woodbrains
Established Member
Hello,
Charles, you are mostly right, I've had some lovely cast steel tools, and the often outperform stuff we get new now. Sometimes there are duds, though, simply because hardening and tempering was a bit more 'artistic' than It is now, with computer controlled kilns making things more predictable. ( not infallible though!) Then, of course used tools can often be dud through previous misuse. I have often had to anneal and re harden tools. I doubt I could do as good a job toolmakers of old, so that discounts those tools as being good old steel, somewhat. Better my efforts at hardening than putting up with sof steel, though. I have a Sims of London #18 round plane, at the moment, which has a decidedly mushy iron, I'll get round to it eventually. The biggest problem is the cost. Clifton make fabulous plane irons, much as you describe, in losing their edge gracefully. Made by hammering over and over, all tools should be made like this. But the price is (understandably) high. So we have to put up with metallurgists alchemy to make something close enough, at a price we are willing to pay. TBH Lie Nielsen chisels could be made like Clifton plane irons, at the price they command, but they are not (I believe) forged, but machined from trapezoidal bar stock. I would not pay that much for a non forged tool, as nicely done as they are. AI at least have lands as fine and are made to some degree. A old Sheffield tool makers used to. Not expensive, either, considering.
Mike.
Charles, you are mostly right, I've had some lovely cast steel tools, and the often outperform stuff we get new now. Sometimes there are duds, though, simply because hardening and tempering was a bit more 'artistic' than It is now, with computer controlled kilns making things more predictable. ( not infallible though!) Then, of course used tools can often be dud through previous misuse. I have often had to anneal and re harden tools. I doubt I could do as good a job toolmakers of old, so that discounts those tools as being good old steel, somewhat. Better my efforts at hardening than putting up with sof steel, though. I have a Sims of London #18 round plane, at the moment, which has a decidedly mushy iron, I'll get round to it eventually. The biggest problem is the cost. Clifton make fabulous plane irons, much as you describe, in losing their edge gracefully. Made by hammering over and over, all tools should be made like this. But the price is (understandably) high. So we have to put up with metallurgists alchemy to make something close enough, at a price we are willing to pay. TBH Lie Nielsen chisels could be made like Clifton plane irons, at the price they command, but they are not (I believe) forged, but machined from trapezoidal bar stock. I would not pay that much for a non forged tool, as nicely done as they are. AI at least have lands as fine and are made to some degree. A old Sheffield tool makers used to. Not expensive, either, considering.
Mike.
