MacGyver

TDS-US gets them in frequently, but they go fast. You have to check pretty often. I got some about 6 weeks ago.

Agreed. I'd call it more of an academic exercise to see if it could be done. I think you would have a tough time getting the whole working surface of a drill bit to the correct hardness with a torch. With a name like MacGyver, though....well, you know.

Absolutely. The starting point of the metal defines the starting point of the process, I guess. In Lester's drill bit case, it seems that your bit has been annealed by heating it up in whatever media you are drilling and then letting it air cool. You would need to get the hardness back up by heating it and then plunging it, and then heating it back up until it's where you want to work with it. I'll give it a try over the weekend. I just inherited a bunch of old tools, included in which were hundreds of drill bits that had been run too fast and trashed. I don't have a sharpener, so I'll have to try my hand at it on the bench grinder when I'm done to re-dress the cutting edge.

So... tempering metal is a process that is actually the reverse of what most people think. When you heat a piece of metal up to a certain temperature and then let it cool slowly, you are annealing the metal, or making it pretty soft. When you temper a piece of metal, you actually want to get it to it's hardest point, and then bring it back down to the degree of softness you require. So, to your example, if you were to heat your bit up with a torch and then plunge cool it, it would be hard and brittle. As an interesting experiment (wearing eye protection) heat an old bit up with a torch to a mild cherry red, and then plunge it in a bucket of water. Take it out and drop it on the floor, and it will shatter like a piece of glass. The way I was taught to temper metal when learning old school blacksmithing was to polish it at this point and then appropriately start to heat it back up. You would see a color spectrum start to appear (like appears on your drill bit when you really heat it up) and stop when you get the working part of the tool to where you want it. That is a very rustic explanation, and modern heat treating makes old school tempering pretty much unnecessary. It's a neat skill to know at least a little bit about, though.

Yeah, that would put a cramp in your hand for sure. The one that I've used that I have been most impressed with is the Darex v390. It's ridiculously expensive unless you're sharpening a ton of bits - regularly. The drill doctor systems seem to work well on your standard 135 degree bits, and they say they'll do split points as well. Somebody should make a jig for a bench grinder that doesn't require you to make space for another machine in your shop. All most machines seem to be is small diamond wheels with a free spinning chuck to let the bit rotate as it comes in contact with the wheel.

Pretty much. I used to wach my grandfather sharpen bits on a whetstone. He did chisels and plane blades this way, too. It took a little bit of technique, but I'd think it wouldn't be too hard to learn - so long as you aren't sharpening a lot of bits.

I think as a general rule, your experience with a drill bit sharpener will be more dependent on how the bits were treated beforehand. I've got a friend who has a sharpener that he paid a good bit for, and was unhappy with it because it wasn't doing a good job on his bits. Problem was that he had been running most of his bits way to fast and essentially annealing them by getting them too hot. If you remove the temper, the bits are trashed. No sharpener is going to work. I know a lot of people like the drill doctor brand.

As a small business owner, one thing that I have learned for certain over the last couple of years is that NO ONE in our government, whether Democrat or Republican has ANY IDEA AT ALL about how hard it really is to actually "create a job". I'm not talking about a make work bureaucratic position, not a temporary position like the census workers that keep falsely inflating the employment numbers, but a real, honest 9 to 5 making the wheels of capitalism turn job. They've got no idea.

I switched to the 147gr Federal HST a couple of years ago, and love the heavier round. Whether it's the heavier bullet, or a reduced charge to keep them subsonic or a combination of both, my recoil management is noticeably better with the 147gr round.

It's the CW, which doesn't inspire confidence, but I'll give it a try.

Yep. Don't look any further than the Peltors. The Tactical 6's and Tactical 7's are both great models.

A drop of blue loctite works great. So does a tiny piece of teflon tape.

That's a good looking blade!

I looked at it, but ended up choosing .458 SOCOM instead. I liked the range of bullet weights available in that platform. Your useful range is limited, but within 200 meters it hits hard. I think with any of the big wildcat rounds be it .458 SOCOM, 50 Beowolf or BA50, you're pretty much committing to reloading your own, so that's a consideration, too. Let us know what you decide

Yeah, it was last night. You can see it here: Watch Justified Season 1 Episode 13

Justified was picked up for a second season. I think they have some room to continue the story and characters, but in my opinion the season finale was perfect. They could have wrapped it in one season and still had a great show. I think that's a concept that more people in TV should try. That is, the perfect one season show. You don't have to worry about continuing plot lines, demanding actors, etc... You've just got 13 or 26 episodes to tell a perfect story.

I'm with you. She is way hotter than Ava in my opinion.

I've watched most of them on CastTV, too. It's a lot more convenient that way.

Anyboady see the season finale last night? I watched every episode this season, which is a rarity for me. I really enjoyed the finale.

Too bad the dude didn't just come out and say what he was trying to accomplish before he was banned. I would have loved to have heard it in his words. That said he certainly had ample opportunity and warning to see his ban coming, so it couldn't have been a surprise. David, you have been way more patient than I would have been.

They're both within 3 blocks. Have fun. Remember what I said about the floor caving in.

Whisnant Gallery at 222 Chartres is the other. They've got a lot of medieval stuff. It's like a museum that you don't need a ticket for. I remember going there back in my college days; the owner was great about showing his collection. Definitely check it out.

Make sure you go the end of the French Market and take a left on Barracks. There is a little place right around the corner called Louisiana pizza kitchen. It's been there forever, and is one of the few places I make it a point to visit every time I'm there. The only other must visit place in my book is either an early morning or late night visit to Cafe du Monde for beignets and cafe au lait. Two different experiences based on when you go. I would allot at least a couple of hours just to wander the streets of the French quarter from canal st. to barracks st. There are a couple of antiquities dealers who specialize in old weaponry. Cohen & Sons on Royal is definitely worth a stop in. I'll try and think of the other. The French quarter south of bourbon is absolutely one of my favorite places to spend time. But, watch your step. If the floor caves in you'll go straight to hell.

Why not go through one of our local dealers? You aren't going to beat that for fast, and the transfer fees will eat anything you might save.

That looks great. Nice Work!