How To Lansky guided sharpening

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JoshFromOk

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Oct 15, 2021
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So I've been using the lansky diamond hones for about a year now. I started out sharpening s30v on a griptillian. Now I've switched my edc to a 14c28n crkt bt fighter. I get hair shaving sharp edges on both knives using the fine diamond hone which is 600 grit. I decided I wanted to see if I could go to the next level and ordered a 1000 grit and 2000 grit ceramic hones. 600 is the highest grit diamond they offer. So I check my edge after the fine diamond and it will shave. Then I do 30 on each side then 20 then 10 then 6 then 2 on both the 1000 and 2000. Edge is duller then after the 600. What could be the problem? I'm fairly sure all my rods are straight but I did order some new ones for the extra hones. I'm doing all the tricks to keep the correct angle like holding the rod with my stable hand, clamping at the same spot every time. So what say you sharpening experts.
 
I haven't used a Lansky system in years since I wasn't a fan of the preset angles and some of the "slop" when not using perfect strokes.

I use a Wicked Edge, but the idea is the same. In most cases, a 600 grit finish is going to give you a nice "toothy" finish. After that, you're mostly just polishing the edge. The only knives I use my 800/1000 grit stones on are some of my kitchen knives. I usually stop at 600 for all my pocket knives with maybe a pass at 800.
 
I sort of had the same experience as you did with the Lansky.

Depending on what your blade is used for, you likely don't need that highly polished edge.
They are nice for glamour shots, but I haven't found much use beyond that. Thats just my opinion though.

I also stopped worrying about counting strokes. Don't unclamp at any point in the process until you are done.
Do the fingernail test- both checking for sharpness and burr.

You can also try lightening pressure and leading/trailing strokes- play with this a bit.

Are you using a sharpie to ensure you're hitting the edge properly?

I eventually gave up on the Lansky and moved on, but that may not be an option for everyone.
 
JoshFromOk said:
So I've been using the lansky diamond hones for about a year now. I started out sharpening s30v on a griptillian. Now I've switched my edc to a 14c28n crkt bt fighter. I get hair shaving sharp edges on both knives using the fine diamond hone which is 600 grit. I decided I wanted to see if I could go to the next level and ordered a 1000 grit and 2000 grit ceramic hones. 600 is the highest grit diamond they offer. So I check my edge after the fine diamond and it will shave. Then I do 30 on each side then 20 then 10 then 6 then 2 on both the 1000 and 2000. Edge is duller then after the 600. What could be the problem? I'm fairly sure all my rods are straight but I did order some new ones for the extra hones. I'm doing all the tricks to keep the correct angle like holding the rod with my stable hand, clamping at the same spot every time. So what say you sharpening experts.
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It could be one of a few possible things.

1-Do you level your rods with the bottom of the stones? (for example, using a flat surface to align them before tightening the thumb screws) The diamond and ceramic stones you have are likely not the exact same thickness, so the bottom of the rod needs to always be aligned with the bottom of the stone. Also make sure that not only are the rods all straight, but also that they are still angled 90 degrees where they slot into the stone slots. If in doubt, you could always use the same rod on all the stones to make sure it's consistent.

2-Did you progress from the diamond stones to the ceramic stones without removing the knife from the clamp? If not, your knife is not necessarily in the exact same spot.

3-The Lansky slots have a lot of play in them, so if you finish off with the finer stones, try to make sure the rod is in the top of the slot (maybe using your finger as a guide), to try ensure that you hit the apex of the edge and not the back of the edge bevel, effectively possibly creating a micro bevel or at the very least making sure you apex the edge properly with the ceramics.

4-Do you use very light pressure after moving up to the ceramic stones? Kind of just the weight of your hand or less. Excessive pressure could damage the nice edge you had on the last diamond stone.

Maybe also take the steps progressively to see what's up. After the diamonds, try to only use the 1000 grit ceramic and not the 2000 to check for sharpness first.

