ZT 0300 - which sharpener?

[shaynster]

I just got a ZT 0300 and the only sharpener I have is the Lansky system. How will this work with that blade? Should I get something else?

Thanks,
Shayn

 

[zyhano]

I sharpen my 302 with the spyderco sharpmaker. Don't know about lansky.
For a recurve like that you need a small stone which can handle the curvature. The sharpmaker rods are excellent for that.

 

[chococrazy]

I sharpen my 302 with the spyderco sharpmaker. Don't know about lansky.
For a recurve like that you need a small stone which can handle the curvature. The sharpmaker rods are excellent for that.

The lansky hone is about as wide as the flat on a sharpmaker. Maybe even a little thinner.
It should work.
I've found using some sandpaper attached to the hone gives wonderful edges.
I use a lansky deluxe with diamonds go all the way to the fine, and then I cut a strip of 2k grit wet/dray put some Norton Fine mineral oil (can also be used as a great lube) on the sand paper, and the lay it on the hone then use the rod to break a hole into the paper.
The edges come out really smooth after stropping.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

I reprofiled my ZT-0350 with my Lansky. The only thing working against me on this was the fact that I didn't have a full Lansky diamond set. I have only one diamond hone (medium) to supplement my Standard set. The going was a bit slow (S30V is amazingly tough), would've gone much quicker with at least a coarse diamond hone to set the initial bevel. Otherwise, it worked out fine. The stones are narrow enough to handle the relatively gentle recurve on the blade. If you reprofile to a more acute angle (as I did), it's even less of an issue.

The only other thing that you need to be careful with, is the positioning of the clamp on the blade. There's not a lot of flat near the spine to grab on the 0300/0350 blade. Want to make sure you take advantage of as much of it as possible. Use masking/painter's tape to provide a little more grip under the clamp.

 

[shaynster]

Thanks for the info.

Shayn

 

[JerseyKnife]

Im glad you posted this question because I was wondering the same thing.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

The big lesson for me, when I reprofiled my ZT-0350 with my Lansky, was BE PATIENT. Take your time with it, or you'll likely end up frustrated. Compared to other knives I've done (1095 carbon, VG-10, 420HC, D2, ATS-34) the S30V blades are very tough. In particular, I noticed that there never was much of a burr produced while sharpening it. Most of the others I've done have produced a burr to greater or lesser extent, and this makes it easier to determine when to proceed to the next grit level (from coarse to medium to fine, etc.). Because there wasn't much of a noticeable burr in this case, I relied on using my magnifier (at least 5X or more) to frequently inspect the edge as I went. I wanted to be sure I had both sides of the bevel meeting sharply at the edge. Without that, all you'd be doing is polishing a rounded edge in the end. Pay particular attention to the edge in the recurve portion, I noticed it required more delicate attention than the rest of the blade. When you notice you're getting a nice, sharp edge, make sure to lighten the pressure as you proceed. The finer the edge gets, the better it'll respond to very light strokes. By the time you finish with the fine/ultrafine hones, you should be using only the weight of the stone to do the work. The only pressure needed will be just enough to keep the stone flush against the edge on each stroke, without rattling/bumping around.

After finishing with the Lansky, I've been using a leather strop with green compound (chromium oxide) to further polish and refine the edge. As long as you make sure your stropping angle isn't too steep, the S30V just seems to keep getting sharper and sharper...