IceShanty.com's Ice Fishing Community
Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Equipment => Topic started by: B540glenn on Mar 30, 2019, 08:23 PM
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Hypothetical Situation: It's summer, you've been fishing open water for a couple of months. You find a set of auger blades from winter that you KNOW are quite dull. Your last memory of them was a very poor performance. You want to try some different techniques to sharpen them.
Question: How do you test how sharp your auger blades are when there's no ice to test them?
Equipment: StrikeMaster Mora, 6" and Lazer 8" blades.
Reality: I bought new blades to get me through the winter and didn't sharpen my old blades. I will try to sharpen them during the summer but need a way to verify the sharpness.
Any suggestions?
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Fill a 5 qt ice cream pail with water, freeze it and drill part way through the ice. If you have a big freezer, use a bigger bucket.
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Hockey arena.
Next question...
I know, not helpful but I couldn't resist ::)
OK, now for real. 10# ice block(s) depending on your auger size. If you've got a chest style deep freeze you could "paste" multiple blocks together with water. Paint the inside of a cardboard box so water won't soak in right away. Chill it in your freezer and add water in portions so it freezes quickly. Build to your desired thickness in layers. Should freeze hard enough to give you a good idea.
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options:
never touch the bottom of the blades while resharpening.
this may help https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=309016.0
send them in to get resharpened.
wait til you need an ice auger.
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... this may help https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=309016.0 (https://www.iceshanty.com/ice_fishing/index.php?topic=309016.0)
That thread motivated me to try sharpening them myself.
... send them in to get resharpened.
That's the reason I searched for the thread above.
I took 'em to a local shop. They cut worse after I got 'em back.
I now have two sets of blades I can practice on and perfect the sharpening techniques listed in the thread.
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never heard of that issue about sending out for sharpening before. care to share who you used so none of use them?
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Preferring not to specify the name, I can give a general description.
It was a fishing shop located across the street from one of the Air National Guard bases located in southeastern Michigan.
I have no other complaints against them, I just won't be bringing in blades to get sharpened.
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Anglers Point?
They've always had a good reputation for blade sharpening....
<°)))>{
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Aren't they under new management?
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Use a 5 gal bucket. You'll notice the ice will crack so when it does add water to fill the voids. When it comes time to drill you must clamp the bucket to keep it stable and from spinning. If all goes well you'll have perfectly shaved ice that you can't get anywhere else.
Refreshments, I think so.