Lansky problem

[Eastwood]

I've had my Lansky for a few months now and I've definitely gotten better with it. The problem I've had lately is when I use the ultra fine stone (yellow), it doesn't seem to hit the entire edge. I'm using the same guide rod for all the stones so I keep the same angle as much as possible. I'll try to post a pic so you guys can see what it looks like. Thanks in advance for the help and input.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

Some suggestions:

When setting up the hone with the guide rod, make absolutely sure everything is flat & straight. If you're not already doing it, lay the hone & rod flush to a dead-flat surface while tightening the rod in place, and make sure it all stays flat after tightening the set screw (sometimes it 'moves' when tightening down). Make sure the rod itself is also straight (not warped or bent); this can be checked in the same manner, by laying it flush to a flat surface.

Keep pressure as light as possible. Too-heavy pressure will bend/flex the guide rod, which obviously will alter the angle on each pass. Keep the pace slow and controlled, as going too fast will likely introduce some inconsistency as well.

Make absolutely sure the edge is fully apexed before progressing beyond the first hone. If it isn't, you might not notice it right away, during the coarser/medium grit stages. But, as the bevels begin to polish up during the Fine/UF stages, the polished bevels will really begin to stand out against the coarser scratches left on the untouched portions of the edge, near the apex. I think this is the most common problem encountered with anyone new to sharpening; very often, impatience will lead one to stop short of the apex. Use a good magnifier under very bright light, to make sure you're fully apexing the edge (form a burr) at the beginning stage, before moving on. Then keep re-checking it with each subsequent hone.

A possible, but less-common problem, might be that the ceramic hones (Fine or UF) aren't truly flat. Sometimes they can come from the factory with a little bit of warp/bend in them. Check them against a dead-flat surface (edge of a steel ruler, or against a good flat piece of glass).


David

 

[cbwx34]

I don't have one in front of me, and I think David hit on it already, but I recall that there was a way to set the rod and adjust it for the thickness of the stone. I think it's what he said, by laying if flat on a surface, with the stone down, then inserting and tightening the rod. You need to do this, since the stones wear at different rates, which may be why you're seeing it after using it for a while.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I don't have one in front of me, and I think David hit on it already, but I recall that there was a way to set the rod and adjust it for the thickness of the stone. I think it's what he said, by laying if flat on a surface, with the stone down, then inserting and tightening the rod. You need to do this, since the stones wear at different rates, which may be why you're seeing it after using it for a while.

That's what it's about, and I think that's what Lansky recommends in their instructions for setting it up. If the rod is always positioned to be 'flush' in the same plane as the hone's surface (by setting them up on a flat surface), the variation in thickness of each hone is not a factor. Lansky's guide rods & hones are the only ones set up with the ability to compensate for stone wear or other differences in thickness, which was a well-thought-out idea.

The standard hones in alox/corundum (I think) will wear over time. If they get 'dished' in the central portion, there's no compensating for that, unless one takes the time to flatten/lap them again (or replace them, as they're not very expensive). The ceramic hones (Fine/UF) won't wear at all, for all intents and purposes.


David

 

[Brad9660]

I think these guys have pretty much named all the things that could be happening, but I will tell you what I do just for the heck of it. I have a Lansky and get the same problem with the ultra fine stone. I have looked at my stone very closely and laid it against perfectly flat surfaces and the stone isn't perfectly flat. Also what I do that works well is use a different rod for each stone. Mark the rod and stone so you know they go together and then custom bend each one to match the stone it goes to, so that the rod and stone are parallel to each other. Some of the holes drilled through the plastic handle part of the stone are not drilled at a consistant angle, which will really through off the sharpening angle if you are not bending the rod to be parallel to the stone. Laying the stone on a flat surface and going through the procedure mentioned above works well. I did originally have the natural stone version and the stone will dish out over time. That's why I bought the diamond system. The Lansky system isn't bad and can produce a nice edge, but I have been reading and am thinking the Spyderco Sharpmaker might be a better choice for an affordable sharpener. It is still fairly cheap, simple, less set up involved, and from what I have read, and seen, it works.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

The downside of using only the Sharpmaker is, it's more of a dedicated touch-up tool (and works GREAT for that, BTW). Even with it's diamond sleeves, it'll still be pretty slow for rebevelling tougher steels or large/thick blades. The available medium, coarse and XC diamond hones for the Lansky or other similar guided sets are much more aggressive for heavy work. I view my Lansky, Gatco and DMT Aligner sets as dedicated re-bevelling tools, and then utilize other means like the Sharpmaker, sandpaper and pocket hones as my touch-up tools. The more I use the Sharpmaker in that capacity, the more I find it's almost too simple to ignore it. Hard to beat it, in that role. Just a handful of strokes, maybe 5 or less on each side, can very quickly put the 'bite' back into a slightly dulled, but otherwise well-executed edge bevel.


