These continue to provide entertainment/meditation (more opportunity to abuse them than I would with hand forged chisels which take much longer for me to make and cost 5-10 times as much in materials depending on steel choice).
They make a good test bed for trying grinding finishes and methods on a contact wheel (Which is round, but used properly, can make a flat surface that's not wavy - wavy is what you'll get if you just use the belt grinder to drop the lands and then sand off marks).
The standing group is handles a bit soft (some shellac turner's finish approaching 15 years old - still works, but dries a little slow), and once they can be handled, they'll get a cleaner finish grind and the tips of the handles will be rounded off and finished.
Since these are in the ballpark of $1.80 each with sales tax here, there's no risk in damaging them. The wood on the handles probably costs more (it's african pear - not a great choice as it's hard, but the durability and directional strength doesn't seem that great). It feels like a double hard african mahogany.
