CLEAR LAKE

[Shotgun]

Went out to Clear this morn with high hopes of a few burbot or that elusive 20 pounder

Went down the lake past the home made shack on a trailer and set up about 5-600 meters away, one fella was nice enough to mark his fishn spot(don't know why people do that)  so that made my choice of where to begin easy.

Half way through my first hole my auger just stopped drilling.  Acted like I hit into some sand or something.  20 minutes later I have my first and only hole.   2 hours and nothing.

Was not about to attempt to drill another so home I went.  Took the blades off and they are totally dull could not cut butter.

Put on a fresh set and am once again ready to go but maybe not back to Clear, at least not for now.

Maybe I'll go out to Crawling in the next day or two.  Burbot got to be doing their dance real soon me thinks.


SHOTGUN

[ryanlookingforperch]

Odd eh? Think you hit something? Blades just for outta wack?

Good luck next time!

Good fishin!

[Shotgun]

OH OH  NOT THE BLADES


First noticed something strange a few weeks back did not want to drill then all of a sudden she starts cutting.  Put the new blades and tried it out at a pond at the Airdrie dog park and nothing.  Acts like the blades are shot but I put nice new sharp ones on.

Auger is attached firm so don't know what to think.  It is the Strikemaster 11 8 " and this is the first problem.  Changed the blades last year and now this.  Phoned the service outlet for Strikemaster in Calgary and the guy says I charge 100 and hour and it most likely is not worth you bringing it down.  Nice guys don't ya think. \I guess if you pay 700 for an auger it is really only worth 100.

I cannot go without an auger so will be making a trip to town in the morn.  I see a few propane still available anyone ever use one?

I most likely will be selling this Strikemaster cheap.

SHOTGUN

[ryanlookingforperch]

Sounds like what happened to a bit I have that has a bent plate. I try to straighten it now and then. It almost cut last time out.

Good fishin!

[Shotgun]

RLP  are you talking about the plate the blades screw onto?

Wonder how that could get bent.  Could falling over in the garage have anything to do with it?  Sure hate to order a new auger only to find the same issue.

[ryanlookingforperch]

Well the plate my buddy bent on me was the base plate that the chipper blade bolted too.

I took it in, had a really skilled guy try to shim it and that is where I stand with it now. Havent had it out to test again.

It took my buddy hammering up and down as my old jiffy 30 was bogging down in 2 ft of ice and snow and slamming the bottom of the hole he was drilling maybe two really hard times by the time I stopped him.

From what I've been told it takes a bit to do damage to the plate in most other ways but once it's bent....it's hard to get to cut right again.

I put new blades on, same thing as you described.

Maybe that's the thing. Thought I'd throw it out there as it sounds just the same as mine was when it was running beauty and wouldn't cut. The exchange of a friends bit proved an instant fix.  Now I'm working on the bit to have as a spare or sell. I would have three 10" bits then. Lol.

Good fishin!

[Shotgun]

Well  I shimmed the blades and just got back from the pond with not good results.  Same, nothing

Guess I will be going to town tomorrow  found 1 Strikemaster with the Honda motor but am having second thoughts after the trouble I am having with this Strikemaster.

Really don't know if it is worth 700 bucks.  Maybe I'll go back to the tried and true Eskimo it is half the price and a lot more durable me thinks

Anyone looking for a great 4 stroke motor for their auger send me a pm


SHOTGUN

[rolling hillbilly]

dont they have replacement legs? that would be a lot cheaper than a whole new auger.

[ryanlookingforperch]

That's what I did. Hence the three bits.

The shimmed one I'm working on fixing. My new auger and it's 10" and the bit I bought once I used the auger with a friends bit and it cut.

Man I had to change the word bit to bit from but like 3 times in this message. Dang phone. Lol. Not new butts here.

Good fishin!

[Shotgun]

So I took my auger down to my good friend at Propmaster and had them have a look.

The bottom half that the blades go onto was a bit out of wack so they made the adjustments so the blade is riding proper but guess what.

Still the bugger will not cut.  Blade is sharp enough to shave with so now I am at a total loss for what next.  Only thing left is to buy new blades, the ones I put on were re-sharpened.  Reluctant to buy a new blade to find out that is not it either. 

One of those damned if you do damned if you don't situations.

