Dragonfly ZDP and sharpmaker.

[benben]

Hey guys, I own 3 dragonflies. One is a ZDP and its the only knife I own with ZDP-189 steel. I sharpen all
my knives on a sharpmaker, its the only sharpener I own. I've gotten pretty good at using my sharpmaker
on all on my Spydercos (15 or so) except my ZDP Dragonfly. Don't get me wrong, its sharp but it just don't
have that screaming razor feel that the other two VG-10 Dragonflies have.

For the guys using the sharpmaker, just curious what angles you use to sharpen your Dragonflies? I always
use the 30 deg. setting on my blades that are 2.5mm or thinner. Its just always worked for me. I've tried
100 strokes with the med rods to get a toothy edge, I've tried 100 strokes with the fine rods with light
pressure to get a polished finish and it always feels the same to me. As I said the knife is sharp, and it
has a really good working edge. When I do the one handed feel test and rub my thumb across the edge
its nothing like the other two Dragonflies with VG-10. I can get those two pretty scary.

I'd appreciate any suggestions, maybe its as sharp as its going to get with the Sharpmaker ?
Thanks.

[Paddy B]

I reprofile all my knives to the 30 degree backbevel angle with the diamond hones. Once I've apexed the edge, I go through the medium and fine stones. Then I put a 40 degree microbevel on using the brown and white stones. This approach has worked best for me thus far. Once that 30 degree bevel is set, you can microbevel quite a few times before the main bevel needs to be addressed.

[Cujobob]

Perhaps more pressure would be necessary when using the brown rods. Or if you go up and down on the flat side of the brown rod until you form a burr, then do the same on the other side, you'll save some time. It's much different when it comes to super steels and that's the main reason I went with a much more expensive sharpening system. Makes the work faster.

[Gerard Breuker]

Reprofiling ZDP with the browns can take forever. You are probably not even on the edge yet. Using a sharpie and magnification should show you what you are actually doing.

[jujigatame]

Reprofiling ZDP with the browns can take forever. You are probably not even on the edge yet. Using a sharpie and magnification should show you what you are actually doing.

Agreed. I found ZDP + medium stones to just be a recipe for hand fatigue. To make a real dent in ZDP I think you need more aggressive media. Also, one tip I read about ZDP that always served well was to use many strokes and light pressure. Wish I could remember who said it for proper attribution because I think it was here on the home forums.

[dbcad]

You'll never get ZDP sharp with heavy pressure :eek: My zdp D'Fly came with a bunged edge and I found that availing of the DMT aligner system gave me a very nice edge and backbevel for future touchups (the current edge was the backbevel at 40° on the SM). Once the bevels are set it's a matter of not letting the edge slip too much with use :eek:

[paladin]

I reprofile all my knives to the 30 degree backbevel angle with the diamond hones. Once I've apexed the edge, I go through the medium and fine stones. Then I put a 40 degree microbevel on using the brown and white stones. This approach has worked best for me thus far. Once that 30 degree bevel is set, you can microbevel quite a few times before the main bevel needs to be addressed.

You'll never get ZDP sharp with heavy pressure :eek: My zdp D'Fly came with a bunged edge and I found that availing of the DMT aligner system gave me a very nice edge and backbevel for future touchups (the current edge was the backbevel at 40° on the SM). Once the bevels are set it's a matter of not letting the edge slip too much with use :eek:

lots of wisdom here...

[benben]

Thanks everyone. I think I'm going to order a set of diamond rods to try before I invest in a different sharpening system. As I said before the Sharpmaker works great for me except for this one knife. Thanks again.

[raima55]

What happens if one tries to flame color Titanium parts that are already anodized? It would be interesting to try if it's not doomed to catastrophy from the start as I'm not too keen on the light blues and greens.