So, where were we?
Bake at 415 for two hours.
You should recognize this picture.
That’s right, we’d finished the last of the heating operations on the metal. Now, at this point we checked for any warping on the steel (I had none, the instructor had a warped tang), and for hardness. We used a series of chisels to determine a Rockwell hardness value. “Around sixty” was where we wanted. The other student’s Damascus came out to a sixty-one. Both of the 1084 blades came out to a sixty-three. The reason for this is simple – the heat treat parameters were calibrated for 1084, and the different multi-steel configuration of the Damascus couldn’t reach its maximum potential. Oh well, it was still plenty hard.
Now we were in the home stretch of making this steel into a working knife. We had our profile, out pin holes and the start of a bevel. The first thing we had to do was to make the primary bevel whole. While the primary bevel doesn’t hold the actual cutting edge, its geometry contributes to the effectiveness of the knife as a whole. The more acute the angle, the easier time you’ll have cutting with it. So the objective of this stage was to stretch the primary bevel from the edge to as close to the spine as you can get it. We’re not putting an edge on yet, so there should still be some blunt space on the narrow side. I also took the opportunity to remove as much of the remaining hammer marks as I could. The instructor was going for the rustic look with forge scale on the ricasso and near the spine. I personally don’t care for that look. I want to make a knife that is more polished.
During this step, we did not have the magnets. Actually, we had them but they went unused. This is because the tang would provide ample space to hold onto the steel, and the thumb on the back of the steel would give a good indication of the temperature the metal was at. The temperature matters because the grinder can produce enough heat to damage the heat treat of the steel and weaken it. But, if you keep it cold enough to hold, you don’t get into that range. There is a basin of water just below the grinder to cool the steel when it’s getting too warm. I pushed that bevel pretty close to the spine.
I actually burnt the tip at one point, but cleaned it up, so you can’t tell.
Once the bevel was in there were two more operations on the steel before we turned to the handle – re-flattening the tang in case of warp, and sanding the primary bevel. Flattening the tang was the same as last time, and as I hadn’t picked up a warp worth noticing, I just ground until the decarb was gone. What is decarb? Well, back when we went and put the knives in the kiln, there was a chemical reaction with the air. Since there was a lot of heat and not a lot of carbon from say propane or coal to occupy the attentions of the atmosphere in the kiln, the carbon in the surface layers of the steel went ‘sayonara’ and left to join the gasses. This left a layer of just iron on the outside, called decarb because it had decarbonized. It was a different color from the steel, so I could see when it was ground off. It gave a pretty good indication for making sure the tang was again flat.
Sanding the primary bevel… well… ugh. I know now why the ancient Japanese swordsmiths fobbed off the tedium valiantly let others take the honor of polishing the steel. It is tedium personified. The problem is that the grinder will always leave scratches that are not aesthetically pleasing. So you have to knock these off with a similar grit sandpaper. That sandpaper will leave its own scratches, not as severe as the grinder, but which you have to knock off with a finer grit sandpaper. Rinse and repeat. We only went down to 600 grit paper, since this is a utility knife and we’re not going for a mirror finish. Trust me, that’s enough. I was quite happy to have that blade wrapped in a protective layer of blue painters tape when we moved on to the next operation.
Up until this point, the handle scales were just flat pieces of wood waiting to be worked on. Now, we superglued one to the steel, took it over to the drill press and used the holes in the steel to guide the drill and the reamer into the wood to ready it for pins. At this point we had pins to test. Indeed, we used them to secure the scale once two holes had been drilled in case the glue let go. We repeated the process with the other scale, pin precaution and all. Other than testing their fit, the pins proved to be unnecessary, as the glue fought against any attempt to separate it when the time came for the next operation. I was worried I was going to break the scales levering them off. But they came free. Using the grinder to clean off the scales and acetone to get the superglue off the metal, I was ready for the next step.
Tracing the outline of the tang on the inside of the scales (with the pins in to make sure the outline was aligned correctly) we took the scales to the band saw. I don’t like the band saw. I’m not as afraid when using it as I am of my table saw, but it worries me. I did however, get the rough cuts in and moved on. Using the grinder, we contoured and chamfered the ricasso end of the scales because it is nigh impossible to work those areas once the epoxy is on.
