Bent chisels & gouges

[JohnPW]

Hello all,

I've got quite a few chisels & gouges that are bent. Some are bent and curved along the blade; the back is convex and the front is concave. Some are bent at the tang.

Someone told me a possible cause might be from mallet blows. Is there a way to straighten them? I was thinking of putting one part in a vice and grabbing the other bit and just pull or push. Will the steel bend or just snap?

And does it even matter? After all, cranked handled chisels are effectively already bent, ie the handle is not in line with the blade.

 

[rxh]

Please can you post some photos of the offending tools? That would make it easier to propose a solution or say whether they were deliberately made bent, as some carving tools are.

 

[tobytools]

Are they like this?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/73fdtm9815h9x ... .05.16.jpg
https://www.dropbox.com/s/kwe1osqk5rf3s ... .04.38.jpg

Who are the makers? And what the handles look like?

Photos would be best.

I dout a hammer blow could bend a chisel as you suggest
TT

 

[Cheshirechappie]

As rxh says, some carving gouges were deliberately made with a slow bend in the length of the blade - referred to as 'sow-back' gouges, I think. There are also some that are straight for most of their length from shoulder to edge, but have a fairly sharp reverse bend towards the edge. Ther're used for getting into tight places on carvings. I doubt the curve will result from mallet blows - hardened steel will tend to snap if abused, not bend.

Any bench chisels with a definite bend in the length of the blade are probably scrappers, and I can't think why the maker would allow them to market in the first place! Trying to straighten hardened steel will only result in the blade snapping. The shoulder, bolster and tang, however, are left soft (or at any rate should be), so a bit of gentle tapping with a 1lb ball-pien hammer or similar might straighten things up.

Failing that, it is possible to fit handles in line with the blade by drilling the hole for the tang 'on the slant' to match the tang. Not easy, but easier after you've done one or two.

 

[Jacob]

...
Someone told me a possible cause might be from mallet blows. Is there a way to straighten them? I was thinking of putting one part in a vice and grabbing the other bit and just pull or push. Will the steel bend or just snap?...

Snap (but they are probably supposed to be that shape to start with). If they bend they are crapp and just drop them in the bin don't waste your time.

 

[JohnPW]

Haha, these are definitely not the carving tools withe curved blades, they're all firmers and bevel edges.

From Top:
Robt Sorby, blade is straight, possibly the handle has not been fitted on straight or the tang is bent.

Marples, looks like the handle has not been fitted on straight.

Robt Sorby, kangaroo logo, blade is straight, possibly the handle has not been fitted on straight or the tang is bent.

John Bull, Sheffield, Made in England. But "Hearnshaw Brothers" missing or worn off. blade is straight, possibly the handle has not been fitted on straight or the tang is bent.

Last one is EA Bell & Son. Blade at where the maker's stamp is is in line with handle but beyond that it's bent. More pics:

I've also got gouges that are bent but they are not curved bladed type, I don't have them with me at the mo so can't post pics.

 

[wizard]

Tangs are bent put them in a vice and pull them straight the tangs are soft and will bend

 

[Harbo]

They look like good quality old uns that have been mistreated over the years - did they all come from the same source?

Rod

 

[Jacob]

Tangs are bent put them in a vice and pull them straight the tangs are soft and will bend

Yes and then just sharpen them.
I wouldn't get carried away with any flattening nonsense - just use them as they are and if being a bit bent really is a problem use another chisel.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

It looks as if they've been abused at some time in their lives, not with a mallet but as crow-bar substitutes.

Three possibilities -

1) trap blade in vice (may need a little tapered packer to accomodate the blade taper) and try heaving or malleting them straightish again.

2) If the first two or three inches of blade behind the cutting edge are straight enough, use them as is.

3) Given that secondhand chisels are freely available and cheap, find some better ones.

 

[J_SAMa]

Hello all,

And does it even matter? After all, cranked handled chisels are effectively already bent, ie the handle is not in line with the blade.

Depends... Flatten and sharpen them and have a go. Chances are they are useable as they come. I've a couple of bent, old chisels too (either at or near where the blade and handle meet). Really can't notice the difference in use. Fact is I never knew they were bent until I decided to sight down the length one day.

If it has a kink instead of a continuos bend, like this the EA Bell & Son you posted, it will be perfectly fine as long as you only ever touch the unbent section when sharpening.

UPDATE:
Just checked, even my new Two Cherries have handles fitted slightly out of line... (hammer)
So if you checked some of your other chisels, they might be like that too :wink:

 

[JohnPW]

Thanks all for the suggestions.

They look like good quality old uns that have been mistreated over the years - did they all come from the same source?

Rod

Those particular ones did come from a job lot but I just picked out those obviously bent ones as an example. I have bent ones from other sources as well, like this Sorby gouge:

It just says "Sorby" and "cast steel", I can't see a trace of any initials even though the layout of the words suggest there should be.

It seems most of the tools are bent at where the handle meets the blade, because, as mentioned, that's where the steel is softer. Therefore I guess it's possible to undo the bend, if I wanted to.

And when I said the blades themselves were straight, actually most have a slight belly on the back and will need some work on a stone, but that's going off topic