Thread: Diamond Lapping Film

Waiting for mine to arrive.

Hi Derek - is that the link you meant to put up? It goes to the free shipping, which apparently doesn't apply here (but we might get a discount). Anyway the shipping on those would surely be Greek peanuts. The lapping film is at this link. Bloody hell, it's cheap enough for diamond! In my recent cyber-journeys I came across the Vallorbe Diamond foils (100x50mm or 4x2"), which would be near on ten times the price for less than half the surface area. The foil may make them a little more durable, but not 10x (in fact 20x given the area ratio)!

What I was looking for was something that could be stuck to a shop made paddle (say brass) for sharpening High-alloy Forstners etc. Stick two different grits to the two sides and away you go.

These look perfect and singularly appropriate timing my man! Cut a strip off the side for the paddles and you still have enough for 55-60mm blade in a jig. Gotta love killing two birds with one diamond.

Cheers, Brett

Hi Brett

Whenever Lee Valley have a special on, the Special screen comes up first. There is a "next" button to click that will take you to the page I linked with.

I got your PM and will reply later.

Regards from Perth

Derek

The meshes chosen (15/3/.5/.1u) allow for the least extra wear on each successive mesh ... in other words, the most efficient use of each mesh. You could forgo the 0.1u if you wish, but I must say that the addition of this takes the sharpening level to something well beyond "scary" ... frightening sharp.








Frank.

Thanks Derek. I'm up for an orgasm anytime ;-)

The stuff's cheap; that's a plus. Film is good for carving and turning tools.

But as a chronic rehabber, or should that be a rehab chronic, 15 mu is too fine for the heavy lifting. OK, there are other options but too few quality ones ATM. There are however a number of good options at the 'polishing' end of the continuum.

As for life, again my focus is on the heavy lifting, and the first stage of lapping a chisel will take maybe 2000 strokes on a DMT coarse diamond plate (45 micron).

We need a test cp the 3M Micro-finishing abrasive films of the same grits; they're AlOx and Cr Oxide if memory serves.

But as a chronic rehabber, or should that be a rehab chronic, 15 mu is too fine for the heavy lifting.

Hi Ern

The film is not intended for grinding-type work. It is purely for sharpening ... or more accurately, re-honing a dull edge.

I raised the same issues about a high micron mesh, say about 40 (which is what I use). In the end we agreed that honing was the target. Use diamond paste for grinding - that is one of the most efficient methods.

Regards from Perth

Derek

Sure. I understood that.

My one experience with coarse diamond paste wasn't, er, orgasmic. eBay stuff. Prob. waved over a DMT stone before being labelled.

Originally Posted by rsser

But as a chronic rehabber, or should that be a rehab chronic, 15 mu is too fine for the heavy lifting.

Whew. For a few moments there I thought I'd spent all that money on fancy waterstones for naught...

Originally Posted by rsser

As for life, again my focus is on the heavy lifting, and the first stage of lapping a chisel will take maybe 2000 strokes on a DMT coarse diamond plate (45 micron).
.

Why the course stone instead of the extra-course, which I think is 60 grit?

Originally Posted by FRB Design

The meshes chosen (15/3/.5/.1u) allow for the least extra wear on each successive mesh ... in other words, the most efficient use of each mesh. You could forgo the 0.1u if you wish, but I must say that the addition of this takes the sharpening level to something well beyond "scary" ... frightening sharp.



"Beyond scary" What a crock of marketing %$#^^&




Frank.

Correct, it is well known that putting a blade under a pyramid will achieve the ultimate edge.

Regards

Originally Posted by Basilg

Correct, it is well known that putting a blade under a pyramid will achieve the ultimate edge. Regards

Eddie?

Originally Posted by FenceFurniture

Eddie?

Que?

Thanks Derek,

Good idea for lapping chisels and plane irons?

I get tired of changing sandpapers on the float glass.

Cheers,
Mark

Originally Posted by MarkInBoatshed

Thanks Derek,

Good idea for lapping chisels and plane irons?

I get tired of changing sandpapers on the float glass.

Cheers,
Mark

As rsser said, they aren't really in a particularly big grit range, so probably wouldn't be ideal for lapping? At least not for old irons in need of serious rehab.

Also I'm not sure how much I like diamonds for lapping. I bought a DMT X Course diamond plate for $80 a few days ago and have been pretty unimpressed. (Anybody interested in taking it off my hands?).

A Sigma #120 from Stu cuts about the same speed - perhaps a wee bit quicker - and costs $30 shipped. It feels a heck of a lot nicer to use than the diamond plate, and will suffer whatever abuse you throw at it. The DMT is comparatively delicate.

Still more expensive than the diamond films in question here, but would last far longer, by my estimation.

I had only bad results using WD sandpaper on glass. I used Norton sandpaper, I think, from the Sandpaper Man. Honestly, it just makes work.