YAQ - Pitted iron, what to do?

Re: YAQ - Pitted iron, what to do?

William Duffield, on the Cohansey

>Two options: First, you don't need a completely clean face, as long as you have a clean edge. When, during resharpening, the edge works down to a pit, just grind the edge beyond the pit, and keep working until you get to the next one.

Second, wrap up the blade, label it and put it away in a safe place and get a replacement blade from a supplier like L-N, Ron Hock, et. al. and put it in the plane when you are using it. Put the original blade back in only when you put the plane away in its place of honor.

Re: YAQ - Pitted iron, what to do?

mike hamilton

>Option three might be to put just enough back bevel on the blade face to get the point of the blade below the pitting. This was what I had to do to a #4 this weekend after zapping showed me how much pitting there was on the blade. (and thanks to whoever mentioned that one of the pool chemicals is pure sodium carbonate..now I've discovered the zapping slope)

Not sure what York pitch on a #6 would do to your forearms over time......

Regards,

Mike Hamilton

Plainfield, IN

Sharpening method?

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Denis -

What is your sharpening method? Stones - water or oil? Scary Sharp? Tormek? Other? The answer to that question might help folks decide what, if any, suggestions to offer.

Regards -

Dave

Re: Sharpening method?

Denis Ch�nard, Orl�ans, Ont.

>Been doing scary sharp for now, I might switch to stones if I don't like the resulting sharpness...

DC

Re: Sharpening method? *LINK*

Dave (Arlington, VA)

>Hi Denis -

You might find the thread below of interest. I experimented with this appproach for the same reason you are frustrated with your current blade - pitting.

I was pleased with the results - initially.

I have noticed, however, that the blade that was the guinea pig for this experiment has suffered some edge deformation after some relatively extensive use on some pallet red oak (thanks, JR).

So, I'm about to experiment with this process again, but this time rather than grinding/sharpening/honing the bevel to 24-25 degrees, I'm going to try somewhere near 30 degress and see if this helps the edge retain its shape.

Still, you might want to give this approach - or some variant - a try.

All the best.

Regards -

Dave


Ruler Trick - Scary Sharp Version

Re: Sharpening method?

Joe Rogers, Northern Virginia

>Watcha building with that gnarly old oak Dave?JR

Re: YAQ - Pitted iron, what to do?

paul womack

>The iron on the Stanley No.6 I am restoring has some pitting on the back of the blade, enough so that I don't think I can get a clean face without taking away too much steel.

An easy way to get a good measure of pitting depth is to hone a good(ish) bevel, and look at the notches in the edge.

A small amount of maths (that's "math" in the USA) will tell you what you need to know.

BugBear

I vote for #2

Jim Reed @Tallahassee

>Why flog that dead horse? Get a new blade and you will be AMAZED at the performance of your plane.

Re: YAQ - Pitted iron, what to do?

Tom MacGregor

>I also often label & stash original blades and buy replacements for use, even if the original is in good shape depending on the logo. If there's enough meat left for some serious flattening I do the rough grunt work with a cheap Craftsman bench belt sander in horizontal position. I toss on a +/- 50 grit belt, keep a pan of water nearby and hold on to the blade with a super strong magnet some friendly geeks salvaged for me out of an old computer. Moderate pressure & frequent cooling removes a lot of metal quickly and then I Scary Sharp it. I freehand rough bevels the same way.

Re: YAQ - Pitted iron, what to do?

Skip in Falls Church

>My suggestion is pretty much along the lines that have already been suggested but with a bit of a difference. I'd suggest you get a new, thicker blade - with a new heavier chip breaker. With the old blade, I'd go with a 30 degree primary bevel (as Dave suggested) and as low a back bevel as you need to get rid of the pits. I've gone all the way up to a 10 degree back bevel.

If the edge deforms in use, then take the primary bevel up to 35 degrees - if the edge still deforms - then put it away. With this situation you can use the new blade and chip breaker then, if you run into a particularly challenging piece of wood and get tear out with the heavy blade, try switching out to the old blade and see how it works.

Skip