Thread: Pay Dirt A Chisel Gloat

The octagonal handled chisel is potentially very old. I think you're probably about right with the value assessment as it is, but if the octagonal handled chisel is early 1800s or earlier, it's quite rare. Not necessarily valuable, but a rare treat.

Adding a little humor here- on the right, you have a legitimate registered chisel, and then a later more modern marples version of a registered chisel. There was a kerfluffle a few months ago on another forum because a tights-wearing individual in the US once declared that the term registered chisel is meanlingless. They are simple, however - they're heavier than a firmer (which isn't a heavy duty chisel, but rather one "to form" before fine finish work or carving - more like we'd think of a somewhat light bench chisel) and sold in catalogues as "registered" chisels for work where prying or levering is required.

We've sort of lost our marbles in calling chisels what they would have been called with folks thinking a "firmer" is a heavy chisel when it's really just a term for a not heavy and not finishing/light weight work.

The chisel third from the right shows the difference between what was labeled a registered chisel vs. a firmer - note the formed lighter tang. The registered chisels have a fat short tang, and usually a heavier cross section.

Note the thinness of the octagonal handled chisel at the tang, and then the shoulders and below. And then on top of that, the treat that you see with the bevel, which is that it is very long and thin. I have seen that on the uncommonly found unused and stashed plane from the early 1800s - very long bevels, but not much after that. The tools set up like that are typically honed just at the tip steeper and the bevel being long and thin is of no consequence.

Contrary to a lot of keyboard to chair pondering about which shape of bevel is strong enough and that some will break or something. I've found several planes with bevels like that and it leads one to think "oh, the unsupported non-laminated part will break out". Except when you hone a plane iron set up like that and just use it with only the tip at the final angle you want, you find out it works wonderfully and refreshing it freehand is much easier. The grinding is not quite as easy to accomplish when it's that long and thin, but that arrangement is what was done when time counted and everything was done by hand.

Can I buy suitable ferrules hoops for the ends of the handles a few are missing the steel hoops. I could use brass pipe but steel tubing would probably be more authentic.

Which the octagonal handle it had been badly damaged with the rear end smashed apart - I am thinking of turning the tail end section of the handle into a small tenon and gluing on contrasting timber piece on the end and then fairing the face to match.

Originally Posted by thumbsucker

.......Can I buy suitable ferrules hoops for the ends of the handles a few are missing the steel hoops. I could use brass pipe but steel tubing would probably be more authentic.....

TS, you can buy ferrules & probably hoops as well, a quick google turns up several sources. But for me the easy option is to make them from steel tubing, which you can either buy or canabalise from all sorts of discarded things. I've used water pipe, but that tends to be a bit thick-walled in ferrule sizes. I cut them to length on my small metal lathe, which is easy. It's a bit of a chore to cut them neatly & accurately with a hacksaw, but it can be done well enough that a bit of filing will clean them up......

Cheers,

Brass Wire Wheel brushed the chisels to remove any excess surface rust and they came up nice - no major heavy pitting - they are going to spend the night in a citric acid solution to convert any trace of iron oxide, tomorrow I will use a scotch bright wheel for the final clean up.

The first two is post wire wheel - the second two are the chisels in the citric acid solution.

QUESTION: In the last image you can clearly see two shades of grey I have seen this often with old chisels - what causes this line?

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I agree with what ian said - you can find hoops, or you can find steel or iron pipe and cut it off and make hoops. Brass or copper would look a little weird, but there are worse things you could do than that.

The challenge isn't really finding something suitable, it's more finding something suitable without buying a three foot length of it.

The lines on the tools may be quench depth unless there's an obvious lamination. hardened and unhardened material definitely takes a different finish off of an etch or off of a wire brush.

Originally Posted by D.W.

The challenge isn't really finding something suitable, it's more finding something suitable without buying a three foot length of it.

Yes - I do not want to end up with 10 meters of assorted steel pipe that I will never use. My local steel supplier might sell me just a small sections.

Originally Posted by D.W.

The lines on the tools may be quench depth unless there's an obvious lamination. hardened and unhardened material definitely takes a different finish off of an etch or off of a wire brush.

That was my guess - no lamination line and it would be an odd placement for a weld.

The line is curious on the big one given it's on an incline. It could be that someone with tongs was quenching chisels and just putting them into the quench and holding them, or it was hanging in a rack crooked.

but I like to think rather that they quenched it on the side of a hill.

They were holding the chisels with tongs, and doing this quickly too. Getting them into the quench tub slanted wouldn't be unusual.

Originally Posted by D.W.

The line is curious on the big one given it's on an incline....

but I like to think rather that they quenched it on the side of a hill.

Well Australia is on a slight angle, even if it is mostly 'down under' - so maybe that accounts for it.

Lets be honest - It is Australia the fellow who did the dunking was still hung over at the time that chisel was done.

Had a go at the Berg today I would call it new old stock it was never used. Needs a touch more flattening the back the corners are still not right. However for the grand price of $2.5 here is a near perfect condition Berg. Only some minor pitting on the back but nothing that will not be removed over time.

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Originally Posted by Fergiz01

Well Australia is on a slight angle, even if it is mostly 'down under' - so maybe that accounts for it.

Yeah, I guess that adds a further question from up here in the states - how did they get the quench oil to stay in the tank when the barrel is upside down down there?

hah.

Originally Posted by D.W.

.... how did they get the quench oil to stay in the tank when the barrel is upside down down there? ...

Easy-peasy - we just take the top off & put it on the bottom.

We're almost as smart as your average bear down here......