Card Scraper Stock

12/7/21, 9:52 PM #1

Bill Tindall, E.TN.
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Card Scraper Stock

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

At Paul Hamler's scraper demonstration I asked what he used for scraper metal. Answer: hardened 1095 "blue tempered spring steel". This material is available from any place that sells metal working supplies- MSC, Travers, McMaster Carr, etc. I have not made my own scrapers yet but intend to and will use this material.

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 12:29 AM #2

John in New Mexico
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Even easier, if not cheap...

John in New Mexico

Drywall knife from Home Depot.

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 12:50 AM #3

Bruce, a MN Galoot
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Re: Even easier, if not cheap...

Bruce, a MN Galoot

I called the maker of those knives a few years back and they confirmed that the stock was 1095. I didn’t ask about the Rc, though.

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 1:02 AM #4

John in New Mexico
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Re: Even easier, if not cheap...

John in New Mexico

I bought one several years ago, intending to make myself a compass plane out of it and a spare frog.... but I ended up using it for drywalling when I realized someone had tossed my usual ones (probably because they had not been washed). No doubt the work of the same someone who can't manage to clean paint brushes.... For diplomatic reasons, that person must remain nameless

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 4:21 AM #5

Bruce, a MN Galoot
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Re: Even easier, if not cheap...

Bruce, a MN Galoot

I bought mine to roll my own backsaw, on an idea from the OldTools list. Instead, it taped the walls of the sunroom I built. It still waits there, mocking me.

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 9:35 PM #6

Jack Dover
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Filing

Jack Dover

How did you plan on filing it? I can't google average hardness of a metal file, but wouldn't be surprised if it wouldn't scratch anything at 50HRC - that's the claimed hardness of drywall knives. A grinding wheel perhaps?

I've been looking for a couple of speciality saws and it looks like they're nowhere to be found. I'm thinking about making them myself, but can't figure proper plate material.

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 9:42 PM #7

Bill Tindall, E.TN.
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Filing can be done

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Files are over Rc60. I suspect hand saws are low 50's along with scrapers. I'll ask Weaver the hardness that will be impractical to file, (who otherwise would be responding himself were it not for......instead we have deodorant discussions about benzene)

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 9:48 PM #8

Bruce, a MN Galoot
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Re: Filing

Bruce, a MN Galoot

A saw needs to be sharpened, and a file is what does it. If the saw can be sharpened with a file, the teeth can be cut with a file. The only things to be concerned about (😱) are tooth spacing and shape.

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 10:24 PM #9

Wiley Horne
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Correct! In addition another David,,

Wiley Horne

David Barnette, alerted us to Grobet Valtitan files with an Rc=72 surface.

Scroll to pp. 20-22 here:

https://www.grobetusa.com/content/NEWFile2014.pdf

Dunno how they get Rc72, but surely Grobet can back it up with test data. Mainly, jeweler suppliers carry these (Rio Grande, Otto Frei, etc).

Wiley…..still mulling over the benzene situation.

- - -

Retired water engineer/manager. Born and raised in Charlotte, NC. Advanced degrees at Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Came to California in 1972 because of the professional opportunities. Made a living in wastewater and water supply engineering until 1999, planning major facility expansions and upgrades, as well as regional water conservation and water recycling programs, and environmental restoration programs in So. Calif. and SF Bay Delta. Keen J. S. Bach enthusiast, and happy to share with others of like persuasion. Retired early 10 years ago due to illness in the household--we needed another pair of hands at home. Gradually converted nearly all operations over to handtools (and one bandsaw) to minimize noise--need to be able to hear things at all times. Favorite furniture styles: American Federal period, Greene & Greene, and for small items--Krenov. Some favorite tools: Yataiki saws, Konrad Sauer and Clark & Williams handplanes, Japanese chisels, Starrett, and everything North Bros. Screw-arm plough planes. Auriou rasps. Grobet files. And my LN 5-1/2. New emerging favorite: Heiji saws. Some favorite vendors: Lee Valley, Lie Nielsen, Tools for Working Wood (Joel) Grateful to: Ellis Walentine, who has endured much and given all to bring us WoodCentral. ______

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 10:37 PM #10

Bill Tindall, E.TN.
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Weaver says.....

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

any steel up to Rc55 can be filed, with 50 filing readily.

