

Every other post is somebody wanting to know, "Will THIS work instead?" or "Will THAT work, instead?" Your grandpa's old dished out carborundum stone that he sharpened his fingernail trimming Buck knife with will work. It just won't work very well. If you want best possible results, then use best possible method, without substitutions, compromises, ommissions, additions, or freestyling.

And now for the important part. Are you already an experienced straight shaver? If not, it is really a good idea ("good idea" as in "you really really really need to do it THIS way") to FIRST learn to shave, with a shave ready razor. THEN learn how to hone and match the edge that you have already learned to shave with and to recognize as a shave ready edge. Wanna do it the hard way? Go ahead and do it backwards. Other guys have done it. More others tried and gave up. You can't very well duplicate something when you have never seen the original. You can't very well duplicate a shave ready edge when you have never experienced one. But by all means, try it if you insist. And while you are at it, do it your own way, without reference to established methods.

 

[dullest]

If you can hold your quartz countertop in one hand then it should be okay to use as a substrate for your lapping film . Otherwise use acrylic as stated in this topic.

You haven't read this opic from start to finish, have you.

What micron ratings does you lapping film have?

I watched the videos but I didnt know acrylic and the floating was necessary. Figured like I see the stones being used would be fine. My sheets are 3M, color/micron/grit

Yellow, 12, 1200
Blue, 9, 1800
Brown, 5, 4000
Pink, 3, 8000
Green, 1, 14000
White, .3, 50000

 

[dullest]

You can hone on a brick if you want to. Do you want to? Maybe not, huh? If not, you probably don't want to hone on a counter top, either. You should be honing in hand. Best bet is a 3/4" or 1" thick piece of acrylic from TAP Plastics, 3" x 12". Get that, if you want to do this right. If you don't want to do it right, if results are not important, find a nice brick. Or hone on your counter top.

Every other post is somebody wanting to know, "Will THIS work instead?" or "Will THAT work, instead?" Your grandpa's old dished out carborundum stone that he sharpened his fingernail trimming Buck knife with will work. It just won't work very well. If you want best possible results, then use best possible method, without substitutions, compromises, ommissions, additions, or freestyling.

And now for the important part. Are you already an experienced straight shaver? If not, it is really a good idea ("good idea" as in "you really really really need to do it THIS way") to FIRST learn to shave, with a shave ready razor. THEN learn how to hone and match the edge that you have already learned to shave with and to recognize as a shave ready edge. Wanna do it the hard way? Go ahead and do it backwards. Other guys have done it. More others tried and gave up. You can't very well duplicate something when you have never seen the original. You can't very well duplicate a shave ready edge when you have never experienced one. But by all means, try it if you insist. And while you are at it, do it your own way, without reference to established methods.

Thank you for your posts and findings they are very informative. I have been using a shavette for 8 years. I purchased this razor presuming it would be shave ready. I found your method from your post on a search for alternatives to stones. I didnt wany to shell out another 100 bucks for something i may hate and rather pay to have done. Is the technique from shavette to traditional different? I figure it feels different because of weight?