Lansky problem

[Obsessed with Edges]

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.

You might check your yellow (UF 1000) ceramic hone to see if it's flat. I noticed a similar issue with mine, and it turned out to be a little bit warped/bowed. Also noticed a similar issue with the Fine 600 ceramic hone (red/purple ceramic in the blue holder). That curvature in the surface of the hone will create some variation in angle, as the hone sweeps across the edge. I lapped both of mine flat, using a diamond hone, and didn't have any issues after that. It may be simpler to replace the hone (should be a warranty issue anyway), but flattening fixed the issue with mine.


David

 

[simplespeed]

You might check your yellow (UF 1000) ceramic hone to see if it's flat. I noticed a similar issue with mine, and it turned out to be a little bit warped/bowed. Also noticed a similar issue with the Fine 600 ceramic hone (red/purple ceramic in the blue holder). That curvature in the surface of the hone will create some variation in angle, as the hone sweeps across the edge. I lapped both of mine flat, using a diamond hone, and didn't have any issues after that. It may be simpler to replace the hone (should be a warranty issue anyway), but flattening fixed the issue with mine.


David

I had that problem with an older kit I had. I just got a new lansky kit and have the same problem. What iv experienced is the entire edge polished and some scratches that wont polish out mid bevel. I think its from moving from one stone to the next before I should even though iv worked up a nice burr. I think this happens because the guide moves up and down and back and fourth in the hole. At some points you move over the blade while the guide is at the top of the hole and sometimes while its at the bottom. So you can get a good burr but may not have the entire bever to the same texture. Its very hard or maybe impossible to create a perfect v edge with a lansky.

 

[db]

I haven't used my Lansky in years. One thing I really liked is you can ajust the angles by a very little bit by moving the rods up and down from even to the hones face. So if you want or find the finest hone isn't hitting the edge you could also just move the rod and retighten it until the hone is a little higher angle than the others. I cann't remember if the angle is increeased or decreased if you push the rod in all the way, or just enough to catch the tip of the rod.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I haven't used my Lansky in years. One thing I really liked is you can ajust the angles by a very little bit by moving the rods up and down from even to the hones face. So if you want or find the finest hone isn't hitting the edge you could also just move the rod and retighten it until the hone is a little higher angle than the others. I cann't remember if the angle is increeased or decreased if you push the rod in all the way, or just enough to catch the tip of the rod.

If the short arm of the 'L' in the rod is inserted to full depth (all the way), the abrading surface of the hone will be in a parallel plane that's below the plane of the guide rod, which means you must 'lift' the hone & rod to keep both above the blade (to keep the end of the hone from running into the blade edge, in effect). Lifting the rod & hone will decrease the sharpening angle (make it more acute), with the other end of the guide rod fixed at a consistent height in the clamp's guide hole.

If the rod is just barely inserted, just enough to hold, the opposite will occur. The abrading surface of the hone will be in a parallel plane above the plane of the guide rod, so the hone/rod assembly would have to be lowered to make the hone contact the blade. Lowering it will increase the effective sharpening angle at the edge (more obtuse), again because the other end of the guide rod is at a fixed height in the hole of the clamp.

All of this assumes the short arm of the 'L' in the rod is pointing UP into and through the hole in the hone, of course (which is the proper way to set it up).


David

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I had that problem with an older kit I had. I just got a new lansky kit and have the same problem. What iv experienced is the entire edge polished and some scratches that wont polish out mid bevel. I think its from moving from one stone to the next before I should even though iv worked up a nice burr. I think this happens because the guide moves up and down and back and fourth in the hole. At some points you move over the blade while the guide is at the top of the hole and sometimes while its at the bottom. So you can get a good burr but may not have the entire bever to the same texture. Its very hard or maybe impossible to create a perfect v edge with a lansky.

I got into the habit of looping my index and/or middle finger behind the clamp (with my free hand), and resting the finger on top of the guide rod coming through (sort of like a finger looped over/around a pool cue), to keep the rod from bouncing/moving around there. I used to put the lower half of the clamp into my Pana-Vise on a countertop, and would just rest my free hand in that position while sharpening. Lately, I've just been holding the clamp in my free hand (without using the vise), but still doing the same thing with my finger resting on top of the guide rod. I'd been in the habit of doing this instinctively, and had forgotten about it.


David

 

[simplespeed]

I got into the habit of looping my index and/or middle finger behind the clamp (with my free hand), and resting the finger on top of the guide rod coming through (sort of like a finger looped over/around a pool cue), to keep the rod from bouncing/moving around there. I used to put the lower half of the clamp into my Pana-Vise on a countertop, and would just rest my free hand in that position while sharpening. Lately, I've just been holding the clamp in my free hand (without using the vise), but still doing the same thing with my finger resting on top of the guide rod. I'd been in the habit of doing this instinctively, and had forgotten about it.


David

Good idea, ill try this tonight when I start sharpening a friends knife. Thanks!