As an experiment if none of this works for you, you could always try creating a micro bevel. A good way to do this with a Lansky system, is to loosen your knife in the clamp and move the blade slightly deeper into the clamp before finishing with the ceramic stones. Again, very light pressure after doing this. If that doesn't work, try the next hole notch up for creating a micro bevel.

Hope some of this helps!
 
When I was using a Lansky system, I'd noticed a tendency to form some very tenacious, extremely thin & very WIDE burrs - most often when finishing with the ceramic 600/1000 hones. This happens because the guided system keeps the angle fixed. Obviously, that's by design and more a good thing than bad. But when the apex thins enough to form a burr, the usual best method to break it away is to make a pass or two at a very slightly elevated angle. Because the angle doesn't change on the guided setup, that won't happen. So the burr keeps widening and gets thin enough that it just deflects slightly away from the hone, but not enough to break it off.

In a nutshell, most of the finishing issues I had when using the Lansky were burr-related. And in general terms, the burring issues can be exacerbated when using ceramic hones, whether guided or not.

With the above being said, verify your finishing passes with the edge darkened, using a Sharpie pen. Watch where the ink is coming off using magnification and bright light. Re-ink the edge frequently, then make a pass or two with the ceramic hone and inspect again. If the edge is getting so thin that it's deflecting away from the hone, you might see ink remaining at and near the edge when making those passes with the ceramic. That'll help verify if a wide, thin and ductile burr is becoming a problem. The pics below show how such a wide & thin 'foil' edge/burr can form on a ceramic hone. I used a medium ceramic (Spyderco) to form that burr - and even while NOT using a guide, but doing it freehand. I did that as an experiment to verify the burring tendencies on ceramic hones.
B047BIR.jpg

mIacPbu.jpg
 
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very good info from 777 and OwE.

I would add that in between stones, I take a paper towel and clean the blade, even running a tightly folded paper towel along the edge so that it cuts into the towel,. cleaning the edge and possibly showing you where any burr might be hanging on a bit.
you might also grab a lansky strop and some diamond paste as a final step to help clean up the burr and refine the edge just a bit. a few light passes should be plenty
 
So to answer some of your questions. I do not unclamp and reclamp. What I meant was I have some markings on my knife and I try to start each sharpening session in the same spot. I didn't make the marks they were there when I bought them. I do hold my finger on the rod to keep it from moving and I do check the rods before each use to insure they are straight vertical and horizontally and level with the face of the hone.

I do have a lansky strop hone and a traditional double sided paddle strop. I use to get great results with it on my s30v but it did the same thing last time I used it.

My gut feeling before hand was that it was burr related. When it was mentioned again by obsessed I'm really leaning that way.

I'm going to find a magnifying lens and check my edges. I do use the sharpie trick but not everytime usually just when I change bevel. I'm going to try wiping with a paper towel too. Sometimes I use my finger but I should be more diligent.

Thank you all for your help. I'll try to get back with results soon.
 
craigdt said:
I sort of had the same experience as you did with the Lansky.

Depending on what your blade is used for, you likely don't need that highly polished edge.
They are nice for glamour shots, but I haven't found much use beyond that. Thats just my opinion though.

I also stopped worrying about counting strokes. Don't unclamp at any point in the process until you are done.
Do the fingernail test- both checking for sharpness and burr.

You can also try lightening pressure and leading/trailing strokes- play with this a bit.

Are you using a sharpie to ensure you're hitting the edge properly?

I eventually gave up on the Lansky and moved on, but that may not be an option for everyone.
Click to expand...
I meant to ask you. What did you move on to? A different guided system or just put the time in and got good at free handing? I dabbled in free handing a couple of times. I know the lansky degrees aren't correct on the edge unless you clamp the edge at the end of the clamp but it's close enough for me.
 
