Cannot get ZDP-189 to burr when sharpening

mauiblue

mauiblue

Joined
Aug 1, 2006
Messages
730
I've got a Leek 1660 TiZDP with a ZDP-189 blade and for the life of me I can't get the edge to burr with my EdgePro coarse stone. When I go progressively through all my stones to finally my 600 grit then my polishing strips, I still can't get the blade razor sharp. I am about my wit's end on this knife! I got a strop block from Knives Plus and tried a few passes but I still can't get the blade to shave or even push cut. Anyone care to give this sharpening newbie a hand in dealing with this issue?
 
Try one of a couple of things:

Mark the edge with a sharpie... make sure you've removed metal all the way to the edge before moving to the next stone or

look at the edge under magnification for the same reason.

I did a Leek not to long ago...it wasn't ZDP, but the edge angle was really high, and not even... it took quite a bit to get it set right.

cbw
 
mauiblue said:
I've got a Leek 1660 TiZDP with a ZDP-189 blade and for the life of me I can't get the edge to burr with my EdgePro coarse stone.
Click to expand...

ZDP-189 is very difficult to grind and would require significant more time than ATS-34 and even more so than AUS-8A and similar steels so it might be that you are simply not doing enough work on the stone. It could also be the case that the edge is fracturing on the stone which is rare but does happen on occasion. You can check for this by just flattening the edge with a cut into the stone so it reflects light and then return back to sharpening and hone until this reflection is removed. The knife should now easily be able to slice newsprint, if it doesn't then the edge is fracturing.

-Cliff
 
Mahalo guys for replyling to my issue. I do use a marker pen to make sure I am at the correct angle with the Edge Pro. Cliff, I will try your suggestion and go from there. I am amazed at how hard this metal is! I guess I just need a bit more patience.
 
I have experienced the same. I see it as a mayor bonus. This seems to be the main reason why it sharpens so nicely.
 
I forgot to clearify, it should be able to slice newsprint after the coarse stone, there is no use to going to the finer grits unless it is already very sharp at the shaping stage.

-Cliff
 
I had the the same problem with EdgePro on my ZDP-189 Leek went through all the stones couldnt get it to burr really well, finished on 1000 polishing tape and wasnt really thrilled with results, did it all over again alittle better. gave up for a while did a few Manixs, did my BRKT Mini Slither wasnt to happy with that also. Then I figured it out my coarse stone was alittle concave very little ,barley could see it. When the stone is alittle concave its putting on a different angle, and when you go through the other stones that are flat its another different angle. So I got some Silica Carbide from Ben at EdgePro flattened out my stones on a piece of glass and talk about a world of difference, even the stones that where flat improved from the Silica Carbide it kinda refreshed them. The edge now is insane! but that ZDP-189 just takes longer to get right. My Leek now is so sharp its scary! and I've been sharpening my fishcutting knives for 15 years on waterstones and none of them have come close. So just take your time, flatten your stones, and your Leek will get crazy sharp. Good luck! Aloha Kerwin
 
Thanks guys for all the replies. Yes, I found out that I just had to have a bit of patience and perserverance when sharpening this type of steel. Cliff, I did what you said about flattening the edge then bringing back the edge. Worked like a charm. Kmhwaiidh, I thought of what you mentioned about using a truly flat stone when I was working on the Leek so I switched to a brand new stone. Sure enough, with a bit of patience I was able to get the edge to burr. Now it will shave well enough. It will not push cut at the moment, but I will see if I could go to some finer stones or even using the strop block I just got in from Knives Plus. I know that I can get the edge even more sharper than it is now to the point of push cutting paper like my Spyderco Manix.
 
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