Thread: What are you working on?

So if the stabilizer is too far up toward the edge it will hold the edge off the stone. If you look at the pictures of before and after the heel reshape I did...


You can see how the stabilizer will hit.the stone when you hone. Making a curve to the heel more forward and rounder it will keep it off the stone. Marty has a good post on this somewhere. I think there may be others but his is the one I know for sure.

Wouldn't a heel leading, wiper stroke, be a simple solution to clearing the stabilizer, instead of more grinding to be able to hone at 90°.to the hone.

I sure don't have problems with hitting the stabilizers, this way.

Yeah, I don't really either. I do kind of like the swoop to the heel but I have been able to do it that way also.
I normally just hone keeping the stabilizer off the stone When it's further forward like that.

Originally Posted by PaulFLUS

Yeah, I don't really either. I do kind of like the swoop to the heel but I have been able to do it that way also.
I normally just hone keeping the stabilizer off the stone When it's further forward like that.

I appreciate the explanation. I get the concept, just not the details. I had thought the issue was if the stabilizer was below the edge so you end up with a hook. I thought the circle was just getting a nice pleasing shape (which I haven't figured out how to do yet), but it seems there may be some more to it.

So far I've just reshaped a couple enough that the edge is lower than the stabilizer and honed like Outback described so the edge gets sharp to the heel. For better or worse I decided my bad reshaping that made it safe was OK for beginner level and will rework them to pretty when I get better and they need to be honed again. It appears now I need to learn more about blade geometry to size the circle with the next batch that comes up.

You can use a coin, or washer, to find the right sized circle.

I just eye them up, unless there's a lot to remove.

Like Mike.
I eye them up unless a lot of work needs done. My issue in the beginning was I didnt take enouge away. Then when I got to cleaning and shaping and honing I had to take more off again.

Originally Posted by Gasman

Like Mike.
I eye them up unless a lot of work needs done. My issue in the beginning was I didnt take enouge away. Then when I got to cleaning and shaping and honing I had to take more off again.

Issue. One, singular issue? I have many many issues.

I couldn't get the stroke down and I was getting frustrated that it was holding up my whole operation. It felt and sounded like I was going to break the blade when I tried to get it round near the edge. So, I just chamfered them and figured I'd learn it better next time. I'll need to watch some videos because I'm not convinced I was getting it from the photo tutorial. No knock on the tutorial, I just don't do well learning motions from stills.

So I had a thought...let's call it a musing, crazy though it may be. So Maximus has these gigantic bear claw toenails that I use a dremel to cut.


As you can see some are light and some are dark. Theoretically the dust from these monster claws could be used for patching horn wouldn't you say? I am of course fooling around but if you think about it it could actually be done.

Damn. Thems some big nails!

Thems ain't nails, thems is shovels.