Those divots in the tang are actually to give the epoxy more space to fill and get a grip.
And it was time for the epoxy. We used five-minute epoxy, which, as the instructor said, turned into two-hour epoxy in the winter. I had already done this sort of thing before, so I had few qualms about being able to do it again. I wasn’t as neat about it as I would have liked however. Still, it got clamped up and we took our lunch break. The other student spent his lunch break acid-etching his steel. Darn Damascus.
Super messy. At least I didn’t glue the paper towel to the table.
Coming back from lunch, it was time to begin shaping the handle. It was back to the grinder, where we brought the rough cut from the band saw down to the shape of the steel, and put in some smooth contours for the hand to hold on to. When I’d last tried this sort of thing, I’d commented that a belt grinder is a powerful tool in the hands of a skilled user. This still holds true, however, I’m getting better with it. As with working the steel, the grinder left deep scratches in the wood that are not comfortable to hold on to. So we had to finish the handle with hand sanding. Thankfully, black walnut sands nice and easy. So I was able to take some 220 and 400 grit sandpaper and get a nice smooth finish. Some spots required a file because the gouges from the grinder were just too deep for sane sanding. But, I got it done. Nice, comfortable contours that would allow the short handle to sit easy in even my giant mitts.
Oh, did I forget to mention that? Because they started us with such short steel, the handle is too small for my tastes. I still got it to a shape where I could use it, but I’d rather have more.
I think I actually did it.
The knife was almost completed. But, we put them on hold. Why? Because the course was technically “Everyday Carry Knives”. And to carry, the knife needed a sheath. So we broke out sheets of plastic, Made in the USA. Wait, plastic made in the USA? What spoor of madness is this? Well, it all makes sense when I say it’s the same stuff most modern pistol holsters are made from. So that’s why there’s still companies making it in this country. Anyway, at this point we broke out two new (to the class) pieces of hardware – another toaster oven, and a press. This toaster oven was tiny and looked like it came from the late seventies or early eighties. It was just big enough for our sheets of plastic to lay in and heat to 225 – one at a time. The toaster oven and press are two more bottlenecks that would have dramatically slowed down a full class – like the drill station and the quench, students had to go one at a time. And it took time at each spot. At least you could be warming up the next sheet while someone was in the press.
Anyway, once the plastic was at 225, it got a consistency like a sheet of rubber, and could be folded around the knife. Once clamped into the press and allowed to cool, it picked up the contour of the blade, and provided a friction fit. Once out of the press and cooled, we checked to see if there was enough space for the belt clip and all the rivets. You see, it was hard to perfectly align the fold in the press, and if it was off by too much, you had to go back into the toaster oven. At 225 the sheet would unfold itself and be ready for another attempt. If there was enough room, we would mark them out with soapstone and pay a visit to the drill station with new bits appropriate to the hardware we were putting in.
The calipers were used in several other steps, but I never bothered to mention them.
With the holes drilled, we took a detour back to the band saw to do a rough cut of the shape of the sheath, then to the pencil sharpener to grind in a smooth contour and chamfer the outer edges. Now, the plastic chips shed during the sawing and grinding process cling like nobody’s business. Cleaning out the burrs on the inside of the sheath and getting all the plastic chips out before we applied rivets was a bit of a pain. But not that difficult in terms of the actual work to be done. By this point, the press we’d used for the plastic folding had been retooled for pressing rivets. With the rivets we used, it took less force than I expected to set them. Of course, the press gave a mechanical advantage that helped a lot. But at this point we could fit the belt clip with screws and call the sheath done.
We did use a heat gun to tweak the friction fit a bit.
Enough of the diversion, the knife is almost finished. It was at this time we realized that the time savings from prior student experience with machine tools and forging, as well as the shorter waiting at bottlenecks meant we were going to wrap up a full day ahead of schedule. That was good, because it meant I could leave town before the storm that was supposed to bring whiteout conditions to the roadways. It was now time to put an edge on the blades. Here we used the slack of the grinder, that space where the belt is unsupported. We didn’t want to take off too much material, just enough to give it an edge. To do this, you hold the blade with the edge facing the oncoming belt, and gently draw it across the abrasive. The goal is to eliminate any blunt areas and get it to the point where you feel a burr along the entire length of the edge. This is the limit of the grinder to sharpen it. We broke off the burr using what the instructor called the ‘Scotch-Brite belt’. It was a grinder belt made of a material that looked just like the green kitchen abrasive pads.
