Sharpening

Maybe I'm a sucker. Maybe I'm wise to try and preserve what I own.

Sorting through grinding stones online, I ended up phoning Sharpening Supplies and getting sold on a coarse/fine oil stone combo at $31.00 including tax and shipping. This demonstration on how to do it is so convincing, that once I had spent the time looking into the possibility, I didn't want to go back.

But when I checked Amazon for a blade protection bungee, I found blades for only $26.00 Prime. That made me think maybe I'm a sucker. After all, my original blades lasted five years. Just buy new blades whenever they wear out.

But really, I'm pissed I bought a pair not even two years ago and they're not working. Again, I fear the real reason isn't the blades, but the auger's transmission. Any case, I like the idea of maintaining what I own. Enough that I'm willing to give sharpening a try. And try and try. The post I linked to is authentically convincing that it can be done. I'm just not so sure I have the skill.

Which gives me an itch to try.  

Auger Blades

Blades for my Eskimo Stingray failed after five year's use. Naively, I went to a lawn mower repair shop to have them sharpened. When that didn't work, I told Mike Maxwell. He said, "How much did you pay?"

"$23.00"

"About what new ones will cost you."

He was right. $23.00 on the button.

I used them once or twice, can't quite remember which, and then had trouble again early this year. By what Noel Sell told me, it's because I dragged the auger across the ice on the blades.

Frustrating.

So now the blades cost $39.00. Not even two years later. I told my wife. She says it's because of the Trump tariffs against China steel. Makes sense. Though the tariffs don't.

The entire auger did not even cost $300.00 late in 2011.

I'm telling myself I will pay for the blades, but I will not drag the auger on them. I will take care and they should last another five years.

And then I Googled for blade sharpeners, found a blog post about how to sharpen auger blades with sharpening stones, and decided to give this a try. Even if the blades I have now are shot, it's a good idea to have a set of three stones to keep the new blades sharp.

Bad blades can damage the motor. Undue stress. I wonder if the problem isn't the blades, but the motor, anyhow, because it seemed to me as if the auger wasn't rotating up to speed early this year.

(Now I remember I used the bad blades once early in 2018. The new ones worked well during only one outing.)

Oh, well. In any event, for a man my age, a power auger is a valuable tool. When I was 18 I cut 18 inches of ice with a splitting bar. Easy. In 2015 or 2016, I cut 26 inches of Lake Hopatcong ice with my power auger, and there's no way we would have fished that day without it.