I Need a Manicure (or: how to save your fingernails)

I take a dowel and sand off a small flat spot on the end for the spine to ride on.

I then hold onto the dowel and use my thumb to provide pressure the the blade. The dowel just skims the belt and save my fingers from getting ground down
Now that is a good idea. I've never liked the idea of a push stick because I feel like I would give up control but with the thumb on the blade still I think that would be a winner! :)
 
I use a push stick for pre ht grinding. I use those thin knit gloves with the rubber on em for post HT grinding. when I grind a hole in the glove I wrap athletic tape around it.
 
So all of a sudden i am confused about push sticks. When i first heard about them, the video(s) i saw talked about resting the spine on the work rest, and using the stick to exert pressure somwhere (as needed) on the backside of the blade. This did not work for me because as the grind came to the tip of the blade, the support of the workrest was compromised because of the notch in the workrest. Now some here are speaking of something different - a stick with a notch on the end to support the spine while, what, putting pressure on the blade with your thumb?? Im trying to google images/videos but not having real luck this morning. Are you guys able to post a photo or two demonstrating your technique in using a “push”, or “support” stick please?
 
I use a push stick for pre ht grinding. I use those thin knit gloves with the rubber on em for post HT grinding. when I grind a hole in the glove I wrap athletic tape around it.
I had a scary incident with those gloves. While hogging out some material, the belt grabbed the finger of the glove and sucked it through the small gap between the work rest and belt. I got lucky and the glove ripped and didn't pull my finger through that gap.
Scared the :eek: out of me. Just to be clear, I am not saying that wearing gloves is wrong, I'm just relaying my experience of a close call.
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BEWARE OF PINCH POINTS!
 
nitrile gloves and a hdpe push stick. Keeps my digits intact and smooth enough for more important tasks...
 
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Just dont slip when using a push stick. I'm so glad that the belt was a worn 60 grit and not a sharp 36.
Storm, that’s almost as good of job as I did on my left index with the helicopter of death when I cleaned up some blade by from HT with an edge near zero and discovered that the Cryo made the steel shrink just enough to keep my Loveless Bolts from sliding in easily. It was just a quick job so I didn’t clamp. You can guess the rest! The ER Doc complimented me with a big smile, that’s fine surgical cut Mr. Segal. This was some 15 years ago. Clamp the blade when drilling! :D
 
Hmmmm. I WAS kind of worried that this thread could evolve (devolve?) into a comparison of injuries. :). I leave it to the group to decide what is appropriate. Certainly (i think?) a recounting of injuries and how to potentially avoid them has value?
 
reviving this thread for a reason. For not the first time, I was grinding a rather long chefs knife ..... long and thin, and especially thin in the tip after grinding for a while. Lost concentration on finger placement a couple times......
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that is really an aside ..... not for the first time I have found that grinding a long blade - like I was doing today....
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is difficult for two reasons: keeping the bevel even is somewhat challenging (but not really that hard) .... but what is really a problem is holding the tip portion of the blade so that you "feel" the bevel without threatening your fingers (either though the above contact with the belt, or with heat ... because the tip is getting progressively thinner. Shorter blades are MUCH easier. How do you people who grind long blades deal with this???? I guess I am thinking specifically about HSC and Pablo, each of whom appear to turn out longer chefs knives on a fairly regular basis....... what do you do to stabilize the work????
 
I do the exact same thing as you, grind off my fingernails! Curiously, it only ever seems to happen on my right hand. I'll be watching this thread.
 
I do the exact same thing as you, grind off my fingernails! Curiously, it only ever seems to happen on my right hand. I'll be watching this thread.
Ditto on the right hand. Maybe it’s because I am right handed ... and more stupidly overconfident...
 
I will be sure to let you know as soon as soon I figure it out for myself. :p:D
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I worked on a farm for a few years and we all rolled our own cigarettes. I quit smoking 35 years ago and I want a cigarette as soon as I see that picture! Geez.
 
I use the tip of my thumb.
Dave - I use the tips of my fingers to support the blade spine underneath. This becomes more critical when the blade gets longer because I can’t really keep it stable just from the handle when I am grinding near the tip. If you use your thumb to press towards the belt - how do you keep the blade stable against vertical motion?
 
I use thumb and forefinger on the blade not on the spine, when I get to the tip just the thumb. Pressure is applied with the hand on the handle of the blade. The thumb just is directing the pressure.
 
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