Reprofiling an uneven grind on a ZT0562CF

[John Derry]

Hi,

I have a ZT0562CF that has an uneven grind from the factory. The scale side is about 24 degrees and the lock bar side is 22.
What is the correct way to fix this?
I would like to have both at 25 degrees, but how to I center the bevel?

[Zamfir]

Sharpie trick and time. Set the bevel to what you want it to be and work one side more or less but evenly. If I know the angle is about where I want it I will visually, using the sharpie trick and watching the bevels develop, make them look even.

Are you using an angle cube to determine the angles are off or are you just going by the guide makings? The vise side will be different than the floating side and the marks are for reference only. Angle cube is a must.

Or, are you just noticing this visually that it is off?

[John Derry]

Sharpie trick and time. Set the bevel to what you want it to be and work one side more or less but evenly. If I know the angle is about where I want it I will visually, using the sharpie trick and watching the bevels develop, make them look even.

Are you using an angle cube to determine the angles are off or are you just going by the guide makings? The vise side will be different than the floating side and the marks are for reference only. Angle cube is a must.

Or, are you just noticing this visually that it is off?

Angle cube, and visually off

[Zamfir]

Perfect then! Now you can just do what I suggested. You have the tools and the eye for it. Now fix it! Most blades I come across are not symmetrical. Easier to fix then you think. I over thunk it many of times. Go to work. Nice thing is that by hand it is harder to make an unrecoverable mistake! Practice on a cheap wallyworld pocket knife first if you have trepidation.

[Steven N. Bolin]

Most blades I come across are not symmetrical. Easier to fix then you think.

Good point, Zamfir! I think for the most part we can all agree production knife companies don’t use a WE to put an edge on their products. It’d definitely make our lives a bit easier if they did. But, like you said, making corrections isn’t all that difficult. Being able to accurately reprofile and set the bevels is one of the things I dig most about the WE. I REALLY enjoy freehand sharpening and will often use the WE to reset the bevels prior to using my water stones.

[John Derry]

So do I simply clamp my knife, set the angle of each side to 25 degrees, via the micro adjustment and angle cube.
Then work the more narrow side?

[Zamfir]

After you clamp it and the blade is properly centered yes. If the blade is not centered you will have to measure the angle of each side of the blade and work the math to see how much angle add and subtract to what side.

For me, I use the hell out of my blades. being a degree or 2 off is not a appreciable difference in cutting that I can tell at all. So, I tend to clamp it where it is easy to repeat. And I set the angle cube of each side to the angle I want. If you want yours to be 50 deg inclusive then yes, set each side to 25. Then I start to sharpen. If I can visually tell one side is looking wider than the other I will make a call and lessen the angle on the side that is narrower. RECORD the final angles and how I mounted it and go cut some stuff. I think some people get too hung up on exact angle this and that but they really would not be able to tell the difference in using it. Maybe on an expensive Chefs knife or something yes..but an EDC I doubt it.

Remember the lesser the angle you sharpen to the easier the blade can cut. The trick is knowing how low you can go for what you are cutting without damaging the edge too easily. I usually run 17 deg per side on all my blades. Not my Spyderco zdp blades. They would chip out at 17 too easily. So I keep the 17 per side and then increase the angle by 5 deg on each side and put on a micro bevel. The chipping stopped.

AS for mounting your blade, that ZT has a nice flat spot on the blade by the handle. That is where I would mount mine and deal with any offset visually as mentioned previously of the main blade grind is not totally equal. None of my ZT knifes or spydercos were ground equal. I always clamp them on the flats where I can for a repeatable relocation next time. This video helped it set in for me.

https://knife.wickededgeusa.com/forum/getting-started/13191-the-video-thread#19346

Thanks Josh!!

Wow I rambled on a lot..yeah..sharpen it like that. 😛

[John Derry]

I am having issues near the tip, the bevel on either side looks good, until the tip. The scale side has a larger bevel by the tip and the lock seems smaller.

Does anybody on her offer knife sharpening services?

I am not willing to mess this one up learning.

[Mikedoh]

Try Josh at razor edge knives
http://www.razor-edge-knives.com/

[Mark76]

There’s probably no-one better than Josh.

Molecule Polishing: my blog about sharpening with the Wicked Edge

[Josh]

You guys are too kind 😉

Lately I have been having an issue, since my vise is bent and I have to make the right jaw go out further at the bottom, with the blade tilting a little bit to the left. So found my angles were way out of wack on a ZT I was working on (pics coming soon in the super polished thread section) So I had to use this method to find the correct angles:

[Geocyclist]

I am having issues near the tip, the bevel on either side looks good, until the tip. The scale side has a larger bevel by the tip and the lock seems smaller.

Does anybody on her offer knife sharpening services?

I am not willing to mess this one up learning.

Some sections of the blade may require “scrubbing” – where you work one side with back/forth strokes (say 10) then do 2 on the other side. So you give more strokes on the side that needs it and only in that one section (i.e. the tip). Every now and then do some full strokes over the entire blade to keep the entire edge smooth.

Whenever I re-profile a blade, when I think I am finished with the first stone I recheck with the angle cube. If do a large change in angle sometime you have to reset the rods. Especially if you want 25.0 per side.

Zamfir has good advice. Practice on a cheap knife.

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