Thread: What are you working on?

Originally Posted by Bruno

My rule of thumb is I use either double the previous grit or 200 more than the previous grit, whichever is smaller. The jump from 80 to 220 is pretty big.

hes I know the grit was a bit fine but I thought I already had some 180 that I intended to use but as it was about 7pm when I started & realised I only had the 220 as my coarsest grit, my impatience with myself just said suck it up & see how far we get for the night.
but i now have some 120 & 180 to go before the 220 for the blade face to make it easier and quicker

Started grinding my gold dollar special today... so hard to go slow. I just want to go go go!

Originally Posted by Bruno

My apologies. The knives, are they the ones on that wooden plank? I thought they looked rough but the pic isn't that detailed. Was this after annealing? Then it could be it is the scale I mistook for hammer marks?

A brine quench is leaving me a very mottled "finish" on the blades. Work keeps getting in the way of fun or I would have you some better Pics up

One in 5160 one in 52100. The one in 5160 is 1/4 inch thick at the spine and slightly hollow in the middle of the blade so that veggies will slide off easily.

They're currently tempered and ready for final grinding.



A friend came over this weekend and I guided him through the process of making a knife. We got it HT'ed. It's a drop-point hunter. It's got forge scale on it in this pic.

I'm embarrassed to even post what my latest project is!! But I find that function over form will always prevail!!

I've struggled with keeping the 1/16" brass rod 'straight' while in the small vice that I use. (I live in an apartment)!

SO!!! Here's my solution!

I smoothed up the faces of the removable plates so that they were more close to being square and aligned and then I installed some card stock when I closed the vice. I then used my small drill press and a 1/16" drill to drill a hole between the plates. The card stock 'spacer' made the 'hole' slightly smaller so the jaws could now firmly hold the rod secure and straight! Well as close to 90 deg's as my setup would allow!







Ya Just Can't Keep An Old Redneck Boy Down!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I'm embarrassed to even post what my latest project is!! But I find that function over form will always prevail!!

I've struggled with keeping the 1/16" brass rod 'straight' while in the small vice that I use. (I live in an apartment)!

SO!!! Here's my solution!

I smoothed up the faces of the removable plates so that they were more close to being square and aligned and then I installed some card stock when I closed the vice. I then used my small drill press and a 1/16" drill to drill a hole between the plates. The card stock 'spacer' made the 'hole' slightly smaller so the jaws could now firmly hold the rod secure and straight! Well as close to 90 deg's as my set would allow!

.....

Thanks for the post, I have the exact same issue in my vice and suspect that's why my latest rescale doesn't close on center.
You've now motivated me to fix this once and for all. I love the card stock idea to get the right size hole.
Now I just have to see how well they hardened the jaws

Originally Posted by RoyalCake

Thanks for the post, I have the exact same issue in my vice and suspect that's why my latest rescale doesn't close on center.
You've now motivated me to fix this once and for all. I love the card stock idea to get the right size hole.
Now I just have to see how well they hardened the jaws

Try using a file on the face of the removable jaws. If the file 'skates' instead of 'cuts' then the jaws are hardend but my money says that you're good to go!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

Try using a file on the face of the removable jaws. If the file 'skates' instead of 'cuts' then the jaws are hardend but my money says that you're good to go!

Yeah done that test before - wanted to see of I could bore the center of a chuck instead of grinding it....nope!!

Originally Posted by cudarunner

I'm embarrassed to even post what my latest project is!! But I find that function over form will always prevail!!
I've struggled with keeping the 1/16" brass rod 'straight' while in the small vice that I use. (I live in an apartment)!

Cuda sorry I can't relate with this level of potential OCD as I only have & use a pair of vise Grips for holding the my pin rods in a slot in the side of my wood bench top,
I think you would freak out at this looking at you set up but after & re-sand the grip lines of the pins it seams fine LOL

Just did some heat treatment on 3 new razorblades in O1 steel. They are now tempering to 60-62 HRC