David

 

[OutdoorsFamilyMan4]

I'm having a different issue with my Lansky. I am trying to sharpen my BK14 and there is alot of up and down play no matter how hard i tighten the screw in the clamp. This seems to be a big problem because it alters the angle. While in the clamp I can grab the knife handle and with little to no pressure, move the blade up and down in the clamp. Is the knife too thick or is it because it has a flat grind? If felt sharp after I got done but it wont shave or cut paper.

 

[theHobbyist]

I'm having a different issue with my Lansky. I am trying to sharpen my BK14 and there is alot of up and down play no matter how hard i tighten the screw in the clamp. This seems to be a big problem because it alters the angle. While in the clamp I can grab the knife handle and with little to no pressure, move the blade up and down in the clamp. Is the knife too thick or is it because it has a flat grind? If felt sharp after I got done but it wont shave or cut paper.

First it's a different problem so I would say it would warrant its own thread...
but since you're here... try moving the blade back in the clamp. It sounds like you're using the small small blade cut out.
If you're pretty deep in already, you can also try clamping the ricasso or even down to the tang of the 14...

 

[OutdoorsFamilyMan4]

First it's a different problem so I would say it would warrant its own thread...
but since you're here... try moving the blade back in the clamp. It sounds like you're using the small small blade cut out.
If you're pretty deep in already, you can also try clamping the ricasso or even down to the tang of the 14...

I am set 1/4 in. beyond the small blade cutout. i'll try clamping elsewhere

 

[OHALLUM]

If the blade is moving around in the vise jaws, I would try some painter's tape or such on the blade to help the jaws hold the blade better. I have read where some people have had success doing this. I don't have any first hand knowledge of this since I don't own a Lansky. On the surface it makes sense to me. Cheap and easy to try.

Omar

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I'm having a different issue with my Lansky. I am trying to sharpen my BK14 and there is alot of up and down play no matter how hard i tighten the screw in the clamp. This seems to be a big problem because it alters the angle. While in the clamp I can grab the knife handle and with little to no pressure, move the blade up and down in the clamp. Is the knife too thick or is it because it has a flat grind? If felt sharp after I got done but it wont shave or cut paper.

Make sure the clamp's inside faces are fully flush to the blade (tip below, on mounting the blade in the clamp), and I'd suggest moving the blade further back into the clamp. The spec'd angle settings on the clamp reflect the angle as measured at the immediate front edge of the clamp (where it would be impossible to reach the edge with the hones). So, if the blade extends anywhere beyond that, the actual angle will be lower (more acute). As an example, a blade positioned with the cutting edge about ~5/8" beyond the front of the clamp will sharpen up at approximately 15°/side, when using the '17' setting on the clamp.

Tip for mounting the blade in the clamp:
Set the clamp on a table/bench with the ends of the jaws pointing UP. Insert the blade into the clamp, and with your free hand, pinch the ends of the clamp jaws tight & flush to the blade (make sure the rear set screw is backed off far enough to allow this). Maintain that hold (pinching the blade) while slowly turning the FRONT set screw. When the front set screw just starts to tension against the blade (still while pinching the clamp flush to the blade), STOP turning that screw and begin turning the REAR set screw until everything is tight. If done properly, the clamp's inside faces should be fully flush to the blade (shouldn't see any light between them), and there shouldn't be any movement/play/slippage of the blade in the clamp. You might need to go back & forth a time or two, between readjusting the front set screw and the rear set screw, until it's right. Make absolutely sure that the blade is fully flush to the inside faces of the clamp. It'll never hold tight if it isn't flush.

The earlier suggestion, to use tape on the blade for extra grip, is good advice. Use it if it'll help.


David

 

[theHobbyist]

I tape all my blades now, I've had a few marred by the clamp..

It's been a while since I've done a full flat grind (the only one's i have now are kitchen knives which are too big for the lansky), but IIRC you can get a pretty good angle on the clamp, you should be able to run it up to the first screw and get a flush clamp on both jaws,

 

[OutdoorsFamilyMan4]

so the spine should be in as far as the first screw (the one you can use a screwdriver on)? And until I get the "feel", about how much time (how many passes) should I spend on each stone?

 

[markwesti]

To make sure each stone has correct contact, I ink the edge with a Sharpie. A light pass with the stone will show up nicely . I like to use a magnifying glass on a stand to see the results .

