Thread: Honing film

Has anyone ever heard of using honing film for honing their blades? I've never tried it, but I don't know why it wouldn't work. I don't know the conversion for microns to grit, they come: 15, 5, 0.3 micron and either 8 or 14 inches long.

Yes. It works well. Here is some info in the Wiki:
Using micro abrasive film - Straight Razor Place Wiki

It should work fine in a pinch. Before I started honing, I used 3M wet dry to get an edge on my antique store finds. I would use the paper up through 2k and then go to the crox. Worked fine for me for my first six months or so.

Originally Posted by deighaingeal

Has anyone ever heard of using honing film for honing their blades? I've never tried it, but I don't know why it wouldn't work. I don't know the conversion for microns to grit, they come: 15, 5, 0.3 micron and either 8 or 14 inches long.

The trick to using the film is to ensure the film is glued firmly without air bubbles.

An uneven bevel is a sign of a film honer that did not use adhesive.

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 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...

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.