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/8/21, 11:31 PM #11

John Aniano in Central NJ
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Re: Correct! Valtitan files & McMaster 1095...

John Aniano in central NJ

Yes Wiley!

Valtitan files are fantastic! I have several of them and use them all the time on wood, silver and gold. Wonderful products! And the Valtitan files can be "liquid honed" by Boggs tools in California to resharpen them. Just thought I mention them too. Another great firm I can recommend...

And yes, 1095 blue tempered spring steel is easily filed with regular files (no need for Valtitan). I've used the 1095 stock from McMaster Carr to make saws and scrapers. Cheaper than buying masonry tools, imo. Do be careful when opening the package from McMaster! Spring steel wants to be flat, not wound up in the cardboard box in which it will arrive! They put a steel band around the coil, but it will rapidly uncoil when it is cut! Beware!

And although I learned about this too late for my saws, I've heard that the blued color of 1095 can be removed easily with citric acid.

John

- - -

My bowmaking web site I have done some sort of woodworking since I was 6 years old. In 5th grade I tried, with my father's help, to make a pine violin. It hangs on the wall in my shop. Later in middle school I had basic wood shop class. No project I can remember that survived from then! In high school, I took wood shop I and II, and metal shop I and II. This along with the usual college prep courses - my counselors thought I was nuts! I made a number of clocks during high school, maybe 2 dozen altogether, including wall clocks, shelf clocks and a pocket watch with wooden case, some of which I still have. I began to collect, restore and use old wood working tools. I especially like 19th century English tools. After graduation, I made a grandfather clock which is now on the landing of my home staircase. I made the metal dial and metal hands as well. In college, I studied Industrial Arts to be a shop teacher. I made a number of projects including a multi-wood specie flax-style spinning wheel and a walnut tool box. In 1978 I began to make stringed instrument bows, self-taught at first. After graduation, between 1982 and '83, I worked for William Salchow, who, at the time, was the best known bow maker in New York City. I stopped bow making in the mid-80's to attend college again, this time for ceramic engineering. Got married in 1988 to my wife Debbie. With her help (although I did a lot of the cooking, hey, I had the time!) I pursued a BS and MS in ceramic engineering. Worked for ~12 years as an engineer in the field of fiber optics (I have one patent to show for it). In 2002 I switched back to making and repairing bows. In 2006 I won a gold medal at the Violin Society of America's International competition. Later, in 2010, I got a second gold medal. Not easy for 50+ year old eyes! I continue to do some general woodworking - dovetailed drawers, frame and panel work, restoration tasks for our 260+ year old home - things like that. Mostly hand work. I have only a few power tools - a tiny 7" blade INCA table saw (which never gets used), 6" Atlas Jointer, 14" Rockwell bandsaw, a circa 1943 Delta 768 10" bandsaw, a 9", 3 foot Southbend metal lathe, Rusnok milling machine, a no-name wood lathe, and Jet drill press. I am a member of the Central Jersey Woodworkers Association - I was the vice president for the CJWA a few years back. I took Mike Dunbar's class in the late '90s and made a sackback chair. Back in ~2010 I outfitted a new, passive solar shop space for bow making and general woodworking. New benches, tool racks, etc. Still working (ever so slowly) on my 10 foot long Roubo-style bench. As of November 2018, the four pieces of ash that will comprise the top need to be milled and fitted, but the base is ~95% finished. Absolutely the largest and heaviest item I've ever made. It has been a fun journey so far!

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/9/21, 3:11 PM #12

Charlie
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Re: Weaver says.....

Charlie

Saw plate is around 50, so yeah, it can be filed.

Re: Card Scraper Stock

12/9/21, 7:49 PM #13

Jack Dover
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Re: Filing

Jack Dover

Yeah, I get this. It's just you guys jump from a generic hardened steel to a saw plate and that's a bit too much of a leap for me. Not all saws are in a vicinity 50HRC, like, Crown Tools saws are perfectly filed with a needle file which can be bent and then straightened (case hardening I assume), whatever hardness this saw might have — it's in quite a low range. Good saws nevertheless. Vintage US and UK saws aren't that hard either, even cheap files cut them like a butter, and that's with all the work hardening over a century. Maybe LN or LV saws are hard, but they don't say numbers, LN says only that they're hardened as high as possible for a file to still cut.

But whatever, if people said they filed this particular steel from McMaster - this is good.

Card Scraper Stock

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