any tips for the lansky system?

J

jasonbroni

Joined
Dec 10, 2009
Messages
325
it seems that I constantly have to move/angle the clamp (and work about about 3' away from the clamp) to get anything that will bite into my nail... anybody have any tips?
 
Not sure exactly what you are doing/not doing, but some basics with the Lanski are:

-make sure all your rods are straight and even, (use a flat table surface to line them up)

-try marking the blades edge with a marker, that way you can see exactly where the stones are making contact

-start with the coursest stone you have, and don't switch it until you have completely reprofiled the edge, ( many switch to the finer stones too soon, and don't ever quite get both sides of the edge to meet )

-after working through all the grits of stone it will still benefit you to do a final pollishing by lightly stropping it (free hand) on a leather strop covered with pollishing compound

-I've also found that if you need to remove alot of steel to get the initial profile you want, it's OK to use some strong pressure and a back-and-forth motion with your hand, then lighten up your touch as you start to get the edge you want

....hope this helps!
 
thanks! I used the 'marker idea' when I realized that I wasn't even reaching the edge. I wound up completely reprofiling a d2 kabar extreme! Yes, it took forever - a couple of hours and a LOT of elbow grease. I finally got it shaving sharp in some sections of the blade, 'scraping shaving' in others, and hair popping at the tip. I just can't get a uniform edge w/ the lansky system...
 
I find it essentially impossible to get a uniform edge with the lansky system. It's now most pronounced with the recurved kershaws I've been using.

Basically my thought process is down to consistency. That is, I place the angle guide in the same spot every time on the blade and use the same slot every time and set up my stones the same every time. then, once you have the edge reprofiled, sharpening becomes easy.
 
I used my Lansky A lot and it worked wonderfully for pocket knives with no recurve as mentioned above. For larger knives I never figured out a way to use it effectively. Thats what pushed me into sandpaper and convexing. I couldnt get a large fixed blade sharp any other way.

I would start looking for other options, or call it "good enough".
 
Yeah the Lanski isn't the best for larger blades. Back when I used it I would sometimes etch the blade lightly to mark the exact placement of the clamp, I also kept a note card inside the box with notes on what angle I used on what knife.

Like I said the Lanski helped me learn the basics, but now I prefer doing everything free hand. I make use of a mixture of DMT diamond stones, sandpaper on leather, leather strop with compounds, oh and a 12" mill bastard file for major reprofiling.
 
Bry Fry has the key. You need to grind the edge to one of the Lansky's set angles. Until you do that, nothing is going to work.
 
BryFry said:
Not sure exactly what you are doing/not doing, but some basics with the Lanski are:

1. -make sure all your rods are straight and even, (use a flat table surface to line them up)

2. -try marking the blades edge with a marker, that way you can see exactly where the stones are making contact

3. -start with the coursest stone you have, and don't switch it until you have completely reprofiled the edge, ( many switch to the finer stones too soon, and don't ever quite get both sides of the edge to meet )

4. -after working through all the grits of stone it will still benefit you to do a final pollishing by lightly stropping it (free hand) on a leather strop covered with pollishing compound

5. -I've also found that if you need to remove alot of steel to get the initial profile you want, it's OK to use some strong pressure and a back-and-forth motion with your hand, then lighten up your touch as you start to get the edge you want

....hope this helps! ......... ....... [ #'s in Quote added by 'teacher' ]
Click to expand...

Excellent Lansky advice!! :thumbup:

Pay special attention to #1 & #3.

When doing #1 make sure the rods are straight and in straight [180 degree] alignment with the stone. I use a piece of glass for this and usually have to bend the rod a bit to accomplish it.

My only complaint about the Lansky is this "setup procedure" has to be done each time you separate the rod from the stone...... or at least that is my experience.

I have excellent results using it on larger blades also........ it just takes a long time and I have to reposition the blade in the clamp a couple of times.

Good luck.........
 
The times I've used the Lansky, one thing I always made sure of is to not take the knife out of the clamp until I was completely done with the process. I also made sure to keep the guide rod to one end of the guide slot during sharpening. Another thing I did was to use only one rod for all the hones (seemed easier than trying to get all the rods the same angle).

Every time I used it, it was basically setting a new bevel.

I've since improved my freehand skills to the point where I can do without the lansky (I used it mainly for reveling anyway). Now, I just use some Harbor Freight diamond hones, or a Eze-Lap oval rod, and finish with the Sharpmaker (sometimes it isn't necessary) and a strop.
 
Haven't seen it stated yet but the best thing I have found that helps with the Lansky is the clamp stand. I mounted mine on a piece of wood and clamp it to a table when I want to sharpen. I only really use the Lansky for reprofiling blades or taking out really bad nicks from a rough blade. Get the stand I promise you will like the system much better.


HAK
RP#354
 
If you have any zdp or s110v - make sure you get the diamond stones. I dished the coarse stone about 1/8" profiling my zdp leek. Plus they are faster.
 
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