I don't know what this material was designed for but I use it over hardwood slings to hold diamond paste and it works very well. It's a bit thick but works quite well as I'm always trying different methods and materials to sharpen my blades. I'm also trying this system out with metal debris as part of the alignment versus using a clean Zona with fresh paste. The metal sludge appears to mitigate the effect of the combination of abrasives.