Serious question, had a chat with a retired farrier at the feed store that got me thinking

Honestly, I was picking up some clinch nails and this old guy, Bill, asked what I was using for my hoof knives. I told him I just sharpen them on my grinder like always. He looked at me and said, 'Kid, you're taking too much temper out of the steel, that's why they go dull so fast.' He showed me his old hand stone and said he'd used the same knife for fifteen years. Tbh, it hit different because I've been complaining about replacing tools every few months. Has anyone else switched from power sharpening back to doing it by hand?

3 comments

3 Comments

elizabethj9924d ago

Exactly what gibson.mark said, it's all about the heat control. My old boss drilled that into me when I was an apprentice. You can use a grinder, but you have to be so careful. A few seconds too long and you've cooked the edge. Switched to a hand stone for my finishing touches years ago and it made a world of difference. The edge just lasts so much longer. That old guy Bill knew what he was talking about.

gibson.mark24d ago

Makes sense about the heat, but a grinder doesn't have to ruin a tool. You just gotta keep a light touch and dip it in water often to keep it cool.

the_oscar15d ago

So is the secret to a long-lasting edge just being too lazy to set up the grinder? (Asking for a friend, obviously.) I burned through a few good knives before I realized @gibson.mark is right about the light touch, but my hands are steadier with a stone. Guess some of us just can't be trusted with power tools.