JoshFromOk said:
I meant to ask you. What did you move on to? A different guided system or just put the time in and got good at free handing? I dabbled in free handing a couple of times. I know the lansky degrees aren't correct on the edge unless you clamp the edge at the end of the clamp but it's close enough for me.
Click to expand...

I moved to the TSProf K03. Its like a giant, more precise Lansky.

I tried free handing: I just didn't have the time or patience to learn how.

my little setup that is everything I dreamed of:
bBZm9oV.jpg
 
craigdt said:
I moved to the TSProf K03. Its like a giant, more precise Lansky.

I tried free handing: I just didn't have the time or patience to learn how.

my little setup that is everything I dreamed of:
bBZm9oV.jpg
Click to expand...
That looks awesome. I can definitely see right away the many advantages. No more straightening those flimsy rods, stabilized base that rotates, looks like a manually adjustable angle. It is very nice but I looked up the price too. I'm not ready to drop that kind of money for sharpening just yet. That's as much as my progressive press for reloading cost and I had to get my wife into shooting before I sold that buy lol.
 
JoshFromOk said:
That looks awesome. I can definitely see right away the many advantages. No more straightening those flimsy rods, stabilized base that rotates, looks like a manually adjustable angle. It is very nice but I looked up the price too. I'm not ready to drop that kind of money for sharpening just yet. That's as much as my progressive press for reloading cost and I had to get my wife into shooting before I sold that buy lol.
Click to expand...
The TSProf K03 is a great system, no doubt about that.

If you're not ready for that type of investment, have a look at the Hapstone R2 Lite or Hapstone R2 Standard from Gritomatic. They are excellent systems, on par with the TSProf K03 in sharpening result and quality, but they are much more affordable.
 
So I finally had the time and ability to ignore my shame. I'm fairly certain that I was using the 25° when I should've been using the 30°. It's working fine for me again anyway. I have been curious about the micro bevel though. Also the convex edge that I guess can only be obtained by hand sharpening? Anyway thanks for the help guys. Many of your tips and insight will stick with me. As an example I'm using a jeweler's loupe now. Not sure of the magnification and I'm still working on identifying the burr but I'm trying to go through the learning process and skill building to get to the next level.
 
Glad you're having some success again. Just one point - 30° per side is too much for most knives, 20 or lower would serve you better and hold a great cutting edge (not chopping) longer.

Regarding the burr, you should be able to feel it easily with your fingertips on most knife steels.

As for convex sharpening and micro beveling - a system like the Hapstone R2, or TSProf K03 would be able to give you the perfect convex edge or perfect micro bevels if desired.
 
The Lansky is notorious for sharpening 3-5 degrees lower than the indicated angle. Those are great to start with- to see if you have the interest and attention span. You obviously do. You'll probably want a better system. 777 Edge has lots of experience with systems and can give good advice. I took his advice and added the Hapstone R2 to my collection (with the Wicked Edge, Edge Pro, others). It's a really good system that is based on the same idea as the Lansky (just 100X better). You can be as precise as your eyes and optics allow with it. BTW: Thanks 777 Edge for the advice.
 
JoshFromOk said:
So I finally had the time and ability to ignore my shame. I'm fairly certain that I was using the 25° when I should've been using the 30°. It's working fine for me again anyway. I have been curious about the micro bevel though. Also the convex edge that I guess can only be obtained by hand sharpening? Anyway thanks for the help guys. Many of your tips and insight will stick with me. As an example I'm using a jeweler's loupe now. Not sure of the magnification and I'm still working on identifying the burr but I'm trying to go through the learning process and skill building to get to the next level.
Click to expand...
Maybe some help with identifying the burr. Get yourself a micro fibre cloth, if you run the bevel across it as if you were stropping it, the micro fibre will detect the burr. It will grab the cloth and you can hear it, it's like a scratching sound. If there is no burr, it will glide across the cloth. Takes some practice and concentration at first, but you will get the hang of it. When you detect a burr, look at it under your loupe, so you also learn what to look for.
 
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