DLFs with edge leading stroke

[Pat]

Question:  can you lightly use the DLFs with edge leading strokes if you want “bite” on the pull stroke of your blade vs only using the typical non-edge leading strokes?

I like the “bite” of a 200 or 400 grit edge leading stroke when pulling the knife toward me to cut (say rope or something), but have been only using the DLFs on non-edge leading strokes which polishes the edge opposite of this.  Given if I leave the edge at 200 or 400 grit, then run a very light pass of the 3 micron DLF to refine the “teeth” of the edge with a non-edge leading stroke, I don’t think it will remove the direction of the “teeth” but my druthers say to keep using edge leading.

The reason I am asking is that it is recommended not to use edge leading strokes with DLFs as they apparently, due to their thinness, will be cut by the edge.  Haven’t tried edge leading yet to test this theory and I would never use them in a harsh manner anyways and they have to be tougher than strops which always use non-edge leading.

Any thoughts are appreciated and experiences.

[Brewbear]

Pat wrote:

Question: can you lightly use the DLFs with edge leading strokes if you want “bite” on the pull stroke of your blade vs only using the typical non-edge leading strokes? I like the “bite” of a 200 or 400 grit edge leading stroke when pulling the knife toward me to cut (say rope or something), but have been only using the DLFs on non-edge leading strokes which polishes the edge opposite of this. Given if I leave the edge at 200 or 400 grit, then run a very light pass of the 3 micron DLF to refine the “teeth” of the edge with a non-edge leading stroke, I don’t think it will remove the direction of the “teeth” but my druthers say to keep using edge leading. The reason I am asking is that it is recommended not to use edge leading strokes with DLFs as they apparently, due to their thinness, will be cut by the edge. Haven’t tried edge leading yet to test this theory and I would never use them in a harsh manner anyways and they have to be tougher than strops which always use non-edge leading. Any thoughts are appreciated and experiences.

I did try it and cut nice little slivers out of the dlfs. I didn’t do it on purpose, I just got carried away with alternating edge-leading and edge-trailing strokes between grits.

[Pat]

As was suggested, I will use the 2200 grit diamond stones instead of trying to make the DLFs working on leading edge strokes.  Thanks for the help.

[Organic]

I have used the diamond films with edge leading strokes and found that it can be done if you use very light pressure. I still prefer to use them with edge trailing strokes so I don’t have to concentrate so much.

Why not use the edge trailing stroke from tip to heel? That will allow you to do edge trailing strokes and still get the scratch orientation that you’re after.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Brewbear, Marc H

[tcmeyer]

I have a lot of experience using DLF in the edge-leading mode.  It can certainly be done, but you have to be careful.  If the blade has a deep belly, for instance, the edge will bite into the film, as will a blade’s tip or heel.   The wider the edge at the engagement point, the more tolerant it is to edge-leading action.  Plane blades are an example of an edge which will accept edge-leading strokes without problem, so I often use scrubbing strokes, just to save time..

Obviously, the amount of pressure applied makes a big difference.

2 users thanked author for this post.

Brewbear, Dwight Glass

[Author]

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