Thread: honing, fininishing lapping paper question?

I just got a new 12k from a guy off craigslist and It has worked wonders finishing this shumate i found at an antique store that I fully restored and it produced an amazing shave. That's just bragging though.
My question is this, he also gave me a few sheets of .3 or .03 micron lapping paper, i forget which but I looked it up and its 50,000 grit. I've used lapping paper in honing before but nothing over 18k. What is this used for or how do I use it?

V/R
- Jason

Generally speaking, what one uses to lap a stone should be of a lower numerical grit than the stone being lapped. I might be wrong on this, but if two surfaces are rubbed together, as in lapping, the lower numerical grit medium will "lap" the higher numerical grit medium and not vice versa. For example, I use a DMT lapping stone, at 350 grit, to lap my 12K and all my other stones.

50K grit is about 0.3 microns. CrOxide paste is about 0.5 microns. That paste (on a pasted strop) leaves steel mirror-shiny, and makes a very nice shaving edge. I've used it after an 8K hone (the finest I have), and it really helps.

If you want to play with the paper, use it after you've finished with the 12K stone. Put it on a flat surface (glass or marble tile), glue or tape it down, put a bit of water on it, and treat it like a very fine stone (that is, use a "honing" stroke rather than "stropping" stroke).

There's a Wiki that deals with 'sandpaper sharpening' or "micro-abrasive sharpening" -- that's what you're doing.

. . Charles

Originally Posted by maldy

My question is this, he also gave me a few sheets of .3 or .03 micron lapping paper, i forget which but I looked it up and its 50,000 grit. I've used lapping paper in honing before but nothing over 18k. What is this used for or how do I use it?

V/R
- Jason

It is not to be used for honing your razor and as mentioned above, too fine for lapping a stone. Sandpaper that fine would work well for polishing a blade when you take spots off a blade or to just help bring that last bit of sheen to a and sanded razor.

When I use sandpaper to lap my stones I use mostly 400 grit. If it's afine stone like your new one I may finish up to 600 grit. Some finish up to 1K, but to be honest I don't think it's necessary...but that's my opinion & Lord knows there are a few of those here...

I have quite a bit of lapping film and have finished up to 0.3 micron. I must say that while some people like them I do not. They give little to no feedback. Some find them harsh, I know that my face doesn't appreciate that finish, but that's entirely personal preference and its not the worst finish I've ever tried.

I got 0.1 iron oxide powder that i mix with leather oil for a fine coat on leather,it gives the best results out of all the others microns i've tried and finish's very smooth almost as smooth as black arkansas and just that next level sharper,i've been trying to work out a way to use it edge forward with out degrading the edge,maybe the lapping paper will do it so can you tell me where you got and i'll check it out,if anyone knows of a way to utilize the iron oxide edge forward i'd love to know about it

Originally Posted by Alucard73

I got 0.1 iron oxide powder that i mix with leather oil for a fine coat on leather,it gives the best results out of all the others microns i've tried and finish's very smooth almost as smooth as black arkansas and just that next level sharper,i've been trying to work out a way to use it edge forward with out degrading the edge,maybe the lapping paper will do it so can you tell me where you got and i'll check it out,if anyone knows of a way to utilize the iron oxide edge forward i'd love to know about it

I would like to recommend you looking into stones that are proven when it comes to straight razors...water stones seem to pretty much rule here. Sure the fine grit papers will sometimes get you by, but they do just that...get you by.

Originally Posted by shooter74743

Sure the fine grit papers will sometimes get you by, but they do just that...get you by.

i cant tell you enough how right you are, when i was without my norton 1k to set bevels i tried using wet dry sand paper.(left my stone in Va had to wait for friend to mail it) now that my norton has finally gotten back setting proper bevels changes the entire nature of the shave something i took for granted before. but i have to admit lapping film has worked really good for me in the past.