Sleeplessly browsing online I came across some unusual looking chisels and a few days later they arrived
They’re both stouter than other firmer chisels I have but not as chunky as mortice chisels
Something quite pleasing about the Isaac Greaves mark
Vs the usual stamping
Another of the interesting aspects of them is that they both had additional bevels ground on them by their previous owner - I’ve got a few ideas but anyone come across this before or know why?
As ever with older chisels a bit of a gamble as to how the backs will look. The ibbotson is the worse of the two but also the smaller. Worst area by the tip - exactly where I don’t want it as it makes it all problem rather than somebody else in 50-100 years time
A chisel is just two flat surfaces meeting at an apex, the finer the finishes on each face the cleaner the edge. If I just sharpened the bevel I’d have a ragged edge from the pitting. Where the chisels are a good length - and that was part of getting them I didn’t want to just shorten back past the pitting either.
So I thought I’d see how quickly I could get the back cleaned up.
First few passes over the belt showed it was gonna take a bit of work.
But after a few mins of carefully grinding it back, cooling in water after every pass and checking for flatness I got it cleaned up and at a rough 180g over 60g finish
A piece of 120 on a granite block then does the final flattening work
Showing the unevenness from the grinder
Maybe 5 mins persistence had it flat and clean
And then 240g which only took a minute as at this point everything is flat so you’re abrading all of the surface evenly rather than chasing out scratches in dips.
There’s still a few little black dots from the worst of the pitting but it’s in much better shape now and ready to sharpen up -and we all know that’s the uninteresting part.
So if you see chisels you like the look of, even if they’ve got a bit of pitting they can be made very serviceable in fairly short order.
They’re both stouter than other firmer chisels I have but not as chunky as mortice chisels
Something quite pleasing about the Isaac Greaves mark
Vs the usual stamping
Another of the interesting aspects of them is that they both had additional bevels ground on them by their previous owner - I’ve got a few ideas but anyone come across this before or know why?
As ever with older chisels a bit of a gamble as to how the backs will look. The ibbotson is the worse of the two but also the smaller. Worst area by the tip - exactly where I don’t want it as it makes it all problem rather than somebody else in 50-100 years time
A chisel is just two flat surfaces meeting at an apex, the finer the finishes on each face the cleaner the edge. If I just sharpened the bevel I’d have a ragged edge from the pitting. Where the chisels are a good length - and that was part of getting them I didn’t want to just shorten back past the pitting either.
So I thought I’d see how quickly I could get the back cleaned up.
First few passes over the belt showed it was gonna take a bit of work.
But after a few mins of carefully grinding it back, cooling in water after every pass and checking for flatness I got it cleaned up and at a rough 180g over 60g finish
A piece of 120 on a granite block then does the final flattening work
Showing the unevenness from the grinder
Maybe 5 mins persistence had it flat and clean
And then 240g which only took a minute as at this point everything is flat so you’re abrading all of the surface evenly rather than chasing out scratches in dips.
There’s still a few little black dots from the worst of the pitting but it’s in much better shape now and ready to sharpen up -and we all know that’s the uninteresting part.
So if you see chisels you like the look of, even if they’ve got a bit of pitting they can be made very serviceable in fairly short order.
