took a bladesmithing class, anyone ever see one of these?

V

vikingGoalie

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really wish this site would just let me copy and paste images....
anyhoo has anyone ever seen one of these?
photos.app.goo.gl

New item by Carl Christianson

photos.app.goo.gl photos.app.goo.gl

I took a blacksmithing class and they had 2 of these setup with different grits, you could profile a blade. A big blade in minutes it would hollow grind in the bevels on both sides at the same time.
I was mightly impressed. I learned a good bit, but I also learned that the right tools are pretty damn awesome.

Because it's a class setting, you don't have that long to forge out your knife before they have to move you over to the grinding part. I was determined to do it by arm power alone I got the handle in and the point but was still thick and needed drawn out.
Running out of time, I jumped on their power hammer.

HOLY CRAP!

sorry first time for me :) I was utterly amazed how quickly I could draw out and widen my blade on this. Literally what I accomplished in 30 minutes would've taken me an entire weekend to do at home.
 
fitzo said:
Ray Beers (RIP) had a pair of Bader 2s set up to do that back in the ‘80s. Cool to see the idea survived.
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I asked RB at a show one time if he used a setup like that to grind his blades and he told me no, and said he ground them by hand.

Hoss
 
DevinT said:
I asked RB at a show one time if he used a setup like that to grind his blades and he told me no, and said he ground them by hand.

Hoss
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That’s interesting, Hoss. He was BSing one of us or he built it after he’d spoken to you. I came home from the show where he told me about it and I cogitated for months over whether I wanted to do that, but I have had enough blades go between wheel and table that the idea scares me. Still scares me. I have this vague memory of seeing a pic of this grinder but it is vague and may be the internal AI creating its own pics. My memory isn’t what it once was. I am certain, though, that he told me about it, so you having the opposite info is intriguing.

PS I liked Ray and have a number of his knives. I use a big filet knife in the kitchen to this day. Reading tonight, he passed a few years back. I’m going to scrounge them all up tomorrow and remember Ray for a while. RIP.
 
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Straight razor blades have always been ground on a similar machine-except using stones and water. Rigid knives were also ground on dual belt grinders like this.
 
fitzo said:
That’s interesting, Hoss. He was BSing one of us or he built it after he’d spoken to you. I came home from the show where he told me about it and I cogitated for months over whether I wanted to do that, but I have had enough blades go between wheel and table that the idea scares me. Still scares me. I have this vague memory of seeing a pic of this grinder but it is vague and may be the internal AI creating its own pics. My memory isn’t what it once was. I am certain, though, that he told me about it, so you having the opposite info is intriguing.

PS I liked Ray and have a number of his knives. I use a big filet knife in the kitchen to this day. Reading tonight, he passed a few years back. I’m going to scrounge them all up tomorrow and remember Ray for a while. RIP.
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I’m sure you’re right, I think he didn’t want me to know how he ground the blades. I always enjoyed his work and loved talking to him. I was pretty young at the time. The guild also frowned on certain things like this so that might be part of the reason.

Hoss
 
DevinT said:
I’m sure you’re right, I think he didn’t want me to know how he ground the blades. I always enjoyed his work and loved talking to him. I was pretty young at the time. The guild also frowned on certain things like this so that might be part of the reason.

Hoss
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Yeah, I was thinking about mentioning the Guild’s positions at the time. I was never a member (interesting story) so didn’t feel I should say anything. I’m glad you brought it up, though, Devin, because it occurred to me, too, sir!

On another note, did you by chance know that old pirate, Bob Cargill, of Cripple Creek folders? He had a big industrial blade grinder that he used and I am stumped what the darn thing was called. You have any idea what those big machines were? Don’t ya hate knowing you know something and can’t dredge it up outta the soup? haha. Thanks!
 
fitzo said:
Yeah, I was thinking about mentioning the Guild’s positions at the time. I was never a member (interesting story) so didn’t feel I should say anything. I’m glad you brought it up, though, Devin, because it occurred to me, too, sir!

On another note, did you by chance know that old pirate, Bob Cargill, of Cripple Creek folders? He had a big industrial blade grinder that he used and I am stumped what the darn thing was called. You have any idea what those big machines were? Don’t ya hate knowing you know something and can’t dredge it up outta the soup? haha. Thanks!
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I can’t remember the name of those machines, @BillDeshivs knows.

Hoss
 
Paul Holloway built one like that back in the 80's.
There are a few commercial industrial ones made, but you have to do some searching. An industrial surplus auction site (HGR?) had several for sale a while ago for basically scrap metal price.
 
I remember years ago Blade magazine had an article about someone that had two grinders backed up so they could grind both bevels at the same time. I don't remember the name of the knifemaker.
VikingGoalie, could you post pictures of the knives you made?
Imgur is easy to use to post pictures.
 
I saw an old grinder one time that had a couple large grinding wheels set up like that. Wheels were at least 12"-14" diameter and probably 2" thick. Had a turnbuckle that could adjust the wheels distance from each other. Thing was old, like all cast iron old. Probably from a factory that made knives or razors. Pretty interesting and scary looking at the same time.
 
From what I remember, a double wheel grinder setup runs with the wheels turning so they rise toward the blade (opposite of single wheel or belt grinding). You or the knife can't get pinched or pulled into the wheels unless you put your hand under the wheels, where there is a guard to prevent that.
 
Tom Lewis said:
I remember years ago Blade magazine had an article about someone that had two grinders backed up so they could grind both bevels at the same time. I don't remember the name of the knifemaker.
VikingGoalie, could you post pictures of the knives you made?
Imgur is easy to use to post pictures.
Click to expand...

https://imgur.com/a/IKXuQOx

well, i suck so I don't post up to much on knives as I learn this craft :)
That knife there I did the handle and point by hand but I drew it longer and a little wider using a power hammer, which I dunno why but that tool almost felt like cheating it moved steel so fast.
That knife is about 3.5 hours of work in. The hollow ground bevels where done on the machine above, but *I* was not allowed to use that machine they have to use and memory serves I think the wheels were turning down as I don't remember sparks going up but down. I will say on that machine the bevels took maybe 5 minutes to put on that, I did hammer the bevel in slightly but not that much due to time constraints.
 
Thanks for the picture. I found early on in my knifemaking career that 1, if you make a knife you also need to make a sheath for that knife, and 2 if you make knives you need to learn how to take pictures of them.
 
fitzo said:
Yeah, I was thinking about mentioning the Guild’s positions at the time. I was never a member (interesting story) so didn’t feel I should say anything. I’m glad you brought it up, though, Devin, because it occurred to me, too, sir!

On another note, did you by chance know that old pirate, Bob Cargill, of Cripple Creek folders? He had a big industrial blade grinder that he used and I am stumped what the darn thing was called. You have any idea what those big machines were? Don’t ya hate knowing you know something and can’t dredge it up outta the soup? haha. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Machine blades | Berger Gruppe

BERGER Group - grinding, polishing, strip edge trimming, automation for the production of cutlery, handtools etc.
www.bergergruppe.de www.bergergruppe.de
Berger ?
 
I'm pretty sure Staffiero Knifeworks made that, someone added a dust cover. You can find them and more pictures on their Facebook page.
 
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