# Help with sharpening ZDP-189



## Khorax (Jul 24, 2017)

So I bought a second hand Fu-Rin-Ka-Zan 165mm Petty made out of ZDP-189 steel (Like Sukenari Petty). This is actually my very first J-knife. I'm used to sharpening soft german knives like Beaumark and Zwilling. This is an entirely different beast and I just wanted to talk to you guys before I do anything stupid. 

I have a Naniwa tratitional 220 Grit, traditional 1000 grit, and professional 3000 grit. The knife is in OOTB condition and sharpness is ok, but I feel I could make it sharper with my 1000 then 3000 grit.

Few questions

1. At what approximate angle should I sharpen this? I know ZDP has good edge retention, but I also know it can be chippy. Should I keep the angle in the 18-20? Or can I make it quite acute at 12-15? 

2. I've never done a micro bevel before. Would this benefit from a micro-bevel? If so, I do it only on one side? At what approximate angle should the micro-bevel be?

3. How would you "touch up" the knife between sharpenings? Just hone on my 3000 with light trailing strokes? 

4. How will the "touch up" (see question 3 above) effect the microbevel? I'm unsure how to "touch up" a knife that has a micro bevel on one side.

Thanks


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## Kippington (Jul 24, 2017)

ZDP is a tougher steel than you might think. 
I use 18-20 degrees per side on a gyuto and use it quite roughly. A petty should do just fine with 12-15 dps.


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## RDalman (Jul 24, 2017)

I have done "initial sharpening" on a zdp sukenari. Spent a good while with a atoma 140 low angle to get the edge to where I wanted it. It was appreciated. So my advice is go as low as you can, thin as much as your patience can take.


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 24, 2017)

If you use it for anything choppy (as you can with this petty!), 18-20 as a microbevel is a good idea. BTW, the factory angle on mine was 12dps - too acute, boardwork quickly left microchips visible under 10x mag.

@RDalman so I am not mistaken in considering these knife series rather thick?


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## zitangy (Jul 25, 2017)

my 220 grit is reserved for serious chip removal or serious steel removal behind the edge.

IF 1000 grit does remove steel fast enough... meaning no improvement after a few strokes... I wld not hesitate to drop to 400 grit. For higher HRC knives for the same amt of steel to be removed... either use a) more strokes b) higher grit stones or c)slightly more pressure.

I prefer to use a lower grit stone 

rgds Z


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## Khorax (Jul 25, 2017)

So I finally got the knife yesterday. 1st ever J-knife!! yay!
Pretty sure there was no micro bevel on it. The knife could probably do with a bit of thinning but i'm not ready to massacre this beauty on my 220 grit... I'll probably just use it for a while and get a feel for it. I did try to cut an onion with it and it wedged during the horizontal cuts while holding onion from the top. It cuts super well though

I took it to my Naniwa 3000 Pro and got a burr on both sides. I think I was around 16-18 degrees. I then deburred.
I finished with my first ever attempt at a micro-bevel by doing very light passes just on the right side at around 30 degrees. 

Question: So when i'm done putting on the micro-bevel, does it create a burr on the other side? Do I have to do trailing strokes on the other side and deburr it?


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## foody518 (Jul 25, 2017)

Your last paragraph - yes, and yes


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 25, 2017)

Certainly on a fast 3000  Why not microbevel it on something finer, unless you want bite (which I find ZDP disappoints at anyway!)?


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## loong (Jul 25, 2017)

I ordered a combo of DMT diamond paste yesterday to sharpen my ZDP189 knife. They would work better than stones.


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## Khorax (Jul 25, 2017)

LifeByA1000Cuts said:


> Certainly on a fast 3000  Why not microbevel it on something finer, unless you want bite (which I find ZDP disappoints at anyway!)?



3000 is the finest I have.

Going back to my initial questions in my original post: I'm confused how to touch up a knife that has a micro bevel on it. The way I understand it is that the tip has 1 bevel on one side, and 2 bevels on the other. A total of 3 bevels. How do I touch it up? Or do you have to re-sharpen completely every time and destroy your micro bevel and put a new one on?


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## foody518 (Jul 25, 2017)

You hit the edge with your touchup therefore whatever angles you had on each side which got you to your edge apex


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 26, 2017)

..but you might want to hit both angles in succession, microbevel last, when stropping.


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## qjlforever (Jul 27, 2017)

how long it takes for sharping this hard steel


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## LifeByA1000Cuts (Jul 27, 2017)

HOW are you trying to set the angle? Hint: Knocking off the shoulders and trying to go 10dps+micro takes real long and doesn't in my experience yield a great geometry with this knife series - you'd have to really thin it to improve it. So no point going under 12dps - follow the 12dps and set a tiny microbevel with a polishing stone. And try chromium oxide - balsa, for finishing and for touchup.


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## loong (Aug 3, 2017)

I tried the diamond paste on my ZDP knife, from 6 micron to 3 micron and then 1 micron, it took longtime to remove most scratches but not all of them. i'm thinking if the 6 micron is too fine to start with...


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