Thread: lapping film - thoughts/experience?

I'm curious about whether anyone has tried lapping film. I recently ordered some 0.3 micron grade sheets to see how they finish coming off an 8k stone. This stuff look fantastic. You simply cut it to size and paste it on to a flat surface essentially turning it into a hone. Less messy than pastes, powders, etc. Fast cutting. No need for strops, no worries about cross-contamination. I've heard each sheet lasts a while, and the price is comparable to the cheapest prices I've ever seen for diamond paste.

For the sake of information there's six grades of the brand I purchased: 40, 30, 15, 5, 1 and .3 micron. Each sheet is 8 1/2 by 11 inches - 216x279mm - wide enough for any razor I've ever seen and quite a bit longer than most bench hones (Naniwa, King, Norton, Shapton, etc) I'm going to try pasting one on glass and one on leather to see if a more supple backing gives finer results. Barring any issues it really seems like a fantastic option for anyone who wants to hone without the cost of actual hones. It would appear to offer a huge advantage over paste for bevel work given that it offers a flat, continuous surface and unlike pastes there's no need for separate strops which would cut down on cost.

Has anyone else tried this stuff? As soon as my SS stones arrive I'll shave off the 8k nani, and then try shaving after finishing on the .3 film and review. Really excited about this!

This is my experience and opinion only:
I used film quite a bit. It is a relatively easy way to get a good edge. BUT I have lots of it sitting on my shelf as hones give me a better edge faster. Film tears and scratches easy. It wears fast also. So you start out with a 1 micron but when your done, its a different grit. I would use 1 micron film before the .3 micron. 1 micron imo is a good place to stop with it. Anything below 1 micron felt harsh to me. Even 1 micron feels surgical as opposed to my hones that leave a smoother shave. And Im talking about synthetics. I honed one on film recently and was shocked at how rough the shave felt. I guess I didnt know better before. ANyway good luck with it. I am only sharing my experience with you and dont want to encourage or discourage you from whatever it is you want to try. I used thor labs film on a granite surface plate.

Thanks for the good advice. I have a little stone I use to burnish the edge before stropping which usually smooths things out nicely so hopefully that will keep things from getting too scratchy.