My father in law is a nice guy. He helped us build our house, and he knows a lot about gardening and always gives us good advice. He’s a master mechanic, and has been keeping an eye on my wife’s car since I’ve not had a lot of time to do that the last year or so. He’s retired, so he also takes the kids during the day sometimes to go on walks or feed the ducks, or some kind of other grandfatherly stuff. A really nice guy.
He is also a complete doofus when it comes to anything sharp. He’s got a worn out old benchgrinder in his basement workshop - which he uses to ruin knife blades, lawnmower blades, and anything else that was once sharp and needs to be that way again. He knows that I can sharpen these things to a razor edge. He’d rather grind notches in the stuff than wait a couple of days for me to do it, though.
It isn’t like the world is going to end if it waits a while. He is retired, after all. If the lawnmower blade is dull, then just mow the lawn again with it and bring it to me when you get done. I’ll have it nice and sharp by the next time you need the mower, no sweat. If your knife is dull, dig out one of the other ones I’ve sharpened for you and use it - and give the dull one to my wife for me to sharpen the next time I’ve got a few minutes (and when the hair on my arm has grown back from the last time.)
Listen. I’m happy to do this for you. I’ve even fixed blades that you’ve butchered because you’re such a nice guy.
I’m telling you, though. If you butcher another knife blade with that grinder, I’m gonna come over and use that thing to grind a couple of notches in YOUR blade.
Well, seeing as Father in Law seems like a nice guy and Father’s Day is coincidentally coming up, maybe you’d make everyone happy by buying him one of these?
Nice suggestion. I’m afraid that one won’t work here, though. Besides, he’s got absolutely no feel for he tools - and Father’s Day over here was last week.
Germans don’t give Dads presents, they just let them go out and get blasted. A typical Father’s Day celebration consists of a bunch of Dads getting together with a kids pull wagon full of beer and hiking around town getting drunk. Not my scene. The wife and I went to a movie the night before, and she let me sleep late in the morning. The afternoon was spent playing with the kids.
Back to the grinder. Nope. It ain’t the tool, its the user. If it were just the grinder, he’d have had it dressed long ago and learned to use it - and not to use it on certain things. He can’t even use the small whetstone I gave him a few years back - just slams the knife blade onto the grindstone and butchers another one.
Ge really is a nice guy, but on of these days he’s gonna get it.
Try to hone up on your diplomacy skills a little more. He may not be the sharpest knife in the drawer but there’s no need to get all edgy about it. Any way you slice it he sounds like a pretty decent grandpa. These sort of things can cut both ways too. You haft to make it clear that not every single blade in your house needs to be child-proof. I know you want to spey him with one of his own dull blades. Remember, even the Lone Ranger still had to put up with Tanto. However, I’ll readily admit that he does sound a little whet behind the ears when it comes to maintaining cutting tools.
Any more comments like that, Iampunha, and you’re likely to get pommeled. I know it’s a riveting subject that calls out for fuller examination, butt extensive punning can make you drop points, or at least clip points from your score.
If I were you, I’d guard myself against this tendency, because if you don’t get a handle on it you might miss out on the full tang to be savoured by meditating on the subject.
Make your heart a stone and steel yourself against your baser instincts, and you’ll find a better angle, at which point you can forge on without a bad pattern welded to your postings, your reputation stainless. Indeed, this thread could be your own road to Damascus!
I’ve tried to tech him how to use a whetstone - he doesn’t have the patience for it. As for his grinder, I’d have to get the wheels dressed first, and he’d have them out of true again in no time. He uses it to grind knobs and lumps off of things he’s welded.