What Did You Sharpen Today?

just did a little spring cleaning on the lineman's flint edge.
vIzKvbJ.jpg
 
WKKeTGf.jpg

i think you can guess what i sharpened, left to right: knock-off 151, sweetheart 51, stanley rule and level co 63 (does anybody know what time frame they used this name for?) and a no name 63. i'v been meaning to carve this handle, it's the one i got from the KP that had the weight stamp on the poll.

Anybody know anyone that can fix magnetos? the only person i know is in texas until mid-may
 
Every time I see a spike shave that is decently priced I get it! I recently purchased a straight and rounded double blade spike shave! It has made in ENG stamped on it but no other name. I made a jig one time to sharpen these but it’s easier just to take your time and do it by hand. Great stuff!!
 
Brian Rust said:


Sharpened this little Henry D saw today with my turn of the century NOS Nicholson files! I got them about a year ago. There were six still in the box and they were literally never used!!! I love them!
Click to expand...
Thats a gorgeous handle on that Disston back saw there.
 
Alright, i wont show you the DB as it's not ready, but here's the jersey. first picture is during sanding and second is the finished axe. i wouldnt like to admit how many times i almost took a swig of WD-40...
t3OR1ni.jpg

hLiDpER.jpg

sanded to 1,000. i dont expect the gold to last that long, it's only sharpie
 
I carried a Kelly Flint Edge camping last weekend that needed to be sharpened. It may have the hardest steel I've ever encountered in an axe. I spent a couple hours with a smooth file and got it looking better but there's still a lot left til sharp.
 
Flint Edges are hard but there must be something more going on here if you couldn't sharpen it in an hour. Your 'smooth' file may have been too fine or it may have been dull. Filing at camp is difficult because filing is a two-handed operation and requires a vise. You can make do by clamping an axe to a heavy picnic table or by jambing the poll in an appropriately shaped v-groove. Holding an axe in one hand and attempting to file with the other is an exercise in futility.
 
I was using a fine file and it was in rough shape when I started. It might be considered sharp enough by some people. I'm sure most of the men here would want it sharper. I think my progress was slow due to my lack of a good means to hold the axe and the hardness of the edge. I've sharpened my share of axes and hatchets over the past 40+ years. The steel in this one is as hard as any I've encountered.
 
Last edited:
Square_peg said:
Flint Edges are hard but there must be something more going on here if you couldn't sharpen it in an hour. Your 'smooth' file may have been too fine or it may have been dull. Filing at camp is difficult because filing is a two-handed operation and requires a vise. You can make do by clamping an axe to a heavy picnic table or by jambing the poll in an appropriately shaped v-groove. Holding an axe in one hand and attempting to file with the other is an exercise in futility.
Click to expand...
And super risky.
 
Regarding files, I have so many that I have picked up that are still looked very good. Many of them have been tough to use on old axe heads, so that I thought that they were too worn. I have recently used some of those on hammer faces and they have been great. The lesson is that just because an older file is tough to use on a super hard surface does not mean that the particular file has no use. Keep them any try them on other things. Hammer faces are softer than vintage axe edges.
 
jblyttle said:
Regarding files, I have so many that I have picked up that are still looked very good. Many of them have been tough to use on old axe heads, so that I thought that they were too worn........
Click to expand...
I'm fortunate to have a good supply of files. I'm a maintenance electrician in a large mill and the tool room guy and I have been friends since childhood.
 
I'll be honest... I have a hard time telling if a file is still good or isn't. Many times
my vision is not good enough to visualize the condition of the file grinding/cutting surface.
Thus , the pile of them continually grows.

Charles
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top