Flattening a Tandy round knife

[CharlesG]

Hello All,

I'd made an impulse purchase years ago on an Al Stohlman round knife from Tandy.  Having never used one, I managed the learning curve fairly well, but the constant stropping eventually made me put it down for a long rest.

I read somewhere that the blades aren't very good metal, and they're mass produced & poorly made in general.  The take away from the post was that they needed to be "thinned" to help them keep a good edge.

With the Corona-cation upon us, I've dug out this new/old knife and put it on a whet stone flat with a spray bottle nearby to keep everything nice and wet.  I spent an entire day on one side and I've got at least that much more to do to flatten the first side.  I've been keeping track of progress with a sharpie.  The pits and variation of thickness are vast.

I have a fairly large floor mount belt sander.  

Question:  Do I just need a speed reducer to keep the blade from getting too hot?  Get this thing flat on both sides and then sharpen, strop and put to use?

Suggestions, advice, questions and constructive criticism is welcomed.

Thank you for reading.

 

 

As per Newbie regulations, I reside in Knoxville, TN.  I travel for work, so my location Varies.

[RockyAussie]

I only ever use a belt sander a rag wheel mop with tripoli polish myself. Check this post out I did awhile back that shows one of the knives in action.

If doing a new knife from scratch I would do a sharp belt clean up to start with to keep the heat down then redo with a bluntened off  belt to smooth up following.

[bikermutt07]

I've owned two and gifted both of them away. The way I heard it, there isn't enough carbon in that steel to ever maintain an edge. 

Pardon my redneck, but I figure, you are probably pissin uphill. 

[chuck123wapati]

12 hours ago, CharlesG said:

Hello All,

I'd made an impulse purchase years ago on an Al Stohlman round knife from Tandy.  Having never used one, I managed the learning curve fairly well, but the constant stropping eventually made me put it down for a long rest.

I read somewhere that the blades aren't very good metal, and they're mass produced & poorly made in general.  The take away from the post was that they needed to be "thinned" to help them keep a good edge.

With the Corona-cation upon us, I've dug out this new/old knife and put it on a whet stone flat with a spray bottle nearby to keep everything nice and wet.  I spent an entire day on one side and I've got at least that much more to do to flatten the first side.  I've been keeping track of progress with a sharpie.  The pits and variation of thickness are vast.

I have a fairly large floor mount belt sander.  

Question:  Do I just need a speed reducer to keep the blade from getting too hot?  Get this thing flat on both sides and then sharpen, strop and put to use?

Suggestions, advice, questions and constructive criticism is welcomed.

Thank you for reading.

 

 

As per Newbie regulations, I reside in Knoxville, TN.  I travel for work, so my location Varies.

use water to keep it cool grind a bit then dip in water. Take your time and you wont lose the temper. 

[CharlesG]

23 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

use water to keep it cool grind a bit then dip in water. Take your time and you wont lose the temper. 

Thanks, the belt sander worked like a champ.  Now to get a cutting edge on to it.

[AzShooter]

I must have been lucky.  I bought the Tandy Head Knife and have had no problems keeping the edge sharp.  I use a diamond stone and strop to keep it that way.

I just ordered a sharpening fixture from Weaver with an medium and fine stone.  The demo looked interesting and I'm going  to see if I can get it sharper still but it now cuts through 8-9 ounce leather very well.

[seagiant]

Hi,

         I was given the Tandy "Al Stohlman" model round knife.

The handle was a nice size but cut flat on the end, I rounded it on my belt sander and finished by hand and it is now comfortable.

Sharpened it at about 15 degrees, using the tips from the Leather Wrangler on sharpening head knives.

Went coarse, medium fine and finish with a soft Arkansas stone.

Then stropped with a rogue impregnated leather board.

Seems to work very well and better than my old Osborn?

Time will tell!

[ramrod]

On 4/25/2020 at 10:50 PM, bikermutt07 said:

I've owned two and gifted both of them away. The way I heard it, there isn't enough carbon in that steel to ever maintain an edge. 

 

that would confirm my suspicions. i've been able to keep an edge for only a short time with mine.i really need to get a high carbon blade.

[scrapyarddog]

I'm sure some masters have no problem using it, but I'd rather spend it bit more money to get something with higher HRC and toughness. If you can get one made of M390 or 20CV, you'll see a difference in edge retention.

[Klara]

On 2/11/2021 at 3:33 AM, ramrod said:

that would confirm my suspicions. i've been able to keep an edge for only a short time with mine.i really need to get a high carbon blade.

It's a question of taste. I find low-carbon blades much easier to maintain than stainless steel.