Lansky Turnbox Crock Stick Grits

M

mpikas

Joined
Jul 12, 2007
Messages
27
Anyone know about what grit they are? I'm having somewhat unexpected results- the fine (white) seem to cut faster than the medium (grey) - they leave more dust on the surface of the box, and feel like they "bite" more than the grey, but I'm not sure about the finish, the grey seem to leave a more distinct pattern, but i'm not sure if it's finer or courser than the white.

I needed $12 more to get free shipping for an order and decided to grab a set and see why people seem to like these things, hoping that they might be the solution for sharpening the few compound curved blades that I own.

Honestly I kind of like the setup, especially for the money I paid... I'm impressed enough with the results that I decided to cut some 15* and 17* holes in the box, to go with the factory 20 and 25*- since it seems like almost everything I own is sharpened to between 15 and 20*, I checked the first 2 compound curved blades I picked up, my Blur-15* (well, really about 17* on one side and 13* on the other, I ended up cutting them both to 15), and a cheap Uzi (sort of 17*, but both edges wavered quite a bit, 17* touched more than any other angle, but the last 1" of one side is not touching at all, it's almost at 25*, it's way off)
 
Ceramics are highly variable in apparent 'grit', from one manufacturer to another. The 'grey' will almost always be effectively coarser than the 'white'. Best way to tell, is to spend some time sharpening exclusively on each separately, and compare cutting performance (the 'bite' in the edge). Sometimes, when the rods are new, they'll seem a bit more aggressive in metal removal. Over time, the white usually reveals itself to be more of a polisher (finer finish on the edge) than the grey.

Make sure to keep the rods as clean as possible, or they'll become much less effective as they load up with metal swarf. In fact, if neglected, you'll likely notice the performance drop-off more quickly on the grey rods, which collect swarf at a faster pace (revealing their more aggressive nature).


David
 
Last edited:
mpikas said:
How do you clean them?
Click to expand...

  • If starting clean, and then after each session -->: Dish detergent (Dawn/Ivory/Palmolive/etc) and water; scrub with a Scotch-Brite pad or similar pad.

  • If more swarf has accumulated, but not too much -->: Comet/Ajax powdered cleanser and water; scrub in same manner.

  • If they've been neglected a very long time -->: Bar Keepers Friend powder and water; again scrub with a Scotch-Brite, and rinse thoroughly. The BKF powder uses oxalic acid, which actually dissolves the steel swarf. Be careful using it, and read & heed the instructions on the label.


David
 
Oxalic acid... OK, welding metal prep... newish but with some swarf... I'll probably try just soap or comet first.

Thanks
 
I don't know if Lansky sells the diamond rods on their own yet, but I bought a 2-rod diamond set to go along with my 4-rod ceramic turnbox, and, man! are they aggressive. Just a few swipes will give you a great microbevel that can be refined with the gray and or white ceramics. You can also leave the diamond microbevel for a scary, super toothy edge. Might be worth looking into if you plan to use the turnbox quite a bit. :thumbup:
 
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