Which Micron Diamond Spray?

Coonskinner said:
(...)My question about the diamond spray stems from me wondering if the diamond on leather thing would be a way to cut faster with a strop and avoid the necessity of taking a stone to the knife if it needs more than the black compound.(...)
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If the desire is to cut faster in substitution of using a stone, you'd be better off using a substrate other than leather, UNLESS the leather is extremely hard. A harder substrate like wood, or single thickness of paper over wood, will make the bigger difference in speed, AND it'll leave the edge much crisper than if trying to use a more aggressive compound on a softish/forgiving substrate like leather. Trying to get fast cutting from leather usually encourages the user to press into it harder, which will only tend to round off the apex, no matter the compound used.

Leather is at it's best when used at featherlight pressure for final edge cleanup (removing burrs or realigning a very thin rolled edge, basically). If trying to get more aggressive metal removal in lieu of using a stone, the stropping substrate should still be maintained very firm/hard, so you won't round off & dull the edge. More aggressive compounds on leather will just do that faster. Same applies for using sandpaper; a hard backing behind it will make it work more aggressively AND keep the apex crisper, whereas a more forgiving backing like leather tends to round off the apex.

A natural stropping motion will still tend to convex the bevels, even on a harder stropping substrate BTW, if you're still wanting to maintain the convex. The difference will be that the convex will be a bit subtler (thinner) coming off a harder substrate, and the apex will stay crisper. Those are always good things. :)


David
 
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HeavyHanded said:
The wet/dry should work well even on wear resistant steel until you get down to very fine levels of finish, say 1000 grit or so. I recommended the diamond lapping film because it lasts a long time, leaves a (comparatively) toothy finish on all but the hardest of steels. If you use it for repair work, the swarf is easy to clean off as opposed to swamping the compound on your leather.

Being bonded to the film, it also works very fast compared to a loose grit on leather even with a binder. The film has just enough give to make burring an unlikely issue, and you can place it over any surface you want, even over your India stone if you want more precision and shape the convex yourself. The 15 micron stuff can repair most wear and leave you with a nice toothy finish, the 6 micron will refine a bit more and leave you with a fairly bright finish, comparable to a smaller abrasive on a hard plate. I seldom use my 1 micron or .5 micron films. A sheet of each will last a looong time if cared for, and combined should cost under $10.
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Thank you, Sir.

That is helpful information.

How do you go about cleaning and caring for the lapping film?

Is there a link to an instructional vid or thread somewhere?

I appreciate the information.
 
Coonskinner said:
Thank you, Sir.

That is helpful information.

How do you go about cleaning and caring for the lapping film?

Is there a link to an instructional vid or thread somewhere?

I appreciate the information.
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I don't know of a video specific to this application, but I believe there must be some out there.

I use mine with about a half drop of mineral oil - just enough to leave a smear on the surface. You can get away with water, but the oil keeps the film absolutely load-free clean. Wipe it off when done and you're good for next time. You can get PSA backed stuff and stick it to a piece of steel, glass etc.

I use non-PSA backed stuff and tension it on my Washboard. If you get it good and tight you can get away with a leading pass or scrub technique, but for what you're doing I'd use it exactly like a strop, maybe put it over a piece of pine or other soft wood so you get a bit of added give, or a few sheets of paperboard etc. I've been working with the same handful of 6" sheets I bought maybe a year or more ago from a fiber optic retailer, but then I only use it on Vanadium carbide steels most of the time, and use SiC or AlumOx based materials for everything else.
 
TravisH said:
Yep, quite easy to overthink this. ;)


Yes, that's what I understand.

For reference ...
6u = 2400
3u = 4800
1u = 15000
.5u = 30000

Since I already have stones/rods down to 3u, I went with 1u DMT paste.


I'm a novice at this level. The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know. But I do know when it's good enough for me. I can't imagine using .5u and .25u emulsions. Frankly, I sometimes wonder if even 1u is working better than bare leather. ;)
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Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone know the grit or micron rating for the pre-loaded Strop Block that JDavis likes to use? I'm looking for the next step after the SM UF stone and want to make sure I'm getting the right strop! I'm totally new to stropping, so would you go that way or make your own and load it yourself? If so what's the first two compounds you would go to, looks like a lot of BRKT black and green fans on here. I'm not looking to get the perfect edge just yet, but I would like to take it a step or two past the UF stone. TIA
 
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