basswood honing

[Andy A]

Guys,
All your info on sharping chisels has been really good. Someone mentioned basswood honing. How is this done? Do you shape the wood to fit the gouge? Also what kind of polishing powder do you use? The stuff at the auto parts store is a liquid.
I live out in Jackrabbitville and we have no special stores except Wallyworld and auto stores. Closest tool shop is 250 miles so we mail order most things.

Andy A

[Acer Saccharum]

I use birch or maple for my wooden strops. Shape it to the inside of the gouge and coat it with valve grinding compound. Draw the tools backwards as not to cut the strops. Make a different one for each grit. I stone the gouge, and then strop with very fine compound, eg 1200 grit, then a light buff on a felt wheel.

During stoning, occasionally drive the tool into endgrain wood to tear off any burrs. Then proceed with stropping.

A strop for a particular gouge is a flat board 1 1/2 wide x 3" long, maybe 5/16 or 3/8 thick, depending on the gouge. I round the edge of the board to fit the gouge, and then run a gorrve on the flat side of the board for stropping the outer curve of the gouge.

[Joe S]

I’ve been using Turtle Chrome Polish with good results.  Anybody know what the grit size of this stuff is?  According to the Turtle web site, it removes 1500 grit sanding scratches, so it’s finer than 1500.

I use whatever wood I have handy for a strop.  The piece of maple I have has some curl, so after a while I get dips and bumps from compressing the softer wood.  Same problem with pine, only to a lesser degree. The advantage of basswood may be that has a very uniform grain structure, and it may not tend to get uneven with use.  I’m guessing about the basswood, as I’ve never tried it. 

[flintriflesmith]

Some auto parts stores and motorcycle shops carry a paste called SemiChrome. John Bivins told me about it 20 years ago and I have used it on leather and wood sharpening strops ever since. It is a pink toothpaste like paste, that comes in tubes or cans, but dries quickly into a white powder. The carrier seems to be water.

I don't know how fine it is but I used it once to polish scratches out of a modern watch crystal!

Gary

[Scott Semmel]

Andy- Basswood is popular with hobbyists and model builders because of its ease of carving, I just googled basswood and got numerous vendors that handle it including K-Mart. I know I got mine on line several years ago. It is soft enough that for gentle sweeps in gouges pressing hard on the wood with the chisel will give you the correct radius. Sharper radiuses and V shaped chisels (can't think of correct name for v shaped chisels right now maybe after another cup of coffee) you can cut the groove into the basswood very easily due to its soft and uniform texture.
One of the joys of getting older is the can't remember s%#t syndrome. So I can't help you with the stropping compound source. I use a bar of it that lasts forever and I have had mine that long. But any woodworking supply will have a variety of compounds that all have their fans and detractors.
The piece of basswood I use is about three inches wide and a foot long, one side used for only flat sharpening the other side has the various groves for rounded and angled chisels

[Acer Saccharum]

Some auto parts stores and motorcycle shops carry a paste called SemiChrome......

I think it also has ammonia in it. Smells like it, anyway. This is the best darn polish for almost everything. I never thought to use it on the strops. I'll give it a try. Works on brass, steel, silver, plastic. I also get royalties on the sales ....

It really is a great polish. A tiny bit goes a loong way. A tube will last for years.

Tom

[Dphariss]

I have been using "Mothers Chrome Polish". Cheaper than Simichrome and works the same near as I can tell. Think Wally World sells it.
On wood or leather.

Dan

[Beaverman]

Andy, if you look at wood carving web sites, flex cut makes a basswood strop with all sorts of shapes on it and comes with a honing compound, can be had for around $20.00

[Andy A]

Thanks guys for all the info on this!!

I will try the suggestions! This site sure has been useful for a beginner!

Andy

[Acer Saccharum]

Just a note on the Simichrome. You can buy a small tube or a big tin. I don't like tins because grit can fall into the tine when it's open, or you set the lid down(or drop it) on a dirty surface. Or, you leave the tin open while you're grinding steel with the belt sander.....

In short, I like the tube style containers to preserve the purity of the polish.

Tom

[t.caster]

I've always used polishing compound in the blocks made for buffing wheels. I have black (rough) brown (med.) and red rouge (fine). Rub it on your wood "strop" that has been shaped as previuosly noted. I only use the red rouge for chisels & knives.