sanding belts in cold temperatures

[Horsewright]

That is quite a dog you have there Dave, sounds like good help around the place.

Take care

Yeah she was.

Fingerless gloves are another option for grinding in the cold. Secret is not to get em wet when dunking. Last winter my daughter was coming up to profile some blades prior to ht for me. She does most of the blade cutting out and profiling around here. It was clear beautiful sunny day ...............from in side the house. Outside it was a stupidly bitter cold day. Ya got to understand we have our own cold. Know two different guys, both born and raised in Montana and cowboyed around Elko Nv (also an area known for its cold). I cowboyed with em some around here. Both told me the coldest they had ever been in their life, was here in Tehachapi. Had a friend move back to Grand Junction CO cause she could not get warm here in Tehachapi. Anyhoo ya get the idea. So the daughter drives up. She works in one of the major ERs down the hill and will occasionally come up and help out on a day off, when I'm getting a big batch of blades ready to go off to HT. She gets up here and ya know mom. "Now, baby (baby is 25), ya don't have to go outside in this, its too cold!" Daughter bundles up and tells her mom: "I ain't no b...h!" She was good for a couple of hours. Got a lot done. Don't get those gloves wet.

She's part way through a big batch right now. But the weather has been pretty decent this last couple of weeks. She'll be up Fri again to finishing profiling this current batch of 107 knives.

 

[JamesBro]

2 things I notice, the early Navarro grinder as I have that one.
Also I can never keep my nails that nice. James

 

[Horsewright]

2 things I notice, the early Navarro grinder as I have that one.
Also I can never keep my nails that nice. James

I can’t begin to tell ya how many thousands of knives that old Pheer has kicked out! It keeps purring. Rudy, Aly, Smoke goes by many nicknames. She started cutting calves when she was 12/13 or so like many ranch kids. Years ago I used a picture of her cutting a calf with a guy that used to work for us in another post here on BF. It was a closeup of just their hands and the knife castrating. I mentioned who was doing the work and someone wanted to know how I knew who it was from just their hands. Two reasons, A, I took the pic and B, most of my cowboys don’t wear red fingernail polish.

 

[miden]

I never really thought of CA getting really cold. Growing up with the music of the Beach Boys in the 70s i always associated it with sun, beach and surfing and i never really had reason to learn more. I did a bit of research in the last years and discovered there is so much more. I guess it is that way with the whole world, you just know a fraction of what is really going on anywhere. You guys have even been in the news up here in the last few years for the horrendous forest and bush fires, i feel for you.

Anyhow, your daughter seems very comfortable with what she is doing on the grinder, being an ER nurse i am sure she has seen enough injuries to have a healthy respect for fast moving machines and ranch girls are normally pretty handy. Dont see any chips or scratches on the nail polish so she is clearly doing it right..
I happen to have acquired some fingerless gloves and they do help, as you say, keeping them dry is the key.
107 knives in one batch, plus all the other things you have going?! You are a busy man!
Thanks for the posts Dave and James.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Yeah she was.

Fingerless gloves are another option for grinding in the cold. Secret is not to get em wet when dunking. Last winter my daughter was coming up to profile some blades prior to ht for me. She does most of the blade cutting out and profiling around here. It was clear beautiful sunny day ...............from in side the house. Outside it was a stupidly bitter cold day. Ya got to understand we have our own cold. Know two different guys, both born and raised in Montana and cowboyed around Elko Nv (also an area known for its cold). I cowboyed with em some around here. Both told me the coldest they had ever been in their life, was here in Tehachapi. Had a friend move back to Grand Junction CO cause she could not get warm here in Tehachapi. Anyhoo ya get the idea. So the daughter drives up. She works in one of the major ERs down the hill and will occasionally come up and help out on a day off, when I'm getting a big batch of blades ready to go off to HT. She gets up here and ya know mom. "Now, baby (baby is 25), ya don't have to go outside in this, its too cold!" Daughter bundles up and tells her mom: "I ain't no b...h!" She was good for a couple of hours. Got a lot done. Don't get those gloves wet.

She's part way through a big batch right now. But the weather has been pretty decent this last couple of weeks. She'll be up Fri again to finishing profiling this current batch of 107 knives.

I've always enjoyed all your posts, and everything you all got going on....
Not sure if it's happened, or if it's in the cards, but you'd make an awesome grandpa some day.
Seems like you have lots of information, and stories to share with the kids.
And our world here needs more good people

 

[miden]

Have to agree with all you said Crag the Brewer, Dave does an interesting post.

