What am I doing wrong?

[Blackswanwood]

Obviously my wife would give a long answer to the above but ...

I am a fan of scrapers and some time ago got one free with something I bought from Workshop Heaven.

My method for sharpening which works on my other couple of scrapers is:

• Flatten the edge with a file
  Clean up the edge with 240 wet and dry on a flat surface
  Place the scraper on an edge and run the burnisher along the edge several times
  Place the scraper in the vice and round over into a hook with the burnisher

The only visible difference with the freebie from Workshop Heaven is that it is thicker than my other ones which are Clifton.

I just cannot get the one WSH sharp.

Any suggestions are most welcome.

 

[Glynne]

Matthew Platt (WSH) has a YouTube video on scraper sharpening which will take you through his method. Not sure if it’s under Matthews name or WSH.

 

[Droogs]

maybe a harder burnisher, try using the smooth part or a round rasp or file to allow a little more pressure or perhaps a slighlty more pronounced angle as you run the burnisher along

 

[Phil Pascoe]

of?

 

[Droogs]

yes sorry typo :roll:

early morning chemo-brain

 

[Ttrees]

What sort of edge are you getting straight from the file?
You should be able to get some sort of edge doing so, and if you can't then back to the file.

I like using a dead square block of wood to rest the file on.
I use a single cut file farmers own that's nice and wide and leaves a good edge.

I use the same block for the scraper on a hone.


Tom

 

[Racers]

I usually run the burnisher flat on the face of the scraper to smooth the face, or just to flatten the old burr. You can reform the burr several times before you have to file the edge.

Pete

 

[MikeG.]

What sort of edge are you getting straight from the file?........

Why? The whole point of filing is simply to get a straight edge. f you are forming a bur with a file then you're doing it wrong.

 

[Ttrees]

I found I only get two goes at the burr Pete.
Your comment hints that you can get another burr or two with those slim burnishers you made?
Am I onto something, or can you do the same with any shape of burnisher?
Cheers
Tom

 

[Ttrees]

What sort of edge are you getting straight from the file?........

Why? The whole point of filing is simply to get a straight edge. f you are forming a bur with a file then you're doing it wrong.

To ensure any tipping of the file hasn't destroyed the edge Mike.
I use the scraper straight from the file for shuttering ply that I use at the folks occasionally.

Tom

 

[Racers]

I guess I am a bit lazy when it comes to scraper sharpening I do turn several burrs before I file on all my scrapers, I have a few! They get less effective the more times you reform the burr but they work.
The slim burnisher seem to work better for me don’t know why as the contact patch shouldn’t be any different in size.

Pete

 

[Blackswanwood]

Thanks guys.

The WSH video on YouTube is pretty much the same as the method I use but plugging a particular burnisher. (I did get distracted by their video on Japanese hand planes which look interesting though)

I just went back to it to have another attempt but also took a magnifying glass. The file/wet & dry is getting the edge perfectly flat and square. No matter how hard I try with the burnisher that is how it stays. It is a Veritas burnisher so I would expect it to be up to the job.

It is now relegated to a box of random odds and ends. I will stick to the Clifton one which is continuing to produce curly shavings.

Cheers

Robert

 

[Ttrees]

A block is the easy answer to this
All the best
Tom

 

[Blackswanwood]

A block is the easy answer to this
All the best
Tom

Hi Ttrees - sorry I don’t understand.

If I am getting the edge flat and square what more would the block give me?

Cheers

 

[Ttrees]

If the edge will cut well before you burnish it, then that is when you know that your perfectly
square.
What else could be at play is full contact the length of the scraper, if your changing grits.
Do you notice the scraper cutting only in one particular area?
(Edit: Without bearing down in the middle of your scraper).....
That method on it's own with a long surface area (less likely to lap off the edge)
will make the scraper convex along its length which could possibly be causing problems with full contact across the width.
Not a problem if you are aware of this and hone accordingly.
One might never notice this if they used a file often or if they used curved scrapers often.

Tom

 

[Droogs]

I wonder if the scraper has been over hardened, maybe try annealing it

 

[MikeG.]

I wonder if the scraper has been over hardened, maybe try annealing it

Sensible answer. Blackswanwood clearly knows how to maintain a scraper and turn an edge, so all the instructions on how to do this seem a little misplaced. There's obviously an issue with this individual scraper.

 

[Blackswanwood]

If the edge will cut well before you burnish it, then that is when you know that your perfectly
square.
What else could be at play is full contact the length of the scraper, if your changing grits.
Do you notice the scraper cutting only in one particular area?
(Edit: Without bearing down in the middle of your scraper).....
That method on it's own with a long surface area (less likely to lap off the edge)
will make the scraper convex along its length which could possibly be causing problems with full contact across the width.
Not a problem if you are aware of this and hone accordingly.
One might never notice this if they used a file often or if they used curved scrapers often.

Tom

Hi Tom. It is definitely square in both directions - ie across and along the edge.

Cheers

 

[Blackswanwood]

I wonder if the scraper has been over hardened, maybe try annealing it

Sensible answer. Blackswanwood clearly knows how to maintain a scraper and turn an edge, so all the instructions on how to do this seem a little misplaced. There's obviously an issue with this individual scraper.

I think this is the case. I wouldn’t know where to start annealing it and it feels like quite a lot of faffing around. If I ever need a scraper size piece of steel that will withstand a bullet I now know I have one!

Cheers

 

[Droogs]

Stick in in the oven for a few hours at 200C and try again