OldTools Archive
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267590 | Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> | 2019‑01‑10 | KNives |
Cruising the innerwebs and just saw a teaser ad that admonished: "Never throw away old knives. This device will make old and dull knives really sharp again" Had to click on it. First there is a dissertation on how many people feel that their knife can only be sharpened a few times then it is “garbage” or else they spent enough money on a knife that it never needs sharpening. Then it showed one of those tools that you set on the counter and draw the knife through. Sheesh Ed Minch |
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267591 | gary may | 2019‑01‑10 | Re: KNives |
Hi Ed--- My Dad used to pull all Mom's kitchen knives through a little 'Oster' 120V two-wheel hollow grinder, noisy and spinning up a cloud of grit---a tailed demon of the most UN-redeeming sort. Its inventor went on to invent leafblowing pressure-washers, or MUZAK, IIMN ---anyway, I don't think my Mom found the Oster to be particularly effective (I'll ask her while she's still 88, which means soon) but the buzzing and clattering kept him busy while she cooked, which had to be good. May men are big babies when they're hungry; it's a well-known fact I'm picturing the tool you describe as a pair of porcelain rods set to hone at "THE PERFECT ANGLE", providing a knife that can "slice meat so thin your in- laws will never come back" etc---personally, I don't see any reason why such a tool could not exist---in my experience, it does not---but that doesn't stop ME from watching the ads....... Fifty years ago, when I was fifteen, I pulled a fairly sharp hunting knife through Ed May's Oster(izer) and immediately knew that there had to be a better way. I'm still working on that; there is always a better way, but thanks to Steve LaMantia, the Porch in general and to Brother Brent Beach in particular, galoots are able to work fatly, happily and efficiently,---with a minimum of doubt and effort. And no muss. After all these years, it's still a privilege and a comfort to be a part of OldTools. best to all galoots, everywhere: GAM in Oly,WA/USA How horrible it is to have so many people killed!---And what a blessing one cares for none of them! Jane Austen On Thursday, January 10, 2019, 12:18:56 PM PST, Ed Minch |
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267602 | Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> | 2019‑01‑11 | Re: KNives |
Gary My dad had a similar “tool” for sharpening - noise and a cloud of whatever. All of my mom’s good knives had the dip in the center of the blade so they would’t cut flat on a board anymore, so none of the 8 siblings wanted them when the time came. I picked up a fantabulous Sabatier stamped logo 10” kitchen knife 15 years ago and the dip is finally gone - and what a knife. The rigger on the tall ship I worked on 20 years ago is now the head rigger at Mystic Seaport - “THE" rigger’s dream job. He taught everyone to drag their rigging knives across the belt sander in the wood shop until we found out he was doing it an banned non-carpenters from the shop all together. Ed Minch Good to hear from the elusive GAM Stay sharp |
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267609 | scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> | 2019‑01‑11 | Re: KNives |
Then it showed one of those tools that you set on the counter and draw the knife through. ................................................................................ .............................. When I was just a kid I saw a guy hustling knife sharpeners at the county fair. I was enthralled. Even then at my young age, I could easily tell the product was crap, but the guy pitching the junk was good. He had a small crowd right in the palm of his hand. He'd first called them in. Called up a crowd out of nothing at all. Calling loud enough to be heard but not so aggressive as to be offensive. Talking pretty fast but not garbled at all. Once he had them (about 30 as I recall) he began to steadily and smoothly pitch the unbelievable wonders of the miracle gadget for all time. 22 uses and thensome. He has his pitch ballet schtick down like glass too. Called the dhoop shot in the carnie trade but I didn't know that yet. Showing how incredibly easy it all was, (because he'd obviously practiced it a million times). Precise movements through many different operations, including cutting glass of course. They always included a glass cutter. The knife sharpening part of the bit was the longest and had the most flourish of all. It was merely an angled rod of come sort of carbon like material with a guide, that made the sharpener work. I caught his trick right away. The contraption actually worked, but it only worked twice at most. So as he talked, he would open a new box and take one out, draw the knife through a couple of times and slice a tomato. Easily talk about the next upcoming operation, as he deftly put it back in the box, set if off to the side and pick up a new box.............. I will always watch pitchmen, at least for a little while. Preachers, car salesman, sideshow barkers, whatever. I just like to see how they work a crowd. Its quite a skill. Oral Roberts was a truly great master pitchman. Joel Osteen is good too, but he is more of a special effects producer and does that admirably. Call them in, get their money, spill them out the side of the tent............... is how its been done forever. Well ok, closer to on topic, I guess I better get out some kitchen knives. I am sure all of you know me as a terrible knife whore. Every kind, every size, every style. I just can't help looking for them, and they are not hard to find if you look. Especially if you are prepared to reverse damage wrought by idiots on perfectly innocent knives. New handles, completely reshape and re-bevel the blades, put on a polish overall. Whatever they want, and whatever pleases me. When I pick up any knife, who branded it is not the first thing I look at. Every knife maker has to produce a wide line of knives to stay in business. From the highest grade to the lowest. Some companies are generally better than others, but they all produce their cheapest line. So I look to the shape and handle details. And of course whether its a forged knife or merely stamped out. Was it ever highly polished or was it merely left rough ground and sold that way? Then beyond this there is something I can't tell by looking or handling a knife in its rough state. A balance in the work or the exact composition of the steel. How well it performs for me and whether I enjoy resharpening it or not. Downstairs I have a whole drawer full of knives I have restored, sometimes heavily, and tried out, only to find they aren't my favorite. Famous names and good construction or not, they just don't do it for me for one reason or another. I give them away when the occasion arises. Here are some of my favorite working knives. They have all been worked on and most of them seriously. I can't tell you exactly why they are my favorites, they just are. http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/images/knifepix/kitchenedge2.jpg http://users.