When you don't have the right tools...

After getting the handle of the Mar Tanto close to where I wanted it, I called LT Wright to ask about why the wood was so dull. He said that all that I needed to do was get a buffer and start to polish the wood. I didn't (and still don't) have a buffer, I did have Flitz and a lot of time at the last show. So, I started to hand polish the handle to see what I could get.

I still have a few scratches that I need to work on, but I it doesn't look too bad for a first attempt.

Stay Sharp!

Hitachi Grinder

Here it is, the first two jobs for the new beast was to do the initial sharpening on 12 pieces of 1/4 in. Damascus. While I might have worn out the factory supplied belt, the SB10Y is much quieter than my old 1 inch Delta. It should also have enough power to grind steel as long as I don't start with S30V.

Let there be Power!

After conversing with several British knifemakers, I started the great grinder hunt. I first tried to find a machine locally through Sears, Home Depot, Lowes and several others. About this time, I got a large shipment of new knives from Rob Charlton at Damascus USA that I needed to sharpen. Rob's steel being tough, I wanted something stronger than my little Sears wet stone. (Yes, I said wet.)

I finally found a nice belt sander that is quiet enough to work inside my rental apartment. Built by Hitachi, it even has a dust collector. The thing is making short work of thinning the Ironwood that I put on the Al Mar Tanto. I will be taking pictures tomorrow and will add them to the Blog as I go.

Stay Sharp!