What kind of scrapers?

[David R. Pennington]

Looking at scrapers. They list .016 for "fine" work and .024 thicknesses for "regular" work. What is best for gun stocking?

[PPatch]

I make my larger ones out of old handsaw blades if that tells you anything, more to the 24 thousandths side. But I have never measured them. I do have several small sized "shaped" scrapers that would be in the .016 range and they are fine for getting into small areas plus you can readily bend then which helps on some work.
dave

[smallpatch]

Both.
Thick on coarse removal, thin for finer removal. I go one step further, and make my own "extra fine" out of carpet knife blades .
Hope that helps.

[bob in the woods]

My heavy duty scraper is made from an old plane blade.  My regular scrapers are from sections of blade from an industrial bar stock cut off saw [ heavy duty hacksaw ! ]   Light duty for fine work are from utility knife blades to razor blades

[Kermit]

Here's a good brief treatise on scrapers. Might help.

http://www.hocktools.com/Brendler/scraper.htm#Introduction

[Mark Elliott]

It depends on whether you are shaping or finishing.   If you are trying to impart a particular shape, then thicker.   If you are finishing, then thinner.   I use standard wood working scrapers (I buy Sandvik blanks that I shape as needed and also use old tobacco cutter blades that I reshape) for final shaping.   These scrapers are around .04" thick.  For final finishing and whiskering,  I use a flattened utility knife blade.   My scratch stock uses 1/16" thick material for cutting molding.   I have a set of Jerry Fisher stock scrapers (mostly small rounds) that are about 3/32" thick.  I have some old barrel and ramrod inletting scrapers that I made from old files that are about 1/8".  My ramrod scraper is made of 1/4" thick stock which is probably twice as thick as it really needs to be.   I guess the best answer is the more the scraper needs to hold its shape, the thicker it needs to be.   For final shaping and finishing where you are looking at just smoothing out an existing line,  you generally want some flex in the scraper.   If you are imparting a critical shape, then you want a scraper that doesn't deflect under normal use.  

[Long John]

I use both and also make my own. 

The ones I make have an angled side profile and are made to cut on the pull stroke.  They are equipped with a handle much like a chisel.  They are sharpened and polished like a chisel with an edge that is shaped for the job at hand, curved for hollowed-out places, V-shaped for incised carving, flat for cleaning up the background of raised carving, it just depends on what shape I need to do what I want done.

Pull scrapers are easy to make.  I use 1095 stock from 1/16th to 1/8th inch thick, purchased at Dixon's.  As a matter of fact, last year at the fair I did a demo on just how to make them.  Boy I had fun!

Maybe Acer will let me do that again.  I sure hope so!

Best Regards,

John Cholin

[Acer Saccharum]

Your scraper making demo was great. I think you could do that every year.


A scraper is such a useful tool. They are fabulously simple, and so effective.

[WadePatton]

I'm now making my scrapers (and more) from 1095, recycled banding from the bar stock (1018/12L14 mostly) we use at work. 

[Acer Saccharum]

Lock nose scraper by Rich Pierce.





A bunch of small scrapers I made of spring steel in the upper center of the photo. I use them for backgrounding carving, shaping and modeling the carving.

[David R. Pennington]

How do you sharpen the small detail scrapers? Are they honed with a square edge?
Do you burnish a curl on them?

[Jim Chambers]

All of my scrapers are just old files that no longer cut.  For small ones I use old needle files of various shapes and sizes.  Just smooth off what is left of the teeth, touch the end to a belt grinder, and you've got a great scraper.  Easy to resharpen...just touch them to the belt grinder/sander again and you've got another sharp edge.

[Gaeckle]

All of my scrapers are just old files that no longer cut.  For small ones I use old needle files of various shapes and sizes.  Just smooth off what is left of the teeth, touch the end to a belt grinder, and you've got a great scraper.  Easy to resharpen...just touch them to the belt grinder/sander again and you've got another sharp edge.

How true....I do the same thing. I also make scrapers from allen wrenches, hacksaw blades, sawsall blades and old hand saws. Allen wrenches make great little chisels for getting into tight spots.

[WKevinD]

Pull scrapers are easy to make.  I use 1095 stock from 1/16th to 1/8th inch thick, purchased at Dixon's.  As a matter of fact, last year at the fair I did a demo on just how to make them. 


Best Regards,

John Cholin

John- that was a great seminar one of the best of the weekend, I for one would love to see it again.
Thakns,
Kevin