That burr gone, we were done with the pencil sharpener. The time had come for the hand sharpening. For this we used a whetstone and a strop. A whetstone is just a brick of material with a fine abrasive grit, so it’s not unlike the other processes we’ve been using all day. It’s just the nature of the grit and the way we drew the blade along it that matters. For the whetstone you continued to draw the blade edge-first along the surface, trying to get the entire length of the cutting edge with each stroke. You would do this on both sides. This produces a ‘micro-burr’ along the edge that you then break off with the strop. The strop is just a length of leather. You draw the blade the opposite way from the whetstone, with the edge facing away from the direction of travel, and apply sufficient force that the leather can break off the small bits of metal clinging to the edge.
Once we had a cutting edge, the last operation of the class was to treat the handle with protective oil. In the case of the black walnut, it was boiled linseed oil. Which requires at least three coats with a twenty four hour drying cycle in between. Thankfully, I was given a small amount of oil to take home since I wasn’t sticking around long enough for that five minute procedure over the next few days. So, it was finished.
Oooh, shiny! Wait, that’s the wet oil.
Now, I’ve been mentioning the other student’s work throughout, so I might as well provide a group photo before leaving Maine.
Mine doesn’t even look awful next to the more experienced smiths.
And after getting home, a quick comparison with my previous efforts for those who’ve forgotten or never saw the last time.
What a difference an instructor makes.
I think I’ve improved since last time. I mean, this time I even did the steel, and it has an actual cutting edge.
Yes, this was originally scheduled for last week, but CPRM had a more topical article so I got delayed. When I’d said they were scheduled one week apart, it had been accurate at the time.
A preemptive strike on the pedants. Well played.
Oh, I had a question.
In terms of number of flutes and coating or lack thereof, what is the best mill geometry for working brass? I’m thinking that it might be a good way to fit bolsters/guards.
I’ve never done it myself, but IIRC brass is one of the nicest machining materials out there. (the type of brass may determine how true that statement is). Let me look in some reference material and get back to you. Machining a wood burning brand out of brass for my dad is on my to-do list anyway, so I may as well earn something while I’m sitting here.
Brass is wonderful to work with.
Going with an endmill made for aluminum will be your best bet. 2 or 3 flute. No coating is good…you want a nice slippery surface. Brass is a “sticky” material and can grab. For this reason, be sure to not climb cut* and be careful when drilling. Sounds like 360 brass is a nice, free machining grade. There are other good ones, and there are some to stay away from. See what you can find available and we can determine machinability after that.
*Let me know if that’s a new term for you
Climb cut is a new term to me. What is it?
Picture, words, etc…
I see.
If I’m cutting a slot in the material, what concerns are there, since it seems to have all the potential of that type of cut
Slotting is a beast of it’s own. Main thing is slow down the feed (not the speed) and chip evacuation is paramount. The majority of tooling suppliers have speed/feed charts for their cutting tools that will give feeds for different operations like finishing, roughing, slotting.
Usually use a two flute for slotting. They have more room for chip clearance/evacuation.
I do more machining in bronze with HSS end mills. It really depends on which alloy you will be using.
If you haven’t already done so, pick up a copy of The Machinery’s Handbook. You can find older editions quite cheap, as it is a pricy new one. But it will have all of your metalwork answers.
Here’s a good one at a decent price:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/203831566951?epid=154333731&hash=item2f754ee267:g:PsUAAOSwzABiCYVQ
(no affiliation)
Oh, and damn good job on the knife.
Thank you.
I’ve not yet picked up any reference books.
You’re absolutely right about it containing everything, but the problem I have with it is that it contains everything. Haha. It has so much that it can be very daunting to find what you need. Especially for a beginner.
In the age before the internet, it was a necessity. Now, I think it’s something machinists are “supposed to have” in that square drawer in their tool box and the vast majority never look at it.
They do make an abridged version that I think has more than enough info for most people.
