The How, Why, and When of Lapping Films
What is Lapping Film?
In simplest terms, Lapping Films are adhesive Mylar films with diamond particles impregnated in it. They really shine when used to put a beautiful, incredibly fast polish on an edge. When used, after just a couple of strokes you can see the pop of shine. They come 10 strips to a sheet and have an adhesive backing, making for super fast and easy change-outs. Lapping Films can be placed on either our glass platens or on our Blank Convex Handles.
Tip: Lapping Films are measured in microns, not grit, so it's important to be aware of your progression when determining what comes next. Microns are a unit of measurement, they measure the actual size of the diamond particles so the higher the micron number, the coarser it is. Grit however is measured by sorting the diamond particles through a series of sieves and the higher the grit, the finer it is.
How to Apply Lapping Film
To use Lapping Film, simply peel a strip off the sheet and stick it to the platen. Center the strip as much as possible. That's it!
Sharpening Motion
Unlike Diamond Stones, you'll want to use the edge-trailing stroke (up and away) with Lapping Films. Lapping Films are soft and easily cut. By using the edge-trailing stroke, you avoid bringing the Lapping Film down into the edge of you blade and damaging it.
Grit Progression
Lapping films should be used after your Diamond Stones and ceramic stones, if you have them. Strops would be used after Lapping Films.
Lapping Film Micron Count | Progression | Image of Edge Finish (M390) |
30 Micron | Initial Lapping Film for creating a convexed edge. Follow with 15 Micron Lapping Film | |
15 Micron | Use after 30 Micron Lapping Film when creating convexed edge - produces edge similar to 800 grit Diamond Stone. Follow with 9 Micron Lapping Film | |
9 Micron | Use after either 1000 Grit Diamond Stone for v-grind or 15 Micron Lapping Film for convexed edge. Follow with 6 Micron Lapping Film or 5/3.5 Strops | |
6 Micron | Use after either 9 Micron Lapping Film, 1500 or 2200 Grit Diamond Stone. Follow with 3 Micron Lapping Film or 5/3.5 Strops | |
3 Micron | Use after either 6 Micron Lapping Film or 3000 Grit Diamond Stone. Follow with 1.5 or 1 Micron Lapping Film or 4/2 Strops | |
1.5 Micron | Use after 3 Micron Lapping Film. Follow with 1 Micron Lapping Film or 1/0.5 Strops | |
1 Micron | Use after 3 or 1.5 Micron Lapping Film. Follow with 0.1 Micron Lapping Film or 1/0.5 Strops | |
0.1 Micron | Use after 1 Micron Lapping Film. Follow with Kangaroo Strops, 0.25 and 0.1 Gunny Juice |
How Lapping Film compares to Strops
A question we get a lot is 'do I want to use Lapping Films or strops?'
The short answer is, well, it depends.
Lapping Films and strops produce different results. While they both can give beautiful polished finishes, how they interact with your edge is quite different. Strops are much softer and not only buff out scratches left from coarser grits, but they produce an incredibly refined edge. Think of a straight razor. You don't want a bunch of micro-serrations (saw teeth) at the edge to irritate your skin. You want the edge to be as clean as possible with no serrations. Strops also have the added benefit of slightly rounding your bevels, producing an edge that's a touch more durable.
Lapping Film, however, provides an incredibly high shine with very little effort. If you're simply chasing a beautiful shine but still want some of the micro-serrations at the edge to aid in biting into whatever you're cutting into, then Lapping Film is the way to go.
If you're chasing the most perfect polish possible, you would utilize the Lapping Film and then finish with strops. You can find the right progression for you in this article.
How to store and care for your Lapping Films
Lapping Films are incredibly low maintenance. You can store the full sheets in their bags to keep them clean and away from any possible contaminates. Once a Lapping Film is applied to your handle, it should remain on until it's worn out or damaged as the adhesive is truly only good for one application. You'll know the Lapping Film is worn out once the color is gone and you start to see bald spots. If your Lapping Films start to become dirty or don't work as well as they should, a quick spray of rubbing alcohol or Windex and a wipe from a paper towel will help clean them up and get them back working.
More information about polishing edges
For more information about how to create extremely polished edges on your knives, check out this article: Advantages, Disadvantages, and Progression for Creating a Mirror Edge
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