Thread: DIY gouge hones

Google is our friend. Here is what the MSDS sheet on chromium oxide says:

U.S. Precautionary Labeling

: WARNING! Causes Irritation. Caution: Cancer Hazard. Harmful If Swallowed or Inhaled. Exceptional Health Hazard: Read Material Safety Data Sheet. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, clothing. Avoid breathing dust. Keep in tightly closed container. Use with adequate ventilation. Wash throughly after handling.

International Labeling

: Avoid contact with eyes. After contact with skin, wash immediately with plenty of water. Keep container tightly closed.

Personally, I'm not going to go near it given that aluminium oxide appears to be relatively safe.

How did you go with this project WW?

Coincidentally I've been travelling the same route - looking at an array of 3 discs of some material mounted on the lathe by means of an arbor.

FWIW Veritas green compound is said to be c. 10,000 g.

My challenge is to find 2-3 compounds that might take a tool off an 80g dry grinder to 1000g or better. Can't locate any info on the particle sizes in the various colour crayons. Josco didn't bother to reply to an email.

Diamond paste makers publish their particle sizes but produce the stuff in 5g tubes (ebay supplier) and I fear these won't go far and the abrasive will simply get pressed into any surface under power.

I have the whole arrangement sorted out in my grey matter, but due to other priorities, I haven't got around to assembling it yet.

My Dad used MDF to hone his chisels, it worked OK and lasted well.

Yeah, have heard that from several sources now.

Also that MDF can vary in quality; what's inside the sheet can be rubbish, and that's of course exposed on the rim.

Think I'll give it a shot anyway, using 'crayon' sticks, and maybe also do a couple with a leather rim for diamond paste.

Anyone know of a source for even thickness leather strips, untanned?

Originally Posted by rsser

Anyone know of a source for even thickness leather strips, untanned?

Seriously? Use irregular leather and sand until it runs true!

OK! Stropping newbie here.

Thanks for the tip.

Absolute ignorant about stropping here. I thought that the stropping was done on the upper layer of the leather, but sanding seems to imply that it is done on the smoothed lower layer. Either way, why is tanning relevant?

Edited after some googling: this utube video http://www.youtube.com/v/4KeFODDXtP0 shows a strop made with ordinary thin coloured leather that any old handbag would provide. Any thoughts?

I must still have some small scraps of full thickness leather (or should that be called hide?) not coloured, but obviously processed (I thought that was what "tanned" meant). Would not know where to get them now, I just happened to find them at a Sunday market about 25 years ago when I had a quickly aborted attempt at embossing. What length strips are you looking for?

Well, for experimental purposes F&E, 8" diam discs so if the maths works, say 26 inch, x 3/4 wide, 2 of.

Can do, in thin (1mm) even but tanned new leather, obviously not in the thick one.
No room for sanding but that should not be a problem if the wheel is true, should it?

Many thanks F&E; would love to take you up on that.

Will PM you.

Got my strop material from a saddler, 70mm wide approx 600mm long $15

How thick Iggy? Full grain?

Originally Posted by rsser

How thick Iggy? Full grain?

Yes full grain with that slightly rough suede inside surface, I glued it to a board and use a combination of metal polish and a fine bearing cutting compound. Once going that rough surface flattens out fast so I guess it would be the same on a wheel. BTW the MDF wheel my Dad used was flat for chisels and accessed from the back to allow sharpening on top of the wheel.