lansky system hones not flat?

fsatsil

fsatsil

Joined
Sep 15, 2009
Messages
839
I recently picked up the Lansky deluxe system on sale for $25 at a local sporting goods shop and after using it a few times I started noticing that I wasnt getting a nice uniform edge like i get with my cheap Smiths Abrasives clamp system. I looked into the problem more closely and noticed that the lansky hones were no where near flat. If I put a straight edge on the stones or I put two of the stones face to face you can clearly see that the stones are not flat. Is this normal??

DSC00739.jpg
 
It may be normal for Lansky but they should be flat, I would take it back.
I bought two diamond sets here on BF and the stones on 4 of them had fallen out of the plastic holder.
I think Lansky are lacking in the QC department.

Richard
 
I must have gotten a bad set Im going to return it and get the DMT Aligner instead, the DMT was my first choice but I saw the Lansky on sale locally so i gave it a shot. The Lansky hones besides not being flat seem like very low quality stones.
 
I took another look and it looks like its the med, fine and ultra fine hone which are not flat, the coarse and extra coarse are perfectly flat
 
I've also noticed this with my UF Lansky hone. MIne is also bowed outward as shown in the OP's photo. And, it just so happened, I didn't see it until I was in the process of 'repairing' it after the hone had come unglued from it's yellow holder (as mentioned by another member here). I've wondered if mine was a fluke or not... it seems maybe Lansky does indeed have some QC issues with these.

BTW, I've also noticed some bumps/rough spots on the surface of the UF hone. Can actually feel them when I'm finishing the edge on my blade. They also tend to collect more metal while honing, so they then become visible on the surface as grey 'spots'.
 
Def. must of got a bad set, I'd take it back and exchange...

I just checked my 4 stones and they were all flat.

No problems gettings consistant angles over here :thumbup:
 
It occurred to me that this problem has been noticed with sets purchased both recently (as per the OP's description) and from years ago (mine). I think I picked up my set back in the late '90s. It bugs me that the problem has gone apparently unnoticed (or noticed, but unresolved) for so long...
 
I broke 2 Diamond hones in the past year. I stick it in a padded envelope and send it back to Lansky. Replaced each time, no questions asked.
 
Any real reason not the just flatten the stones yourself. Only takes 2-3 minutes. Yeah, they should have been flat to begin with, but why hassle yourself with sending them back? Easy enough to correct the problem.

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
Any real reason not the just flatten the stones yourself. Only takes 2-3 minutes. Yeah, they should have been flat to begin with, but why hassle yourself with sending them back? Easy enough to correct the problem.
Click to expand...

With that in mind, what's it take to do this? The thought did occur to me to at least try to lap the rough spots out of mine, but I don't know if I have the materials for it. What's needed to lap these ceramic hones smooth and flat?
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
With that in mind, what's it take to do this? The thought did occur to me to at least try to lap the rough spots out of mine, but I don't know if I have the materials for it. What's needed to lap these ceramic hones smooth and flat?
Click to expand...

Almost nothing! :D That's why I thought it was a good solution. It only takes a couple of minutes to flatten a stone.

Here are a couple of ways;
1. Sand or sandpaper on a flat sheet of glass. Doesn't need to be too fine. Even 80-120 will work well.
2. Another flat sharpening stone. Just rub them together. Diamond stones work well for this, but you don't need diamond. A $4 Carborundum stones work just as well.
3. A dedicated flattener that you can buy in many hardware stores. Usually sells for about $25. Looks like a course brick with some deep grooves in it.
Something like http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/33463-01-200.jpg
If you use stones often, this is something that you might want to have in your tool kit.

Just be sure to rub the ENTIRE surface of the Lansky stone, not just the high spots. Put a marker line down the middle of the stone, end to end, and rub. When all the marker is gone, the Lansky is flat. It IS that easy!

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
Almost nothing! :D That's why I thought it was a good solution. It only takes a couple of minutes to flatten a stone.

