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A new knife debate thread. - Page 3

post #61 of 81
9/15/09 at 8:52am
I use really cheap, brass barbecue grill brushes from Smart and Final. It's a convenient, not a considered choice.

BDL
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post #62 of 81
9/15/09 at 8:54am
Thread Starter 
Oh, no! Another knife heretic!

Don't you know that any knife tool that even gets to share a drawer with a fancy schmancy knife must have Togishi Union Label from the Masters of EDO Chamber of Commerce and Sushi Bar?:lol:

You start buying those correct tools off the back of a Snap-On truck and you're going to find yourself doing hard time next to me on The Group W bench.
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post #63 of 81
9/15/09 at 9:10am
That's what pawn shops are for!!!! What I do is purchase a used if not beat-up screwdriver from the pawn shop and take it to a Snap-On dealer who will replace the old, worn out shank with a brand new one - free of charge and done in the sales truck itself.
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post #64 of 81
9/15/09 at 9:19am
Thread Starter 
I try to surround myself with reputable companies, myself. I just changed out a folder for a client yesterday.

The best story is about two working stiff guys who drove past the remains of a burned out home, when the driver saw the frame of a Dillon Precision press sticking out of the ashes. He stopped the truck, retrieved the frame and tossed it in the truck bed. His friend asked him why he wanted "the junk." The driver informed him that Dillon had a "No BS" policy for any damaged product. The driver received a brand new loading press in return.

In like manner, Mick Strider replaced a 400 dollar knife for free to a firefighter who lost his in an emergency call.

That's why Blue Ridge and JWW supply +75% of my products for resale.
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post #65 of 81
9/15/09 at 9:31am
And the business that you're engaged in is?
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post #66 of 81
9/15/09 at 1:29pm
Thread Starter 
I am a licensed Wisconsin Cutlery Reseller. Technically.

The license is from Wisconsin, but that is not my chosen territory. While I sharpen for anyone who ships me a UPS box, I sell only on the eastern side of Dane County, Wisconsin. Nowhere else in the entire state.

I would guess I sell 2/3's kitchen stuff, and 1/3 working folders. I used to sell autos to police and soldiers but it was just a hassle. I quit doing that over three years ago.

If I could I would go 100% kitchen knives, both sales and service. I like that type of work better, and I don't rep for the folders I truly like.
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post #67 of 81
9/15/09 at 3:10pm
No the best story was about the driver doing a year in the pokey for being in possesion of stolen property. :lol:
My experience with Dillion says that story is a lot of wishful thinking.
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post #68 of 81
9/15/09 at 10:06pm
Thread Starter 
That's too bad. Everything I have purchased has worked for decades. In fact, the only thing I ever had problems with was the handle on a Square Deal. It snapped after reloading +80K rounds, and they warranteed it with a single phone call.

That press is still working today.
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post #69 of 81
9/16/09 at 2:58am
It was nothing major but in my experience their no BS policy doesn't extend beyond what they think is normal wear. I still have an old Pacifica press and only God knows how old or how many rounds she has seen.
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post #70 of 81
9/16/09 at 12:24pm
Prior to cleaning with brush and dutch cleanser, my stones will soak in kerosene for about a week just to liquify all the accmulated internal gunk. I may even implement a change of kerosene midway thru the week-long soak.
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post #71 of 81
9/16/09 at 2:52pm
Somebody's cleaned a carburetor before.

BDL
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post #72 of 81
9/16/09 at 5:17pm
When it comes to carburator cleaning/rebuilding, B12 chemtool (or even acetone which is highly volatile and therefore flammable) is my solvent of choice. Otherwise its kerosene when it comes to oily/greasy car parts and whetstones.
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post #73 of 81
9/18/09 at 9:15am
Thread Starter 
I've used some pretty volatile stuff to clean automotive parts, but I don't like to bring such things into the house.

Is there some method you use to rinse "the cleaner from the cleaner." In other words, does every vestige of the kerosene have to be removed, or do you just let it dry outside?

I ask this because last year I inherited a oilstone from my FIL. It's pretty coarse, and it may be of some use when reshaping broken tips.

However, the stone is dirty, dusty, clogged and a victim of abuse and poor storage techniques. I said "Thank you" and proceeded to toss the thing aside.

