Prototype Arctic Fox Axe Puck

I've had this forever, I probably got it for a buck. I've worn out some pretty good files on axes, I'll have to try this out.

 
The Arctic Fox scythe stone and a couple of 4 in 1 rasps arrived today. Looking forward to putting them to use.
 
pjwoolw said:
The Arctic Fox scythe stone and a couple of 4 in 1 rasps arrived today. Looking forward to putting them to use.
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Great! Let me know how they do for you!

timichango said:
Looks a lot like the Gransfors puck, but with the fine/coarse quantity bias reversed.
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I suspect that Gransfors is using JIS grit rating on their puck, in which case it corresponds with a SAE 180/360 combo. However, grit rating is only one factor of stone performance--the bond strength and grit protrusion, among other factors, influence the performance. Oh--and these'll be about $15 instead of $50. :)
 
Looking forward to trying this out. Without having tried your scythe stone yet either, I am at least appreciative that someone is offering a decent scythe stone. I agree that most of the user grade stuff produced now is way biased towards coarse, probably to account for the lack of sharpening knowledge and ability in these more recent decades (as evidenced by viewing aging tools at any flea market or antique store across the country). My grandpa's hand tools looked like the edge was put on by a blind drunk with an angle grinder, but they were always sharp as hell.
 
Ironically, one of the things most notably absent from most folks' sharpening arsenal is a good coarse stone, but we'll be taking care of that with the American Mutt and Manticore series that'll be coming in the future. We're starting off with the Arctic Fox series at the moment, though, and after the pucks roll out we've got dual grit 3" pocket stones and 6" field stones that'll be making an appearance.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Ironically, one of the things most notably absent from most folks' sharpening arsenal is a good coarse stone, but we'll be taking care of that with the American Mutt and Manticore series that'll be coming in the future. We're starting off with the Arctic Fox series at the moment, though, and after the pucks roll out we've got dual grit 3" pocket stones and 6" field stones that'll be making an appearance.
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Very cool. This is an area that is temping to think of as "done". I appreciate that you are putting so much energy and enthusiasm into a product line that isn't mainstream. These are not the next iPhone, but the people that want them and need them will really benefit.
 
The whole idea with the <BYX•CO> sharpening stones is to target specific aspects of sharpening work. The industry standard approach is to treat stones like they're sandpaper and just make the same stone blend in multiple grits without altering any of the other qualities, and they typically don't even tell you what those other qualities are, so you have to rely on reviews to find out. To some extent, it's understandable on account of just how many variables there are to them and so listing them all can be a mouthful and still not fully communicate what the performance is like. Edges aren't the same as finish sanding or grinding, and you want different performance aspects out of your stones depending on what stage of sharpening you're on and what kind of edge you're trying to produce. Back in the days when natural stones were prominent on the scene these sorts of aspects used to get more emphasis, and certain stones were prized for certain applications.

Each <BYX•CO> stone formulation of abrasive type and grade, grit size, bond type, and bond strength is given a series name as a shorthand term. All Arctic Fox series stones have an SAE 400 grit blue sapphire abrasive in a medium-hard ceramic bond. Dual grit stones have a 280 grit grey side, with the fine blue side slightly altered in blend to improve dimensional stability. This results in a slightly reduced cutting speed and a slightly finer resulting finish, which is acceptable in this context because you have the 280 grit side to do the heavier lifting. It's intended for rapid final finishing and field maintenance of fairly fine edges and is hard enough to use for edge-leading final passes. All Arctic Fox stones will share the same formulation.

The American Mutt series will be an economy extra-extra coarse blend for bevel setting and edge repair that's actually made of mixed abrasive/mixed grit waste material from the dressing of mounted stone points and have both silicon carbide, aluminum oxide, and a small amount of diamond shed from the dressing wheels. They very rapidly hog off material but the included finer grits cause it to leave a finer finish than one would expect for its level of aggression. I literally can build up a slurry made of nothing more than steel particles with it. It's a tan colored stone, and can be seen in my signature line.

The Manticore series will be like a premium version of the American Mutts, done in black silicon carbide with an 80:20 ratio of extra coarse and medium grit with a hard bond, and is similarly intended for setting bevels and ironing out damage while leaving a little extra polish for the given grit rating.

There will also be a ruby stone series called the Bull Thistle that will be used for setting scratch patterns on slicing tools in a medium-hard bond and medium-coarse grit. And the list goes on--lots of different applications and functional contexts to cover!

I'm honestly kind of surprised that no one else is taking this kind of approach.
 
I'm intrigued with your soon to be released offerings. Looking forward to checking them out.
 
I think I'll be trying one out also but really don't have a clue how to properly use one
There's probably a utube out there but I'm limited on data so maybe a short explanation would help me
 
Beachlogger said:
I think I'll be trying one out also but really don't have a clue how to properly use one
There's probably a utube out there but I'm limited on data so maybe a short explanation would help me
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With the pucks most folks use them in a circular scrubbing motion. I do so, but then finish with some oscillating back-and-forth strokes as I find that motion better for preventing burr formation.
 
This is an old Norton round stone which I've owned for 40 years. It started out about 11/16" thick. It spent a couple decades in my tool bags and saw frequent use. I've worn it down to less than 1/4" but I've never broken it. It still has about half and half of the 2 grits. Now this slim light stone stays in my backpack for touch up on the trail. Before using it I always eyeball the surface and concentrate the work on any high spots. This keeps the stone level. I don't know of any other option for a great light weight stone like this except wearing one down. Get started now and you'll have one in 40 years. :D

Norton%20roundstone.jpg
 
Hahaha--I do have some plans of eventually releasing a single-grit Arctic Fox puck in a slim build about 1/2" thick, but nothing quite that slim and not in a dual grit! Hard to do dual grit that skinny without making it oversized and then cutting it down to dimension because of the tension caused between the grits different shrinkage rates during firing--they'd all crack if you tried to make them that thin out of the mold.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
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.
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I like the sound of this. Thanks for posting the information.
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
Hahaha--I do have some plans of eventually releasing a single-grit Arctic Fox puck in a slim build about 1/2" thick, but nothing quite that slim and not in a dual grit! Hard to do dual grit that skinny without making it oversized and then cutting it down to dimension because of the tension caused between the grits different shrinkage rates during firing--they'd all crack if you tried to make them that thin out of the mold.
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I guess you'll just have to cast them 1" thick and 'pregrind' them down to 1/2 haha
 
FortyTwoBlades said:
I suspect that Gransfors is using JIS grit rating on their puck, in which case it corresponds with a SAE 180/360 combo. However, grit rating is only one factor of stone performance--the bond strength and grit protrusion, among other factors, influence the performance. Oh--and these'll be about $15 instead of $50. :)
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Beaut :)

If these are ostensibly as good or better than the GFB puck, and a fraction of the price, then definitely count me as a buyer!
 
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