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Thread: A Trayful (or two) of Titans
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25th March 2016, 09:42 AM #1
A Trayful (or two) of Titans
A few years ago I was scratching around for a long 3/4" socket BE to 'complete' a set of paring chisels and in the course of buying & swapping about 2 dozen chisels, ended up with a couple of Titan socketed firmers. That set me off on a quest to make up a 'set' of them (I am NOT a collector, I am not a.....). Eventually, I managed to achieve that, with some very generous help from a Forumite or two. Several chisels were in very rough shape when I got hold of them, but they've since been cleaned up & given matching (Brigalow) handles and put back in service. They are good bits of steel and have already done good work for me - I really like them! Firmers.jpg
Amongst the chisels that passed through my hands during the quest, there was a single socketed bevel-edge Titan, which on a whim, I kept. It looked like a 'good' chisel, with slim lands that would make it suitable for dovetailing duties. I resisted for a while, but inevitably, I decided to try & find it some companions (I am not a collector, etc...). Now I didn't know until Doggie enlightened my ignorance, that there are different 'types' of Titan BE chisels, 'heavy' & 'light', and it was the 'light' type that I was seeking, so that added an extra dimension to the search. Again, it took some persistence & help (thanks Doggie!), but I now have a nice little 'set' of 6, with matching Black Wattle handles: BE Titans.jpg
In case anyone takes me to task for vandalising them, only about 3 of the whole bunch (both firmers & BEs) came with handles you could actually use. The others had handles that were damaged beyond redemption, had already been fitted with bodgy ones, or had no handle at all, so I think I am justified in fitting them with handles that are more suited to tasks like dovetailing than the clumsy originals. Two of the handle-less ones had been severely beaten with a steel hammer on their empty sockets and required extensive cleaning up to get the handles to seat properly. Why do people DO that?
The only job left now is to get the BEs all flat & sharp. I've made a start & done a couple of the easier ones, but lapping blade backs is NOT my favourite pastime! I've given each back a good rub on my coarse diamond plate, and they mostly look like this: 5 Flattening.jpg6 Flattening.jpg so I know I'm in for a lot of lapping! Someone has "cheated" and tipped this one up to make a reverse bevel about 4-5mm wide :8 Flatening.jpg which is not really satisfactory. I like to get at least 25-30mm properly flat & polished, but it takes an awful lot of rubbing to get there! This one is almost flat now, but there's still a lot of work left to take out the slight rounding near the tip, & then polish out the coarse grit marks: 7 Flatening.jpg
But I'll get there, a few rainy afternoons when I'm brain-dead & not wanting to do anything that requires thinking will see them all looking like real tools again. There is something very satisfying about seeing a bunch of what were pretty lame ducks all sprightly again....
Cheers,IW
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25th March 2016 09:42 AM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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25th March 2016, 10:03 AM #2
Ian.....I have a good mate (mechanic by trade) who does a bit of "horse trading of all kinds of stuff. In amongst his mechical tools he had a socketed Berg 1" wide. NO timber handle and yes it had been used a lot by a hammer striking the socket. As soon as I saw it I confiscated it!! Much to his dislike. He said it was a great piece for scraping old gaskets off a surface. So I went on Ebay and found some Stanleys that looked tired and gave him one to replace the Berg.
Not long after the Berg swap he gave me a very old Ward 1¼" firmer that he had acquired. Its a very "heavy" chisel. I cleaned it up and turned a hexagonal handle for it. The steel is pretty good and sharpens up well and will hold an edge. When I got back to a work ready state he asked me what I had done with it. When I showed him, he reckoned it was a different chisel to what he had given me.
Why is it, that we have a "soft spot" for quality tools that have been abused, and HAVE to bring them back from there otherwise abused state?Just do it!
