I concur with Howard on Japanese chisels, the lamination is sort of an
analog of the Samurai sword - the cutting edge is softer so as to not be
brittle and can be sharpened with a touch up, the body is hard to
maintain form.
There is another advantage, the grooved back allows one to sharpen
Jon,
Its the other way around. The edge is very hard, high carbon steel. It
is so hard that the chisel would snap if it were hit. The backing is
softer metal, the best being some sort of wrought iron, very tough, with
a fibrous grain structure. The tough iron supports the brittle steel.
I seem to recollect being advised to buy old second-hand from market stalls,
preferably a good Sheffield name. This I did, and have not been
disappointed. They mustn't be too rusty, though...
Yours,
Tony
- Original Message -
From: Andrew Hartig cittern2...@theaterofmusic.com
To:
I've been using the same set of Marples Blue Chip for a dozen years now. If
I recall correctly, the bevel angle when new was 25 degrees. I've raised
that to 30 degrees with a micro-bevel at about 32. This really affected the
edge-holding ability. They don't chip nearly so easily.
I do have
