Dave Stephens

I have both the 3m belt-worn uber-filter helmet undersea adventure module thingy and the newer Trend Airshield. If I could have only one, I'd go the Trend. It's significantly cheaper, but more importantly, it's easy to take on and take off, so you're more likely the actually use it. It does fine for most grinding applications. If your shop has no ventilation, no air filtration, and you're planning on grinding big blades, then the 3M is probably worth the investment since you'll be swimming in a fog of metal dust. OtherwiseI find the Trend is more than adequate. By the way, if you haven't heard of this trick, it's worth knowing: Cut down on the amount of work your air mask has to do by reducing the overall particulate density in the air. The best way to do this I have found is very cheap. Buy an inexpensive 20"x20" box fan (usually under $20 at WalMart). But a 20"x20" paper furnace filter. Start the fan and slap the filter against the air intake side. Voila! Air scrubber. I keep three of these going in my FL shop when I'm doing heavy grinding and it keeps the air pretty clean. You know about the bucket of water and soap trick? Just in case you don't, it also really helps. Place a bucket of water with a few drops of dishwashing soap in it beneath your grinder where the majority of the sparks hit. It will capture a great deal of the stuff that would otherwise bounce off the ground and become airborne. Luck! Dave

Fixed now. Sorry guys. Same problem as last time. My guess is this will happen again in 3 months. Seems to be a pattern. Every time the hosting service says: "Oh! That's strange. It's supposed to renew automatically. This won't happen again." And then it happens again . . . See you in 3 months. Grins, Dave

You've been busy! I like the XVI a lot. Where's the new shop? Dave

Hydrocholoric will work. Strong vinegar will work too. Ferric is just the best solution all around for this, however. It's super cheap. $10 on Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/MG-Chemicals-Chloride-Etchant-Solution/dp/B008O9XMYA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1546733582&sr=8-1&keywords=ferric%2Bchloride%2Betching%2Bsolution&th=1 Do yourself a favor and buy this, dilute it with 4 parts water, and remove a lot of variables in your etch. As for how long: I do 15 minutes soaks, scrubbing the oxides off between them with comet or another abrasive. If a coarse pattern, I do 4-5 soaks. If a very fine grained pattern, 2-3. Neutralize with Windex. Buff lightly at high RPM with a fine grit (pink) rouge to bring everything out. Clean with WD-40. Remove WD-40 oil with rubbing alcohol. Coat with floor wax. Done. YMMV. Luck. Dave

Awesome as always. I've always enjoyed and learned a lot from your use of textures, Richard. Merry Christmas! Dave

Nice work!

Sorry it took so long for me to post this: D

Thanks for all the kind words, guys. The words of other makers mean a lot to me. The Facebook "that's amazing!" comments are nice and totally cool of them, but somehow only the opinions of people who have actually made a blade really "count" for me. Cheers! Dave

Thanks bud. That's the effect I was hoping for, so glad it resonated with you!

What never fails to amaze me about you, Jim, is the speed at which you produce these things. It's truly unbelievable. You're a machine, Colonel. Great work, as always. Where do you get your "bovine ivory?" I'd love to learn of the supplier. Dave

Thanks Josh. Yes, the collar and the plate bolster are hard soldered construction. J. Arthur Loose finally taught me some basics on how to solder correctly (a lot of it is just having a proper torch). Grins.

Hi Alan! Buffalo horn is the micarta of horn in my opinion. Very easy to work, carve, polish, etc. I really like working with it.

Hi guys: In keeping with my new pattern of about 2 blades a year here is one I just finished. I shared the bare blade with you earlier. Buffalo horn handle, bronze fittings, moose antler spacer. Standard 1095/15n20 mix on the PW. Hope you like it. Cheers! Dave

Welcome back, JPH! Glad to see the shop up and running! Dave

Looks great! Nice job!