Tips, Tricks, & Useful Finds(FAQs too)

Originally posted by ddean
At the $1 stores ("Everything's a Dollar!") you can find:

Butcher's steels - not finest quality, but Hard & usable.
Click to expand...

Dean you mentioned the old used Butcher Sttel's in one of the above posts.
You're right about getting them cheap sometimes. I used to think I needed a brand new steel with the new grooves to do a good enough job, but that was before I found blade and knife forums dot com.:)
Actually the old worn out steels, if they're hard, are really good buys for burnishing or repairing the edge of a kukri.
I would cut any I would buy off to about a 6" length on the steel part. That will give you enough room to hold the bottom of the steel in your off hand and with your strong hand on the handle a Great Deal of force could be put on an edge.
It oughta make the most resistant blade lay down and cry, "Uncle!!!!":D
 
Hey Dean,

If you wanted a full tang, natural materials (visible) and anti shock handle, could you Dremmil out cavities between the rivet holes and fill them with plastic worm material?

If you leave the handle material alone around the rivet holes, would that retain enough structural contact with the tang to be strong? Would it dampen enough shock to be noticable? If so, could you retrofit the fine HI handles without destroying them?

Sean
 
Originally posted by Yvsa
the old worn out steels, if they're hard, are really good buys for burnishing or repairing the edge of a kukri.
Click to expand...
Agreed.
I have a couple old ones I found for $2 & 6$.
I'll leave mine long for now, I let the weight do the work.
Might cut one to smaller pieces later for handiness.
 
Originally posted by SeanH
could you Dremmil out cavities between the rivet holes and fill them with plastic worm material?
If you leave the handle material alone around the rivet holes, would that retain enough structural contact with the tang to be strong?
Would it dampen enough shock to be noticable?
could you retrofit the fine HI handles without destroying them?
Click to expand...
Sure.
No.
Maybe, depends.
Yes.

The material is Not strong, it needs to be completely surrounded
if any significant pressure is being applied to it.
Get a worm & hit it with a hammer--that's what it would look like.
Now a layer of some leather or heavy duty rubber under the slab
on each side; that might work.

Any point of contact with handle material is where pressre
is exerted & damage occurs.

HI handles get modified all the time, & sometimes replaced.
Depends on -exactly- what & how to know it it will work.
 
At Harbor Freight:

50-Yard Abrasive Roll for only $3.99 standard price.
Brown Aluminum Oxide
grits: 80, 120, 150, 240
"Cut a strip of this highly efficient abrasive for polishing or smoothing of steel.
Cloth-backed, stretch resistant, tear resistant. 1" width."
02118.gif

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=2717

Tear off a strip and grab both ends.
Manual slack belt?
Buff your steel-toed shoes.

Turn it over and load the cloth backing with compound.
use it in hand, or glue grit side down for a strop.

I like a 2-3" piece when sanding small areas by hand.

Many other ideas.
 
Folks at Razors' Edge used to recommend a very smooth, polished steel. I've tried it on pocket & kitchen knives & it seems to work pretty good.
 
If you're like me your always in need of containers for liquids
for mixing in
for heating in
for storing in
for dispensing

I have seldom been pleased with containers I've purchased.
But there's a better, cheaper source;
the kitchen & bathroom.

Containers that are shipped with the liquids they contain
are better than anything you commonly buy empty.
Matter of economics.
If the liquid spills the company loses money from decreased ordering.
If an empty container costs more to make, the profit is less.
Plus, I think volume is usually more important than shipping-weight
when filling up a truck with boxes of something (or nothing).

I'm beginning to buy particular brands
because I want to scavange the bottles.
Clean 'em, dry 'em, use 'em.

condiment squeeze bottles
soap & shampoo bottles
drink bottles
milk bottles
baby food jars
soda cans (tear off the tab & use a funnel to get liquid inside)
metal cans (get a $5 can-top unroller opener
(instead of cutter opener)...it's safer & the top fits back on nicely)
screw-top plastic jars
cleaning spray spray-bottles
many, many more.
 
Speaking of milk bottles.........

Never again pay for for packing material.

