MikeyW

JPH, that really sucks mate. it's a reflection on the double edged sword that is the modern world (pardon the pun.. inadvertently deliberate)- but that is bloody ridiculous. woke culture at it's lowest, and one of the worst aspects of that is the point blank refusal to review such things impartially, almost as a matter of course. anyway, I'm wishing you the best of luck and offering my solidarity.. unfortunately that's all i can do, as I'm pretty clueless about these things. i know the members of this forum are 100% behind you also mate, and at least one of them will know exactly what to do. Cheers mate, keep your chin up!

about the efficiency of rapidly moving aluminium oxide in the removal of flesh- I'm here to second that! i used to be a Metal polisher here in Melbourne- a "jobbing" shop, doing all kinds. but that's irrelevant. the setup was these huge, pedestal mounted electric motors- essentially a bench grinder's big Daddy- with a spindle on either side to enable multiple wheels to be used. directly behind each Spindle was a backstand with an "idler" wheel, a tensioning and alignment necessity, because when Linishing, of course there'd be an appropriate contact wheel, and the belts we used (mainly SIA) were roughly 4.5 metres long if outstretched. hahaha, I'm getting to the point! this is just ONE of the mishaps.. standing behind and to the side of my contact wheel, and Linishing long, Stainless tubing for entry pulls- so you'd bung a P180 brand new on, and spin those suckers and vòila- 3 or 4 metres done in two minutes. ka-ching! anyways, we had to wear cruddy leather gloves for obvious reasons, but this one morning i was spinning myself a fat paycheck.. belt must've stretched a little too much and the whole thing slipped- whereapon my "bird-flipper" first two knuckles made decent contact with a virtually brand new 180 grit moving at around close to 3000rpm- there was instantly a 4.5 metre band of white SKIN on that reddish ochre belt, and my finger had a hole, down to the meat. just like that. funny thing is, it semi cauterised from the friction so it didn't bleed as much as you'd think! but that looonnng stripe of skin.. anyway, the belt still cut alright, so no dramas! also, a workmate was trying out a sample, a 40 grit hardback- this on the last day before we broke for Christmas- so he's put the belt on, started her up- only to have it snap instantly and deliver an almighty SLLLAP! across his face. brand-spanking new P40. red raw. hahaha poor old Ray had people out in public pretending to not look and whispering "oh, that poor bastard.." hahaha! funny. these are the tamer stories unfortunately. thanks Alan and crew!

thanks for sharing your story, mate. all i can say.

Thanks so much, Alan. I noticed after I posted that, the very very informative post in the beginners section with the basic info about forges, tools and materials; and how much of these things are personal preference and not to worry about overloading on the equipment side of things.. i'm sure you know the one. Anyway, i am so grateful that you have helped me out mate. So with that, best I get to it, try, experiment and learn learn learn! This is what makes life worth living. Cheers, Mikey W

G'day everyone, This is my first post.. i am beginning my journey of learning the arts of forging blades and tools- so if i ask too many silly questions, please don't hestitate to let me know! I have been researching about suitable steel for use in making tough, resilient, "ol' school" quality type blades, and being pretty strapped with spare $, am building a mental inventory of alternative sources of high carbon steel. I realise, through reading, that nothing is guaranteed and only general advice can be given; and that (generally) older steels are a more reliable bet when it comes to re-purposing steel. Now, after all that ramble, here's my qvestion: what type of steel is usually used to make those honing steels that butchers and chefs use? I know that whatever is used is harder than the knives they came with, for example; but if anyone out there in the bladesmithing or metallurgical ether can offer some insight in this rather inane question, i'd be grateful! cheers. Mikey