Hell, I use my grandfather’s copy from ’34. Still has all that I need, but then again I am just fooling around. And I think it is now a .file of some sort, digital and shit. The local
Er, the local JC has a machining course and I think they have one class devoted to the MH and how to read it.
Wow. 1934…that’s gotta be a very low number edition number. Very cool.
I need to back off my bad mouthing it. It’s fricking great. Everything is in it. Personally, I prefer finding what I need online or in tooling catalogs. Or in the binder full of
womeninformation I’ve collected and collated over the years. That said, if I happened across a copy for cheap, I’d pick one up. I have used it at work on occasion, and I suppose if I had a copy in my own shop it wouldn’t go completely unused.A class devoted to the MH sounds pretty neat.
I was wrong, it’s 1939, tenth edition.
That’s a good looking knife! I enjoyed reading about it. Never thought about using superglue to hold the handle still.
Thank you.
There is a risk with superglue, depending on the handle material, the superglue could break it and ruin all your hard work.
You might try the old carpenters trick of putting painters tape on both surfaces before super gluing them, it still makes a very strong bond but they will twist/pry apart much easier and the clean up is easier, only tape reside on the parts.
That would work. I hadn’t heard of it prior to now (not being an old carpenter 😛 )
Great article.
I have no need to work metal. I have plenty of friends that do that.
I will be building out a wood shop this spring/summer, because I do enjoy that kind of work.
Do it.
And let us know how your adventures fare. I have more success with steel than wood, but I appreciate the woodcraft articles (even if I disagree with the rustic edges on some pieces…)
I expect to write things up as I get things set up.
Wood working project before brewing took over my life.
Ooooh, I like that one. How big is it?
Roughly 24 inches long; 15 inches wide; 18-20 inches tall.
It’s pretty, and definately my kind of style.
Looks great, Kinnath. Nice Craftsman feel to it. I really like the grain on the side panels.
I’m really embarrassed
/Looks at the birdhouse that the birds ignore
It so nice they don’t want to ruin it!
The intersection of brewing and woodworking.
I’m torn on the contrast between the panels and the frame. There’s a corner of my brain that’s going “needs moar consistancy in the frame color” but it still looks good. Took me a while to find the handle for wheeling it around.
The frame is ash. And ash has that much variation from board to board.
The panels are walnut.
I was right about the panels, yay!
Did you make the wheels yourself?
Hell no. 😉
Wheelwright is a speciality all its own.
still, very nice.
This was the project that convinced me that I had outgrown my tools. I had problems getting things squared up.
Well, you’ve got skills, get your workshop together.
thanks
Very cool.
Very nice.
Nice work, kinnath
So, were you using kydex for the plastic?
Yes. I had forgotten the name of the plastic when writing the article.
Nice looking knife, UCS. Sounds like it would be an extremely fun class to take.
It was fun. There should be places closer to you to take similar classes, since Maine is a bit far for a lot of people to travel.
Nice work, UCS. That is a sharp looking knife.
Thank you. It does cut, and I think it’s sorta stylish. 😀
But will it “keel”?
We didn’t put it through that kind of test, so I donno.
You should. Slice some bamboo or pierce some ballistic jelly or cut some pig femurs.
Thanks! Any idea what hardness the final knife is?
We did not re-test after putting the edge on, so the 63 from the immediate post-heat treat test is the only exact number I’ve got. I assume it’s still that, because I didn’t get it hot enough to take the heat treat out when grinding.
My non NYC carry knife is VC10 which is around 60. I find that’s as hard as I like to keep sharp.
Reminds me I need to check if NYC ever changed their locking “gravity” knife law.
It would appear shithead finally signed it on the third go.
https://brooklyneagle.com/articles/2019/05/30/after-7-year-push-gravity-knives-are-decriminalized/
Well, Gravity knives were removed from the state law, don’t know about the city law. I don’t keep up on the downstate-only restrictions, it’s easier to just avoid the area.
Nice stuff UCS.
Thank you.
Great stuff!
Thank you.
Very nice UCS! good work takes patience and time, you got it
Thank you.
I’m looking into setting up a home forge, I already have an idea for a first project. I’ve had a piece of steel I’ve wanted to forge for a while.
I have a top secret project in the works that will blow some minds, until then,
Shhhh….
