One of the things I do here several times a week if not daily is to restore chisels.
Some times it's just a fairly quick cleaning, some times it's a major project,
depending on how bad it is, the size of it, and and to a degree what it's going
to be worth in the end. (As always to see a larger picture, just click on it and
then use your back button to return to this page)

This guy here followed me here not too long ago
 

T.H. Witherby 1/4" Chisel, some folks call em bevel edged firmer chisels,
me I prefer the good old paring chisel monaker.  As you can see, it's not
too bad at one end and got a whole heap of fugly going at the other end.
 
First thing is to work on the mushrooming.  If it is not too bad, I'll just work
it down with a file, this was a bit more that I like to have to file (plus that
steel get's work hardened from being hit on so that makes it tough to work
with), so it's off to the grinder.
 

 
I start with the edge straight on the coarse wheel, then move over to the
finer wheel and angle it to get it close.  I don't take it all the way down,
(don't need to aggravate the situation with grinder scuffs on the socket!)
 
Next is to get rid of the inside mushrooming.
 

 
Weapon of choice is a Spofford brace with a tapered reamer.  I start straight on,
then vary the angle of the reamer to make is it is completely cleaned out.  I try
not to take too much off the inside of edge, but a little won't hurt and it's better
than having to deal with a lip inside.
 
The first shot here shows the socket after grinding.
 

 
The second is after filing it down a bit.  Most times there usually is some bulging
at the end and this was no exception. I start working it with a file till it is fairly smooth.
 
Them it's time for sanding.
 

 
 First go round on this guy was with 100 grit to get rid of the bulk of the "history". The socket
is first sanded along the length, then I wrap it with sandpaper and rotate it to start blending
it.
 
The back is given a work over on a piece of 100 grit. The back was fairly clean to start
with, so it didn't take much to bring it back.


 
The whole process is repeated with 400 grit wet/dry paper.  If I am going for "really" pretty, I
will wet sand but I find that most of the time that dry sanding works just as well.
 
Then it is handle time. Fortunately I just happened to have a handle that fit without any
reworking.  Some times I do have to do a combination of whittling, rasping, filing
and sanding to get one to fit right.
 

 
This one just need a bit of the old "patina" removed.  Quick trip to the stripper pan,
followed by workover with 000 steel wool, then a coat of paste wax.  I rarely will sand
a handle down unless it's really bad.
 
The finished product
 

 
There is still some light pitting down by the socket but ain't no real way
to get rid of that without wiping out the name.  Total time about 1/2 hr.
 
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Last Updated 5/17/2005