KAMON Knives
Well-Known Member
Why not just flip them on BST? I'm sure Kamon007 could get a pretty penny for them...
Who's Kamon007? My fake account ?
Why not just flip them on BST? I'm sure Kamon007 could get a pretty penny for them...
35 blades were planned so I'm making sure I'll deliver 35 in any case. That includes potential fails during the making. So I made 40 to get to 35 no matter what. Chances are I'll get all 40 through, then there will be 5 for the list.
5 places out, be very careful please Mr. Kamon
I feel sorry for them. No point, no direction…So where does that leave @nakiriknaifuwaifu and the nakiri crew? No point there....
If one's name were to come up on the waitlist and only one size is available, would (s)he be offered the size available regardless of the size originally requested?
If there are multiple knives we will go in order of waitlist, and you can choose to accept or decline. If only one size is available and it's not the size you chose, you will still get a choice to accept the slot.
OK, Ben, I have to ask. Most knifemakers I know use a 2x72 inch belt grinder (that's freedom units, I think it translates to a 180x5cm in non-freedom units). You are one of the only makers I've seen that uses a wide belt for the rough grind. Using a belt wider than the work piece makes sense to me in terms of precision. Do you have any idea why it's less commonly used? Are you able to get a full variety of belts for the larger belt sander you use?
Just thought of this since you're doing handle/tang work, I presume on the 2x72 grinder.
I have a similar question as well. I would be very interested in seeing how you use your large belt sander with water cooling. I’m a rookie kitchen knife maker who uses a custom self made 2x72 and I’m very curious how you use your sander and how it works.
Very good question and I'll try to answer from top to bottom.
So first off - you're right 2x72" is pretty much the standard with knife makers and the metric measurements translate to about what you've said. In Europe the standard belt size for knife makers belt grinders is 2000x50mm which is more something like 2x79".
A knife makers belt grinder is that commonly used as it's very adaptable/flexible with all its attachments and the not so wide belts enhance this. One could run into problems sculpting handles with the 120mm (~5") wide belts I use for my water cooled blade grinding. So in that context those common knife makers belt grinders make total sense and I use one for handle grinding too.
However if one can afford another grinder it makes sense in my opinion to have a dedicated one for the blade grinding which then uses wider belts. The surface gets more evenly plain. On that note I have to say though that I don't quite understand the decisions many knife makers make, as I would also recommend water cooled grinding. Not only for quality reasons which are obvious, but also for their own financial good. I understand it's a somewhat high monetary and time consuming investment to build such a machine but from an economical point of view it pays off quite fast.
I guess there are many misconceptions about water cooled grinding and many don't seem to see the potential. As I said, not only for the quality of one's product, but also the potential as a business. So I can't answer that question for you fully as I don't quite understand it either.
An explanation for why I have this machine could be that I ruined many blades in the very beginning of my knife making. That was with a grinder that was always running at 40m/s (very fast... no way to run it slow) and I had no clue about good and sharp belts either.
However that experience was so depressing for me that I knew very early on that I never wanted to deal with the option of overheating a blade, that is ground to essentially zero at the edge, again. And I accomplished that objective. I can now grind up to 400 grit all day long applying pressure to the blade until it's gone without the danger of overheating the steel. I guess other knife makers have more talent in that regards not ruining so many blades with the wrong grinders and worn out belts .
For my big grinder I can get any belts and quality I want. Only restriction is that I have to buy 20 pieces of one quality. But I mean they don't get bad so it's just an investment and not lost money to buy more. Btw you can buy those belts in any ridiculous size. The company's that produce them, like VSM where I buy, are so used to producing any measurements that they don't even charge anything for "uncommon" measurements. If you buy the minimum order quantity you're good.
Since this post I updated this Grinder with a VFD and a 2,5kw motor. The max speed it 20m/s now. You'll get the idea though.
You gotta get one @ian, your collection isn't complete yet!
Have you found that water cooled belts last any longer than non-water cooled, or is their failure-mode independent of heat?
Glad to hear the belts are a non-issue.
Thanks Ben! That is a very different grinding experience than grinding on a 2”x72” dry belt. I suppose you get used to having water pouring over your blade as you’re shaping it? I would think that having a wider belt would lend itself to a more even grind. I have to say that I do find the constant burning of my fingers and having to dip the blade in water a bit annoying while doing my work. Thanks again for taking the time to explain what you do. -Greg
Guys, if you stop asking Ben so many questions your knives will be finished earlier because he doesn’t have to spend hours answering all these questions…
Yeah, like writing messages or having a beer with me... Oh, by the way, it is 08:23 (a.m.), almost time for the first (?) beer of the day!Do you really think I would work instead? I'd probably make much more senseless things. You know me .
Do you really think I would work instead? I'd probably make much more senseless things. You know me .
Guys, if you stop asking Ben so many questions your knives will be finished earlier because he doesn’t have to spend hours answering all these questions…
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