Hey guys, this is an open question to those four of you who put your stuff in the mail at the last minute for the $19 bend job (the last of the inbound bolts just got here today).

You all opted for the $19 "bend it and square the root back up, the owner will clean up all the forging areas" option which was good as I was running out of belt sander sanding belts anyway.

Do you want your bent handle roots re-hardened or not? If you want it re-hardened, understand it makes the job of sanding the forged zone a laborious belt sander or grinder job (files need not apply).

If you elect to not reharden, a sharp, fine tooth single bastard style machinist/gunsmith's file set will bite on the almost knife hard bolt steel (just barely).

Just post me here or e-mail me as to whether to re-harden or not.

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One note I found packed around a bolt was something I found very amusing.

"Here is my $19, do mine exactly like you did yours"

Dream on, that was a fully-hardened root $29 pay to have it ground all over job if there ever was one. I am still strip-sanding that re-hardened bolt steel trying to blend in the belt sander flats.

If I were doing mine over, I would want to be able to use my gunsmithing files on it.

Oldfeller

OF: If you need to file on some really HARD stuff, pick up a couple of "PFERD" brand "raker files" at your local chainsaw shop. These are flat six-inchers, with a rounded safe-edge on each side, a fine single cut face (two sides), and will last a long time. Some saw chains appear to use air-hardening steel, but even when the owner/operator "burns" a dull chain by trying to get one more cut out of it, these files will still bite the hardened steel. floodgate