I'm going to hang a target on my shop wall!

J. Hoffman

J. Hoffman

Dealer - Purveyor
I want a target that I can bang my head against, instead of the just the random spots I've been using! I get one or two days a week to work on knives, and my two days this week have been ruined. First I found an issue with some HT'd knives I was grinding on. Two of those blades are now broken. I then decided I was going re heat treat the 1095 blades that I had remaining, and I was going to HT some AEB-L. I go to fire up the kiln, and there is no power. I flip the breaker and sparks fly. Then I start tearing apart the walls to try and find the problem. I peel back a section of wall and there are two beady eyes staring at me, and I can smell something dead. Lucky me, I have mice living in the walls, and I figure they are feasting on my wires. So I have now chased my wires through the wall and attic (which is about 150 degrees), and I can't find any real issues. I found a section where the outer coating of the romex was broken, but the interior wires are still insulated. I can't see the last two feet of wire by the plug, but the rest of the wires all look good. So now I guess I'm going to put it all back together and hope for the best. It's too late for me to HT yet tonight, so I guess I'm stuck until next week. Oh well, hopefully my next days off will be more productive in the shop.

Does anyone else ever have days where nothing goes right?
 
...yeah, about the last three weeks, I'd say.

Well, maybe not that bad, but I've definitely been struggling. Tried a different blade coating for my pre-heat treat thermal cycling, and when I quenched I had pitting, and quench cracks!!! Lost four blades. I've been using this same batch of steel for 6 years, and have never had cracking issues. Only part of my process to have changed is this stuff. Already boxed up to go back to momma. Ah, well...
 
had the EPA raid me , take my working kit 800 miles away all the time threatening me with huge fines and penalties to test it all and realise a webber puts out more CO2 .. all be cause some greeny types have moved into the small country town i live in who hate veterans and guns and knives , been making do with patched together kits since , screwing up haldf of what i do , getting very flat on the forehead so thinking i gotta stand back against a beam and swing backwards to give the front a break , been trying to figure some new to me belts but the only ones saying anything is the folks selling them ... just the way it goes i guess .. got a 16 lb hammer to bash me toes with if/when the head cant take no more.. but sorry to hear ya experience eh , wouldn't wish that junk on no-one eh .. Cheers to ya eh ..
 
Know the feeling. Been trying to finish the new shop so I can start working again. Everyone in the family has a problem and they all become mine. That everyday Florida rain is driving me insane. May just need a target myself! LOL
 
i dont know what you guys call plasterboard over there but it sounds like you need to invest in some, it makes a mess but you wont be frustrated once you punch it into dust
 
Last couple weeks I've been running in circles, directionless. I can't put my finger on it but it seems to be just general burn out. On the few days I've been focused, I've had unexpected company, and the day was wasted for knives, but good otherwise. The carpal tunnel has been slowing my hand sanding so I have about 5 knives almost ready for handles, but it's slow going.

Rant over.
 
I finally moved my trash bin within arms length of my grinder. It seems to be working out quite well for those projects that don't first become projectiles. So far this week I've tossed a six inch dagger that became a six inch tooth pic real quick and a nice little wharnie.......well it was nice before I began grinding the maple burl handle, lol. That one took extended flying lessons along with a few dozen good whacks from the ballpein hammer. When I mess something up I want it to stay messed up! I must have left all of my mad knifemaking skills at Ed's place.........
 
I proudly finished my second knife over the weekend. On monday, I dropped in on the driveway and destroyed the ironwood scales.. ARGHHHHH!!!!
 

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I have no idea what a bad day is, every day is rainbows and unicorns around here. Everything I touch flies together like it had eyes of its own, I just have to think hard and it'll turn to gold in my hands. Reality check!
EVERY DAY IS HUGE POOP SANDWICH AND I HAVE TO TAKE A BIG BITE OF IT!
Seriously, I think everybody has days where you should just close the door and walk away. Everything has a different view the next day, I've saved a lot of knives by doing just that, walk away for the day. I also have to inject that some stuff is destine for the scrape barrel regardless of how many times you walk away.
 
Well Guys I feel you pain and at the same time while I am tearing my shop apart to close my retail location and having o down size to a one car garage shop I had a man come by the store yesterday that put it all in prespective!

I heard a tap tap tap of a blind persons cane at the door and yelled that I would be right there.
Well it turns out this gentleman was also almost deaf and I put my hand gently on his shoulder to let him know I was there. He keep saking for Jim, I tryed and speacking directly at him at about 16" and the man pulled a grease board and a marker out of his pack and handed it to me.

I told him my name is Laurence and you are at my cutlery store, how can I help you?

Through grease pen on the board that he had to hold about 3" away from his I to read it turned out he was looking for the sound recording studio that's two doors down.

So in spite of my pains and having to cut my time at the grinder to only about 5 hours a week and all the BS withcoling the shop & the doctors and INS co.

I have decided that I really don't have one single problem that can't be dealted with! :60:
 
Ya, Laurence, it always helps to find someone who has a real problem to point out that life can be inconvenient at times.

Doug
 
Doug Lester said:
Ya, Laurence, it always helps to find someone who has a real problem to point out that life can be inconvenient at times.

Doug
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Doug,
That was the cosmic thing about my meeting this gentleman. For lack of a better word.
I was in the throws of a little pity party about having to close my shop and not being able to grind full bore for a few hours everyday! He found me! I'd swear the man up stairs had him pay me a visit. LOL
 
Boy, Laurence, that had to be a wake up call.Still, with the medical problems you have had, I have wondered how you have managed so well? When my knees get real bad and I complain my wife asks me if I want to have the legs below them removed so the pain will go away. Frank
 
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