 

[Horsewright]

I never really thought of CA getting really cold. Growing up with the music of the Beach Boys in the 70s i always associated it with sun, beach and surfing and i never really had reason to learn more. I did a bit of research in the last years and discovered there is so much more. I guess it is that way with the whole world, you just know a fraction of what is really going on anywhere. You guys have even been in the news up here in the last few years for the horrendous forest and bush fires, i feel for you.

Anyhow, your daughter seems very comfortable with what she is doing on the grinder, being an ER nurse i am sure she has seen enough injuries to have a healthy respect for fast moving machines and ranch girls are normally pretty handy. Dont see any chips or scratches on the nail polish so she is clearly doing it right..
I happen to have acquired some fingerless gloves and they do help, as you say, keeping them dry is the key.
107 knives in one batch, plus all the other things you have going?! You are a busy man!
Thanks for the posts Dave and James.

Thanks. The cost of HT, of all one steel type, is very reasonable when ya send more than 100 at a time. So thats always my target in AEB-L.

Smoke cuts em all out too:

Gets cold in the shop too. She's sitting in front of the heater.

Normal work wear:

Still handy on the ranch:

We've got elevation too. Parts of the ranch are over 7,000 ft. Looking down on the Tehachapi Valley from the ranch, not even half way to the top. Valley floor there is 4,000' to 4200':

You are welcome and thanks!

I've always enjoyed all your posts, and everything you all got going on....
Not sure if it's happened, or if it's in the cards, but you'd make an awesome grandpa some day.
Seems like you have lots of information, and stories to share with the kids.
And our world here needs more good people

Thanks! No, no grandkids yet. Smoke just recently got engaged though. Been with the same guy since high school and both played sports at the same college. She played basketball and he had a 98mph fastball! Dang ya should see that guy skip rocks across a lake. This guy here:

Guess thats why the call me Chief Greybeard, I can tell stories:

 

[miden]

Thanks for sharing all this Dave, looks like you have a great setup and family there.
It is very interesting to see the diversity where you live.
I couldn’t help noticing Smoke’s button, truly becoming of an ER nurse.
So your steel of choice is AEB-L. I am just making a couple of knives with it for the first time, do you find it has better edge holding than some other steels and do you mind telling me what thickness you like to use?
Mike

 

[Horsewright]

I work mainly in AEB-L and 26C3. I like the AEB-L at 62-63 and the 26C3 at 63-64 although some will come in at 62.5. At these RCs they both tend to hold an edge quite well and I use AEB-L for my leather knives too. My roundknife might get a several hour long work out any given day and I can't tell ya the last time I sharpened it. I have a push skiver that I have never sharpened and its used daily too. Both of these steels come back real easy to hair splitting and thats what I like about them. A little stropping or in the shop I'll hit a couple quick passes on a buffer and they are right back at it. If you are working a big branding, I don't care what your knife is made of you are gonna have to touch it up or resharpen it. Many cowboys will use their chaps or leggings as a strop, even the top of a truck window. Back at it.

I've noticed, having worked many shows, selling knives (and these weren't knife shows), that a hunter asks: "How well does it hold an edge?" A cowboy asks: "How easy is it to resharpen?"

Notice these young guys from Canada, both were already wearing knives:

This was a big roping, my son was competing too, on the bald face sorrel:

Heck I was competing too on the big sorrel in front:

The older of the two young men above bought a new Horsewright knife:

His little brother bought a kids rope from us. Apparently he was already pretty dang handy with it:

Oops forgot to mention, on the AEB_L seldome as thick as .112 mostly right around .100. Thinner on some knives, roundknives .040.

 

[miden]

Thanks for the interesting post again Dave, and for sharing about your knives. You and your family seem to have good lives, it is nice to see.
Good to see a couple of young Canucks there too...
Is that your table? Those knives look like yours.

Take care

 

[Horsewright]

Thanks for the interesting post again Dave, and for sharing about your knives. You and your family seem to have good lives, it is nice to see.
Good to see a couple of young Canucks there too...
Is that your table? Those knives look like yours.

Take care

Yes thats part of our booth lay out. Same show/roping different year:

My Booth Babes:

 

[miden]

All very nice. Thanks Dave.

 

[Horsewright]

All very nice. Thanks Dave.

Ya bet!