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sharpining fleshing blades?

Discussion in 'Tanning' started by tmoos111, Dec 15, 2014.

  1. Dec 15, 2014 #1
    tmoos111

    tmoos111 Member

    281
    0
    kansas
    Just checking to see where everyone sends there blades to be sharpened? I have 6 blades that I need to have touched up. some of them I got in a package deal and are really rusty. Are these blades ruined or can they be saved? Maybe just a case by case deal just didn't know if anyone has delt with that type of situation ? thanks in advance Travis
     
  3. Dec 15, 2014 #2
    George

    George The older I get, the better I was.

    34,532
    4,056
    Magnolia, Delaware
    Send the to Headquarters Supply. Attachca note about the rust andvif they can't be sharpened correctly they will contact you. All mine go there.
     

  5. Dec 15, 2014 #3
    pir^2h

    pir^2h Retrievers give you the bird

    4,614
    4,858
    Tennessee
    My son is into restoring an antique and he uses vinegar to take the rust off stainless steel. He says it takes awhile but it will do it in most cases. Smelly though (according to him). Also sometimes he uses citric acid and it works most of the time. He did the vinegar on a Dakota 4 blade I had and it worked but I was not in any hurry because I had already purchased a new one.

    Vic
     
  6. Dec 16, 2014 #4
    tmoos111

    tmoos111 Member

    281
    0
    kansas
    I called Headquarters. they told me that they no longer offer that service and that they send them to Carolina fur dressing. Anyone had any thing good or bad with Arlington cape?
     
  7. Dec 16, 2014 #5
    gun410

    gun410 New Member

    10
    0
    If you have a grinder or a belt sander you can use those. I made some knives from that equipment to.
     
  8. Dec 16, 2014 #6
    coroner2

    coroner2 [email protected]

    372
    17
    HUH?
     
  9. Dec 17, 2014 #7
    George

    George The older I get, the better I was.

    34,532
    4,056
    Magnolia, Delaware
    Ditto. You can't "sharpen" a fleshing blade at home. PERIOD. The blade is sharpened as a flat blade. Then it is induction heated in a special turning fixture that bends the blade over at 90 degrees to the axis. You can hone them and I've honed them to the point that there wasn't much blade left, but you cannot sharpen them.

    I guess Headquarters is playing musical chairs. I used to send my blades to Carolina all the time. LOVE their blades. Then when Carolina formed Headquarters, I was told to send them there. Either way, I wouldn't go anyplace else PERSONALLY.
     
  10. Dec 18, 2014 #8
    Wasatch Wild Life Tannery

    Wasatch Wild Life Tannery New Member

    26
    0
    Roy, Utah
    This is where I send my blades. I am a commercial tanner and have never had issues with there quality of work or turn around time. Prices are very competitive. they provide sharpening services and new blades if needed.

    Chris Feldt
    True-Cut Tool, Inc.
    (231) 832-7002
     
  11. Dec 18, 2014 #9
    gun410

    gun410 New Member

    10
    0
    I once made a fleshing blade I used a forge grinder and a belt sander
     
  12. Dec 26, 2014 #10
    David Patton

    David Patton Active Member

    1,267
    3
    Hornell, New York
    This thread is hilarious...kinda like watching the Keystone Cops...lmao!!
     
  13. Dec 26, 2014 #11
    David Patton

    David Patton Active Member

    1,267
    3
    Hornell, New York
    1. Blades rust. It doesnt ruin them unless it has been pitted completely through.

    2. You use a specialty machine to grind the new edge.

    3. An angle grinder with a knurled wire brush will take the rust off the blade. You can hold it in a vise or you can simply hang the blade on a nail driven into a wall.

    4. The machine that grinds these knives has a roller that turns the edge over after the grinding is completed...no heat involved.

    I grind these knives everyday I am shaving. I purchased a custom built machine from Rawhide a long time ago and it is still in my operation today. In fact I ground a blade for Tuggy today and Im carrying it back to him when I drive my daughter home to NC tomorrow.

    Sorry for the schpeil...but I just had to laugh! Happy New Year yall!
     
  14. Dec 26, 2014 #12
    George

    George The older I get, the better I was.

    34,532
    4,056
    Magnolia, Delaware
    Not so cavalier and fast there David Patton. Perhaps YOU don't heat the blade, but (and I can't find it on the internet) I watched a video of them making fleshing wheel blades. It showed an induction coil heating the very edge of the blade (EXACTLY LIKE THEY DO ON SAW BLADES) and curling it over. The narrator addressed this by saying that heating that edge and then cooling it quickly tempered the blade (that's the ONLY way to temper steel) and made it stronger and last longer. Now I don't know what other tanneries do, or really even care as long as my blade is sharp and stays that way, but I do know what I saw.