I was just wondering where the ppl in here get their grafting blades sharpened??
My dad use to be a blade smith and I gave him my recently acquired budding blade and he put a razor sharp edge on it..
I asked him how much he would charge.. he said.. " $1 and shipping cost for your friends, if the knife has LARGE nicks to be removed $2."
I thought it might be good to share Ideas on where to have a blade sharpened and offer my dads "services" if any one needs it..

BTW.. Is the hump back on the blade suppose to be sharp? I told him I didn't think so but would ask..
Also.. what is the hump back on the blade used for???

Gina *BabyBlue*

Gina, those are used for opening the flaps of T-cuts. Also for bark lifting in general. It should remain thin but dull.

Thanks for the 411 Joe!!! I used the brass blade to lift the bark.. Guess it would have been quicker to flip the blade over and use that hump than to keep closing the blade and opening the brass blade..

BTW.. Dad said you get a free sharpen when ever you need.

Gina *BabyBlue*

What brand of grafting knife do most of you use?

I'd like to get one, but don't want to spend too much - but I know sometimes you get what you pay for.

Pelham

I will take up on your offer Gina, after I find my other grafting knife, my favorite one. It is a victorinox, my first ever, and I hope I didn't wrap it with another package of budwood and send off to others (non-members here).

Uhh Joe.. the one I have IS a Victorinox!!

Is this the knife in question??

Let me know.. I can ship it back A.S.A.P. if need be..

Pelham, There are quite a few knives on the market.. you can google "grafting knife"or "budding knife" and get quite a few places to buy knives.. prices vary.. I can not say any is better than another.
up till now I've been using exacto knife blades as they are cheap and disposable..
Here are some examples of knives..

http://www.amleo.com/index/help-desk/subcat.cgi?Cat=JC

http://www.amleo.com/index/help-desk/subcat.cgi?Cat=JB

Gina *BabyBlue*

Yes Gina, that one has sentimental value on it. It has made more than 3,000 budding already. I'll send you another one as soon as I can find it. I thought the one that got included was the orange colored one that I used recently. Can you send it please, after sharpening of course, and will add to your "funds" appropriately.

Sure Joe!! I thought it looked "WELL LOVED!!"
Warning should come with the sharpening.. IT IS SHARP!!!! I went to wipe the blade and cut the cloth up pretty good... *I have to wipe all blades as soon as I am done with them or they get permanent finger print..* BTW.. I have perm finger print on the brass blade.. I let it set too long before wiping it off.. SORRY I will try and get it buffed out before sending.. But if they don't come out you know what happened..
Funny thing for a knife collector.. I have high acidic skin and mark metal real easy.. odd thing of it.. if Metal touches my skin for very long I get a blistery rash where the metal touches.. So I'm allergic to metal and metal is allergic to me..
I will send it out Friday.. I'd like to take it for a test run make sure it works good before sending... A.K.A. I have a couple of buds to redo..

Gina *BabyBlue*

I use a razor utility knife. Am going to look for the single edge carpet blade that Ned talked about before...it's only sharpened on one side so other side is flat istead of tapered.

Patty, now you're talking. There are very good carpet utility knives that are foldable and have safety covers too. These are around $12.99 at home depot and comes with a set of blades. Too bad the blades are beveled on both sides but I have used them successfully. These are extremely good at removing the buds from the budstick, big or small. However, I will be using the victorinox to cut out the T on the stock. These utility knives are not that good when making a T, they can damage the stock, especially that my motor skills are not that good. So I use 2 knives now whenever I T-bud. When I am on a trip to bud citruses on other backyards, I only use the victorinox. But if happen upon a super tiny bud, then I ask my friend for a razor blade or a utility knife.

Joe,
I was able to work out all of my finger prints... Thankfully I did not bleed on it.. I will treat it as a collectors item from here till it is shipped to you.. (wear gloves when handling)
The worse that ever happened to my collection.. I received a collectors knife that if put on the market now (at original condition) would bring about $300... But I cut my finger to the bone on it and bled all over it.. the knife was set aside while I was rushed to the ER for 9 stitches.. few hrs later the blood was wiped from the blade but the blade was already ruined beyond repair!!!! I still have that knife, it serves as a hard reminder of safety when handling knives!!
I will get the knife to you in the mail Friday unless you need it sooner.. If you need it sooner let me know..
Gina *BabyBlue*

Hi Gina, no need to rush to mail it to me. You can mail it Friday next week as there will be no one here to receive it. I will be on vacation for 10 days starting Friday and probably will have minimal online access.

I always squirm when someone mentions being cut by knife, happens to me always every year. ooooohhhhhh, it gives me shivers all the time.....

Thanks for taking care of it.

For others, care should observed when handling sharp budding knives.

Joe, just about every Home Depot sells carpet blades that are only sharpened on one side in packs of 10 and 100 blades. The trouble is finding the handle. I talked to Ned and he told me to look for a Personna Utility Knife. The Personna will take any and all of the different carpet blades. - Millet

I was taught knife care and proper respect of sharp objects at a very young age and still have managed 1 MAJOR and about a dozen minor cuts due to knife accidents..

Hope you will be pleased with the condition of the knife.. hard to get a good pic of it as shiny things don't like to be photographed..

Hope you have a good vacation!!!

I will ship the knife on the 25th.. unless plans change. son is graduating basic training in SC that day.. not sure if he is going to send plane tickets to come see him or not.. Will send PM when it gets mailed out so you can watch for it..

Gina *BabyBlue*

Millet, could not find those blades nor the Persona Utility knives. If anyone can give me the zebra numbers, I will be able to search for it and know for sure if our local HD carries them.