Another ZDP Sharpening Thread

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If I was sharpening this knife from dull or re-profiling it, I'd definitely have used the DMT stones. For refining the factory edge which was a near perfect 30 degrees - the ceramic rods in the Sharpmaker did a great job.

My 8"' x 3" UF stone is very aggressive at times. It will just let the blade slide around for a bit but when I feel it bite it's only a few passes until the burr comes up.

That steel is so hard it didn't even leave any black trails of steel particles in the white ceramic.
 
That's great! I think you'll like this knife, both using and sharpening.

While this opinion isn't widely held, if you are using DMT, Silicone Carbide, or similar bench stones, the thickness of the edge that you are sharpening is MUCH more of a factor than the type of steel. Just my opinion...
 
sodak said:
That's great! I think you'll like this knife, both using and sharpening.

While this opinion isn't widely held, if you are using DMT, Silicone Carbide, or similar bench stones, the thickness of the edge that you are sharpening is MUCH more of a factor than the type of steel. Just my opinion...
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So are you saying that I need to put a 40* micro-bevel on it? That's no problem but I thought this stuff could be run at 30* - that's waht it arrived at basically.

Are you suggesting that I use a certain kind of stone? Not sure what you mean brother? :confused:
 
cziv said:
So are you saying that I need to put a 40* micro-bevel on it? That's no problem but I thought this stuff could be run at 30* - that's waht it arrived at basically.

Are you suggesting that I use a certain kind of stone? Not sure what you mean brother? :confused:
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Sorry, my typing isn't good tonight. I'm just saying that the thicker the edge/gring, the longer it takes to sharpen, not so much the steel type. Thick 1095 is a bear, while thin ZDP is a breeze to sharpen. I'm sure your bevels will be fine. This is a response more to your original post on ZDP, no particular stones needed at all.

Going to bed before I start typing any more nonsense....
 
cziv said:
(...) I have an XX-fine tan dia-fold that would work nicely for touching up but it doesn't seem right to go backwards to Spyderco gray & white after the DMT xx-fine.

That's the XXF dia-fold at 3 microns first - to the gray rod at 15 microns and finishing with the white at 6 microns?

Did you maybe mean to use these in reverse? These numbers are published from DMT and Sal Glesser. :)
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It's essentially meaningless to directly compare DMT's grit spec (3 micron) against Spyderco's ceramic 'effective' grit, if the comparison is based only on particle size. The 3 micron DMT will still cut more aggressively than either of the Spyderco ceramics, due to the greater aggressiveness (hardness) of the diamond as compared to the alumina of the ceramic. The difference in aggressiveness can be seen in the amount of swarf left on each of the hones. Much more will be left on the diamond hone, even at 3 microns.

Regarding Spyderco's ceramics, all of their hones use the same grit (15-25 microns) in actuality. The difference in 'effective' grit, and finish left, is due entirely to different binders and surface finishing, as explained by Sal Glesser in the quoted comments below.

(from Sal Glesser in post #6 in this thread on Spyderco's own forum ---> http://www.spyderco.com/forums/showthread.php?31188-Ceramic-benchstones-compared-to-DMT-extra-fine )
All of the ceramics use the same micron size (15-25). the different grits are created by different carriers, different firing techniques and diamond surface grinding.

sal
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(from Sal in post #10 in the same linked thread as above)
We've spent a great deal of time trying to determine grits for our stones. The manufacturer has also worked with us, to no avail. A guess seems to be best.

Most abrasives are measured by the grit size used in the matrix. Our ceramic doesn 't work that way. Grit size is constant.

We've tried to compare scratch patterns as Cliff mentioned and this is probably the closest, but nothing that we can say "This is blah blah". Then the Japanese water stones jump into the equation and suddenly there is whole new set of numbers.

So where we end up is:

Our diamonds are a 400 mesh (measureable). (600 on the Duckfoot)

Our gray stone is "medium". (Same material as fine but different carriers and heat treat).

Our fine stone is fine.

Our extra fine is a surface ground fine.



sal
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Thanks David. Toady I put a 40* micro bevel on this little slicer and it's been blessed with my "good to go" stamp of approval. Talk about some hard steel - wow a lot of work on the SharpMaker. :eek:

I still should have bought VG-10 for crying out loud. This stuff is hard and way more temperamental than S30V which would make a nice Endura blade btw. :thumbup:
 
I get my Lum ZDP really sharp on a duo diamondstone followed with a leather strop with black paste. It polishes up great and I've maintained the factory angle.
 
I keep my cf stretch at 30 no micro bevel and have never had a problem. I would take zdp over vg 10 anyday of the week and a lot of other steels to.
 
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