Here are a couple of ways;
1. Sand or sandpaper on a flat sheet of glass. Doesn't need to be too fine. Even 80-120 will work well.
2. Another flat sharpening stone. Just rub them together. Diamond stones work well for this, but you don't need diamond. A $4 Carborundum stones work just as well.
3. A dedicated flattener that you can buy in many hardware stores. Usually sells for about $25. Looks like a course brick with some deep grooves in it.
Something like http://images.rockler.com/rockler/images/33463-01-200.jpg
If you use stones often, this is something that you might want to have in your tool kit.

Just be sure to rub the ENTIRE surface of the Lansky stone, not just the high spots. Put a marker line down the middle of the stone, end to end, and rub. When all the marker is gone, the Lansky is flat. It IS that easy!

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

These sound like some interesting suggestions. I think I might give it a go and see what happens. I'd initially used a piece of wet/dry sandpaper to attempt to take the rough spots out (wasn't concerned at that time in trying to flatten the whole stone), but I don't think I made much of a dent in it. I suspect my sandpaper was a bit too fine a grit (think it was 400). I also have a GATCO diamond set, so I might borrow one of those hones to try this also. I've seen some of the dedicated flatteners online I think, but for now, probably won't spend the $$ for one yet. These Lansky hones (Fine/UF) are only about $10 to replace anyway, so I don't want to spend to much to try to 'fix' it. Know what I mean? :D

Thanks for the tips!
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I'd initially used a piece of wet/dry sandpaper to attempt to take the rough spots out (wasn't concerned at that time in trying to flatten the whole stone), but I don't think I made much of a dent in it. I suspect my sandpaper was a bit too fine a grit (think it was 400).
Click to expand...

You really need something quite rough. 80 grit would be perfect. My flattener feels like 40-50 grit! Think 'rough side of a $4 silicon carbide double side stone' and you should have it about right. Really rub the hell out of it while watching TV. Just be sure to keep the stone flat on the flattener. It should only take a couple of minutes to get perfectly flat.

This is something that waterstone users do almost every few knives just as a regular step in the sharpening. The flatter the stone the better. Personally, I don't take it quite to that extreme. When a stone gets as off as the one on your photo, I flatten.

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
You really need something quite rough. 80 grit would be perfect. My flattener feels like 40-50 grit! Think 'rough side of a $4 silicon carbide double side stone' and you should have it about right. Really rub the hell out of it while watching TV. Just be sure to keep the stone flat on the flattener. It should only take a couple of minutes to get perfectly flat.

This is something that waterstone users do almost every few knives just as a regular step in the sharpening. The flatter the stone the better. Personally, I don't take it quite to that extreme. When a stone gets as off as the one on your photo, I flatten.

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

Great post, as was your other, Stitchawl.

Use of the brick is the way I used to flatten my ALOX whetstones. Worked like a champ.

For my water stones that I use for chisels and to sharpen serrations, I flatten them or shape them with a piece of 80G. Works like a champ.

Robert
 
midnight flyer said:
Great post, as was your other, Stitchawl.

Use of the brick is the way I used to flatten my ALOX whetstones. Worked like a champ.

For my water stones that I use for chisels and to sharpen serrations, I flatten them or shape them with a piece of 80G. Works like a champ.

Robert
Click to expand...

A friend of mine who had a small sharpening service made a cement block about 18" square and 2" thick. He made the frame for pouring it out of a sheet of glass for the bottom and a couple of sticks of lath. When the cement was cured he took it out of the frame, had a perfectly flat (but still somewhat rough) cement 'brick' that he used to dress his stones. All of his stones were pretty large so he needed to have a large dressing table. I get by with a 10"x4"x2" flattener, and even that is bigger than I need. I think a nice brick would work just fine!! :thumbup:

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
You really need something quite rough. 80 grit would be perfect. My flattener feels like 40-50 grit! Think 'rough side of a $4 silicon carbide double side stone' and you should have it about right. Really rub the hell out of it while watching TV. Just be sure to keep the stone flat on the flattener. It should only take a couple of minutes to get perfectly flat.