Also on a dvd I got with the auger from Strikemaster they said if new blades do not work then contact them.  Well I tried and the number as well as email addy are both out of service.  Nice.

I have had a few inquiries about buying the auger for the motor and will get back to you after my last effort.  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR


SHOTGUN

[ryanlookingforperch]

Man, that's a downer.

I had to work at shimming mine about three times with a friend.

Almost wish I was closer with a bit we could just slap on it.

Dang.

Good luck with it all Shotgun!

[Shotgun]

Now that I have bought a new auger me thinks I will give it another try at shimming the blades.  Lucky for me there is a dog park not far from my place in Airdrie that has a good size pond that I keep trying the auger at.

Had one woman yell at me that there were no fish in there and another guys asked what type of fish I was after 

If I can get it cutting proper I can easy get 350 for it next year, otherwise most likely 100 bucks and someone more skilled than I will fix it up

SHOTGUN

[ryanlookingforperch]

I like that I've got my 10 year old jiffy model 30 cutting.

Have the new model 41 and the old girl as a spare.

I don't think I would sell my old jiffy.  I am sure you'd get a good price for yours ya. 

Should bring a store bought next time and rig 'er up. Punch a hole then make a scene.

Watch them all as you pull up that 5lb trout.

Good fishin!

[TravIce]

So I took my auger down to my good friend at Propmaster and had them have a look.

The bottom half that the blades go onto was a bit out of wack so they made the adjustments so the blade is riding proper but guess what.

Still the bugger will not cut.  Blade is sharp enough to shave with so now I am at a total loss for what next.  Only thing left is to buy new blades, the ones I put on were re-sharpened.  Reluctant to buy a new blade to find out that is not it either. 

One of those damned if you do damned if you don't situations.

Also on a dvd I got with the auger from Strikemaster they said if new blades do not work then contact them.  Well I tried and the number as well as email addy are both out of service.  Nice.

I have had a few inquiries about buying the auger for the motor and will get back to you after my last effort.  GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR


SHOTGUN

Which way are your bolts facing??  I had used a buddies auger and had the blades off to sharpen them, but I put the bolts in the wrong way and the damn thing would not cut no matter what.  We scratched our heads on that one for a bit before buddy finally realized what was happening.  Flipped the bolts and away she went.  Also, who sharpened your blades for you?  I know when I first started sharpening my own blades I would touch up both sides, but you don't want to do that.  They felt razor sharp but would not cut worth a damn.  Sharpened just the one side and left the burr on the other, and they would cut like a hot knife through butter.  Hopefully that helps you out...

[CMMahy]

I had used a buddies auger and had the blades off to sharpen them, but I put the bolts in the wrong way and the damn thing would not cut no matter what.

Yeah, that was a head scratcher for sure! The worst part was, I put the bolts back in the same way when I replaced the blade with my spare, so it took even longer to get things sorted out. 

Make sure the Nyloc nuts are on the top side of the bottom plate, and the low-profile bolt heads are on the bottom, facing the ice.

[Shotgun]

Thanks  the Strike master uses a threaded bolt and the blades also are threaded, only one way to really put them on.

When you said you dulled one side of the blade are you talking the top or bottom half? 

Tried a little more shimming of the blades this morn but no different result.  If I could find a new set of blades I would try them but that is not anything I can find anywhere in Calgary till most likely next year.

Fishing tomorrow so I will at least get to try out my new Jiffy propane.


SHOTGUN

[TravIce]

Thanks  the Strike master uses a threaded bolt and the blades also are threaded, only one way to really put them on.

When you said you dulled one side of the blade are you talking the top or bottom half? 

When you look at the blade, the bottom side will be basically flat, thats the side you don't touch.  Just the angled edge is all you sharpen.  I do mine on a flat diamond stone, biggest thing is to not change the angle AT ALL!!!   As long as there are no serious gouges or nicks in the blade, it shouldn't take much to make the blade good again.  And even if there are some nicks or gouges, file them off without changing the angle, and then hone on the diamond stone.   Just out of curiosity, what is the size on your blades?  Like the stamped size right on the blade.  I have some spare's that came with my auger when I bought it that aren't the right ones, but could possibly fit yours.  I'd let them go really cheep as well.  Let me know before the end of the week as I will be headed down that way this weekend and I could drop them off...