An apprentice has just bought new chisels, sharpening?

[Anonymous]

The backs are not polished and do have machining marks on them, although it looks like the chisel is laquered so polishing the backs may make them rust with moistiure etc on site?

Your concerns about rust are valid as any tool can be ruined if rust is allowed to get a hold of it and cause pit's But the potential problem of rust can be dealt with by simple procedure's. The lacqeur is applied to prevent rust in the time elapsing between manufacture and arrival chez vous. This could be anything from weeks to years in any variety of enviromnets. Eg files are traditionally supplied in an oily waxed paper for the same reason. However you will be using your chisels every day most likely. And as you will sharpen them nearly every day rust wont be a problem; when you back off to remove the wire edge that takes care of the backs, and the bevel will always be clean as it gets sharpened also, so they wont have chance to get rusty (unless you sharpened them up, left them in a damp cardboard box in a damp canvas bag in a damp shed for 6 months then tried to use them.... :wink: ) And just for good measure, as many folk on here do, you can give them chisle's a wipe evry so often with an oily rag, wd 40, castrol gtx, duckhams chainsaw oil, camellia oil whatever you have to hand this will keep them fit and healthy (only dont use linseed oil as alf will shoot you :roll: ) :lol: :lol: :lol:
PS I use wax to protect my saw's. Every so often I warm the saw gently with a paint stripper, then quickly apply paste wax, then buff when its cool.

 

[JesseM]

Have you seen this jig? I have no experience with it, but it seems like it would be handy in the field for a quick sharpening. And it uses the smaller/cheaper diamond stones.

 

[engineer one]

jesse, that's a version of the one trend sell, sadly not as accurate as it would appear, too little money spent on accuracy, too much on marketing.
( those words from the guy who did the final design :roll: )

si, i have a set of those bahco's and they are a decent chisel, but like all new products these days, (unless you are mr grimsdale) they need cleaning up and flattening. i would suggest you beg steal or borrow the david charlesworth dvd's or at least one of the books.

cleaning up the backs to remove the machine marks will help you make straight cuts, then sharpen the front, and your grinder will help to get the initial angle ok, then you can go to the stones, and i agree for on site, diamonds have a great potential. on these i would suggest that all you do is hone the secondary bevel, so having set your initial angle, go to the diamond stone, put the hone one the stone so it is basically flat, then lift the blade forward a little and then push. this way you get a secondary bevel.

means on site you have less to get rid of to re-sharpen. :lol:

i redo a number of guys chisels, andsend them on site with camelia oil on them, they come back abused, but rarely rusty, only a little colour after they have big lumps taken out of them.

good luck.
paul :wink:

 

[sigibbons]

Wow thanks for the info guys!

So is it worth me getting one of those jigs like Jesse posted or is a simple flat diamond stone ok?

I think i will try to polish the backs up but i may have to start with a corse grit them work down to get through the laquer.

 

[CONGER]

Gib...

I assume 'apprentice' == 'low-budget'... at least that was what it meant when I was a student.

IF I were an apprentice, I would go exclusively down the route of wet-and-dry sandpaper. No glass base required... too cumbersome, dangerous (it WILL break if you take it on site), and 'expensive'. You will surely find a suitable piece of MDF (awful 'wood', but incredibly FLAT), or a pice of CORIAN kitchen top... these will work fine as a 'flat' base... and can be replaced without tears... and with insignificant (probably zero) cash outlay. You will need 3 grades of paper (something like 100, 400, 1200... though you are unlikely to need the coarser grades as you already have a grinder), and 4 pieces of wood to make a 'sandwich' that you can clamp together and move from site-to-site. With a little ingenuity you can add clamping sophistication and other 'gimmics' as you go along.

If you do not feel comfortable with 'sharpening / honing by hand', then do buy a cheap jig... the unsophisticated ECLIPSE jig is quite sufficient.

Total cash outlay... the paper depends on the quality you buy (and where!)... go to your nearest 'body shop' (not the one with the red lights in the window... they are the really expensive ones!), and the boss will let you have what you need for a few pence / cents a sheet. Else try the online outlets (e.g. http://www.fine-tools.com/schleifen.htm )... though some of these tend to stock the better papers which are more expensive. The wood is normally found in (or close to!!) the the bin... and the jig can be fished for a few shekels in the 'bay.

Spend your money on other things (enjoy life), and when you are 'qualified', then think about sophisticated stones... a TORMEK... and the diamonds.

Rgrds, -gerard-... alias CONGER - The Irish diaspora in Munich... who wishes one and all a healthy and peaceful new year.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Anonymous]

I think i will try to polish the backs up but i may have to start with a corse grit them work down to get through the laquer.

Or a faster way would be to use celulose thinners to dissolve the laqcuer, or nitromor's paint stripper?? Or even Mr Jacob Grimsdale's caustic bucket :wink: :lol: :lol:

Ps I sincereley hope this thread does'nt deteriorate into a sharpening jigs are good, oh no theyre not, oh yes they are type routine :roll: :roll: :roll: We know what every one thinks on this topic, is it really necessary to drag that particular pantomime dame up again :?:

 

[Anonymous]

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[engineer one]

i think conger is right about starting out.
there is real value in using elements of "scary sharp", but i wonder whether you need to take so many different grades on site.

i tend to the view that what you are doing on site is to re-establish what you have done to the sharpness in the workshop. so maybe a board with
a finer paper would be the way to go. i am sure that you can find offies of mdf or kitchen top anywhere, it is a valuable starting point.

also a number of people do the eclipse type jig, and you can expect to pay less than a fiver in most places,i have a hilka and that seems almost the same.

just don't dive too far down the slope yet, cause we will drag you along if you allow us to.

paul :wink: