Grinding and honing a chisel freehand

[lifeshort]

It's an art ! One I'm still struggling to master after 25yrs...:(

[MrAcronim]

is this david finks method of sharpening

but he uses japanese water stones

why don't you use water stones is it just because diamond stones are cleaner because i have found water stones give a much cleaner finnish on the metal

what are the pros and cons of diamond stones

[bevelupbud]

That looks like a footprint chisel? Does the steel hold an edge well?  Also, do you know the difference between the red handled and blue handled footprint chisels?

[mickthetree]

Hi Giedon

Do you still use this method? Looks simple and effective. Its a bit of a bind getting my waterstones out each time.

Can you rehone with just the MDF and autosol? Or do you need to go back to the diamond stone?

Is the diamond stone good enough to flatten the backs of chisels / irons? or would a courser stone be required?

[gidonreid]

@mickthetree Hi yes sometimes but tend to go with the technique in my other video using the diamond stones. You could use the MDF and autosol to just touch up the blade but usually quicker to do a few strokes on the diamond stones before hand and then move to the MDF. Yes the diamond stones are excellent for flattening backs - if you get good ones. It will depend how flat the backs are to start with. But a coarser stone will probably be required - or of course some sandpaper on glass.

[ianandvicki]

Thanks! Boy, was I doing it wrong - back to the garage I go..... Much obliged.

[Moncantha]

DMT stones are overpriced imo, even jap water stones are cheaper, they wear quick though. DMT are nice an wide which makes sharpening knives great and they do sharpen more quickly and last ages, but sandpaper is cheap as chips and does a just as good job.

[Shandybrother]

Hi, how is the toolrest attached, I just bought a record 8" grinder but it only has a fixed toolrest at 90 degrees to the stone

i need to make one like yours.

[majkicCFC]

hey, so did u remove to hollow grind?

i just grind to the tip then hone the chisel with a stone but i dont flatten the tip, i lift the chisel up 5mm to get a higher angle, and doing figure 8s.

should i be making the end flat or does it not matter, i can still take hair off my arm my way, but end grain and paper is still i effort (stanley chisels but)

[gidonreid]

Eventually you wear away the hollow grind and need to regrind. You rest the toe and heel of the hollow grind on the stone and hone. After a fresh grind you'll polish just the very tip and a small part of the heel as you hone. Each time you hone the amount of metal you'll be polishing will be more. But you're always resting the complete bevel on the stone which is what makes the method more foolproof, especially for beginners. But you do need to grind at the honing angle for this method.

[majkicCFC]

ahh k yeah i see now, well my ways working but im going to try the mdf and compound for the final hone. . .my stone is pretty rubbish (cuts fine and hones good but isnt real flat and affects my overall finish.

is that stone u got a good one, ive seen then online for about $180AU is i take it they good. . .ive been looking at shapton stones too but theese seam to keep flat better or so ive herd

[gidonreid]

I like the stone - diamond stones should stay flat indefinately - Shapton stones you'll still need to flatten albeit less often than waterstones.

[divman69]

do you have any info or videos on sharpening carving gouges?

[oevilberto]

Thanks for the quick response. I think I saw on one of your other videos that you use baby oil - is that right?

[gidonreid]

Actually it varies! I tend to use WD-40 at the moment. Baby oil (which is just scented mineral oil which is harder to get hold of) is quite handy in my other video for "sticking" the microfilm to the DMT stones. Paraffin oil (lamp oil) is good too because it's odourless.

[oevilberto]

Thanks again. One last question: I don't have access to a grinder - so would it be possible to use a coarse stone instead for the grind, before moving to the finer stone?

[gidonreid]

Yes - I can recommend the DMT extra extra coarse - very aggresive. Or cheaper a coarse oil stone or coarse sandpaper (on glass or MDF). This will give you a flat bevel which is harder to control for the freehand honing. And you might want to invest in a cheap honing guide to speed things up and give you a nice flat bevel which will still making honing easier.

[oevilberto]

Am curious why you use oil on your diamond stone? I had a feeling DMT recommended water.

Great vid, btw.

[gidonreid]

Thanks. DMT do recommend using water but oil is also fine. Only problem with water is if you don't dry it thoroughly it'll rust.

[dboyd95]

thanks dude