This is something that waterstone users do almost every few knives just as a regular step in the sharpening. The flatter the stone the better. Personally, I don't take it quite to that extreme. When a stone gets as off as the one on your photo, I flatten.

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

I found an old and somewhat worn DMT Diafold two-sided hone (Fine/UF), minus the plastic handles, that I hadn't been using for anything else, so I decided what the heck and used it to lap my Lansky UF ceramic hone. I set it in a pan on top of a piece of wet/dry sandpaper (to keep the diamond hone from moving around) and bathed it in enough water to cover the surface of the diamond hone. I marked the face of my Lansky hone with a Sharpie (as you suggested). Proceeded to lap away at my hone. It took a while (30 minutes or so), but I was pleased with the results. Got the job done, it's flat & smooth now. Also gave the same treatment to my Lansky fine hone, as I'd noticed it had a slight bow to it also.

One thing though. My DMT hone was 'somewhat worn' before I started, and considerably more so afterward. Looks like the ceramic scrubbed a good bit more of the diamond particles off of it. It's no big deal though, since I hadn't used it for anything else. It served it's purpose here, so I'm happy. :thumbup:
 
Obsessed with Edges said:
I found an old and somewhat worn DMT Diafold two-sided hone (Fine/UF), minus the plastic handles, that I hadn't been using for anything else, so I decided what the heck and used it to lap my Lansky UF ceramic hone.
Click to expand...

:eek: Oh my God.... Did you ever mention before that the stone you wanted to flatten was ceramic?!!!!???? I just looked once more through the posts and didn't see anything that said 'ceramic!' LOL! I would NOT have suggested trying to flatten a ceramic stone!!! Frankly, I didn't even know that it was possible to flatten a ceramic stone :eek:
I learn something new every day here!

It took a while (30 minutes or so),
Click to expand...

And no wonder!! It normally takes about 3-4 minutes to flatten a water stone, if even that long!

but I was pleased with the results. Got the job done, it's flat & smooth now. Also gave the same treatment to my Lansky fine hone, as I'd noticed it had a slight bow to it also.
Click to expand...

I'm glad to hear that it worked out for you. Relieved, actually... :o

One thing though. My DMT hone was 'somewhat worn' before I started, and considerably more so afterward.
Click to expand...

Yeah... I guess the heck so!! LOL! Oh well, as long as everything turned out right in the end! :thumbup:

Stitchawl
 
stitchawl said:
:eek: Oh my God.... Did you ever mention before that the stone you wanted to flatten was ceramic?!!!!???? I just looked once more through the posts and didn't see anything that said 'ceramic!' LOL! I would NOT have suggested trying to flatten a ceramic stone!!! Frankly, I didn't even know that it was possible to flatten a ceramic stone :eek:
I learn something new every day here!



And no wonder!! It normally takes about 3-4 minutes to flatten a water stone, if even that long!



I'm glad to hear that it worked out for you. Relieved, actually... :o



Yeah... I guess the heck so!! LOL! Oh well, as long as everything turned out right in the end! :thumbup:

Stitchawl
Click to expand...

Actually, I did mention that the stone was ceramic in my original question in post #11 in this thread (and you replied to my question in post #12). But, still it worked out OK. I'm not familiar with waterstones, but I've been doing some reading online about them, and have learned that they are indeed considerably softer than other stones. In retrospect, it now makes sense that they could be lapped flat in much less time.

But, this was a very positive experience for me. Up 'til now, I had absolutely no idea what it would take to flatten and/or smooth a ceramic stone. Now I know what it takes... DIAMONDS! (and elbow grease) :p I did a little reading online, after the fact, and did find some references to lapping ceramics using diamond paste. So, I've learned something new (again). That's a GOOD THING! :)
 
I wouldn't flatten lansky stones, because they are used in a guided system removing a millimeter of stone could result in 2~3 degree change.
 
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