tool sharpening

[Jerry Veneziano <VenezianoJ@xxxxxxx>]

* Follow-up to message from: Bill Brayman
* Original date (y/m/d) was: 28 Feb 2002
* Original subject was: tool sharpening

Hi

First, please let me introduce myself.  I'm Jerry, a
blacksmith from Williamsburg, VA.  I was introduced to
this forum by a gent who reads both this forum, and a
blacksmithing forum I hang out at
( [URL now obsolete] ).  I've been
blacksmithing full time for 9 years, and a good bit of
that has involved heat treating (hardening and
tempering) tools.  George's description of what happens
when you grind too long is dead on -- you lose the
temper of your tools.  You don't lose carbon, though,
and they can be retempered if you know how.  It involves
heating the tool to the critical temperature (the point
where a magnet will no longer stick to the steel),
quenching, polishing, then a partial reheat.  If anyone
would like me to get a bit more detailed, I'd be glad
to.

As far as steels go, most smiths I know make stone
carving tools from 5160 spring steel...which is also
what many of us use to make woodworking tools and knives
(among other steels).  The difference in the hardness
comes largely from how they're tempered, though the
advice I've gotten from some carvers in the states would
have me tempering stone carving tools similar in
hardness to many woodworking tools -- though I grant
you, wood carving chisels are a bit harder than your
average carpetner's chisels.

Interesting site!  Thank you, Peter, for turning me onto
this place, I look forward to learning a lot from all of
you.

Jerry V