Flexcut scrapers

[angelosart]

Hello

I have a set of flexcut profile scrapers and I'm having trouble getting the the different profiles sharpened.  Does anyone have this set or can anyone explain/show how to sharpen various scraper profiles (concave/convex)?

[jasfrank]

File the edges flat, then roll them over with a burnisher. Round works best for some profiles, and triangular for others.

[5thumbs]

What Jasdfrank said - I find it helpful to put the scraper in a vise to hold it and use two hands on the file & burnisher. The rounded ones are the trickiest but with a little practice, you'll get it.

[Bibliophile 13]

Profiled ones are tricky.  Normally, you should file the scraper first, then remove the file marks with a whetstone.  That's easy enough with a regular card scraper, but a little more difficult with, say, a gooseneck scraper or others that have profiles to them.  Convex profiles aren't hard--just set a squared-up block on your whetstone and hold the scraper up against it as you drag the edge back and forth on the stone.  It takes a bit of focus to make sure you're honing the entire surface, but with some trial-and-error you'll quickly figure out the best way.  The block of wood keeps the scraper straight up and down, so you can focus on honing the whole edge.  But concave profiles can indeed be a challenge.  You can use a slipstone if you have one.  Otherwise, you have to go straight from the file to the burnisher.

Also, before you set the scraper up in a vise to burnish the edge, you need to lay the scraper flat on the edge of your workbench and draw out the burr.  Trust me: this really helps you get a good hook on the scraper.  Draw out the edge on both sides.  Only then should you set the scraper upright in the vise and use the burnisher to roll the edge over into a proper hook.

Here's a link that explains what I mean by drawing out the burr.  It recommends skipping the whetstone altogether.  I've tried that but find that the file marks make the burnisher bump up and down. But try it both ways and see which one you prefer.

[Timberwolf]

Hello

I have a set of flexcut profile scrapers and I'm having trouble getting the the different profiles sharpened.  Does anyone have this set or can anyone explain/show how to sharpen various scraper profiles (concave/convex)?

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A Dremel with a small drum sander can work very well for "odd profiled" scrapers...Just chuck the scraper in your vise and dress the edges to your specs...It may work very well right off the sanding drum, but if you are not satisfied with it's performance, just work it over to form a tiny "hook" using your rod burnisher.