Save a few clean, dry plastic milk jugs
(with lids, or without)
to pad your larger packages of breakables.
Excellent.
Mash across the middle to bend, shape and smallify the jug.

If you feel like putting a few minutes
into packing much smaller items,
cut each jug into 2-3 pieces,
maybe a slit down the side too.
They can then be folded/bent and shaped around the packed items.

-----------------------------------------



Cut the bottle in half and---
Wally World!
Big funnel & seed sprouter cup!

Cut a hole near the top and you have a great carrier for....
whatever.
Depends on the hole.
long tools
welding rods
liquids
granules
powders
 
You can also fill that milk jug with water and use it for a target. It explodes quite nicely. :D If you want something that'll take a beating.... freeze it. Also works well with soda bottles.

Brian
 
Metal powders

copper / brass / aluminum

Found in art/craft supplies near metal 'leaf' supplies.
Very fine -dust-, like talc powder.
about 1-oz about $6

Also, found at auto supply
in solution or dry form as sealants for radiator & other
Coarser powder.

These could be good for mixing with epoxy for various
glueing & filling needs.
 
Wool in loose 'rope' form.

Found at a craft store, but labeled as Tandy Leather.

15-yards=45-ft long; weighs 12-oz. $12

Could be used as mop for finish/oil application.
A stick & thread (or zip tie) could make a real mini-mop.
Tandy sells a small wad of wool in a loop at the end of a
piece of wire for daubing dyes & finishes onto leather.

Use anywhere you would use a cottonball,
but sturdier/longer lasting.

Braid 3 sections & make a 'rope' to buff/polish metal or leather.

Glue some to your eyebrows to scare the grandkids.
 
Silica Gel

Used to control humidity ranges in display cases
& as a dessicant to remove moisture from air or from
a material (flower, wood, anything) buried in it.

To reuse the material almost indefinitely,
you heat it to above 300-degreesF
to drive off the absorbed water,
let cool, then reuse.

Usually found in craft supply locally, but I was
surprised to find that locally the cheapest source
seems to be pet supply;
----cat litter------around $8 for 10-pounds.
Look for silica gel content only in the ingredient list,
no fragrance, & no other absorbents/additives.
Some varieties have an indicator that is blue, then pink when
the silica gel has absorbed all the water it can.

see info on silica gel at:
http://science.howstuffworks.com/question206.htm
 
Originally posted by ddean .....2-Get SoftScrub [or similar calcium carbonate cleaner]
Click to expand...
& I should say some sources of CaCO3 are:

Cheapest, most convenient source found:
...Bon Ami kitchen cleanser, dry powder in shaker can.
...57-cents for 14-oz at the grocery.

Hardware/Paint/Sports supply ----
'whiting' for "Swedish putty"
and used for:
tile & glass cleaning
sports field marking (-not- the same chemical as lime)
temporary paint
sports chalk

more.......
some antacids

And, of course, many cleaning products.
 
From:
05-05-2000
Matt Matheny

"Good hot melt
I had a problem with my 9" dankuhta. The butt cap on the karda and chakma fell off. I thought hmmmmm. What is the best way to repair this?

Then the answer struck me. Arrow glue. Beeman Hunter makes carbon graphite arrows. (low maintaince either broke or straight) Anyway the make a hot melt glue that you can heat with a lighter. It is a flexible hot melt, not brittle. So I sanded the end of the horn handle (just to get some of the old laha off) heated up the glue and the brass and put the whole thing back together. Clean up was easy. I waited until the glue wasn't blistering hot, and rubbed it off with my finger. Now both are good as new!!
------------------
Life is short, art endures."
 
The round burnisher you describe is for smoothing outside edges.

For burnishing inside edges ( like inside tubing? ) they sell triangular burnishers.

I smoothed a triangular burnisher 7/16th across on all sides, down to make a 7&1/2" long triangular dagger blade similar to Dan Dennehy's 4" bladed triangular knife that he'd only make for military and police personnel. I may shorten it some,to maybe 6&1/2" as they say a blade will penetrate half again it's length into flesh ( i.e. a 4" blade could go 6" deep, a 6" blade up to 9" deep ).

:eek: :eek: :eek: :D
 
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