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#1
Knife Sharpening / Re: Modding 2 Cold Steel Heavy...
Last post by kwakster - Today at 04:34:20 PMJust came home from a camping & hiking holiday in France, mostly in the Morvan nature reserve, which itself lies in the Burgundy region.
Still not very touristic when compared to the south of France, and especially if you like good quality local food, various wines & beers i would highly recommend this region.
The beef cattle you can see in the background of the pictures are of the Blonde D'Aquitaine breed, which thrives in the area and are a prime source of high quality beef.
The modified machete again came in very handy during our hikes, as some trails were almost grown shut.
It devours brambles, various types of green undergrowth, as well as both thin & thick saplings with just a flick of the wrist.
Thinner trees with a thickness the size of a grown man's upper arm take just a few hits at speed for them to fall over.
Because of the efficient design of the thin blade together with the high tip speed this machete bites very deep, so consequently on thick wood i do have to wiggle the blade free after each hit, but that is to be expected.
Still not very touristic when compared to the south of France, and especially if you like good quality local food, various wines & beers i would highly recommend this region.
The beef cattle you can see in the background of the pictures are of the Blonde D'Aquitaine breed, which thrives in the area and are a prime source of high quality beef.
The modified machete again came in very handy during our hikes, as some trails were almost grown shut.
It devours brambles, various types of green undergrowth, as well as both thin & thick saplings with just a flick of the wrist.
Thinner trees with a thickness the size of a grown man's upper arm take just a few hits at speed for them to fall over.
Because of the efficient design of the thin blade together with the high tip speed this machete bites very deep, so consequently on thick wood i do have to wiggle the blade free after each hit, but that is to be expected.
#2
Knife Sharpening / Re: Modding 2 Cold Steel Heavy...
Last post by kwakster - Today at 04:32:48 PMStill had these 2 pics on my wife's phone.
Most green stuff around this size takes just one swipe at speed.
Most green stuff around this size takes just one swipe at speed.
#3
Knife Sharpening / Re: Modding 2 Cold Steel Heavy...
Last post by kwakster - Today at 04:31:59 PMWhat remains of the second Heavy Duty machete after completely reshaping both the blade & the handle, pictured here below a slightly modified Cold Steel kukri machete.
The idea was to combine an only 2.0 mm thick & lightweight machete blade with a modified kukri form which uses a more forward placed & pronounced belly as it's sweet spot, with an aggressively slicing forward curve as a follow-up.
It's in the testing phase and i'm still working on it, but so far it has already proven to be very effective as well very easy on the wrist joints due to it's low weight.
With a 45 degree angled hit at speed the blade will cleanly pass through a wrist size young birch tree/sapling, almost without feeling the impact.
Thinner springy stuff that isn't immediately severed by a direct hit by the belly gets sliced by the forward curve, but most of the time the combination of a high tip speed with that curvy sweet spot is more than enough to do the job.
The current convex edge is done on 400 grit wet & dry SiC paper on a rubber backing using WD oil as a lubricant, and measures ~30 degrees inclusive.
The handle is contoured & fuzzy finished with the woodrasp.
Playing around with crosshatching using a waterproof marker to check on the location & size of the sweet spot as well as the effectiveness of the slicing forward curve after a chopping session.
Before:
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After:
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Currently busy with giving the forward portion of the blade somewhat of a lenticular cross section to further improve upon pass-through cuts.
So far i'm having a lot of fun for only very little money,
Current specs:
Overall length: 51,2 cm
Blade length: 37,5 cm
Blade thickness: 2.0 mm
Weight: 386,9 grams
Steel type: 1055 carbon steel
Hardness: ~56 HRC
Handle material: polypropylene
The idea was to combine an only 2.0 mm thick & lightweight machete blade with a modified kukri form which uses a more forward placed & pronounced belly as it's sweet spot, with an aggressively slicing forward curve as a follow-up.
It's in the testing phase and i'm still working on it, but so far it has already proven to be very effective as well very easy on the wrist joints due to it's low weight.
With a 45 degree angled hit at speed the blade will cleanly pass through a wrist size young birch tree/sapling, almost without feeling the impact.
Thinner springy stuff that isn't immediately severed by a direct hit by the belly gets sliced by the forward curve, but most of the time the combination of a high tip speed with that curvy sweet spot is more than enough to do the job.
The current convex edge is done on 400 grit wet & dry SiC paper on a rubber backing using WD oil as a lubricant, and measures ~30 degrees inclusive.
The handle is contoured & fuzzy finished with the woodrasp.
Playing around with crosshatching using a waterproof marker to check on the location & size of the sweet spot as well as the effectiveness of the slicing forward curve after a chopping session.
Before:
After:
Currently busy with giving the forward portion of the blade somewhat of a lenticular cross section to further improve upon pass-through cuts.
So far i'm having a lot of fun for only very little money,
Current specs:
Overall length: 51,2 cm
Blade length: 37,5 cm
Blade thickness: 2.0 mm
Weight: 386,9 grams
Steel type: 1055 carbon steel
Hardness: ~56 HRC
Handle material: polypropylene
#4
Knife Sharpening / Modding 2 Cold Steel Heavy Dut...
Last post by kwakster - Today at 04:29:00 PMSome time ago i bought these 2 Cold Steel Heavy Duty machetes for 10 Euro each as modding projects.
No Tormek involved btw.
One of them now looks a bit like a slender barong with a swedge (maybe this will be sharpened later on, don't know yet)
The contoured & resurfaced polypropylene handle has a bit of a negative angle to the blade which so far seems to work well, but i haven't chopped wood with it yet.
The convex edge measures around 30 degrees inclusive and is armhair shaving sharp.