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

so the spine should be in as far as the first screw (the one you can use a screwdriver on)? And until I get the "feel", about how much time (how many passes) should I spend on each stone?

It doesn't necessarily have to be all the way back to the first screw. Just be sure it's far enough in, for the clamp to maintain a secure hold on the blade. Focus more on keeping the clamp flush to the blade, as I described earlier. That'll make the bigger difference in keeping the blade from moving around in the clamp.

How much time is spent on the first stone is entirely dependant on how soon the edge gets apexed. Watch for burr formation at the edge, and when that happens (burr along the full length of the edge), that'll be the cue that the edge is ready for the next stages. Don't move past the first hone until the burr formation is verified.


David

 

[OutdoorsFamilyMan4]

It doesn't necessarily have to be all the way back to the first screw. Just be sure it's far enough in, for the clamp to maintain a secure hold on the blade. Focus more on keeping the clamp flush to the blade, as I described earlier. That'll make the bigger difference in keeping the blade from moving around in the clamp.

How much time is spent on the first stone is entirely dependant on how soon the edge gets apexed. Watch for burr formation at the edge, and when that happens (burr along the full length of the edge), that'll be the cue that the edge is ready for the next stages. Don't move past the first hone until the burr formation is verified.


David

No matter what I do I cant get it to grip right on the 14. I taped it, tried gripping it farther in toward the blade and as far up on the handle as i could get without taking off the paracord wrap. It still wobbled up and down. I tried with my Mora Companion and got a pretty decent edge on all of it but the tip--coulnt get that without moving the clamp down--I used a sharpie on the Mora-it helped. Gonna try a few other blades and see if I have any more trouble. When looking for the burr, do you feel for it on the opposite side your sharpening?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

No matter what I do I cant get it to grip right on the 14. I taped it, tried gripping it farther in toward the blade and as far up on the handle as i could get without taking off the paracord wrap. It still wobbled up and down. I tried with my Mora Companion and got a pretty decent edge on all of it but the tip--coulnt get that without moving the clamp down--I used a sharpie on the Mora-it helped. Gonna try a few other blades and see if I have any more trouble. When looking for the burr, do you feel for it on the opposite side your sharpening?

Yes, the burr would be felt on the side that's 'away' from the side being sharpened.

I'm still wondering what might be creating the difficulty in getting the blade secure in the clamp. Don't know if you have a digital camera, but posting a pic of the setup (blade in clamp) might help in figuring out what's up. I'm assuming this is a flat-grind blade and, if so, it should be straightforward to get the clamp's inside faces flush to the blade's sides. The wobbling up/down suggests it's not flush, so I'd be interested to see what the setup looks like.


David

 

[OHALLUM]

No matter what I do I cant get it to grip right on the 14. I taped it, tried gripping it farther in toward the blade and as far up on the handle as i could get without taking off the paracord wrap.

??? Are you clamping on the handle of the knife or the actual blade?

Omar

 

[olddogrib]

Yea, something doesn't sound quite right. What I find works best is, after tightening, the jaws need to be parallel and the gap between them roughly the same width as the back of the blade. I seat the back of the blade in the notch, and tighten the slotted screw with a thumbnail. the real clamping leverage is applied when you tighten the knob. The only problem I've had once I got the two screws adjusted properly were a few knives where the it seemed the back of the blade wasn't square and contact was minimized (more of a "pinch" than a solid clamp). 90% of my sharpening is done with the blade just seated in the offset at the end of the clamp, but I don't have any really big blades. I'd check out the videos's on the Lansky site, probably even better ones on youtube.

 

[simplespeed]

Iv noticed that theres is a small amount of play when using a lansky causing It to give somewhat of a convex edge that may not be noticable to the eye. Once you finish with a coarse stone and have worked up a burr and it looks like you have hit the full bevel, you may have hit certain spots at slightly different angles or pressures leaving some spots more rough than others even though you cant see or even feel it. Every thing looks and feels great until you get to the yellow stone where the mirror polish shows up. Then it brings out the imperfections and shows scratches while other parts of the blade end up polished. What I do is starting with the most coarse stone work up a really good burr. This stone cuts the most but this is where the most material needs to be removed so itll take the longest. So work up a burr on one side, clean your stone and re oil it and gl over the same side lightly to take out any of the deeper scratches from the pressure. Then flip over and do the same. And so on until your finished with all the stones. It might not come out perfect but itll be a lot better. Iv had a lot of sharp ass knives from the lansky. All mine are users so a few scratches on a mirror polish doesnt bother me.