What is this lapping film for Tom?

Hi Tom

I bought a pack of 50, 3M 262X IMPERIAL Lapping Film.

It goes on to say Grade-1MIC
Backing-3MIL
Size-3in X 8in
Mineral- A/O
Type- F
Run-ON2-1

Part# 51144

I was looking for some very fine sandpaper from a Flea Mkt dealer who gets end rolls of all kinds of sanding & lapping papers etc.

When I was looking at this lapping film, I asked the guy who bought & why. He said one of his best customers for this, was a Knife maker but did not ask him how he used it.

Tom have you heard of this lapping film before? What can I use it for? For now I use 1500 wet & dry paper, for putting the final finish on the Gun steel parts, that I work on.

I had thought of using it to de-burr that small amount, the leather misses while deburring a fresh sharpened Knife blade. How would you hold it though, unless it will fit in a rubber hand sanding block.

Thanks in advance Tom, for any enlightenment you can throw my way

 

Hello Marturo

Nice to hear from you too.

Lapping paper or film as it may also be called, is very fine sanding paper used for fine sanding and metal honing.

I use it for metal honing to remove burrs, etc. I purchase the material as round sheets already cut to fit it for my rotating disk honing machines which I use in the shop.

I also have a hand held flat metal surface plate on which the sheets are applied to being held in place using regular automotive grease.

This gives me a non rotating hand held honing surface to hone cutlery knives and straight blade tools. Hand honing often provides better final results with a little practice...

I'm sure we are both referring to the same or like material. If you can locate any hand held perfectly flat plate with a handle to hold it, apply cut sheets of the material to the plate with ordinary wheel bearing grease or similar type grease.

Honing knives by hand will produce excellent final results for you and anyone whom reads this thread.

Trail & Errors, Practice & Patience makes perfect.

Regards,
Tom
Accurate Power Equipment Company. Complete Saw and Tool Sharpening Service.

Reminder: "Work Shop Safety Is No Accident."

 

Thanks Tom, I knew if anyone whould know how to hold this super thin film it had to be you. I think I will do a little searching now for other films, I can use.

I'll be back! You know the old saying. Right?
A Craftsman is only, as sharp as his tools

This is a great forum Tom, since most of us have to get the Lansky training wheels, knive sharpener to put a good edge on our knives, LOL.

I have a lot I would like to learn & do, like set and sharpen my Diston Hand saw. Is that something a DIYer could do? I bought it in 71 & it's never been done before. It got dull & I went electric, so it's never been touched at all.

 

Hello my friend Marturo

I could not even imagine sharpening any hand saw by hand...
I have an automatic filing machine just for that purpose.

The rack the saw gets clamped into rides on a carriage across the front of the machine. Each tooth is indexed which precisely moves forward every other tooth as the file draws through each tooth.

Each tooth has two angles. One back and one forward. Every other tooth is identical to the other. They alternate each other.

Than each tooth has set. Set is the outwards angle. The set cuts the kurf so the blade does not drag in the wood. Set is a critical setting and cannot be set without a hand setting tool or a machine designed for this expressed purpose.

Considering all the above, I could not see how it is possible to accurately resharpen any hand saw blade. Possible but I have never done it or seen it done. I am school trained...LOL!

Most sharpening shops charge about 5-6 bucks to resharpen a hand saw. Well worth the cost to be sure the task is done correctly. In shop the entire process takes about half an hour.

At that cost and the time spent, one can quickly understand why I say sharpening has to be a vocation...LOL!

Regards,
Tom

 

Will do Tom. Now to find a craftsman here or in Asheville.

You know I put this saw up, for Power saws, I wonder how the old time carpenter kept their hand saws sharp. Perhaps they had 2, and used #2 when the other was in the shop.

Thanks for the good advice Tom.

 

Marturo

Finding a sharpening shop is usually easy. Check the phone book. Out in this part of the rock we call earth, the directory pages are yellow. We also have a business to business version.

There should not be any difficulties locating a shop. If the shop has been in business a few years, the interior area is clean & neat and there are plenty of tools waiting to be sharpened, you found a busy professional.

The clean & neatly organized sharpening shop indicates pride of ownership and sharpening professionalism, much like any repair shop or retail store. At least in my opinion...

Contractors and craftsman all should have two saws. When one is dull it goes to a sharpening shop while the other is in use. Tree trimmers and lumberjacks have several chainsaws and multiple chains to use while the others are in a sharpening shop.

When it comes to handsaws, there are those that are common all purpose types used to both crosscut and rip. Others are for specific purposes and do not cut well when not used as intended. Good craftsmans have both, extras and saws of several types.

Regards,
Tom

Sharpeners Quote:
"I can sharpen almost anything, except a dull mind."...

Personal Quote:
Buckle Up & Drive Safely. "The Life You Save, May Be Your Own."

Personal Business Motto:
Providing professional sharpening to every tool and blade that comes into my vocational business shop. In doing so it insures satisfied first time customers & developes them into repeat customers whom are then willing to pay me outrageous prices to sharpen every tool they have........