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No Tormek involved btw.
One of them now looks a bit like a slender barong with a swedge (maybe this will be sharpened later on, don't know yet)
The contoured & resurfaced polypropylene handle has a bit of a negative angle to the blade which so far seems to work well, but i haven't chopped wood with it yet.
The convex edge measures around 30 degrees inclusive and is armhair shaving sharp.
#5
General Tormek Questions / Re: EzyLock Best Practice
Last post by John Hancock Sr - Today at 03:27:11 AMI bought a T7 second hand (actually the wife picked it up at an auction for me) and the wheel was rusted solid on the stainless shaft. The wheel broke coming off. The shaft was also well worn. It looked like it had never been lubricated. In hindsight I could have taken it off with the correct technique but hindsight is marvellous.
I always remove the wheel after a sharpening session and have storage for all of the wheels to allow them to dry properly. I also keep the shaft well lubricated.
I always remove the wheel after a sharpening session and have storage for all of the wheels to allow them to dry properly. I also keep the shaft well lubricated.
#6
General Tormek Questions / EzyLock Best Practice
Last post by RichColvin - Today at 03:12:58 AMI was recently using my SuperGrind 2003 which has been upgraded to use the stainless steel shaft with an EzyLock nut. The nut was well locked in place, holding the SG-250 quite tightly, and it took extra tools to remove the nut.
As I dove into the screw threads to figure out how the nut got stuck, I found it was rather full of some gunk. It was easy enough to clean up, but it does bring me to a thought about a best practice.
I already lower the water trough, but going forward I will also be sure the nut is removed or at least loosened.
As I dove into the screw threads to figure out how the nut got stuck, I found it was rather full of some gunk. It was easy enough to clean up, but it does bring me to a thought about a best practice.
I already lower the water trough, but going forward I will also be sure the nut is removed or at least loosened.
#7
Tormek T4 and T4 Bushcraft / T4 Water Trough Improvements
Last post by skier4Life - Yesterday at 05:44:30 PMI wanted to share a useful upgrade I've been trying for the Tormek T-4: an improved water trough for the T-4 from Swan Prints:
https://swanprints.us/shop/product/TT4WT
One issue I've had with the factory water trough is that when sharpening longer blades, water can follow the blade by adhesion and end up outside the trough rather than being caught cleanly. This replacement trough has been valuable for that specific problem.
I also really like the built-in magnets. They are a nice practical addition and make the trough feel more thoughtfully designed in day-to-day use.
I'm still using it and forming longer-term impressions, but so far it has been a worthwhile improvement over the factory trough for my T-4.
https://swanprints.us/shop/product/TT4WT
One issue I've had with the factory water trough is that when sharpening longer blades, water can follow the blade by adhesion and end up outside the trough rather than being caught cleanly. This replacement trough has been valuable for that specific problem.
I also really like the built-in magnets. They are a nice practical addition and make the trough feel more thoughtfully designed in day-to-day use.
I'm still using it and forming longer-term impressions, but so far it has been a worthwhile improvement over the factory trough for my T-4.
#8
Knife Sharpening / Re: How to achieve less than 1...
Last post by BPalv - June 28, 2026, 05:06:25 PMQuote from: Brock O Lee on May 01, 2026, 12:18:22 AMIn Vadim's book he does state there is a correlation between grit size and low BESS numbers.Quote from: tgbto on April 30, 2026, 02:49:17 PMQuote from: Brock O Lee on April 29, 2026, 02:01:36 PMI have found that it is much easier to get low BESS scores when I sharpen at low angles (sub-15 dps). In my experience diamond stones tend to produce lower scores than the SG-250, and higher grit finishes (1000+) produce lower scores than lower grit finishes.
Just to make sure : when you talk about lower scores, do you mean lower BESS number or lower sharpness ?
I meant lower BESS scores.
To rephrase, I've noticed that the SE-250 (extra fine diamond wheel) gives me lower BESS scores (sharper edge) than the SG-250 (standard stone wheel), on the same kitchen knife (Spyderco MBS-26 steel similar to VG10), at the same angle, using the same technique.
I have not experimented enough to say this is definitive. At the moment I suspect it could be due to grit differences, or that one abrasive cuts a certain steel cleaner than the other, or something else?
That is going deep into the weeds... Take it as one data point from "a guy in his garage seeing a thing". 🙂
I am a dedicated BESS user. I use it several times on quality steel knives as I sharpen them. It always removes the question of "how sharp" they are or if the burr has been fully removed. It is invaluable in determining how much and what technique to use stropping.
One last point... many have stated there is no point in striving for 50 bess. The sharper a knife starts, the longer it stays sharp. And, it's not liner.
Yes, you can sharpen under 100 with an SG wheel. CBN or Diamond is more consistent.
Lastly, Bess testing will shave time off your honing learning curve. (If your taking notes).
IMHO
#9
Knife Sharpening / Re: SG-250 Bond Strength - Too...
Last post by BPalv - June 28, 2026, 04:42:47 PMAs an experienced user I imagine you have, but have you used a diamond plate to de-glaze and redress your stone? I use cheap diamond plates in an 80 and 400 grit. Allegedly the 80 will get the stone to 220 grit, the 400 comes out as 1000 grit.
It only takes a short time to deglaze or change the grit.
I use the diamond truing tool as needed.
It only takes a short time to deglaze or change the grit.
I use the diamond truing tool as needed.
#10
General Tormek Questions / Re: Sharpening a curved herb k...
Last post by John Hancock Sr - June 27, 2026, 01:03:54 AMI have a draw knife which is similar in shape but longer. I don't bother with the machine, I sharpen it by hand. I hold the knife handle while drawing the stones along the blade.