Where to buy lapping film?

[Ohio]

My google skills are broken, evidently.
I can't find lapping films anywhere near the price point people quote to me, and Lee Valley doesn't list them anymore.

Where is a good place to get them?

Which are the proper ones to get for honing and final polish, working off a 4K stone?

5μ and 0.5μ are quoted, I assume that's diamond; which type of the 3M diamond is used?

Worst part is that some kind soul here sent me samples, I love it, but I can't match the color/grit to anything I find.

Thanks for your patience, guys.

Larry


ETA:
IO found this, seems to answer all except come right out and say ChromOx and SilCarb are OK for the razors.
http://www.straightrazorplace.com/f...m-micro-abrasive-film-usage-guide-review.html

Any comments on this?

For applying the film, I used water to stick it to my Norton hone. It seemed to work just fine and only took seconds to apply. The slight grit of the hone allows air and water bubbles to disperse.

 

[Lavaine]

I can't find lapping films anywhere near the price point people quote to me, and Lee Valley doesn't list them anymore.

Try here:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=33004&cat=1,43072

Lee Valley lists them as Micro-Abrasives. 15, 5, and 0.5 micron.

 

[cityjim]

http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/indextool.mvc?prodid=ST-MAF.XX

cityjim

 

[Chimensch]

For applying the film, I used water to stick it to my Norton hone. It seemed to work just fine and only took seconds to apply. The slight grit of the hone allows air and water bubbles to disperse.

I'm probably talking out of school because I've never used films, but aren't they supposed to be used on something flat like glass? If you are lapping your Norton on the Norton Flattening Stone, you may have flatness issues and if you're not, you probably have a flat surface like glass or tile that would work better than the Norton, IMO.

 

[Ohio]

I'm probably talking out of school because I've never used films, but aren't they supposed to be used on something flat like glass? If you are lapping your Norton on the Norton Flattening Stone, you may have flatness issues and if you're not, you probably have a flat surface like glass or tile that would work better than the Norton, IMO.

My stone is flat, other than the grit size it isn't any less suitable than a sheet of glass (at least that's my thinking). I don't see what problem there may be, but "I don't see a problem" is often ignorance, not competency.

It also gives me a very familiar work setup; all the muscle-memory of honig carries over.

Advanced users:
Is there any inherent problems using a flat hone as a backing surface for the abrasive film, using water to hold it to the stone?

 

[SavantStrike]

I got my diamond lapping film right here.

Sadly they had a 6 dollar handling fee, but I think my entire order was 30-36 bucks for the 1 sheet of each of the following

9 micron (maybe I would use it to smooth out my C12k... then I got it and reaized wet/dry would be better for this )
1 micron
.5 micron
.1 micron (yes .1...)

The stuff makes a difference after the C12k... I haven't decided if it's good or bad yet .

 

[DogHair]

I've been pretty pleased with the standard 3M films. Maybe I'll give the diamond film a try when I need to re-order. Considerable price difference though. I set the bevel on a DMT so maybe just the 1.0 and 0.5 would be worth a try.

 

[SavantStrike]

I've been pretty pleased with the standard 3M films. Maybe I'll give the diamond film a try when I need to re-order. Considerable price difference though. I set the bevel on a DMT so maybe just the 1.0 and 0.5 would be worth a try.

I haven't tried the aluminum oxide films so I can't compare, but after having just tried the diamond ones, I can tell you that you aren't missing much skipping the .1 micron sheets. The edges off of .1 are a bit too sharp and probably won't last very long .

 

[Seraphim]

I have found that 1.0um is as far as I need to take the films. After that, if you want to give the razor some CromOx stropping, that helps smooth it all out.

Going to 0.1um gave me harsh, and unstable edges.