Hey Halicon,

Thanks for responding to my comment about maintaining a constant angle when sharpening my handmade knives.   My problem relates primarily to the curved portion of the blade.  I made a homemade blade grinder using a plan provided by anonther iKC member who used an angle grinder on a pivot arm to grind hollow ground blades, but have had difficulty with grinding the curve and point of the blade, especially on recurve blades.  Any advice you can give me will be greatly appreciated.  Also, yes, I've tried my hand at restoring pocket knives and military blades, but finding one to restore that's priced right is a real challenge. 

Hi Hal,

Thanks so much for all the great advice and information.  Your last comments about the Belgian Coticule stone was way over my head.  Where do you get a full sized Coticule stone and some Coticule finger stones?  Thanks again for your help.

Terry

Halicon .. save some time buddy .. get an 8" (rough) grinding stone spinning @ about 4000 RPM's ...... OK .. you'll burn a Tip or two .. but, it's faster ...

!!! .. JUST KIDDING .. !!!

Chris .. thanks for joining our "Knife Repair, Modification, Restoration & Improvement" grp .. we've had a bit of fun there !!

I had a nice run there with my MODIFICATIONS .. personalizing our knives !!!!  forum .. and hope to start a discussion centered around the construction of that kit Santa left me .. time permitting .. will see you there !!!!

The Charney stone seems like an absolute must in the knife sharpening world!

I do not have one.Where can I get one??  All my stones are from Europe, one from Belgium, one from Slovakia, others from italy and the Czech Republic. They all work fantastically.

Hi Christopher,

Think I owed you a response before now.  (Still a might confused about this whole social networking thing.)  Glad the Rikers are of interest.  Your message suggested we take this to the PM -prime minister?   post meridian? parental medeling?

Bill

(Got my email back as undeliverable. Repeats here.)

Hi Chris,
Cool on the PM thing. I think I have used up all the brain cells available for things computerish. 
As to exporting Riker mounts, I have to chat with them in the next day or so, so I'll see just how big a pain in the tuchas it might be for them to do it directly. (Nice people, but ding-a-lings.)  As to my shipping them to you, here is what I propose. I'll order them, box them, and let you "import" them to your end.  (BTW -where is your end?)  Then I'll wait for the shipping label to arrive.  I've done this with UPS successfully, and you are right about the bother of paperwork. There are questions UPS's web application asks that apply more to your, (the destination's), laws / procedures  than I understand. 
And thanks for the kind words re. my craftsmanship.
Bill

I'm kinda sorta familiar with "work hardening". That is .. I've witnessed it's effects.

Let me do some more checking .. I'm guessing similar "reactions" occur .. perhaps @ a slower rate for wk hardening .. let me check some more & I'll get back to you.

That's interesting .. forging tools @ those low of temps .. is it a slow process ???

Chris .. I think we're talking about similar processes .. your's refined .. mine accidental !!!

work-harden

vb

(Engineering / Metallurgy) (tr) to increase the strength or hardness of (a metal) by a mechanical process, such as tension, compression, or torsion

work-hardening  n

risk of work-hardened tools

Work hardening can cause other problems as well. Tests conducted at Old Sturbridge Village in 1980 showed that the faces of anvils, normally tempered to around 55 on the Rockwell C scale, can work harden to as high as 72 on the Rockwell C scale after many years of hard service. This is a major cause of anvil failure. The face becomes so embrittled by repeated hammering that it eventually chips, spalls, cracks, or breaks away from the body. 

Work embrittlement happens to forging hammers as well, and the wise smith retempers his hammers periodically to relive some of the stresses that have built up in them over time. ––Ray Larsen

http://primitivepoint.blogspot.com/2010/11/risk-of-work-hardened-to...

A generic info article .. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_hardening

Hal

 That MARBLE'S SAFETY AXE .. it's a 3-screw #1 .. translation = went out of production in 1903 .. it's a minimum of 108 yrs old.

And the REALLY cool thing is .. it was my maternal Grandfathers !!!!

Money cannot buy .. Hannah (daughter) will have someday

:D:D

(: she knows Hal :)

And .. I just sent her this for camping/hiking .. http://www.iknifecollector.com/photo/albums/tak-fukuta

Always interested in the comments of others, thanks.

I'd love to be able to have and use some of the tools that I've seen.  I am, however, just a simple front porch whittler that tends to make do with what I have.  I do, though, like a more convex edge for the rough "scraping" that I do to shape a pit.

I also need to ensure that whatever tool I use is ergonomically suitable for my hands.  Had Carporal Tunnel surgery on both hands and am dealing with arthritis now.  Lot of the tools that are out there have very small handles. 

I do get some pleasure in sharpening with an Arkansas oil stone, something about the relaxation of going slow and easy to get the result wanted.  Am interested in the European oil stone that you spoke of.  Tell me more.

The Higonokami is so simple in design, as well as handsome. And I have a hunch it is good steel. Think I'll try to add one to my collection.

I'm still waiting for my new Higonokami from Japan. In the meantime, here are three other springless pocket knives. Unfortunately, I don't own an old penny knife.

Sheldon knife- Also called "Current," it was patented in 1966 for budding and grafting.

Pat Crawford- I think Pat designed this in the middle 1970's and had it made in Japan.

Boye- A small, dropped-edge folder made of high-quality cast SS and a nickel-silver case.

Halicon,

Just checking in.  Haven't seen you on lately and wanted to be sure things are going well.