Show Off Your Chisels

[DSEL74]

Indeed they do.
There are tool rolls that seem to be better at the non absorption of moisture -but they all do it.
The other problem is that during continued wet weather, they tend to grow mould on the surface of the leather. Even the Lie Nielsen leather tool rolls do this.
It is the trade off you make when you decide to use the convenience of a leather tool roll.
Cheers
SG

I was thinking in terms of protection. I guess the chisels not knocking against each other would reduce some rust.

[Scribbly Gum]

I was thinking in terms of protection. I guess the chisels not knocking against each other would reduce some rust.

Yes, they are better protected than if they were simply bouncing around in a tool box. I bought/was given as gift - tool rolls for a different purpose. I like my chisels sharp, and the tool rolls are - for me - primarily to protect the cutting edges from contact with other things. Any rust protection is a bonus.
Against this, you cannot see them in the tool roll, so if there is a run of damp weather, you have to check on them regularly, as they will just get on with oxidising while you are not watching.
Cheers
SG

[Berlin]

These fabric tool rolls by Pfeil are good. They are made of something synthetic, but don't feel it. You can find them at carbatec.

Cheers

[DSEL74]

until you see the price

PF-RL-12 Pfeil 12 Piece Roll (no chisels) $72.00 PF-RL-25 Pfeil 25 Place Chisel Roll (no chisels) $154.00

[Bushmiller]

until you see the price

PF-RL-12 Pfeil 12 Piece Roll (no chisels) $72.00 PF-RL-25 Pfeil 25 Place Chisel Roll (no chisels) $154.00

If I was going to fork out that kind of money I would go for a nice leather tool roll such as Harold and Saxon supply. In fact I did that. I just need some chisels worthy of the tool roll .

The other way is to find a woman to keep you in the style to which you can easily become accustomed. I asked mine to make a up a cloth tool roll on her sewing machine to keep some combination spanners. It is identical to a chisel tool roll. (You didn't think a "wealthy woman" did you? )

Regards
Paul

[Berlin]

Cripes! I got one thrown in with some chisels. I must have moved the decimal on my head!

[Basilg]

In my opinion chisel rolls are fine for short term storage or avoiding edge damage during transport of tools

other options for a woodworker may be

1. buy some wood and make trays to keep the chisels in
2. Wander the streets and pick up roadkill such as old drawers, bedside cabinets etc that can be turned into suitable storage
3. Find an old pallet & use the wood to make storage.

Wood will also absorb moisture and promote rusting but I have found by sealing the inside of drawers or trays with Shellac this problem is significantly reduced.
The trays inside the drawers shown in the attached can me removed and stacked, and tied together with a cover so they can be carried around. these are all made from roadkill.

Regards

[IanW]

Wood will also absorb moisture and promote rusting but I have found by sealing the inside of drawers or trays with Shellac this problem is significantly reduced.

Bas, it's not only the water itself; when that frees the tannins & other chemicals in some woods, they are really toxic to steel! I found this out to my cost when I used some scraps of silky oak for tool slots etc. I very quickly got rid of it, but still have some etches on a couple of saws as a reminder.

Two woods that I have found to be relatively safe are Camphor Laurel and Hoop Pine, but for added peace of mind, I spray some Lanotec onto any areas that come into contact with unprotected steel. I'm sure there are lots of other safe woods. I would avoid eucalypts like poison, having seen what they can do to nails.....

Cheers,

[Basilg]

Bas, it's not only the water itself; when that frees the tannins & other chemicals in some woods, they are really toxic to steel! I found this out to my cost when I used some scraps of silky oak for tool slots etc. I very quickly got rid of it, but still have some etches on a couple of saws as a reminder.

Two woods that I have found to be relatively safe are Camphor Laurel and Hoop Pine, but for added peace of mind, I spray some Lanotec onto any areas that come into contact with unprotected steel. I'm sure there are lots of other safe woods. I would avoid eucalypts like poison, having seen what they can do to nails.....

Cheers,

Ian

The trays I showed are made of 3mm ply and Kauri ( NZ I think). I did have a problem a few years back with a small Cedar ( lebanon I think ) bracket holding a square, which resulted in the square being covered in a sweetly smelling gum I threw the bracket away so I can't say if sealing with shellac would have solved the problem. My tool board has a number of racks made from various wood scraps NGR, White Oak, Tas Oak, Mahogany, Brigalow, Kauri and others, none of which seem to be causing or accelerating corrosion. Maybe the tools are being protected by regular applications of Elbow Grease ? I do believe the latter is the best protector bar none, but tools that don't get a lot of use I give an occasional wipe of G15.