Is it a Damascus steel golf disc?
No it’s a very unique art form,
I look forward to seeing your next knife.
It may be another classroom knife due to the issue of lacking a home forge.
That’s OK.
A friend of mine starting a black smithing club at the school where he teaches. He bough a pallet full of bricks for building forges and is trying to sell his excess. I can’t imagine anyway that it would be cost effective to get bricks to you.
No, probably not cosst effective. A lot of places won’t ship bricks in quantities less than a pallet.
My first obstacle is actually real estate.
That handle got really dark. BLO will darken wood, but that is darker than what I’ve seen with my gunstocks that I touch up with BLO.
This is good stuff. Thanks!
I hadn’t expected it to get quite that dark. It has lightened a bit now. I did put a final coat of neatsfoot oil to get some shine back since I’d run out of linseed and it wanted to go very matte. It’s not shiny shiny, but it’s not as dull as that last picture anymore. In person, you can still see the wood grain.
Very nice!
OT: Aussies and guns: Shooting a Lee-Speed at 3,000 yards.
There is one for sale right now, too
https://www.gunsinternational.com/guns-for-sale-online/rifles/bsa-rifles/bsa-lee-speed-303-british-sporting-rifle.cfm?gun_id=101851723
That’s a nice one, though I wonder what is going on around the woodline. Is that accumulated dirt or rust?
Interesting, the safety has a War Department Broad Arrow on it.
Mine has the optional shotgun-style safety, on the grip. Not sure about any rust or dirt, as I am in a downsizing mode currently.
Great stuff! I love to see historic talents in modern usage.
I used to be a judge at the local science fairs and one year two students from the Pueblo had an exhibit of knapping knives from flint. I commented that it wasn’t science fair material but it was fascinating to watch. These guys knapped out a spear head in about 5 minutes.
They should have pivoted to talking about use of different flake technologies to date archeological sites. Is archeology science fair material? Maybe talking about what elements of the structure of flint/chert that allows knapping to work as opposed to more crystalline rocks… There was something there.
Yes, there was. I gathered that these guys weren’t in it for the science but for the mechanics. I was still pleased that the art has not died out.
I once met a guy who knaps modern knife shapes, and has knapped artifical glass because it behaves a lot like obsidian. One of his knives was made from a red streetlight.
*That* is extremely cool to know. Never thought about it before but it makes perfect sense.
This isn’t disturbing at all…
https://alexberenson.substack.com/p/hey-remember-how-they-told-you-the
Very cool UCS!
Thank you.
I should take the kitchen knife course, but I want to do the damascus class first and use that material to make the kitchen knife…
Or I could just push forward with making my home forge a reality.
Nicely done, UCS. Not bad at all.
Thanks. For some reason, I don’t want to ‘ruin’ it by using it, even though its whole purpose is to be used. The other ‘knife’ does get used as a letter opener, but has no edge to dull.
This is a legacy piece. Make the next one to use.
You guys absolutely amaze me. Between UCS, Kinnath and the others that turn out such nice and useful pieces of art, we’re really surrounded by serious craftsmen. Thanks for your articles, UCS, I can vouch for Kinnath’s brewing hobby and seeing his cabinet making skills are a real bonus.
Glibs are the best and talented. I’m pretty good at snow removal, if you aren’t too fussy.
I’d say you’re a pretty damn good apiarist.
The bees do all the work, we’re like the snatch and run people.
Don’t forget McGinty.
Nice job, UCS. I took a class several years ago and still use the knife I made there, though it’s nowhere near as good as yours.
Thank you. I want to make more knives because I enjoy the process itself (except the sanding of the metal to remove grinder marks)
Orphans
You need additional space in your future shop for a couple of orphans to sleep a few hours at night before keeping the shop tidy.
And buffing out grinder marks.
And then you can go old school with a hand cranked grinding wheel, saving on electricity.
That sounds hot
“Ohhh! Ohhh! Buff me out, baby!!!”
That was an excellent article, UCS! I’ve been fascinated with metallurgy/forging for several years now and appreciate you not only learning the craft but giving us details and perceptive.
Keep them coming.
Thank you. I’ll see what I can do.
