Need advice: WE and ZDP189

[elena86]

I decided to reprofile my ffg Delica in ZDP189 using my WE sharpener.The cutting bevel is quite uneven and steep and I'll try to reprofile to 15dps.
My question is: should I start with the 100-200 grits diamond stones and than go up or is better to start with a higher grit ? My concern is not to fracture(microchip) the edge if I start with lower grits.Thanx

[Evil D]

Well I don't have a WE, but I don't think it's necessary to drop down to that low of a grit. You can reprofile ZDP with 400 grit and it'll be just fine and it will also save you from having to remove crazy big/deep scratches later on. The most important thing to remember with ZDP is let the stone do the work, regardless of what grit you use. If you put too much pressure into ZDP, that's when the fracturing starts and you may as well grind off the edge and start over.

[Cliff Stamp]

My concern is not to fracture(microchip) the edge if I start with lower grits.

Most people who use the WE tend to strongly advocate the really coarse stones they sell as an addition, the 50/80 grit ones. The Wicked edge stones are tiny compared to a benchstone so it takes ~5 passes with one to roughly be equivalent to one pass on a benchstone, this means you are going to take ~5X as long with similar grits. In short, yes, go to the lowest grit you can for efficiency. However there are a few other things to consider :

-take the angles down in steps, don't just grind at 15 dps, work down gradually
-use lubricant
-keep the force low, just get the stone to cut
-don't apex on the ultra-coarse grits, just get close to it

These are general rules for grinding in general.