Lansky Sharpening System - Need insight from other users...

[kniferbro]

I recently got the Lansky Sharpening System and after testing on a few beaters I got the technique down.

So I took my primary EDC to it (Spyderco D4 FFG) and I've successfully got an edge on it but it seems from the tip to mid way down the blade it is extremely sharp, but the other half of the blade (midway to the tang) is sharp but not as sharp.

Is there something I'm supposed to be doing to maintain the same sharpness the whole way down the blade?

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I'm betting the back end of the blade just needs a little more work. You might step back to one of the coarse/medium hones, and focus on making sure the heel end is completely apexed. The heel of most blades is usually pretty 'thick' near the edge, usually with a more obtuse factory bevel. Use a 10X or better magnifier, under bright light, to look closely at the edge there. Make sure you produce a burr, before advancing to a finer grit. Once the burr's verified, use each successive grit at progressively lighter pressure. After the burr's formed, the remaining grits serve mainly to refine the scratch pattern on the bevel and clean up & remove the burr. That needs to be done at lighter pressure, so you won't over-sharpen the edge itself, thinning the edge to a point where it folds over. Wire edges on VG-10 blades can be very stubborn to remove, if they're folded over to one side or the other. This steel is very ductile for it's stated hardness, so the wires won't break off as easily. The folded wire edge, in itself, can make a VG-10 blade seem persistently dull.