Question about KME stones: Lansky equivalents?

P

PythonDR

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Sep 20, 2005
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I've moved from a Lansky system to a KME. In the Lansky system I usually finished up with the yellow-handled Ultra Fine (white ceramic) stone, which Lansky says is 1000 grit, and was pleased with the resulting edge. I would have thought the 1500 grit KME diamond stone would have been finer yet, but that's not the case.

Which KME stone would you suggest to approximate the finish of the Ultra Fine Lansky stone?
 
I don't have the KME; but I do think the '1000 grit' rating for the Lansky UF is uncharacteristic of it's apparent performance. Based on how it polishes to near-mirror finish when used in a suitable sequence, I'd equate it more to something at 2K+ (compares similarly to something slightly beyond Spyderco's 'Fine' ceramic, as I see it).

Keep in mind, any diamond hone's 'grit' rating won't be comparable to any ceramic rated at the same value. Different scales for different abrasives. A 1500-grit diamond hone will likely still leave a very fine 'satin' finish and some still-obvious toothy bite, as compared to a similarly rated ceramic, which might be hazy mirror or better, and likely much smoother at the cutting edge.


David
 
PythonDR said:
Would a black or translucent Arkansas be closer to the Lansky UF?
Click to expand...

In terms of polishing the steel, that's likely the closest you'll find among what I've seen of KME's hone options on their web page. It doesn't seem that KME has any Fine/UF ceramic hones in their lineup; the hard Arkansas options appear to be the only polishing-grade stones they do have. If your steel isn't too wear-resistant, those might do OK.


David
 
I have both the black and translucent Arkansas stones for my KME and really wasn't able to see much of a difference between the two, but both were able to get a blade to a "frosted" edge. You can tell the scratch pattern is just on the edge of being polished, but still very keen. If you really want polishing results I would recommend getting the kangaroo strop with the 4micron CBN emulsion. It really made a huge difference for my blades and it does well even on my M390/20cv and M4 blades. Moving on to the 1 micron increased the polish, but I didn't really see the increase in cutting performance as I did going from the black stone to the 4 micron emulsion.
 
The black Arkansas will give a finish that is more or less comparable to Lansky's LS1000.
If you want a very fine polished finish, have a look at KME's glass blanks with the diamond polishing tapes.
 
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