Stonewashed ZDP-189...

B

Bapple

Joined
Feb 1, 2010
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Bought a stonewash tumbler and wanted to try it out. Knew that ZDP can have some potential rust problems so I figured I would give it a try on my Delica with ZDP. Also threw the black pocket clip in with it so it would match the blade.

Left them in the tumbler overnight (8 hours give or take). Blade came out dull as a butter knife, so I put it back together, pulled out the sandpaper and strop, got the edge back to hair popping. The one crease of the pocket clip near the screws, didnt take the stones so you still see the black coating there. Very happy with the results. Thoughts?

ZDP002_zpsce2c8359.jpg


ZDP003_zps9066671c.jpg
 
Looks great!!! Did the area that the washers touch get the washing too? If so, can you tell any difference opening it?

Also, how much did it smooth out the opening hole? :thumbup:
 
Looks real nice, you should think about bead blasting the screws, or give them some kind of satin finish.
 
Thanks, I did not cover the washer area on the blade, so it got the stonewash as well. No difference at all in smoothness, feels exactly the same. The opening hole is noticably smoother after the stonewash.

I may take the screws out and put them thru the stonewash too, haven't decided yet.
 
I like the stonewashed blade and clip much more than the original.

Might have to try the same on a CF/ZDP-189 Caly3!
 
Honed_Edge said:
Looks great!!! Did the area that the washers touch get the washing too? If so, can you tell any difference opening it?

Also, how much did it smooth out the opening hole? :thumbup:
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From MY experience it does get rougher, ive stonewashed 3 blades so far. (300sn, pm2, manix2) and all needed re buffing on the pivot
 
I am surprised that 8 hours left a finish like that. I would have expected a much heavier finish. Is ZDP-189's high hardness the reason?
 
nccole said:
I am surprised that 8 hours left a finish like that. I would have expected a much heavier finish. Is ZDP-189's high hardness the reason?
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I'm not at all an expert on this, but I'd think the media size used might affect how heavy the stonewash ends up looking?

Also, looks great Bapple! :)
 
It looks good. Some acetone will strip the black paint, and on a new clip will leave what looks to be a also dull bead blast finish.
 
I would have thought 8 hrs. would have made a heavier stonewash also. I used the ceramic media you can buy at Harbor Freight, mixed in with some smaller various aquarium stones. Added a little dishwashing liquid and let it run over night. I would think that the ZDP hardness does have something to do with it, but I am no expert either so it is just speculation on my part. Thanks for the compliments!
 
AF said:
Looks good. Why would that help prevent rust?
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Great question. My experience with stone wash has shown it to do the opposite of preventing rust (higher surface area = more nucleation sites for oxides to form)
 
AF

Looks good. Why would that help prevent rust?
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I was always under the impression that stonewashed blades were a little more rust resistant than satin finished blades. Could be wrong, but that is why I mentioned the rust issue with ZDP-189.
 
Hmm...I would have expected a little more damage to zdp. It is a little tougher than I thought. Very nice! This might look good on an aogami gray frn delica too. (If those are out yet. I'm a little out of the loop.)
 
mr_anderson said:
ZDP has a fair bit of chromium, more than 18%, no rust problems at all
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It's 20% chromium but also 3% carbon and only 2.9% other elements - http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=zdp-189&hrn=1&gm=0

I am most definitely not a metallurgist, so this is only a guess, but I think that a decent amount of that chromium is tied up in chromium carbides in the absence of other strong carbide formers in large amounts, reducing the amount of "free" (not sure if right term) chromium available in the steel to react with oxygen and form the protective chromium oxide layer via passivation.

I have a ZDP-189 Ladybug that stays on my keyring, and I have noticed some light rust on it in the past just from being carried around on my keyring and used for small things throughout the day.
 
Skywalker31 said:
It's 20% chromium but also 3% carbon and only 2.9% other elements - http://zknives.com/knives/steels/steelgraph.php?nm=zdp-189&hrn=1&gm=0

I am most definitely not a metallurgist, so this is only a guess, but I think that a decent amount of that chromium is tied up in chromium carbides in the absence of other strong carbide formers in large amounts, reducing the amount of "free" (not sure if right term) chromium available in the steel to react with oxygen and form the protective chromium oxide layer via passivation.

I have a ZDP-189 Ladybug that stays on my keyring, and I have noticed some light rust on it in the past just from being carried around on my keyring and used for small things throughout the day.
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Skywalker's correct - a lot of the chromium is tied up in carbides because of the low carbon content. ZDP is stainless by name only. In my experience, it will get a light patina with heavy use and lax cleaning. It will also pit if used in harsh environments (like sweaty pockets or sea water). It isn't as rust prone as O1 or 1095, but it most definitely is stain-less, not stain-proof.

TedP
 
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