Kind regards Rod
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25th March 2016, 11:00 AM #3GOLD MEMBER
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Nice work, Ian. I'm working on a 1/8" increment set of tang firmers that I plan to rehandle. Bit more of a PITA than the sockets, but still a good project. No judgement here for restoring them. If they're anything like those I've come across they need it pretty badly!
As soon as I can find the elusive 7/8" that I need I'll get onto it and post photos.
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25th March 2016, 11:03 AM #4SENIOR MEMBER
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Ian, I know you have rehabbed many more chisels than me, but I thought I would indicate how I handle chisels like this (I lack patience...).
For the first chisel above, after a quick rub on a stone/plate I hit the high spots in the middle (why are they almost all like this?) with a grinding cone on the Dremel, then all I need to do is flatten the edge, usually back about 2" or so. As a result the centre section is very slightly lower than the edges - not a much as a Japanese chisel. I creep up on the right depth with the Dremel, check rubbing on a plate 2 or more times.
For the second chisel, I grind back to the edge of the dubbed over section at 90 degrees, flatten the back, and grind a new bevel. May lose a bit of length, but at my age, I don't think I will wear the chisel out.
Cheers
Peter
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25th March 2016, 04:28 PM #5
Ian, those chisels are looking good mate. No criticism here for replacing the handles, done quite a few myself.
I think I would also do as Peter said and grind that one back, losing a couple of mm length wouldn't bother me.Brad.
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27th March 2016, 09:22 AM #6Senior Member
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All I can say is that there are not enough chisels in this collection.
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27th March 2016, 07:40 PM #7
Apologies, folks, not ignoring you, just been out of interweb range for a couple of days.
Peter, I don't own a Dremel, & if I did, I'm not sure I have the skills to tackle the back of a chisel like that. The diamond plate is exceedingly tedious, but at least it's pretty safe. Like I said, it's the sort of job I keep for rainy afternoons when the neurons are resting....
The chisel with the giant back-bevel just might get the grinder apples to it, yet. I'll see how it goes after another few (hundred) strokes. There's still a bit of shallow pitting to come off, but if it looks like my arms will fall off before it's properly flat, yep, it'll be a few mm shorter. As you say, it's unlikely to make much difference in what's left of my woodworking time...
Cheers,IW
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27th March 2016, 07:45 PM #8
Not a 'collection', Dogs, it's a 'set'. There's a difference, you know.
You'll just have to tempt me, by finding a few 1/8th incremental sizes. I really would like a 1/8" for this 'set', but since you've informed me that Titan didn't do 1/8" in the 'fine' socket BEs, I'll just have to keep my eyes open for something similar in a decent brand......
Cheers,IW
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28th March 2016, 11:15 AM #9Senior Member
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I guess collectors just have bigger sets Ian.
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28th March 2016, 04:26 PM #10SENIOR MEMBER
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Ian, the Dremel is very easy to use. Variable speed and a small grinding cone does the trick. If I can do it, anyone can. Not my idea, from memory Jim Davey showed me the technique, and I guess he saw the technique somewhere. A Dremel is pretty cheap, and comes with a stack of cutting wheels, cones etc. I tried cutting saw plate, but that was not succcessful.
Cheers
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28th March 2016, 07:51 PM #11
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1st April 2016, 04:12 PM #12Senior Member
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Maybe a 1/8th socket berg?
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2nd April 2016, 09:18 AM #13
A Berg would certainly do the job, Dogs, but it would stand out like a sore thumb because of that ridge they put around the top of the socket (I could grind & polish it off, but I don't think my tool vandalism extends that far!). There are other makes kicking about that would match better. For example, I've got a Greenlee socket that could easily pass for one of these Titans as long as you don't see the stamp, so I'll just see what comes along. I'm in no hurry, and it gives me something specific to look for whenever I come across a batch of old chisels. The chase is a big part of the fun, isn't it?.......
Cheers,IW
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2nd April 2016, 01:29 PM #14Senior Member
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The chase and the research IS the fun for me.
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2nd April 2016, 03:20 PM #15
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