Anyone use 3M Lapping Film and/or Micro Finishing Film?

A

aesmith

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Jan 19, 2015
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Hi,

I'm going to have try with this stuff, just received a sample pack with lots of different grits from 100 microns down to 0.3. Has anyone else used this? I'm wondering whether to stick it down to pieces of hardwood, or whether it really needs to be on glass. The supplier mainly deals with woodworking tools so they're expecting you to stick a selection of grades onto a sheet of glass, but for knife use it's a bit more difficult to arrange because the abrasive needs to go right to the edge.

If anyone has used these products, what were the most useful grits, and were they used for stropping/polishing, or for actual sharpening?

Tony S
 
I've used the 30u AlumOx film - non PSA, 3 mil backing. It work very well. It will load up, I use mine with a very thin film of mineral oil. It can be used dry but longevity seems to suffer.

I also have used the 30, 16, 6, 1, .5u diamond lapping film - also non PSA, 3 mil backing. I use these with oil as well, they do not show much evidence of wearing out after quite a bit of use. I normally only use these on high carbide steels.

Grit sizes larger than single digit micron can be used with a bit of a scrubbing pass, the finer ones work well just like a strop with a trailing pass. They are a bit too pricey to risk cutting them on a leading pass, but I'll chance it if I'm really dialed in - the worst I've managed was to nip partly through the film where it passes over the Washboard teeth - still usable.

I use mine on a Washboard exclusively - while they are relatively rigid, they do have a slight bit of give and should be used with a very light touch, even over stone. However you apply them, wrapping the long outside edge around the edge of your backing base will greatly reduce the tendency to cut the film on a leading pass - just apply a hard crease where it wraps and you'll be able to keep it nice and tight.
 
I use the 3M micron belts on my wet sharpening machine. They come in 100 micron [150 grit] through 15 micron [2000 grit] If the sheets are like the belts they tend to cup a bit, hump up in the center making it necessary to apply pressure to make the material lay flat.
I believe your thinking, applying the material to glass or some other flat surface is sound. Not knowing how wide the material is we are discussing I'm only guessing about this. If I were doing this in my shop I would use spray adhesive to adhere sections to glass sections the same size as the sheets, attaching different grits to their own piece of glass. You could set up a station where you could place the abrasive covered glass into a slotted holder to keep it in place, you could then switch grits by lifting one out of the holder and put the next one in place.
Talking about this, I may make a set up like this for my shop.

3M makes some of the best abrasives available.


Let us know what you come up with, Fred
 
I use the 1 and 0.3 micron AO with PSA backing from Workshop Heaven on aluminum blanks and I also have a sample pack 1, 0.5 and 0.1 diamond film with aluminum blanks from KME.

I use both types with a drop of honing oil and the results are very sharp and very polished edges. After a few initial edge trailing strokes, I can also use a rubbing motion without damaging the tapes but I think that would not be possible if the surface they are mounted on is not absolutely flat.

You can get the same or comparable results with diamond paste of the same grids on leather strops but the tapes are very easy to use and give excellent results. I prefer the diamond film but unfortunately that is nearly impossible to find here in Europe. The diamond film is relatively expensive but at just GBP 2.70 for an A4 sheet, the AO film is very cheap giving me 20 strips per sheet which each can be used several times.
 
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Cheers. The stuff I've got is also Aluminum Oxide (also from Workshop Heaven). It's their sample pack with a number of 8" x 2.5" strips, adhesive backed. I need to see if I can look out some small bits of glass. I want to try and use it freehand, and also possibly with the Lansky guided system.

Which grades do you reckon would correspond with King 1000 and 6000 grit waterstones? Just trying to get a feel for their grades relative to what I'm used to.

Thanks, Tony S
 
Hi Tony,

I have no experience with the King waterstones but if their grids compare to the JIS grids scale than the 1000 would be 16 micron and the 6000 would be 2 micron.
With the Lansky I would suggest taping the lapping film on the 1000 or 2000 ceramic. I also use 3000 and 4000 grit sandpaper which also gives very good results.

I have never used the lapping film with freehand sharpening and I think it would not work very well as I think it gives the best results when the contact angle is optimal but I could be wrong of course.

BTW.... the 0.3 micron Chromium Oxide Paste from Workshop Heaven is also very good if you want to make your own strops.
 
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