Thread: Honing film

So would the 0.5 micron or even the 0.3 work as a replacement for a pasted strop?

A lot of guys on here use lapping film for honing and I've heard from them that it's very cool. Give it a shot! The only thing that's stopped me from trying it is that it seems expensive and it doesn't last like a stone would last.

Originally Posted by Disburden

A lot of guys on here use lapping film for honing and I've heard from them that it's very cool. Give it a shot! The only thing that's stopped me from trying it is that it seems expensive and it doesn't last like a stone would last.

Expensive?

I wrote that WIKI article having spent less on my entire honing set-up than you have spent on any single hone in your signature's progression. Honing with lapping films is a cheap way to get started and can be all the simple razor user needs to do the bulk of their honing work. This would allow you to focus your honing collection on the various finishing materials instead of spending the buck on several bevel setters or sharpening stones. If you are going to honing razors on a daily or even regular basis a stone might be a better buy but if you, like me, only have about a dozen shavers you want to keep in tip top condition it is a way to keep your honing costs to a minimum so you can spend your pennies on other AD's.

That's what I thought. The low cost is why I chose the film for my carving tools.

Great thread. I'd previously posted a request on where to find a narrow bevel setter for some of my warped antique store finds - as an alternative to the rolling strokes used on 3" wide hones.

Seems like I could just use 1k and then 3k sandpaper / film sitting on top of any of my 2" barber hones. Worth a try.

Thanks . . .

It seems to me with as few people actually flatten their hones and with the low cost/great availability of glass. This is ideal for many people. I personally own close to a dozen stones, but I prefer the film. I personally use granite scraps from my last job as a cabinet maker, the counter top department always had sink cut outs that they threw away.

Originally Posted by deighaingeal

So would the 0.5 micron or even the 0.3 work as a replacement for a pasted strop?

It did when I tried it. The pasted strop is a bit easier to use while the films feel more "precise". YMMV

As a wood carver I may like that precision, but as a lazy person...