favorite go to tools

[Chevythunderman]

I can sharpen a knife without guides and get them scary sharp but its something with the single edge of a chisel that I have a hard time with. I have a large Arkansas tri stone that I use along with a small flat medium diamond sharpening tool. I have better luck with the diamond tool than the stone. I have all kinds of leather laying around and will try that. I have used a piece of 1000 and 3000 grit paper to polish my surface of the chisels and that helped a lot but its still not as sharp as I like. I'll try the glass and paper trick and see if that works. I totally agree on the better steel in chisels and tools. Im a firm believer in the you get what you pay for theory.

 

[MSW]

forgot to mention ... if you cruise flea-bay, you might run across a set of Millers Falls palm chisels. these are very nice: they come in a cute little wooden box, with a small (not very useful, but kind of decorative) whetstone, and a sliding wooden lid. the company that makes them was right down the river from where I live, and was sold to some mega- conglomerate in (I think) the late seventies or early eighties.

anyway - these may prove useful, especially if carefully sharpened. they're usually not too expensive, so spring for a set that's in good shape with a complete box and stone.

if you're so inclined, you can make small chisels out of cut nails, which you can forge (that might not be the correct term) with propane or MAPP gas, beat into the shape you want, and quench in 30 weight motor oil. I've tried this with varying degrees of success - I suspect that the steel in the cut nails isn't what you'd call high quality, so it's pretty much a crapshoot. I defer to the much-smarter-than-I-am guys who know about forging and machining.

good luck!

 

[Chevythunderman]

I have "forged" some of my own chisels with heating them up and quenching them in used motor oil. I've just used some old files and screwdrivers to some degree of success. I will look for those palm chisels on the ol "fleabay". Thanks

 

[ZUG]

Your original question can have MANY answers depending on what you want to do, sawing the stock to shape, Shaping the stock, cutting the barrel channel in, drilling the ram rod hole, inletting the lock and other parts , etc, etc, etc. I start with a pencil & paper, then bandsaw, back to the pencil (mechanical drafting type), rawhide hammer & chisle for barrel inlet and ramrod channel, Milwaukee 3/8" variable speed hand drill for ramrod hole, hacksaw to cut dovetails for barrel tenons, Drill press for barrel pin holes, then back to the bandsaw to trim off excess wood, rawhide hammer & chisle for lock, trigger, trigger guard inletting, band saw to cut for butt plate, vairous hand planes, chisles, scrapers for stock shaping, various metal work tools for making parts for gun, torch to solder/braze parts when necessary. I might have left some tools out but ALL my tools are my favorite's :haha: .

 

[Eric Krewson]

You can make all kinds of neat scrapers and chisels out of concrete nails.

 

[Tinker2]

Starting with a 1" thick 100 grit chromium trioxide wet turning stone,

chromium trioxide ?






Tinker

 

[Tinker2]

I find 5 seconds on a buffing wheel to polish my edges up and get them sharp enough to shave your arm smooth.

I have used a hard paper wheel on my buffer and yes it works well if you are careful.



William Alexander

 

[eggwelder]

Those talking about making your own tools, chisels, etc, need a copy of Alexander Weygers "The Complete Modern Blacksmith". One of my most treasured pubilcations. Be careful, if you do not already do blacksmithing and you get this book, chances are you`ll develop another rather expensively inexpensive hobby.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

You know, I suppose your go to tool COULD be a hammer, assuming you're a blacksmith. :grin:

 

[Zonie]

A good dial vernier caliper.

With it I can measure inside measurements, outside measurements and depths to .001 (±.0005) accuracy.

I can also set it for a specific size or distance and use it for laying out the locations for pins and screws.
I can lay out the locations for underlug pins and verifying drill bit sizes to make sure I have the drill bit that I think I have. (This is especially important on small tap drills where the marked size is difficult/impossible to read).

I can measure the overall width of something and then set the jaws for half the width to scribe the exact center by using the jaws as a guide.

There are a lot of tools for removing material but not many that can make such accurate measurements as a good dial vernier caliper.

 

[Chevythunderman]

I've been flirting with the idea of learning some blacksmithing....but I can hear my wife already "how much is this going to cost us"....The possibilities are endless being able to blacksmith and build muzzleloaders and build knives. Are it could just be a place to rest all my irons that are in the fire..... :hmm: :hmm:

 

[eggwelder]

get the book by Alexander Weygers. if you stick to his way, it is very inexpensive. my forge is made of clay from my back yard, i make my own charcoal from pallets, and my first anvil was a big chunk off a Caterpillar bulldozer. as you advance and want to be more Jones-like, it will get expensive....feel free to PM me. and as for cost, my clay forge has made me about $2300.00 since spring