Hi Gender Traitor – re lunches – I’ve been eating the tuna packs almost every day for years now (also with hard boiled eggs, nuts, etc). While the straight-up tuna packs are a bit more low carb, the newer Starkist creations “Microwaveable” (never yet microwaved one myself – they eat right out of the packet just fine) meals are amazing – especially Tomato Basil, Latin Citrus and Thai Green Curry. The beans and hot sauce one is a disappointing downgrade in consistency, etc from the original one they had that came packaged with a spork 3 or 4 years ago. (might actually be better warmed up)
BTW. See you VA glibs at Gourmeltz tomorrow @11 or thereabouts. We should have a table at the front of the place – closest to window facing Rte 1.
Thanks! Are these the “Tuna Creations” pouches? With the egg and/or nuts, do they make a lunch filling enough to keep me from succumbing to the break room cookies?
Pouches. I just bring a plastic spoon and eat them, but easy to pour into a bowl or something. The creations are also larger than the traditional tuna packets and more filling – albeit with a few more carbs – but variety – quinoa, etc.
Add some fruit, atkins treats, yogurt, applesauce and I can skip most other stuff I see lying around with the occasional exception.
::suffers flashback to past job as admin assistant at a family-owned abrasives firm working for worst boss ever. Old facial tic comes back::
Seriously, though, reading about the whole process and seeing the finished product is both awe-inspiring and just plain inspiring. I love making things, and this nudges that urge. But I have a problem a bit like yours – the lack of space and vital equipment. I have the materials and tools to make wax models for silver jewelry casting and likewise for finishing cast pieces. What I don’t have is the room and equipment to make and kiln-fire the molds and to do the actual casting, and the artist couple from whom I took classes a few years ago haven’t offered the class at their studio since all the COVIDiocy started. ?
I’m thinking that once I’m out of debt at the end of the year, I can afford to take out a loan to put together a workshop. I’m dithering between just shifting houses in my entirety or putting together a dedicated workshop location that would be harder to offload but cost less. I’m also weighing the problems this would cause with my plan to get out of New York.
…which would require getting a new job. The right job might make all of the above possible…but the problem is finding the right job.
I always hated job hunting. ?
Well, one of the plans I’ve seen used by a now retired coworker was to buy the out of state home as a vacation property, with a look towards using it as a permanant retirement home. So I wouldn’t discount that process.
I’ve noticed that people who attain freedom from debt find it very hard to borrow again. I hope everyone learns to pay for pretty much everything with cash: we make the best decisions when we do.
I like the cut of your jib, and wish to subscribe to you newsletter.
Boom Sails Monthly only really has one issue.
you = your
Your a moron,
Ted’S is having a stroke.
I bought volume one of Alfred Bester’s: The Stars my Destination, the animated version. I didn’t know this version is animated, all I wanted was the print version, uninterrupted, of course, by lame drawings.
I didn’t know it’s only volume one.
Does someone want volume one of Alfred Bester’s The Stars my Destination, an incomplete volume of what I had and would expect should be the complete story of Gully Foyle?
No
I had a terrible dream last night. The First Of All Firsters asked me to do the unthinkable for me. He asked me to second for your sins, Glibertariat. Only then, after I second, will The First That Will Change Everything be ready. I fear this is the only way.
It would be easier for me to die.
The schtick is one thing, but when you use it to mock other people’s religion, I’d say you’ve gone too far.
maybe so, but
one of the best things about this site has been a general freedom to always point and laugh….at the mockers and the mocked
another great thing about this site is the general consensus that value frontiers are generally arbitrary
I didn’t say he should be banned. Or even cat-butted. I chose to exercise my personal freedom to make an arbitrary value judgement and to voice it to him. I thought it important for me to do since in the past I have been one of his staunchest supporters.
Mockery is in the eye of the beholder here, I’d say.
But it seems perfectly fine to mock some religions in ways that are certainly more cut and dry.
But this isn’t about Christianity. This is about The First.
Fair enough.
That is pretty mild for this site. There are a few who, when you get them going, let you know exactly what they think of your “superstitions” and how better they are than you for liberating themselves from such “nonsense.”
I’ll take Bro’s half-serious shtick over the other group any day of the week.
Agreed. 100%.
It’s lacking the malicious intent that exists… everywhere else.
