£4.00
PSA Diamond film- sold individually 175 x195mm
Description
PSA (self-adhesive) lapping films- I have been looking for a well priced, easy to peel film and these have surpassed my expectations. These diamond films have an exceptionally long life and have revolutionized my sharpening, the quality of the cut is maintained for a long, long time. I use either soapy water or a rubber to clean these films, unfortunately, diamond lapping fluid slowly dissolved the adhesive so isn’t recommended. The grit range runs from 0.5 micron – 50,000 grit ! to 30 micron – 600grit. I have found that a hair-popping edge can be achieved with 3 micron -7,000 grit and a strop with our fine compound.
These films work very well with these honing blocks , and as such we have had the films made to a size so that each sheet will yield 3 strips. These films will peel cleanly with our PTFE honing rods and wooden dowels.
Additional information
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Reviewed from the perspective of a knife sharpener, though I have also sharpened scissors, chisels and axes on occasion. That said, I doubt my results would be different from anyone sharpening tools on a regular basis. Apologies for the long comment…..
I used to be able to hand sharpen on stones to a decent competency when I was a teenager (in my 50’s now) but lost the knack at some point, and now use angle guided sharpening jigs. My progression goes from diamond plates to repair, re-profile and sharpen; a ceramic stone to de-burr and hone/burnish the edge; lapping/polishing tapes; and finally stropping. Having got the background out of the way, on to the review.
I have previously used Edge Pro polishing tapes (25x150mm), which use aluminium oxide abrasives in 2K, 3K and 6K grit. They are relatively cheap, relatively easy to obtain, and come fifteen to a pack. They certainly polish, and will have some minor positive effect on the keenness of your edge, but don’t really ‘cut’ to any degree. Speaking of “cutting”, the tapes are very fragile, and if you want them to last you have to use ‘down-strokes’ (stropping motion, away from the edge); if you try to use upstrokes, or ‘scrub’, you will frequently slice in to the tape. As I seem to get better edges with upstrokes, I get through these tapes quite quickly.
Having just sliced a 2K Edge Pro tape, I thought it was a perfect time to try out one of the H&H diamond films I purchased. Cutting to a 24mm width (rather than 25mm), I was able to make nine six inch tapes from one sheet. At £4 a sheet, not bad at all – much cheaper than any of the commercially available diamond polishing tapes, or purchasing the 3M sheets to cut in to strips. Cheaper even than the Edge Pro tapes!
The diamond film adhered well to the Edge Pro backing plate, with little in the way of trapped air bubbles – pretty common with the Edge Pro tapes.
Another advantage is that the diamond film cuts faster than the aluminium oxide ones – these are much more than just polishing tapes. Polishing can sometimes reveal small flaws left after sharpening and honing, requiring you to go back a step or two in your progression to clean up the edge. No need here – with some time and a bit more effort, I was able to remove small flaws with the diamond film.
Which brings me to the point that impressed me most. I was able to employ upstrokes with the diamond film – and even scrub quite vigorously – to remove the flaws mentioned above, then go back to light, slow strokes to get a polished finish. Even when applying a fair amount of pressure, the abrasive coating did not scrape off, and it never felt as if I was going to slice in to the tape.
Great product and a very good price – highly recommended!