But it is a nice flat tool, and I might be able to use it, if it is repaired. And I'm talking about decades of poor storage.
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post #74 of 81
9/19/09 at 3:49am
My plan is to drain and dry the stones and then place them outside for sun-drying.
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post #75 of 81
9/19/09 at 7:06am
Thread Starter 
Thanks for the update. I'm not sure that I will ever use this coarse oilstone, but like any good tool, it has a place in the work I do.

As stated, I can see using it in the repair of a badly broken tip. Many people make that repair by grinding the edge 'up.' I think the better course is grinding the spine 'down.' In a folder this keeps the edge inside the handle. (I do this by hand to avoid heat.)

However, on a kitchen knife grinding the spine down keeps the 'belly' or edge sweep in the same overall shape and maximizes the length of the undamaged portion.

You'd be amazed on how many calls I get because a client has dropped a knife. And strange as it might seem, kitchens might have concrete floors, not much better than the floor in my garage.
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post #76 of 81
9/19/09 at 7:18am
Great points worth utilizing. And, never attempt to catch a knife that's falling to the floor: nasty, nasty cuts will ensue.
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post #77 of 81
9/19/09 at 7:37am
Thread Starter 
I did that once--as a foolish young man. There was an old folder company that made a larger premium version of a Buck 110. I don't know what alloy they used, but the the stuff was hard, and kept a wicked edge.

I was sharpening it one day, and like a dumb kid I was daydreaming. The knife slid out of my hand, and because it was an expensive knife for the era--like 40 bucks--I did not want it to hit my soft carpeted floor. So I grabbed out for it.

The edge slid across my fingers, and I felt that knowing "feather-like" pain.

I scooped my other hand under the wound immediately, because as my Aunt Clara tells us about family reunions, "There will be blood."

Natch, I caught the initial spurt, ran to a sink, and then waited for my wife to return home.

Ehh, that's how dumb kids learn.
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post #78 of 81
9/19/09 at 8:11am
On balance, the coarse Indias and Crystolons are about as good as any super-coarse waterstone. Coarse waterstones are almost always very soft and dish quickly. That means flattening several times in the course of a difficult knife or a major repair. The "oilstones" relative lack of maintenance requirements, balances their lack of speed and their coarse scratches.

Something I've said before bears repeating for those getting into sharpening. While I use medium and fine oilstones, and am all too delighted to discuss them, I don't recommend them anymore for people putting together their first sharpening kit, or thier first quality sharpening kit. Waterstones are that much better. Naniwa Superstones in particular, because of their excellent feedback, minimal soaking requirements, relatively simple maintenance and relatively reasonable pricing, are ideal for "honing" your skills. If I were putting together a waterstone kit for myself, I wouldn't choose any of them (with the possible exception of the 10000#). But if you're just starting or making the first step up, they'll serve you better than anything else for a couple of years.

When repairing the broken tip of an important knife I try to work from both top and bottom, attempting to retain the tip to midline relationship of the design. If it's a knife that takes a lot of abuse, especially a small knife, I work towards useful geometry. So, I'll work from the top to create a sheep's foot on a parer that's going to be doing garde manger, decorative tip work, or from the bottom to repair a European style boning knife.

BDL
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post #79 of 81
9/19/09 at 2:39pm
Thread Starter 
If the knife is a fixed blade or a kitchen knife (and if the client left me enough metal), I try to do exactly that. I also try to "blend the shape" of my new curve to the existing slope so that the repair appears seamless.

You don't get that latitude when repairing folders. The tip of the knife has to close below the grip line when closed or the point will slice through the pocket or cut the client.

Each repair is unique onto itself. When a client says he "broke the tip" that could mean a small divot near the tip, or he broke the blade completely in half.
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post #80 of 81
10/1/09 at 10:35pm
Someone mentioned that following the soak in kerosene, the stones are scrubbed with dutch cleanser and a brass brush and then placed in the dishwasher for several washings. My question is will there be a kerosene odor lingering inside of the dishwasher?
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post #81 of 81
10/1/09 at 11:35pm
Soak or boil the stones in water first -- either before or after scouring them.

BDL
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