Diamond lapping film
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I was thinking of trying to use some lapping film between my 1600 ceramic stones and 5 micron leather strops to remove stubborn minuscule marks left over from the various stones that the strops are not removing. Would the 9 micron diamond film be the proper grit to use for this purpose?
JCM, look at the Wicked Edge Grit Comparison Chart: got to the website, resources https://www.wickededgeusa.com/grits-comparison-chart-for-the-wicked-edge-sharpener/
That answers a lot of those type of questions, 1600 grit ceramics are much finer grit size than 9mcg lapping film. I think you’re results with the 1600 will improve if: 1) they break-in a little more (some seem to have a sintered coating that wears off) and 2) if you concentrate on your technique and use them longer, (ie more strokes). Hope this helps….That being said the lapping film does do a very good job removing scratches as you progress down through the finer grits films.
Marc
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JCM – I think you’d be very happy going from the 1600 ceramics to the 6 micron film.
Thanks for the advice! Would you recommend using an additional lapping film after the 6 micron and before my 1 and 0.5 micron balsa strops?
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The jump from 6 micron to 1 micron is far too big. I’d advise even a couple lapping films in between. (My own guideline: make sure the next grit is about twice as large, i.e. half the micron size, as the previous one.)
Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge
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As for number of strokes, I am doing 100+ for the ceramics and strops. Is that sufficient?
I’m a proponent for technique. I really believe once your stones are broken well then proper pressure and good proper technique can achieve what a larger number of strokes with poor technique never will. That being said I do take a lot of time on my knives but I don’t count strokes. I do constantly visually inspect my edge for my progress either using a little LED flashlight to see how the scratches in the reflection are diminishing or (also handheld) I use a USB Microscope as many of us do.
Marc
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JCM – I think you’d be very happy going from the 1600 ceramics to the 6 micron film.
Thanks for the advice! Would you recommend using an additional lapping film after the 6 micron and before my 1 and 0.5 micron balsa strops?
I would also recommend a few grits between 6 and 1 micron. I go from the 1500 diamond plate directly to the 6 micron lapping film> 3 micron lapping film> 1.5 micron lapping film. Here’s an example of how that finish looks on a Benchmade 530 that I did a few weeks back.
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