WHAT IT IS:

The DARKSIDE™ is a lightweight lap, made of the specially developed material coated onto an aluminum baseplate, then machined both sides for flatness. We have been using them since Summer directly on the lap spindle. For its thickness it is surprisingly rigid.

Because of the two-ply construction, these laps require twice the labor operations to manufacture, but it least it finally gets away from those horrible tin prices.

The Darkside™ is a RESURFACABLE LAP. Within reason, if a lap jam does not destroy the lap, you get another chance or two. If A stone fractures and chips embed, the Darkside can be resurfaced. Once production started, I increased the thicknesses of both the metal backing and the polymer composite layer to allow this, as well as to give the lap a stiffer "feel" and quiter running. I can resurface your Darkside, or any local machine shop can. Carbide tooling is required. Single point or PCD diamond is strongly suggested for best finish.

WHAT IT ISN'T:

It is not an off-the-shelf commercial material. Like BATT™ and BA5T™, it was designed for this specific application, Made Here, and has no other readily apparant commercial uses.

It contains no reactive species, nor are its precursors listed carcinogens. (I want to survive making the stuff! Just as with my metal alloys, since I have to make and handle thousands of them, you can BET I watch toxicity issues! Any such issues will get me first.)

It is not a BATT™. It is designed for polishing, though it has been tested successfully with 3K as a prepolish, which it does quickly and aggressively. While I never designed the tin alloy BATT for cutting, people love cutting with it...but you will NOT be able to do this with the DARKSIDE™.