Are we still talking about the “I am Jesus” thing from this morning?
I thought it was funny. Even as a believer. Am I missing some context?
No. I thought maybe he went too far with tonight’s installment. Since I’ve repeatedly defended him in the past, (and often been the only one to do it) I thought it only right that if I thought he went to far I should voice my opinion. All of a sudden he has admirer’s coming out of the woodwork to tell me I’m wrong.
No good deed…
A lot of us defend him when someone really goes after him. On a scale of “I flurve him!” to “Ban this asshole!” yours was a “meh.”
Please expand on that. My what?
Your chiding of him was tame. ?
It was supposed to be tame, because I think the whole Firsting thing is funny. Which makes this whole sub-thread a little surreal for me. I have repeatedly defended him but then I make one small criticism and all of a sudden I have six people reminding me that we have freedom of expression on Glibs. Fucking Bizzaro world.
Ah, well, I was trying to reassure you that it was NBD, it fell flat. Bizarro World, indeed.
I am loved. Think twice before you challenge My enemies shall be smited by followers.
I shall never doubt you again, great Firster.
No, I was just wound up for a fight and took it wrong.
?
I never expected to say this, but Mo is drunk.
Might as well be.
Never mind me. I am on oxy.
Lucky!
Watch out for the odd dreams.
Sadly, I had one today that I woke up crying. Not fun.
Don’t listen to him
Embrace the odd dreams!
I’ve got a C note with my address on it.
Gotcha.
I’m a fan, regardless.
We’re a pretty tight group here, which means an occasional donnybrook is inevitable and probably necessary.
I was starting to think you were Bro’s beard. It’s good to see you take a stand.
Rockwell
Funsies: there are at least four different Rockwell scales one might use to characterize steel, and the scalar values don’t remotely line up.
Due to speed and force variables, the repeatability of indention tests can seldom be presumed to be tighter than +/-2%, so values of 61, 62, and 63 might be found from repeated testing the same sample. We probably have very little confidence that we can ascribe the differences in the data to the differences in the steel.
All I know about the testing is that we had chisels with numbers on them we pushed against the metal by hand, and the one that bit in was above the hardness, those that didn’t were below. This was probably not precise at all, but we really just want to know if it’s hard enough.
………..or not too hard
gage R&R is an entire industry…as is statistics; the practical guys who get it right are baseball managers who don’t change the lineup just because Joe went 3 for 4 yesterday….or even 0 for 4
I always feel the urge to comment because there is an urge in American culture and speech to imply and infer certitude that is an order or two above what is statistically likely; not one in ten think that a datum is merely an estimate of a condition. Deming tried to explain this decades ago and only found followers in Japan; his students eventually destroyed old-think American manufacturing….which is back, but only because we embrace him now and the unbelievers mostly went bankrupt
Beautiful work there, man! Looks like a satisfying hobby.
Thank you, It’s been good to make something real for a change.
I hear that.
I do hear that.
Cheers, and Rock on.
‘Thankfully, black walnut sands nice and easy. So I was able to take some 220 and 400 grit sandpaper and get a nice smooth finish.’
*recalls a project involving a pair of ten foot by four foot metal doors that had to be sprayed in Tricorn Black, high gloss paint and needed to appear completely flawless with only, ONLY. 400 grit sandpaper at my disposal… shudders*
I hated the metal sanding part.
I’d have gone mad with any 10×4 area, regardless of material.
Would you believe the owner underbid the time and labor costs and we lost money on that venture?
Yes.
Can someone relink the full text of Putin’s statement that was on here earlier today? I can’t find it!!
https://archive.fo/oxtBy
the trick was to search not for Putin, but, IIRC, “pootie poot”
LOL
I think I taw a Pootie Poot! I did, I did taw a Pootie Poot!
Thanks, Firster!!!
Longish but very good, I like the Motherfucker, can we keep him?
Keep who? Putin, Bro or this Sexy Motherfucker?
I’ll keep him, Prince was a badass little man!
Sexy as fuck!
We’ll convert you yet, Yu.
Yusef is going to get some “gay conversion therapy”!
Not sure about that, but this is definitely some kind of therapy.
The Charlie’s Angel hair is a turn-off.
