#10
So, a few weeks back I sharpened my chisels on the grinding wheel.  I'm no expert on sharpening and I don't use them very often, but when you want a sharp chisel, you want a sharp chisel.

So in a moment of ultimate stupidity, I beveled the backside a quite a bit.  Now the backside is offset so that when you strike it from the top, it steps away from the mortise you're chopping out.

The back view shot shows where I ground it.  You can barely make out on the side view how now the chisel doesn't lie flat now.  I did this to all my chisels.  Mind you, they're only Craftsman chisels so I wouldn't be out a lot of $$$$ if they're not salvageable.

I do have a machine shop nearby that does my saw blades and planer knife sharpening.  I was thinking of showing the chisels to them to see of they can reground the entire backside.


What's your opinion?  Should I go buy a new (and nicer) set of chisels?   Can I save these??   Thanks!


Attached Files Image(s)
   
   
Dumber than I appear
Reply

#11
Well, not all is lost; you can strike a line with a sharpie square to the sides of the chisel at a point just below the back side bevel, and grind it straight across (90 deg., no bevel) to that line, then on the other side grind a new 25 deg. bevel (get it close, no need to be totally exact) on the top side of the chisel, flatten the back a bit, then to the stones to hone with precision. With all that grinding, take light passes and quench often.
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere
Non impediti ratione cogitationis
Reply
#12
Admiral described it well.

Basically, when you are done, you have a chisel with a blade shorter by, roughly, the length of the bevel that you put on the chisel back.

If you get it too hot, then you move into the realm of heat-treating the chisel to re-harden and anneal it. That is why the instruction to not get it too hot and to cool in water frequently.

If you have a problem getting the blade too hot, you might want to consider holding the chisel by the blade (instead of the handle) when you are grinding. That will not guarantee that you will not overheat the end of the chisel, but it does help.
"the most important safety feature on any tool is the one between your ears." - Ken Vick

A wish for you all:  May you keep buying green bananas.
Reply
#13
FWIW: When you blue a chisel, you’ve essentially wrecked the temper at that spot and maybe 1/16” to 1/8” beyond the blue. Heat flows through a chisel via conduction and gets stuck in the corners where there isn’t as much metal to conduct the heat away.

If a chisel sizzles when you quench it in the water next to your grinder, you are really getting the tool too hot. Use a lighter touch, consider cleaning your wheel or getting a new one, or find another way.

The corners of your chisels are important features. If they get too soft, the tool’s functionality will be compromised.
Reply
#14
Totally agree that your chisels are salvageable as discussed above. However, I want to add that you have my permission to use this as an excuse to go buy a nice set of new chisels. That's what I'd do, and keep the Craftsman chisels as a beater set. 

If you're interested in a different set, I have a set of Marples that I might sell.
Reply

#15
(01-21-2022, 10:04 AM)ajkoontz Wrote: Totally agree that your chisels are salvageable as discussed above. However, I want to add that you have my permission to use this as an excuse to go buy a nice set of new chisels. That's what I'd do, and keep the Craftsman chisels as a beater set. 

If you're interested in a different set, I have a set of Marples that I might sell.

Hmm...got any pics you can post??
Dumber than I appear
Reply

#16
(01-21-2022, 11:50 AM)Dumb_Polack Wrote: Hmm...got any pics you can post??

Here's what I got-
Set of 5 Marples blue handle (made in England) chisels; 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1" (or whatever the metric equivalent is- these might be metric). These are as-found and not originally mine and I haven't sharpened or cleaned them up or anything. Looks like they could use some back flattening and a fresh edge but I think they will clean-up nice. I have a blue handle Marples set as my primary set and they are pretty decent. I think these are older than mine because the logo is different. I'd let them go for $75 and I'll pay shipping if you're interested. No pressure from me to get you to buy them, that was not the intent of my post. But, I have too much stuff so I'd let them go if you want to give them a good home.

[attachment=40077][attachment=40078][attachment=40079][attachment=40076]
Reply
#17
I don’t know what kind of work you are doing. I work a lot with my chisels regardless. It’s just a tool I feel very comfortable with. When I started doing carpentry, I didn’t want to use my hand made 18th c dovetail chisels. But I also didn’t want crap, or so I thought.

I find a lot of modern chisels to be pretty lousy. The steel isn’t hardened well, the handles arent to my liking. I like to push my chisels from the back end with my palm or shoulder, etc.

Long story short, I searched for and easily found old Stanley #50s. The ones with the clear yellow handles. I have a few very old ones with black handles too. They are butt chisels, not my favorite style, but totally acceptable. Steel is good and after a loving rehab, maybe a bit better than good.

There are a couple things about these chisels that make them special: I think Stanley used good quality tool steel. You can find them for under $5 each. I think they were mass produced and marketed to homeowners who, in some cases never sharpened or ground them. So their blades are sometimes pristine. No heat damage. No hacked up backs ground on the side of a grinder (I think this is a bad move but admit to having done it). They are usually just rusty and have the chipped edge from hitting a nail or opening a paint can.

For my situation, I resisted our collective urge to wire wheel and buff these chisels to mirror finish. I let the blades rust to a gray plum color. I only polish the bevels and backs. I carry a 1” in my tool belt pretty much all the time.

There’s something to be said for a decent quality $5 chisel.
Reply
Can my chisels be saved??...I did a dumb thing...


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Product Recommendations

Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We may receive a commission from sales referred by our links; however, we have carefully selected these products for their usefulness and quality.