FFG by hand?

B

Bill1170

Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Messages
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I have a ZDP-189 Delica with the standard saber grind. It is a wonderful knife and I'd like it flat ground for better slicing. I never pry with my folding knives, and know how to make things last a long time.

I know I could send this off to Tom Krein and have it flat ground for $45 plus shipping. My question is this: Just how feasible would it be to do this myself? I have at my disposal a 6" bench grinder, an 8" buffer with 10" paper wheels on it, a portable belt sander, and a full array of diamond bench stones from XXC to XXF.

My thought is that I could hog off the major portion with power tools and then finish the job on diamond bench stones. If needed, I can make a wooden jig to hold the blade steady while grinding, and I know about keeping things cool with water.

Has anybody here done this? Thanks in advance.

Bill
 
Well I'm not sure about you but I wouldn't want to go anywhere near a serious grinding job with ZDP-189. That stuff is HARD, I would send it to krein.
 
There's a reason Krein charges more for ZDP-189, it is very hard to work with, you'll be retired by the time you finish grinding hardened ZDP-189 by hand. You can't do a FFG with a bench grinder because they are hollow, and I don't think portable belt sanders work very well(though I've never tried it), you can do it with a 1X30 or 1X42(or bigger), but it is very easy to stuff up if you've never ground a knife before.
 
Yes, pay Krein. $45 is a small amount to pay to avoid any 'accidents'. :D
 
You can practice on cheap kitchen knives. It depends on how good your hand/eye coordination is, and how much this knife means to you. For me, I just send it to Tom, it's more than worth it. ZDP is a real pain to grind. If you want to practice, do it on a cheap knife like a Mora and see how it goes.
 
sodak said:
You can practice on cheap kitchen knives. It depends on how good your hand/eye coordination is, and how much this knife means to you. For me, I just send it to Tom, it's more than worth it. ZDP is a real pain to grind. If you want to practice, do it on a cheap knife like a Mora and see how it goes.
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Thank you Sodak, and to all who replied. There is a definite consensus that attempting this is difficult at best, foolhardy at worst. I will heed the advice and if still curious, practice upon a lesser knife to discover why I ought to send my Delica to Tom.

Bill
 
This is why you should send it to TK:
Granted you could do it yourself and save the money. But, there's a chance you could f it up and then you'd be out the cost of the knife. Or, you could send it out and have a .010" edge put on it and have yourself a freaking pocket scalpel.

KrienRegrind023.jpg
 
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Amaranth said:
... and have yourself a freaking pocket scalpel.
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Nice pocket scalpel you got there. Is a Krein regrind typically thinner than the knives that Spyderco sells with FFG blades? Is Tom's logo lasered onto the blade?

I am divided between getting my Delica Kreined and just waiting for the upcoming sprint run of FFG FRN Delicas and Enduras.

Bill
 
The logo is an "electrochemical" process according to TK, using an electrolyte and current, the main advantage is avoiding the use of acids.

You can get any edge thickness you want within reason, just let Tom know what you want. The .010" edge is thinner than a factory FFG, but by how much I don't know. Either way, it's gonna be an awesome slicer.

Soon I'm sure Spyderco will be making a lot of flat ground Enduras and Delicas in ZDP, so maybe you can just hang on to your original Delica and you'll have something to compare and contrast.

There are some detractor of this steel, saying that it's chippy, but it's perfect for a small EDC folder that you aren't going to chop trees down with.

It'll take a wicked edge and hold it longer than most. It's by far the sharpest knife I own.

One thing about getting your knife "Kreined" is make sure you get a realistic time estimate. I had to wait several more weeks than the estimate to get two knives back, but it was worth the wait. Maybe he just got swamped with regrind work, he's a good dude, he'll answer his phone at home on a Sunday!
 
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Amaranth said:
The logo is an "electrochemical" process according to TK, using an electrolyte and current, the main advantage is avoiding the use of acids.

You can get any edge thickness you want within reason, just let Tom know what you want. The .010" edge is thinner than a factory FFG, but by how much I don't know. Either way, it's gonna be an awesome slicer.

Soon I'm sure Spyderco will be making a lot of flat ground Enduras and Delicas in ZDP, so maybe you can just hang on to your original Delica and you'll have something to compare and contrast.

There are some detractor of this steel, saying that it's chippy, but it's perfect for a small EDC folder that you aren't going to chop trees down with.

It'll take a wicked edge and hold it longer than most. It's by far the sharpest knife I own.

One thing about getting your knife "Kreined" is make sure you get a realistic time estimate. I had to wait several more weeks than the estimate to get two knives back, but it was worth the wait. Maybe he just got swamped with regrind work, he's a good dude, he'll answer his phone at home on a Sunday!
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Thanks, Amaranth. I think I will just keep the Delica I have for now and get one of the FFG's when they come out. Having recently reprofiled it to a narrower bevel angle, it is laserlike enough for now, and my bretheren at Bladeforums have talked me back from the edge of the abyss I was teetering on. I really can wait.

My ZDP Delica was chippy at first, but having removed the original edge I seem to be past that now. I have read that this is a common issue with several of the supersteels, that the factory edge is chippy, but even a small amount of grinding gets you past the badness into sound metal.

Bill
 
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