Sharpening your Hoof Knife

[linustheferret]

Where do you buy the polishing stuff? 

[densonfarrier]

@linustheferret You can get the polishing compound from most farrier supply houses. I order from Horseshoes Plus out of New Hampshire. However, in a pinch you can use the stuff they sell at Home Depot or Lowes.

[linustheferret]

@densonfarrier Thank you so much for the quick reply. :)

[tshorse]

I will stick with my diamond file and ceramic hone......way faster and easier.

[lynnpaul100]

About how many trimmings can you get before it needs sharpining?

[densonfarrier]

I'm not one to use a dull knife, so I touch up mine on the buffer in between every horse. If the foot is particularly hard and dry, or I hit anything that I failed to clean out with my hoof pick and brush, I'll switch to a sharp knife until I have time to clean the other up. Sharp knives = less accidents. Dull knives = trips to the ER to have finger tips sewn back on (I know that one from personal experience!)

[southernthunder223]

Sorry to be a pain,wanna get it right before I order. What type wheel,spiral sewn,loose sewn,or cushon sewn? Also what face size 1/4 , 1/2, or 3/4. Also, what is scotch bright wheel for ? Thanks for your help. Been using The Knife, Classic long handle for 18 years . Love the knife but cant sharpen worth a damn. Thanks again. Buffer gonna run me about 238.00 277.00 at Enco.

[densonfarrier]

You're not a pain! I'd order the following (i'm giving you the current Enco item numbers. Baldor Buffer (#619-2890 $141.98); 6" x 1/2" Muslin Cushion Sewn Buffer Wheel (#619-0132 $7.74); Scotchbrite Wheel 6" x 1/2" (#619-0693, $30.98); and polishing compound for muslin wheel (Emery #891-5177 $5.61; Jeweler's Rouge #891-5181 $9.06). That should bring you grand total for everything to: $195.37 before shipping (which can sometimes be free depending on what their promotion is. Good Luck!

[southernthunder223]

What horsepower Baldor buffer and what size wheel?

[densonfarrier]

That's 1/3 Horsepower, 6" wheel Baldor Buffer. I bought it online from Enco (google to get the address as YouTube won't let me publish the address.) It cost me around $65 (it was on sale at the time). The Cotton buffing wheel is from the local hardware store ($5), and the Scotchbrite wheel is also from Enco ($35).

[tonymengela]

this is great finely someone who sharpens knifes the same way I do I am looking into going to farrier school There is one near where I live outside orlando but any suggestion would be Great

[e1p12007]

Excellent. I've been using a dremel with a chainsaw sharpening bit, but this looks like the ticket. Many thanks, I'm heading out tomorrow to get a wheel for my grinder.

Even though it'll be too late for me, could you describe the muslin wheel...how firm, etc?

[xMovingxPicturesx]

That is brilliant.

Now, maybe I will have better luck doing my horses hooves. And maybe he won't get impatient with me. Haha.

Thanks for uploading this video!

[densonfarrier]

I'm glad you liked the video. Just be careful the first time you use a knife sharpened this way. It will be sharp, and I mean real sharp. We all have a tendency to let our tools get dull and then we get used to using them that way. Use very little pressure on the knife until you get used to it. My first time I nearly took my own finger off. However, you will find you can trim so much easier and more precisely with a really sharp knife, that you won't switch back.

[MSonh2o]

do you have a technique for sharpenign the hook or do you find it unnecessary to sharpen the hook? Excellent vid!! Thanks for sharing.

[densonfarrier]

Thanks for the comment. It is absolutely essential to sharpen the hook, however I've found that by initially reducing both the amount of hook with a belt sander (which also opens the angle of the hook), that I can easily sharpen it with wheel. When it does get dull, I've found that a diamond sharpener on a Dremel works well to sharpen the hook, and then the wheel and compound removes the burr, as such I only have to dress the hook with the wheel daily, and use the Dremel about once a week.

[draftman420]

where do u get the buffing wheel and compound? great vids!

[densonfarrier]

Sorry I didn't get this posted sooner. I tried and for some reason YouTube wouldn't let it go through. Anyways, you can get the compound and wheels at any farrier supplier, Home Depot, Lowes, most hardware stores, or online from Enco (which you have to google since YouTube won't let me post their website.) Good luck and make sure you wear your safety glasses and keep the wheels spinning away from you.

[XArabHunterX]

Thats cheating, lol

[densonfarrier]

If that's cheating, call me guilty.

[XArabHunterX]

lol

[mocowboy68]

beats the hell outta using an old fine tooth chain saw file,now i gotta find me 1 of those buffing wheels

[XArabHunterX]

Yeah, im useing a chain saw file, it sucks. lol

[ponytoes]

Thanks for posting this! It looks a lot easier than the hand sharpening tools. :-) Kathy

[davidkozelsky]

Have you tried to resharpen your rasp? I do it and it works for me well. It's simple.

[densonfarrier]

I've used this method to clean the gunk out of my rasps, but haven't found it to really sharpen them. What I do use is called Easy Sharp. It is a liquid sharpening solution that actually shrinks the core of the rasp leaving it sharper than new. The best part is one bottle will sharpen about 60 14" rasps, and I've done as many as three sharpenings per rasp before they are junk. Do the math, that's a lot of money saved. You can find more info by searching Easy Sharp on Google.

[footfixer1956]

great video

[davidkozelsky]

I use the same technique to sharpen my hoof knife but if I get the hook too close to the buffing wheel it will "kick". So be carefull there,please. I like the idea having the wheel spinning away from me. I'll try that. Thank a lot for the video.

[densonfarrier]

I'm happy to hear you like the video. I think you'll find that with the wheel spinning away from you, there is far less chance of the blade kicking when you get close to the hook. I know when I first used a buffer, I had knives flying across the shop, but for what ever reason, it doesn't happen in this direction. Give it a try, stay safe, and good luck!

[davidkozelsky]

Thanks, I'll work on it tomorrow. I like your other videos as well. You are very skilled....love the heart bar shoe video.

[HoofSupport]

I use nearly the same method. Except I currently have a felt wheel. I use "The knife" and the blade is curved, so it takes some getting used to sharpening. I have a grinder mounted in the trailer just for knife sharpening. A sharpened knife will last me one day with a lot of usage. It takes less than a minute to re-sharpen. A knfe lasts a long time this way vs a file. Good work!!!

[AlanMolstad]

when you shot this video and had the camera looking straight down while the buffer was spinning, how did you keep the camera from getting covered in splatter?

I make knives and wanted to video the buffing stage but I sure dont want to cover the lens in splatter...

[densonfarrier]

For the most part, I've noticed that any splatter makes it stricly to the wall in back of and below the buffer. I used a tripod that let me keep the camera about 7 feet in the air, and used the zoom to get in close. The end result is a shot that looks the camera is right on top of the buffer, but is actual fact is about 4 feet above it. Again, this wasn't a foolproof method, but luckily it worked.