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/images/knifepix/kitchenedge3.jpg yours Scott -- ******************************* Scott Grandstaff Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039 scottg@s... http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/ http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html |
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267629 | John Ruth <johnrruth@h...> | 2019‑01‑12 | Re: KNives |
Scott just explained something I had not grasped: “ I caught his trick right away. The contraption actually worked, but it only worked twice at most. So as he talked, he would open a new box and take one out, draw the knife through a couple of times and slice a tomato. Easily talk about the next upcoming operation, as he deftly put it back in the box, set if off to the side and pick up a new box..............” Oh, Scott! You may have just explained why I could not even approach the results achieved by the glass cutter hawker!!! He was effortlessly making straight cuts and wavy cuts in what he said was salvaged glass. ( IMHE Old glass is somehow more difficult to deal with than new glass. ) He was slicing off strips only about an inch wide, which is, for me, more difficult than making a cut across the middle of a larger piece. Despite being cynical about salesmen in general, I bought his wonder gadget, fortunately not paying all that much. When I tried it, weeks later, it did not seem to do any better than a traditional glass cutter. I’ll have to check it to see if the carbide wheel wore prematurely. Getting back on topic, the evilest knife destroyer ever invented must be the little grinding wheel built into the back of a countertop electric can opener. I would not allow one of those things in my house for fear that my (then) wife or some other “helpful” person would take the good knives to it. John Ruth 24 degrees here in Central NJ |
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267633 | scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> | 2019‑01‑12 | Re: KNives |
> He was effortlessly making straight cuts and wavy cuts in what he said > was salvaged glass. ( IMHE Old glass is somehow more difficult to > deal with than new glass. ) > He was slicing off strips only about an inch wide, which is, for me, > more difficult than making a cut across the middle of a larger piece. Hey John It might have been an inferior cutter that wore instantly. But also,.......... what he was doing was warming up! The effortless wavy and straight strips? Notice he was doing it totally freehand? Just zipping along and snapping the pieces with his hand as fast as they were cut? I warm up this way myself. because............. This is the absolute easiest way to cut glass! Grab a piece of scrap glass and try it yourself. Anyone can do it 100% of the time. Fast easy zip zip zip Because its random!! Its completely random, in scrap, and its carefree. Its also the way you test your cutter for sharpness. Since its a carefree exercise the only thing you have to think about is the cut itself as you go. Does it feel smooth in use? Is it easy to make the cut? If anything is wrong you ditch the cutter and try another on scrap before committing to your more precious glass. Guiding a cutter smoothly along a straightedge, or intentionally following curves? That is a whole different ballgame altogether. The real skill of cutting glass lies is in following a line! ;) Steel glass cutter wheels don't last as long as carbide wheels. But carbide will never be as sharp as a good steel wheel in the first place. A plain Fletcher gold, or cheap Red Devil steel wheel glass cutter is the easiest to use glass cutter you can buy. When they are new from the box you hardly have to push at all! It feels and sounds like the thinnest tissue paper tearing. Eventually they dull and get "spotty" in the cut, and you toss them. But until then, they really are the best. Carbide, even the best ones, you have to push so much harder right out of the gate. But if you push too hard it makes tiny ragged chips as you go, and its much harder and more perilous to snap the glass, especially thin strips at the edge. yours scott ******************************* Scott Grandstaff Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039 scottg@s... http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/ http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html |
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267634 | scott grandstaff <scottg@s...> | 2019‑01‑12 | Re: KNives |
Sorry to follow up on my own post but PS I forgot to say Do not start a cut or finish a cut by dragging the cutter "over the edge" of the glass. You want to start barely inside and finish barely inside the very edge. Dragging a cutter over the "corner" will dull any cutter. They just can't handle that yours scott > > ******************************* > Scott Grandstaff > Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039 > scottg@s... > http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/ > http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html > -- ******************************* Scott Grandstaff Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca 96039 scottg@s... http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/ http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html |
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267661 | Matthew Groves <grovesthegrey@g...> | 2019‑01‑14 | Re: KNives |
This is one of many golden nuggets and worth much more than the price of admission. Thanks! |
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267662 | Brent Kinsey <brentpmed@c...> | 2019‑01‑14 | Re: KNives |
What Matthew said! >> On Jan 12, 2019, at 1:08 PM, scott grandstaff |
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