Regards

[IanW]

.....White Oak, Tas Oak,.....

I'd be a bit nervous about those two, myself.

Most wood is fine as long as it remains dry - you've got to have some water for the chemical reactions to take place, but using an added protective barrier like Shellac, Lanotec, vaseline or whatever is a very sensible eextra precaution, imo.

.... Maybe the tools are being protected by regular applications of Elbow Grease ? I do believe the latter is the best protector bar none, but tools that don't get a lot of use I give an occasional wipe of G15.

Agreed, regular & constant use plus occasional protective coatings (of just about anything, to judge by our wide range of personal preferences ) seems to be the secret recipe! Regular use not only abrades & polishes the surfaces, you see any blemishes before they get too far, and can take appropriate action.

And as for the gummy exudate from softwoods, resin is very hard stuff to block, both from what I've read and personal experience. The best method seems to be to solidify the resin with heat, which isn't usually an option. I've got some pine weatherboards on my house that have patches of resin bleeding through the paint. The worst one is on the sunny side of the house, and I think that (after 15 years), it has finally hardened & has stopped bleeding, so I'm hopeful that a good scraping & a coat or two of shellac & the next coat of paint will finally cover it!

Cheers,

[pmcgee]

Going back at least two months and coinciding with a few positive changes in the garage organisation battle, I was pleased when I caught on to the Lanolin idea, and progressively got into my accumulated chisels that were suffering a little and deserving of some attention.

And it wasn't just the chisels that (finally) received the benefit of some responsible ownership ...

Garage 007.jpg Garage 008.jpg Garage 010.jpg

some low-budget japanese chisels + bevel-edge Titans

Garage 009.jpg Garage 014.jpg

Titan firmers + mortice chisels (one of my first tool loves)

Garage 015.jpg Garage 016.jpg

I also had bought - over time - quite a few bevel edge and firmer chisels - old brands mostly English/UK.

Recently a wad of socket chisels arrived from the US that I had bought in a single lot. It boosted the "other chisels" department by 50% roughly - so I had to get all of them together to see what was what.

Eventually - threatened with eviction for occupying the lounge room floor (it was hot outside ) - I decided on which were staying and some that could be moved on.

The crazy thing is, Lois thinks that will still be too many. She must be miscounting somewhere.

The brands cover ... Marples, Sorby (I + R), Ward, Toga, Buck, Buck & Ryan, Butcher, Woodcock, and one labelled Gottschalk & Co.

And from the US ... Greenlee, Samson (Union Hardware), Crescent Edge Tool, Winsted, Witherby, Winchester, Fulton, Cleancut, Lakeside, Edgerite, Enderes, and Pexto.

chisels 044.jpg chisels 045.jpg

[rsser]

Good work pmcgee and that's a nice kit of chisels.

It's not poss. to have too many. It is poss. not to have enough space for them

[pmcgee]

Good work pmcgee and that's a nice kit of chisels.

It's not poss. to have too many. It is poss. not to have enough space for them

Sounds like that could apply to a number of things

I don't want to have *millions* of them ... but these are all very nice ...

One day ... a small lathe ...

Some better photos.
Paul.

chisels 050.jpg chisels 051.jpg chisels 053.jpg chisels 052.jpg

[IanW]

Paul - the only down side of getting a new batch of (old) chisels is the thought of incipient RSI from all that flattening & polishing to come, unless you are lucky enough to get a batch that has been meticulously maintained by the previouis owner - not a common thing, in my experience.

I too have a 'thing' for socket chisels, besides being aesthetically pleasing, they are so much easier to make new handles for when necssary (or not so necessary, in my case - I just like to make my own)....

Cheers,

[pmcgee]

Paul - the only down side of getting a new batch of (old) chisels is the thought of incipient RSI from all that flattening & polishing to come

I'm safe for the moment

I think I have only ever gotten about twelve chisels ever into a pretty serious working condition.
(Ok - not counting carving tools. I sat down to about 20 of those over a couple of weeks.)

The last was a 1/2" titan bevel-edge ... after I had been using green crayon & a strop on the carvers.
It was when I was on my third (I think) attempt at practice dovetails, and I was very pleased with the low angle I ground on it (about 18 degrees) and how sharp it had come up.

The next hour or so I spent poking myself with it every time I picked it up, set it down or changed hands.


Cheers,
Paul

PS. I forgot these fellas. Two sets came from the Fremantle Wooden Boat Works when they had a closing-out auction, and they were sharpened at quite a low angle.

chisels.jpg