chisel sharpening

[navaho]

Can anyone give some basic instruction on chisel sharpening, I can't seem to get my chisels to get sharp. The V type chisels are even harder....HELP

 

Go to google and put in scary sharp. this will give you blades to die for. :rotf: you will never have a dull time. Bob

 

[pondoro]

A holder that forces the chisel to stay at exactly the right angle will cost between $10 and $80. It will help a lot. My buddy can do them by hand and I but I need the "cheater". Mine cost $40 and works great. Cheaper ones might be OK too.

 

[MSW]

Some time ago i rented a video from technical video rentals on stock carving. It was made by Wallace Gussler and was one of the most informative 'how- to's i've ever come across. Ten bucks well spent. In the vid, he described how to sharpen one's chisels and how to keep them really sharp.

I'm more confident about stock carving and a good bit better at chisel sharpening, and I've managed to not cut myself since i saw the vid., so i recommend it highly, both for your question and the underlying carving instruction.

Good luck!

MSW

 

[hollandbriscoe]

Go get yourself a flex cut strop. That thing is great. Of course you have to start with a sharp chisel but it will put a razor edge back on a chisel quick.

Jack

 

[Zonie]

Over the years, I've probably frinkled up more than my share of chisels by attempting to stone them.
My current method is to buy some quality tools which have the correct angle of keeness and to use my bench grinder to keep them sharp.
BENCH GRINDER??
Well, let me qualify that.
A few years ago I bought a few cloth buffing wheels and some buffing compound. Ever sense that day, my grinder has had one of these cloth wheels mounted on it for buffing metal furniture and for sharpening my chisels.
I use a fairly firm wheel and an abrasive grade called "Stainless" which polishes steel/brass to a mirror finish. It removes almost no material so it doesn't change the cutting angle and with 15 seconds of work it restores the tool to the sharpness of a razor blade.

When sharpening, I do most of the work on the bevel side towards the cutting edge and then just lightly touching the flat side to remove the invisible burr that gets rolled over the edge.
Sharpened this way, if I lay the flat side of the chisel on my thumbnail and raise the handle about 1 degree (barely noticable) and push the edge forward, it instantly starts to bite or cut into the nail. :grin:

 

[oldarmy]

you guys are killing me.
A fine india whetstone, finished up with a hard arkansas stone and a leather strope will put an edge on a tool you can shave with.
Takes a minute and once its sharp it only takes a couple of swipes on the hard arkansas.
Zonie,
NortonPike Co. now sells on line.
It's called our kitchen and culterly line, but works great on any edged tool.
We were started in 1823 in Pike New Hamshire and are still making the best sharpening stones in the world in Littleton NH.
It would be great if you could add us to your link of suppliers

 

[TANSTAAFL]

And don't be testing the edge with your thumb after using the Scary Sharp method. :rotf:

 

[navaho]

How about index finger, got me :nono: But did it hurt :cursing:

 

[LSU TIGER]

I use basically Zonie's method. I also use two diamond stones in F (fine) and SF (super fine) and a leather strop for after buffing.

 

[Mr. Chester]

I use a 400 grit black wet type abrasive paper that you'd fine in auto stores and place it on a piece of steel plate that was made for me so it is truely flat (glass plate would work - but they don't survive a drop well). Place the paper on the plate and touch up the edge - if you need to hold it in place with glue, the spray on glue works well - #44 by 3m or something like that.
I simply hold it with one hand and sharpen with the other.
The only time I hit a grinding wheel is for a totally new edge which is not often in my case.
The other thing is the type of steel that your edge is made from, if crappy steel you'll never get it to hold an edge (case hardening might help?).
600 grit and finer - oh baby! the edge you can shave with - be careful with the sharpen edge! :shocked2: it cuts skin too! :yakyak:

 

[roundball]

Another way is a belt sander...match the grit to the job...steak knives, camping knives, skinning knives, chisels, machete's, hatchets, axes, lawnmower blades, etc...sharpened everything we've owned that way for many, many years...just match the grit to the job

 

[Mad Professor]

If working on an old chisel make sure the flatside (back) is absolutely flat and pit free. You can never get a "perfect" edge if there are pits. Take care of this before working on the edge.

For stones I use med-fine diamond then go to hard Arkansas and finsh with leather strop.

 

[George F.]

I see ther're a few good suggestions for you. Sharpening is not vodoo science, so don't be intimadated by it. First I would suggest a slightly lower angle for working with hard woods. Second, an assortment of different stones. Carborundum stones are very course, use them for rapid material removal. Diamond stones are great. They will remove material real fast without much effort, and come in a few grits. Arkansas stones are also good but take a while to remove material, which IMO will result in a rounded bevel if done freehand. However, a surgical black arkansas stone will give you that fine mirrored polished edge that is scary sharp, use it for your final grit. Other stones that are good are Japanese water stones, which also come in different grits...however they are soft and an edge can dig into them and gouge them, but can be dressed back to a good surface with a disc sander or belt sander. Another type are ceramic stones which I have little experience( but the bottom of a saucer or a cup will sharpen almost anything ) Also care of your stones is also important. I personally in the past in my youth I used oil as a lubricant, I didn't know any better. They will gum up a synthectic or natural stone where it becomes useless. I have been using water or spit to lubricate my stones for over 15 years now. The other thing is that stones have a tendacy(?) to glaze, which can be removed by rubing it with another stone with water. Another pointer is that when you put an edge on a chisel or plane iron there is a very fine wire edge that can be removed by inserting the edge in a board hard or soft wood and giving it a little twist followed by stropping it with a piece of leather ( an old belt wooks good.. not a dress belt though.
When sharpening try to keep you angle on the stone constantly the same and square. When you change to a fine stone you can see how you are doing by the difference of the cut the finer stone marks on the chisel, also if you are not putting a flat surface on, if its a little rounded don't be so concerned about it. Sometimes I'll hollow grind a chisel just so I don't have to stone the edge so much( for chisel that are pretty nicked up ). For the rounded surface a few moments with a diamond stone will cure that. I hope this helped some.......George F.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Scary Sharp system. Google it to obtain the best from it.

 

[navaho]

Ok, I don't have a problem with regular chisels, it is the curve ones that I can't get the angle on. What anyone tell me on this.

 

[bouldersmith]

curved chisels are called gouges. I sharpen my gouges on the inside of the radius, leaving the back side "flat". To sharpen a gouge I place it in a vise and use a round stone on the inner curve of the blade. I hope that helps some.
Steve