You know, for a sexy man.
Turn in your badge.
Terrible take.
I would murder for that hair.
I’ll give you hair to murder for.
https://youtu.be/ptPekKOigkQ
Actually, I’d prefer this.
A mere mullet!?! You could have luscious flowing locks!
https://youtu.be/A52p9jc-gOo
*shrugs*
I’m a humble man.
A sweet flow makes the angels smile.
What a lying sack of shit.
That makes it clear the Cold War is back on.
I read it earlier.
Meh. He’s a half truth speaking, tyrannical, murdering, war mongering cunte.
But I get your point. He’s also the most pragmatic, opportunistic, rationally thinking, head of state currently on the the world stage.
If he died tomorrow in a raging dumpster fire I wouldn’t bat an eye. That doesn’t mean he’s an idiot or that he doesn’t act in the context of what he believes is the country he contros best interests.
I was almost convinced UCS didn’t do euphemisms.
I don’t. You just project your own filthy mind onto innocent verbiage.
So, like everyone else here?
That’s why I love this place.
*high five*
??
Yep.
It pains me how much I love you fucking freaks.
Hot Freaks, even
Fucking freak.
Freak Show
I guessed wrong. I thought it was going to be Korn.
You had me the moment I read the band’s name. I’m guessing this became a favorite during your cocaine days?
I liked them before.
I have no idea how Republicans are going to cram all of Biden’s idiotic pronouncements into a 30 second commercial.
https://twitchy.com/dougp-3137/2022/02/25/bidens-2019-warning-about-what-could-happen-to-ukraine-if-trump-were-re-elected-is-aging-like-milk-in-the-summer-sun/
Honestly, when I start looking at the evidence, I’m not sure that Putin doesn’t actually own or have great influence over the Democratic party.
If I wore a tinfoil hat I would think the same thing. I would believe Herself is a stooge if anyone could show me the money trail. For the rest of them, they are just shallow, stupid utopians.
If I’m not mistaken, the Clinton Foundation took Russian money. Kind of why it was…odd…that State approved that uranium deal with Russia.
“odd” is an understatement.
Is there anyone the Clinton Foundation didn’t take money from?
Not if it was green.
I hate to admit it but many moons ago they got 20 bones out of me under the guise of helping Haitians.
Silly me.
How much of that 20 bucks do you suppose Haitians got?
Are they downtown?
UCS:
Once again, thank you for a most interesting article. Must be very satisfying to make a tool for your own use.
Respect.
Nightmare fuel LIGHTNING ROUND.
Ukraine’s capital city Kyiv was subjected to a vicious onslaught overnight on Friday and into Saturday from Vladimir Putin’s troops
Ukrainians hanging on Day 3.
At 3am reports began emerging of fierce fighting in the south, as two IL-76s carrying Russian paratroopers were downed in separate incidents. Whether carrying Troops or resupply, thats a job well done Ukraine!
How many islands with a couple of park rangers will Russia light up for this trespass?
What an absolute clownshow : https://twitter.com/aliostad/status/1497519061554630658?t=xt446BP_wlsA_0aL0X-9jw&s=19
Armored columns randomly running out of gas in the middle of nowhere – no idea where they are. Thank God this isn’t the Red Army of 1980.
That video of the 11th Guard Air Regiment POW that I posted yesterday was very telling, if true. Some Russians were under the impression they were on training mission then found themselves INSIDE Ukraine.
Up until this point, the handle scales were just flat pieces of wood waiting to be worked on. Now, we superglued one to the steel, took it over to the drill press and used the holes in the steel to guide the drill and the reamer into the wood to ready it for pins. At this point we had pins to test. Indeed, we used them to secure the scale once two holes had been drilled in case the glue let go. We repeated the process with the other scale, pin precaution and all. Other than testing their fit, the pins proved to be unnecessary, as the glue fought against any attempt to separate it when the time came for the next operation. I was worried I was going to break the scales levering them off. But they came free. Using the grinder to clean off the scales and acetone to get the superglue off the metal, I was ready for the next step.
Since it looks like you were using masking tape on the blade, tape the handle and the blocks of wood, then glue the tape to the tape. You’ll get good enough hold to work the wood, but it’s simple to separate afterwards.