Bill Kirkley

Eric, I've taken several blacksmithing and bladesmithing classes at NESM. They were all top notch. Derick and Nick do a great job. Their guest instructors are great. You'll really enjoy the experience.

Sorry for the late reply. I forgot I posted this. Here is the type magnet I use. https://m.harborfreight.com/retrieving-magnet-150-lb-pull-36904.html?utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

If it's a rubbery cushiony you are after, would a piece of conveyor belt work? I know a lot of you guys don't like magnets. That's what I use. It's simple and does a good job.

I used the holder to make a blade. It worked great! The conveyer belt grips really well.

I made a mounting plate to eliminate the need for C-clamps. I have updated the drawing file in my Dropbox account.

Thanks!

I finished the holder. Thanks to all for your input. I addressed Vern’s safety concern and Alan’s post on being able to rotate the holder.

The pipe holder looks pretty simple. I guess to make one you would need a wood lathe to get a piece of wood that would fit the pipe. You’d also need a welder. The photos look like they used them to finish the handles. I have only made a few blades. I remember while doing the finish sanding thinner blades wanted to flex. The pipe holders don’t provide a way to support the end of the blade. Does it matter if the blade flexes while sanding? Maybe I don’t need the support.

C Craft, the second one is the one I found on the net. Mine is loosely based on it. The first one is pretty neat! It is a hole lot simpler than mine and definitely easier to make!

I think I will go with the design pictured below.

Vern, that’s pretty cool. Thanks!

Well now that I look at it I don’t think I need the inner ring. I think a single broken ring like the outer ring would clamp the holder. We’ll see.

Alan, I will be interested in seeing what you have. I don’t think I can make perfect rings so I may go with the design pictured. I’ll sit on it and start to work next week.

Alan, I like the idea of being able to rotate the holder. I’m working with the idea shown below. Something like that would give me a way to clamp the holder to a table or post vise, and allow me to rotate the holder. It’s going to be a week before I can get back to the shop. I’ll let you all know how it turns out. Vern, I’m not sure I follow where you are going with your suggestion.

In the past I clamped the blade to a 2X4 and wedged a small piece of wood under the tip of the blade. It works great. This is a more complicated way to do the same thing! :-)