lapping films, help me decide

[SavantStrike]

I've decided to get some lapping films to augment my C12k, but am vacillating back and forth between PSA backed and non PSA backed. I'm also trying to find a suitable surface to adhere them to. So how about it?

Should I go for PSA or no PSA?

What should I use for my surface?

 

[TstebinsB]

You can use tile, fiberglass, or plexiglass.

I went for non-PSA because I use diamond lapping film, which is expensive enough. Aluminum oxide and silicon carbide lapping film may be cheap enough to just get them with PSA.

 

[tlanning]

What kind are you working on?

OPPS sorry missed it

 

[SavantStrike]

You can use tile, fiberglass, or plexiglass.

I went for non-PSA because I use diamond lapping film, which is expensive enough. Aluminum oxide and silicon carbide lapping film may be cheap enough to just get them with PSA.

I was leaning pretty heavily towards plexi. It's cheap and easy to cut.

What do you use to secure the film to your base of choice though? Any recommendations on a glue that lets you get the film off at a later point in time? Does it even need to come back off? I hear this stuff lasts for quite a while, but I'm not sure exactly how long that is.

 

[Muirtach]

I recall reading that just a sray of water on glass will work fine. No need to go to the PSA back.

 

[DogHair]

Marble! Go to Lowes and get a tile for $5. TheY cut it for free. I have four 3x8 tiles for my films. And four 1x8 tiles four razors with a warp.

 

[Seraphim]

I use non-PSA, and a spritz of water on a very flat surface (a thick piece of glass works great.

 

[Sullybob]

What is PSA?

I already know it not a Public Service Announcement for you jokers out there

 

[Fnord5]

Pressure sensitive adhesive. (think tape)

I have a lapping plate from Pinacle, billet aluminum, about 1.5 inches tall.
I have the PSA stuff, but would rather have the non sticky.

 

[Sullybob]

Thanks. Does PSA leave behind any film or residue?

 

[tpoof]

peel and stick adhesive..

I went with the non. and find it to be very simple to apply to a piece of 1/2" glass I had around that I cut into strips...
a few drops of water on the glass, then run your hand over to squeegee out the excess and rid of the bubbles and away you go..
only other thing... make sure the glass and the backside of the paper is free of dust or grit particules..second time I applied new paper I put it on then running my blade over it I *found* the particles!!*%##!
its not something you need..
and sent me back to the courser grits to repair.. so take heed.

 

[Fnord5]

peel and stick adhesive..

I went with the non. and find it to be very simple to apply to a piece of 1/2" glass I had around that I cut into strips...
a few drops of water on the glass, then run your hand over to squeegee out the excess and rid of the bubbles and away you go..
only other thing... make sure the glass and the backside of the paper is free of dust or grit particules..second time I applied new paper I put it on then running my blade over it I *found* the particles!!*%##!
its not something you need..
and sent me back to the courser grits to repair.. so take heed.

+1 on getting the non adhesive film for this very reason.
Impossible to keep clean, even a stray whisker will ding your blade when it passes over.

Everything sticks to the back of the film, and if you forget, and let it dry, it will leave some residue on whatever you are using as a honing surface.

 

[SavantStrike]

Well I was lucky enough to snag a free piece of marble and I just ordered the lapping films today.

I bought non PSA in the following grits

1 micron
.5 micron
.1 micron (why not )

The sides of the granite aren't perfect though (just decent). Did any of you guys chamfer the edge of your lapping film plate? I think it might be time for me to break out the DMT and do a bit of chamfering .

 

[tpoof]

when you cut your strip of film for use, you can always just let it hang over the edge of the glass/granite piece just a touch and you will have no edge contact problem

However, no problem on ridding of sharp edges also
I would just use a belt snader or something and leave the DMT for better duties...

 

[SavantStrike]

when you cut your strip of film for use, you can always just let it hang over the edge of the glass/granite piece just a touch and you will have no edge contact problem

However, no problem on ridding of sharp edges also
I would just use a belt snader or something and leave the DMT for better duties...

Is marble really that hard? You're making me re consider taking it to the diamond plate now... it's a lapping plate, that's it's job...

 

[Fnord5]

Is marble really that hard? You're making me re consider taking it to the diamond plate now... it's a lapping plate, that's it's job...

I lapped the corners of mine (a backsplash from a granite countertop) with an AlOx sharpening stone, and it did fine. Marble is quite a bit softer.

 

[matt321]

Another option is ceramic 3"x6" wall tiles. I got white ones with a flat surface and rounded edges for 25 cents each at Loews. The ones at my local HomeDepot were similar but had a slightly dimpled surface.

I just used film today for the first time ever. Wowza! Worked great.

Seems like with PSA-backed you would need to peel and stick to a clean surface and leave it on. As mentioned above, if you try "remove and re-use" it would get contaminated on the sticky side.

 

[matt321]

On the left is the 3"x6" ceramic wall tile. To the right is same thing cut into 1-inch strips with a dremel cut-off wheel. The first strip has 6-micron film, the 2nd has 3M micropore tape sprayed with CrO (powder mixed with rubbing alcohol). The 3rd strip is taped and sprayed with 0.5-micron diamond spray. The edges of the cut tile strips were smoothed with a silicon carbide hardware stone (shown). (The tile strip with film is a hone. The strips with micropore tape are strops.)

 

[matt321]

OK, i have sharpened a few razors on lapping film now. The one inch wide strip was too hard to keep in position on the tile piece (see previous photo), so maybe psa-backed would be better for narrow strips.

None the less I got really great edges off the diamond film. I can get shaving edges off of stones too, but it isn't nearly as easy as this stuff. I was surprized that the grind pattern on the bevel from 1-micron film seemed much more polished than from 12k or 16k stones.

So what good are stones if this stuff works so well? I'm thinking a good approach would be to use stones for coarse work and move to lapping film above 8k.