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+--- Thread: NOTICE FOR LEATHER HONES (/showthread.php?tid=88)
NOTICE FOR LEATHER HONES - Mark Reich - 05-24-2017
Gentlemen,
I know why your hones aren't working as they should. There probably wasn't much diamond grit left on your hones by the time they got to you.
Since I've never done anything like this before, I didn't realize how loosely the grit stays on the surface of the leather before you use the hone. It takes some use to embed the grit into the leather.
The way I figured this out is twofold. First, I couldn't believe y'all weren't enthralled with the hones. I know exactly how well 16u poly diamond works. The difference between the compound and bare leather is night and day. Everyone should have noticed immediately, and that didn't happen.
Since I used up so much of my 16u compound on the hones, I ordered another bottle. As I was discussing things with Mr. Ken Schwartz, I learned of a new type of synthetic diamond that comes in much larger grit. I got a bottle of 30u and a bottle of 80u and immediately loaded a couple of the same hones that I sent out. I got a big surprise.
Now I know that the emulsion carrier will not reliably keep larger grit particles stuck to the leather before the grit is manually embedded into the surface. The larger the grit, the harder it is to get it to stay on the leather. It was very noticeable at 30u, but at 80u, None of the grit stuck at all. It was apparent that the emulsion actually sealed the surface of the leather, leaving the grit completely free to fall off.
I do a fair amount of leather work, so I have a few kinds of professional grade leather conditioner and sealer. Skidmore's Leather Cream and Conditioner and Fiebing's Aussie Leather Conditioner both worked well for keeping the grit on the leather.
The reason this is news to me is simply because 16u grit stays on a hone if you apply it, then use it right away, which is all I've ever done. When I tried loading a hone with two solid coats of compound, then let it dry without using it, sure enough, much of the grit can be brushed off.
A major factor is the amount of compound I put on the leather. I used about 5X too much. That's why the carrier effectively sealed the surface of the leather beneath the unembedded grit.
Building up thin coats of compound, and embedding the compound into the leather between coats makes all the difference in the world.
I think the solution will involve unsealing the leather surface and applying compound normally. I can send little syringes of compound so there won't be a chance of losing any in transport ever again.
Sorry boys, I fouled it up, but I'm looking forward to having valuable experience to share in 3-4 weeks.