feather chopper not cutting

[Justin Falon]

My feather chopper is not cutting. Well, not cutting well. Everything appears to be in tact. I see that there is an adjustment for the depth of the blade. Anyone ever have this issue? This is a second hand chopper I got off a guy on this site.

Just curious.

[Gordon Jabben]

Your cutter blade is probably dull. I don't think you can have the blades factory sharpened anymore and I haven't had much luck doing it myself.  After cutting a lot of feathers, I just bought another chopper.  Also several light hits with a hammer works better than one heavy blow.

[Justin Falon]

I think you are right. I've got 75 full length feathers that I really wanted to chop. Too cheap to buy another chopper too. Someone traded this to me and I guess I was not as "sharp" as I should have been when I agreed to it. I don't see any way to sharpen the blade.

justin

[Terry Lightle]

They seem to last longer for me if I use a rubber mallet instead of a steel hammer also.I chop a lot of feathers.

[Justin Falon]

well, I've got a rubber mallet and I am gonna give that a whirl......

I had a chopper a few years ago and I could not imagine that thing ever NOT WORKING!

[Justin Falon]

time to buy a new chopper.

first time on this site that somebody sold me junk!!!

[AkDan]

you might call the company I thought early on you could buy replacement blades from them?   Or get it sharpened.

or just buy a burner and be done with it   !

[Roadkill]

Use a diamond stick and it will get sharper if you use good tecnique.  You might also try placing a thin piece of leather or cloth on thetable.  Don't give up on it just yet

[Pat B]

How is the "anvil" surface. On my old chopper that went first by bending and making bad contact with the blade. The one on mine was galvanized sheet metal and should be easy to replace. Replacing with sheet copper might be easier on the blade too.

[Caughtandhobble]

I wanted to throw in my 2 cents... I purchased a new chopper and it did not cut good until I started using a wide surfaced rubber mallet. Good luck brother!!!

[Justin Falon]

I have a lot of sharpening tools. I am going to take the blade off and see what I can do. I don't really understand the mechanics behind what would have made it stop working. The mallet did seem to produce more of a cut though. LIke most things in archery, I have learned a lot by just trying to figure it out. Wish I could make pretty arrows and good bows!  Thanks for all the input.

[Justin Falon]

Necessity is the mother of invention!!!!!!!

Took the blade off. Held it to my paper wheels. Crappy metal so it's hard to raise a burr, but I did get it sharp enough to cut the feather almost with a single whack of the mallet. This warrants more investigation and practice but I will be able to avoid buying a new chopper and for sure another used one!

Thank you all!!!

justin

[kat]

Make sure the chopper is on a hard surface. If it sits on a spongy surface, the energy from hitting it with a mallet will be absorbed.

[JamesV]

I would think any blade could be sharpened, If a man sharpened the original blade I bettcha I can resharpen it.

[AkDan]

Or....

Just get a bigger hammer and whack it lol. Sorry couldn't resist.   Glad it worked.   You could replace the 'ribbon' with better steel.  Try a machine shop or a plastic place that does packaging.   They usually have a stamping press of some kind.   Same concept.  

I have to push mine to the rear before I whack it to get a clean consistent cut.

[D.Ellis]

Originally posted by AkDan:
Or....

Just get a bigger hammer and whack it lol.

I highly encourage this method. I recommend a full 2 handed swing with a 12# sledge hammer(minimum) and then repeat until your arms are tired, or the hammer handle breaks, whichever comes first. Then go buy a feather burner!      
Darcy  

[Dave Worden]

The cutters obviously can be sharpened.  They can also be purchased and replaced.  Also you can take a piece of band strapping, sharpen it and shape it to fit your chopper thereby making your own cutter.  They are easier to sharpen prior to shaping but can be sharpened after as well.

[Caboo]

If chopping on a table make sure your chopper is placed directly above a table leg or get down on a cement floor. Also use a non-rebounding hammer(the plastic/nylon type with steel shot inside)for best results.