Lansky- failure

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Pvt.snoballz

Joined
Jul 19, 2009
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529
Ok so, ive tried sharpening my CRKT m-16 00k (mini-tanto thing)
with the kit. i have the pro kit so i ran through all of the stones up to ultra fine and for some reason i can get it to shave with some pressure but it wont slice paper cleanly...i dont get what im doing wrong and i really feel like an incompetent fool.

i counted all of my strokes for both sides and made sure the stones were oiled (one drop since its a small blade)

i just dont get it...i used a marker to make sure i was following the right angle but still, just not that sharp.

i was hoping this would be something i could use to keep a good edge on my scrapper 5 and now it just feels like ill only ever get an O.K edge, not the razor sharpness it deserves.

i dont know how much i could have possibly screwed it up but it is rather disheartening. :confused::(
 
Despite the marker usage, it sounds like your either not getting to the edge or have burring issues. I assume the blade edge feels smooth when run along a fingernail.

Also, did you check shaving ability at the coarser grades?

Some stringy steels, usually inexpensive stainless, I stop sharpening at a "medium" simply because going to fine looses sharpness unless I go to the trouble of using "finesse". I "micro bevel" with a fine stones, etc., but that is it.

Also, try cardboard stopping to see what that does.

What steel is this CRKT m-16, anyway?
 
I have sharpened every single blade in my house with a hair splitting edge, ranging from cheap kitchen blades to more expensive folders/fixed blades with a set of paper wheels. I cannot, for the life of me get a GOOD edge on my m16. I get a bur going, I remove the bur, and I have a decent cutting edge.. by decent I mean it can get somewhat sharp, it will cut you but it's not going to shave newspaper or even paper unless im somewhat lucky. I've had nothing but trouble from the crkt m16, I just threw it in my tackle box.
 
I have a CRKT tanto, why do you want a razor sharp edge anyway ?.

I find that maintaining the edge freehand is enough to keep a working edge, a razor is thinner and prone to chipping etc.

If your wanting a razor type edge maybe a M16-13 spear point would be better suited to your needs as it is a V grind.

Should be fine for the Scrapper knife you have (the Lansky).


M16's in the lower models are only Aus6 steel , but also the lower Aus4 so that also may have something to do with your edge expectations.

Maybe look for another knife with either 154cm, Vg10 etc etc
 
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My M16-03Z from several (6+) years ago has never ever been anywhere near as sharp as most of my other knives.

It looks like it's had a hard life too!

Anyhow, while it's possible that someone using paper wheels could get it sharp I wouldn't count on it.
 
For some reason (probably the steel),there are some blades that literally won't take an edge. You know that old saying " yup,that knife takes a great edge"..........well, some don't. If your doing everthing right,ou should be able to at least get some improvement .
 
Its the edc model... AUS 8 steel

i have not tried leaving it at a coarser grade, i will try that later tonight.
Another thing i was thinking was if maybe it should try using less pressure while sharpening? I mean, im not using alot of force now but maybe it would be a bit better if i used less?

another dumb question that i never really understood...
i know you're supposed to sharpen (in regards to benchstones) at least ive always been told and ive read that you sharpen as if you were trying to slice a piece of the stone off. Point is i dont get how a burr occurs if you sharpen towards the spine instead of away from the spine.
it just seems that th eopposite would create a burr better.

**edit**

Im only wanting it to be alot sharper because the factory edge sliced paper pretty easily and shaved with no problem

thanks for the help guys!:thumbup:
 
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Pvt.snoballz said:
i know you're supposed to sharpen (in regards to benchstones) at least ive always been told and ive read that you sharpen as if you were trying to slice a piece of the stone off. Point is i dont get how a burr occurs if you sharpen towards the spine instead of away from the spine.
it just seems that th eopposite would create a burr better.
Click to expand...

As I understand it, a bur occurs because when you get to the edge, the metal is so thin that it deforms like clay due to the incredible amount of force being applied by the stone, since the contact area is so tiny.

From what I've read a bur forms more easily if you stroke the stone away from the edge (the opposite of trying to slice a piece of the stone off). But I get a bur going into the edge also; I rarely if ever use the opposite (edge trailing) strokes on a stone. I only do that when stropping.

So a bur forms both ways, both due to force (pounds per square inch) at that thin edge. I hope that was understandable.

Brian.
 
What angle are you using on the Lansky? 17,20,25,30? Even tho you are removing the marker from the blade,when you do the sharpie trick.You may still need to thin it out the edge a bit more.When I use the Lansky,I'll make sure the edge can at least cut paper before moving up to finer a stone.
 
im using a 20 degree angle and its removing all of the marker,
should i try maybe then sharpening away from the spine? doing the opposite of what the instructions say?
im not home yet, i still have to try leaving it at a coarser grade..
 
I have a Lansky set also. Like you, I was somewhat frustrated for quite some time with results from it. I finally ordered one of the Lansky diamond hones (the orange one, I believe it's a MEDIUM grit). I found it was much easier to get the burr on the edge using the diamond hone, lubricated with water instead of oil. I finished the edge with the purple ceramic (I think it's a FINE grit) and then the white ceramic stone (ULTRA-FINE), also lubricating with water instead of oil. I put the Lansky clamp into a small hobby type vise (PanaVise) to keep everything steady while sharpening. It's much easier to control everything that way, instead of trying to hold the Lansky clamp in my hand while sharpening (gets fatiguing VERY fast).

It was easy to detect, in fact obvious, when I achieved the burr for the first time on the edge, with the diamond hone. It appeared as a very thin sliver of metal which actually broke off of the edge. The first time I saw it, it alarmed me (thought my blade was disintegrating!), but then it hit me that this was what's supposed to happen. At that point, I switched to the purple ceramic to remove and clean up the burr on the edge. Interestingly, when using the purple and white ceramic hones lubricated with water, I've noticed that the edge actually 'squeaks' a bit when I've achieved a very fine, razor-like edge. I've come to listen for that squeak when I sharpen now, it's been a very accurate cue as to the quality of the edge I've attained.

The purple and white Lansky ceramics do a fine job of finishing and polishing the edge to a mirror finish. I test it by slicing thin paper (such as a grocery store receipt), and also by shaving hair from my forearm. At that point, I strop the blade on a leather strop block.

When I first tested this setup, I re-profiled and sharpened a used 1980s vintage Case 6265 Folding Hunter (in Case's stainless steel), and also a 70s or 80s vintage Ka-bar 1199 Folding Hunter (very similar to a Buck 110) using this setup (ORANGE diamond, PURPLE ceramic, then WHITE ceramic in that order). They are the most razor-sharp blades I own now.
 
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