TrapperReady,
Steel belted radials? Brick mortar? ...oh, boy...
I'm glad you boys like the results of Japanese waterstones. Hopefully, it's not going to be a lost art. I wish I could take better pictures to properly show the edges.
As you might know from the "Keeping Sharp" section of KF, we tinkers have a theory about three-is-the-charm when it comes to sharpening. For some reason--and there are many thoughts on this--a knife gets spooky, toasty and dangerously sharp on the third polishing. The cosmetic look increases, as well.
Right now I'm holding a Spyderco Native that came to me directly from the factory with several problems. In beating it to death and deliberately dulling it from a fishing trip and several Coca Cola 24-pack cartons, that same knife is now so sharp that it's not a good idea to fondle the edge. Tinkers call that "tickling the dragon," and on this orphan, the name applies.
JShirley said:
I will say I'm proud that you've found this forum a good place to be.
Oh, it's worth it. In my travels in locating a decent knife forum, I've had to search out the very few adult ones that exist. The biggest disappointment is a "frat house" where it seems that typing "F" is more fun than the knives themselves.
If I want to learn anything, I stick close to KF or Sword Forum International. (I know the sword facet might seem odd, but the guys are pros.)
I know we joke about "old bike clubs," but the one good they do is qualify their members before they attain full status. (And yes, I watched the Mongols raids on cable.)
And being an adult I also know that passions can run high in debates. But as discussions have gelled among sm, hso, myself and others, we all found that we can love different knives, a wide spectrum of knife manufacture and out-and-out disagreement and still be viable THR members.
Here's a tragic commentary. I still like to kibitz and party among good friends. Among the tinker/collector sub-set of acquaintances I have, we opined on a meeting to put names to faces.
At this moment, amid the tens of thousands of forum members, we'd like to see a continued relationship with
less than a dozen.
So you see, JShirley, it's not your forum, it's just the people who use it, and the character they bring with them.