sharping tool

[ERH]

I was wondering what people use to sharping chisels and graver's. the old fashion  stones , the new diamond plates or some kind of sharping machines 

[Captchee]

 For my gravers , I use diamond stones .
For my chisels and gouges , I used to also use stones .
  Recently I bought a work sharp 2000 for my chisels and gouges . Fantastic machine ad well worth the money .

[fastfrankie]

I use stones, various types (from diamond to water stones) never do I use a grinder except for my turning tools. A grinder, unless it is a minimum of 8 inches puts to much of a hollow grind on the tool edge for my liking, but that is just my preference.

[Jerry V Lape]

I don't know about engravers yet.  I sharpen my chisels on a granite block with finishing film from 3M which is essentially the "scary sharp" method.  Last summer I learned in a carving class my tools just were not sharp enough using stones/diamonds for good work.  You can find You tube videos on Scary Sharp  method.  The films will take you down to 0.3 microns if you want to go there.  You still might want a few stones around if you need to reshape the tool to better angle for the purpose at hand before finishing with the films. I keep the granite set up next to my work so I can quickly hone the edge at intervals as I use them.  Lot cheaper than most of the other methods too.   I use a  black granite floor tile for the base - lots cheaper than a machinists reference block.  If you want the block heavier so it moves less, just glue up a stack of tiles- I used left overs from a recent remodel.    

[Dr. Tim-Boone]

What Jerry Said!!!  3m!!  You can get 1.5 inch thick x4 inch wide and about a foot long  polished scrap for free from the places that cut granite for household and commercial applications... I have 4 with different grit on each.

[Captchee]

never do I use a grinder except for my turning tools. A grinder, unless it is a minimum of 8 inches puts to much of a hollow grind on the tool edge for my liking, but that is just my preference.

 yep and thats why i bought a work sharp . no more  hollow grinding  and i can see  the surface im  sharpening  even if im sharpening  a gouge .
i can also polish to 2000 grit if i like  
  not have to worry about  over heating   of the tool is also a big +
.
 i still use my stone for  my gravers though .
i have not tried the work sharp  as a power hone .. Frankly I would think it would work well for that as well  but  one would have to build a proper  tool rest, tool platform  and take care not to over heat the graver

[kutter]

For gravers, I started with an oil stone. At first a couple of different shapes.
One longer flat one to use with a 'Crocker' graver sharpener fixture (do they even make those anymore?).
Plus a couple of different grades in smaller 1"sq  x 6" long for hand held shaping of points,,ect.

Then I quickly just went to hand held oil stone and graver for sharpening.
Much faster than using the fixture and I seemed to never have a nice easy to get at place for the fixture and base, much less keep it clean.
The Crocker still sits somewhere buried in the avalanche of stuff on my engraving bench. I think theres a N/O/S one around here too.

I never used oil on the 'oil stone'. Too messy. Just a few quick swipes of the point over the surface and put a heal on it and you're good to go.
I wore a groove into more than a few stones though.
Polishing the point was with 1000grit or more paper backed with a small piece of steel,,sometimes the flat of the vise.

I switched to a Diamond Plate about 1990. That was like a new world for me. More agressive yet never loaded up or wore uneven.
I really like using one of them.

That remained my method until the need to use Carbide bits came along with a venture into cutting Winchester 21's,,lots of Win21's.
I needed better sharpening tools for those bits.
A 'green' wheel on a grinder to rough them out. Then a  Power Hone' w/ 600 & 1200 grit wheels plus a diamond polish ceramic plate for final polish.

The fixture to hold the gravers while sharpening on the hone was quite an experience for someone used to just picking up a tool in my right hand and swiping it back and forth like scribbleing with a pencil, on a stone or diamond plate held in my left hand.

But it does a great job. repeatable angles are simple and with carbide and/or some of the more brittle tool points, a small change either way can mean sucess or premature failure of the point.

I still use the diamond plate by hand for alot of sharpening. Old habit I guess. But the power hone w/ fixture is a deffinate aid to getting a true 'gravers point the way you want it,,and being able to repeat it.

I rough out all but the Carbide bits on a belt grinder. A 180 belt works the best. Cuts quick and runs the coolest,,no fast heat up of the bit. The Carbide is done on a 'green wheel' on a grinder. They're especially for carbide.

Chisels I rough out on the belt grinder , starting with 180 grit then continue to refine the shape and edge with finer belts down to 320, being careful not to over heat.
Next shape and edge on the diamond plate from above.
Polish with wet/dry paper backed on a hard surface up to 800 or 1000
Then,,perish the thought,,I give them a couple of quick licks on a hard wheel with white compound and they're as sharp as I've even needed them.

[ERH]

Thanks guys for all the info