Timm

Mark: As a photographer, I hope I can help with the DoF question.

DoF a function of resolution f-stop. It’s all an illusion, really, as the DoF will always be limited, but the resolution not high enough to see it. In other words, a 4X5″ print may look like everything is clearly in focus, while an 20X25″ enlargement will clearly show a…[Read more]

Thanks, guys!

Pretty happy with this:

Shaves fairy thick plastic sheeting–about the thickness of a feather shaft–very nicely. I settled on 21 DPS (verified with Wixley WR300 T3) for the main blade, 25 DPS for the scraper. We’ll see how it holds up. I pretty much tried to copy the existing angles, hoping they were original.

I learned quite a bit…[Read more]

Like Ken, I was taught to sharpen my straight-razor lying flat on the stone. The only stone I ever used was the ultra-fine (mirror finish) ceramic razor hone I bought with the razor (and got the sharpening and use instruction for free). This was back in the ’70s.

If you maintain a razor well, the ultra-fine is all you’ll ever need, aside from a…[Read more]

Well, I’m just a humble old hippie living out here in the boonies….

My Benchmade, no idea what model. Only marking on it is ATS-34. Bought at Andy and Bax in Portland, OR some thirty-odd years ago:

That one has a pocket clip on the other side, mounted for tip-down, and lives in my right back pocket. Been there for a long time.

This is a…[Read more]

Y’all ever try to start a fire with a glass?

I smoke, and in the clearer months, carry a 3″ dia magnifying glass (drug store, with handle and frame removed) to light my smokes. Building a good “tinder nest”, I can also get a flame going in a few seconds on a sunny day. Of course, a fire is less often needed on a sunny day….

My angle digital cube arrived today, so I’ll actually know what angles I’m sharpening at!

I think this pen knife will be my first experiment with the small knife holder and angle cube. I’ll stick to your suggestions and go with the high-angles first. I don’t happen to have any goose quills to test it on, but I think some thicker plastic sheeting…[Read more]

Thanks for the explanation, Marc!

I’ll give it a go tomorrow, maybe. Work interferes with fun sometimes.

Sorry, Marc–I should have mentioned that my Tormek Small Knife Holder arrived today.

Wow! 25-30 seems really steep. I guess with a smaller blade like this a fine angle isn’t needed? This will be used to cut and trim goose flight feather quills–the shafts–to make nibs for old-fashioned ink pens, so it needs to do fine work on soft, thin…[Read more]

Thanks, Marc.

I read everything I could find before starting with the WEPS. I’d like to have broken in the stones better, but all my knives are users, so which to sacrifice?

I thought, as I understood it, that SOP for re-beveling a bade was to work with the 100 grit on one side until a burr can be detected, then do the same on the other. I…[Read more]

Does the database actually work? When I try to view it, I get a blank window with a flashlight that doesn’t move. When I try the search function, absolutely nothing happens.