Prototype Arctic Fox Axe Puck

FortyTwoBlades

FortyTwoBlades

Baryonyx walkeri
Dealer / Materials Provider
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
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Received a couple of prototypes of the upcoming Arctic Fox series dual-grit axe puck, and while there will be a couple more minor manufacturing tweaks it's shaping up to be a very nice stone. Here's a sneak peek.

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Cuts fast and leaves a nice fine edge, just like the scythe stones, but with a 280 grit side.
 
Gotcha. So it's close to 280/400? Is this stone also designed to be used with water, or should it use some other water-based oil (like Smith's) or a true oil like Wd-40/3-In-1/Kerosene/whatever?
 
Indeed--280/400 SAE grit rating. It can be used with water (which is how I use it) or whatever other lubrication you please.
 
Looking good. Do you have any idea of when these will be available or would you prefer to wait until you are more certain?
 
Like the Arctic Fox scythe stone, it cuts quickly but leaves a finish more akin to what one would expect from something like a 1000 grit stone. Gives a nice hazy polish to the bit.
 
popedandy said:
Looking good. Do you have any idea of when these will be available or would you prefer to wait until you are more certain?
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I'm guessing sometime in November. Depends on how quickly the final adjustments are able to be made.
 
I'm needing something to keep my edge back on my Machette I got from you a good while back, man that's a good one.., it's seen some use for sure.
 
Looks like a great product. I'm glad it's not impregnated with oil. I'd like to try one out.
 
Yeah--we had the option to get them pre-filled with oil but I much prefer water myself and I want to give folks the ability to choose what they want to use with it. When used with water it holds a nice film on the surface, unlike some stones that feel dry even when fully saturated. Really helps keep the pores open.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Yeah--we had the option to get them pre-filled with oil but I much prefer water myself and I want to give folks the ability to choose what they want to use with it. When used with water it holds a nice film on the surface, unlike some stones that feel dry even when fully saturated. Really helps keep the pores open.
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God know that I don't NEED it, but I'll buy one and review it just to support you. I have a vintage Norton Crystolon axe stone that I have yet to use, but I love the fact that new products are being fielded in this area. I can't see how it won't be a good product, and I'm looking forward to it.
 
I appreciate it! I think this puck will give Lansky a solid run for their money. I've always felt that their puck was trying too hard to take on the duties of a file when what it really should be aimed at is getting from file-sharp to a nicely polished edge. The 280 grit side will erase file marks nicely and then the 400 grit blue side brings it up to a hazy mirror finish that easily dry-shaves.
 
Sounds perfect for my machetes and axes! I prefer water as well...easier to find, easier to clean, less mess, cheaper, etc. This will be on my list once available...along with the bigger stone.

I also feel many stones are too coarse, and trying to use them to accomplish what a file would do much more quickly seems like a waste of time and effort. I definitely prefer a file for shaping, followed by stones to smooth and hone. I've tried to profile with a stone on hard axe bits and it seems like I never really get anywhere. I break out the file, and a few minutes later and I'm set, using the stone to hone. This should be a great stone for that.
 
I'd like one of these for use in the field.

At home I hone with the axe in the vise. I like longer stones for that work. Old Axeman has several times recommended Norton's Tradesman's Utility Stone for sharpening axes - even in place of a file on very hard axes.
https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/Norton-Tradesmans-Utility-Stone-P144.aspx
I recently acquired one of those and I really like it for work at the vise. It removes file marks and refines the edge very quickly. I wonder if a similar stone could be made of this new material.
 
The scythe stone works well for file-like use, but my manufacturer has a mold for the parallel-walled oval variety of American pattern scythe stones that would also work well in that setting and are a bit longer. I plan on having some of those done up and also intend to eventually (not immediately) have tooling done up for the lenticular cross-sectioned variety of American pattern scythe stones as well. I know they can do handled abrasive files but am unsure if any changes would have to be made in the blend to make them compatible with the molding process with those.
 
Looks good, but I like using scythe stones for everything :). Sadly, dual grit wouldn't be very handy on a scythe stone...

The puck grits sound right for field work with axes, though a lot of times my user axes just get a few swipes with the file every time or two they get used.
 
BG_Farmer said:
Looks good, but I like using scythe stones for everything :).
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You and me both! I use 'em for nearly all of my sharpening tasks.

BG_Farmer said:
Sadly, dual grit wouldn't be very handy on a scythe stone...
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Sure it is! The split just has to run the other way than usual, and that's tricky from a manufacturing standpoint. The only scythe stone split that way I've seen is the Zische Silifix Duo, which is a favorite of mine, but unfortunately Zische won't sell directly to the US so I had to get mine through a seller on the German eBay that shipped internationally. I've spoken with my manufacturer about eventually exploring the possibility of something similar and they're open to trying it but did express concerns that the join would look a bit sloppy and they'd be labor-intensive to make because of having to clean the molds each time to prevent cross-grit contamination, among other concerns more boring and technical than merit laying out here.

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