Hand American Honing Film

Good to hear.

I might have to pick some up, I liked the feel/feedback but the samples I had were counter productive because of the abrasive effect.
 
handamerican said:
jimnolimit mentioned offset printing blanket material which I think may have some merit as an alternative to leather. More often than not leather is not required when using compounds. A good honing leather should stand on it's own.

If any of you folks are planning on experimenting with that material I hope you post your findings.

I do a lot of leather cutting, I'm thinking of using it as a cutting mat similar to the ''self healing' types that can be kind of pricey. I'll let you know about that.

Can't thank you guys enough for your support,
Keith
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hopefully i will be able to make the strops by the end of the weekend, then i need to get some sprays/pastes to test. do you offer a 3 micron diamond spray? im looking to test:
1. 3 micron diamond
2. 1 micron diamond
3. 1 micron boron carbide
4. 0.5 chromium oxide

i will probably do my first test on my newly acquired (used) straight razor. i plan on taking the blade from re-bevel to finished shaving edge. i will definitely make a thread showing each step under my microscope.
 
jimnolimit said:
hopefully i will be able to make the strops by the end of the weekend, then i need to get some sprays/pastes to test. do you offer a 3 micron diamond spray? im looking to test:
1. 3 micron diamond
2. 1 micron diamond
3. 1 micron boron carbide
4. 0.5 chromium oxide

i will probably do my first test on my newly acquired (used) straight razor. i plan on taking the blade from re-bevel to finished shaving edge. i will definitely make a thread showing each step under my microscope.
Click to expand...

You could choose between the 1 micron boron and diamond and maybe pick the boron if you plan to use ours. The paste is the equivalent of 280 + carat and is just as hard as diamond with the same particle shape.

Instead of a 3 micron diamond consider the 2 micron SiC paste. This is a relatively new type of SiC which is green in color as opposed to gray and has a Mohs hardness of 9.5

These choices will save you a few dollars and provide good results. Including chromium oxide is a good choice for straight razors but if I could make one suggestion for your final strop surface it would be horse butt especially for razors.

Good luck - looking forward to reading the results.
Keith
 
Hey Keith, is the boron a new mix too or would it be the same as the liquid I have? The 12 carat 1 micron diamond still seems to work faster with a better final polish, the boron is not far behind but there is a difference.

And +1 on the horse leather, mine seemed to need some break-in time but after a few uses it started to yield some amazing results. Works quickly too.
 
knifenut1013 said:
Hey Keith, is the boron a new mix too or would it be the same as the liquid I have? The 12 carat 1 micron diamond still seems to work faster with a better final polish, the boron is not far behind but there is a difference.

And +1 on the horse leather, mine seemed to need some break-in time but after a few uses it started to yield some amazing results. Works quickly too.
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Hey Jason,
No, same mix as always - my math was bad though. We guarantee a minimum of 210 carat but try to push it higher.

You can attribute the differences between the boron carbide and diamond to any number of things including slight differences in particle shape, the medium that your using as a substrate, etc.

I think I finally figured out what you were trying to tell me about the film, I think what you are saying is that the film itself is leaving marks in your blades sans compound.

Sorry to say that this is a phenomenon that I cannot explain, it shouldn't happen though and I've never heard of it before. If you are washing and re using the film contamination could be a factor, if there was compound residue on the blade that could do it too.

Keith
 
knifenut1013 said:
And +1 on the horse leather, mine seemed to need some break-in time but after a few uses it started to yield some amazing results. Works quickly too.
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I'm glad the horse is working for you Jason.

Here's a horse butt tip: If the hide is too soft and you don't hear a 'shish' when you strop then you have to punch the hide up a bit.

You'll need a regular clothes iron, a damp cloth, and a swatch of bed sheet.

Set the iron on high and let it heat up. lay the horse butt on a flat surface and dampen it very lightly with the damp cloth. cover the hide with the bed sheet and very quickly and with light pressure iron over the covered hide going back and forth four or five times.

Remove the bed sheet and let the hide sit for a minute and test with a knife or razor. If the hide was not working before you should see a difference, if not repeat the process.

Keith
 
I have one film left still in the bag, when I get a chance I think I'll test it again. I have a few thoughts on the difference in compounds but nothing too crazy ;)

Thanks for the tip, I got a hanging strop that might work for :thumbup:
 
knifenut1013 said:
I have one film left still in the bag, when I get a chance I think I'll test it again. I have a few thoughts on the difference in compounds but nothing too crazy ;)

Thanks for the tip, I got a hanging strop that might work for :thumbup:
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Careful with the strop, I can't tell what kind of hide it is and if it's bovine it could have been filled & buffed which means if you apply moisture and heat it will leave craters in the surface. Fat content in the hide will do that too. Usually not an issue with horse butt.

".....thoughts on the difference in compounds but nothing too crazy"

It wouldn't be you if it wasn't too crazy - my life used to be easy, now I have spooky sharpening guys like you to keep up with.:)

Keith
 
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