# Chisels, why did I wait so long?



## lwllms (Jun 1, 2009)

For years I've been saying I was going to re-harden the vintage Buck Bros. chisels I use daily. They, like most vintage Buck Bros are nearly as soft as the modern chrome vanadium British chisels like the Sheffield Marples Blue Chip chisels. I'll never understand why I see so many people recommending Blue Chips and all those I have are from when Marples made them.

Last Friday, I broke down and re-hardened the six old Buck Bros chisels I use so much. What a difference! I was sure the steel was good but that Buck Bros drew their chisels too far back when tempering.

None of the contemporary chisels I've seen are properly shaped or balanced. It's a shame. Ashley Iles Mk2 chisels aren't badly shaped and the steel is good. I just hate the clumsy handles and the whacky balance caused by the huge bolster. By comparison the Buck Bros. are more like highly refined little surgical instruments.

Here's the 3/8" I use most often, ready to have its handle remounted.


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

How did you temper your chisels? 
I just bought a set of Buck Bros crank neck paring chisels and I wonder if they will be soft also.

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/43422#reply-528945


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## lwllms (Jun 1, 2009)

Bert,

Buck Bros pattern makers' gouges, like you have, and their firmer gouges as well as their carving tools seem to be harder than their bench chisels. I think you should work with them before you re-harden them.

I've been thinking I should do an LJ blog on heat treating of tools. I have a video of the visual indication of the phase change from ferrite to austenite and some photos to go with it. I'll work on that this evening and try to get it posted.


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

That would be interesting and informative. 
I tempered tools as an apprentice black smith and I remember the colors but that was many many moons ago.
I have learn to use horse urine to temper the tolls as it has salt in it that help temper , but where to find a horse today and to have it accept to give me urine sample?


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## racerglen (Oct 15, 2010)

Oh Bert, you may have opened the barn door with that line ;-)


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## lwllms (Jun 1, 2009)

Bert,
I finally managed to post that blog entry. It's at http://lumberjocks.com/lwllms/blog/33077

I suggest you forget the horse urine. Brine is corrosive enough with out adding an acid into the equation. If you're doing water hardening steel, which most antique tools are made of, you can make a brine for this by adding salt and a wetting agent. Dawn blue dish soap is a popular wetting agent.


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## b2rtch (Jan 20, 2010)

lwllms, thank you for the post. 
I wonder if Budweiser would do the same thing than horse urine,this is what I normally call Budweiser


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