Scraper

It's kinda funny with the scraper business. I spent hours and hours
doing the thing "right" just like what you did, and I got nowhere.
Then, about the point I almost gave up, I saw some shavings!!

Since then, when I got lazy, I just put the scraper on the vice and
file it away w/o worrying that it's nice and polished. Then I just pass
a cheap ($2) engine push rod (not even a true "burnisher") over it a
few more times and, wham, got good shavings.

I think it's like learning how to bike. Once you "learned", you can
almost throw the theory away. The hard part is to get to that point.

Good luck!

>Waterstones groove too easily

I use a waterstone that has 1000 grit on one side and 6000 on the
other. The interesting thing is that the 1000 side is about 3/4" thick
and the 6000 is 1/4" thick. This gives you the side of the 1000 side
specially designed for things like this that you wouldn't want on the
main part of the stone. Also works great for plane cap irons.

Andy Dingley wrote:
> On Tue, 17 May 2005 14:29:40 -0500, Patriarch
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >There's one in my toolbox, too, but it came with a caution: Don't
cut it,
> >because it _might_ be one of the sodium-filled ones.
>
> Exhausts only. So if it's an inlet, it won't be filled.
>
> Anyway, what's the big deal about cutting a sodium-filled valve open
?
> Just hacksaw it.

Sodium is a highly reactive metal. If you know what you're doing it
is not hard to handle safely. If you do not, it is easy to get hurt.

--

FF

"stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
> Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
> Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>
> Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>
> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> DUST.
>
> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>

As others have said, try it on hardwood. Then the only other thing I can say
is that you are trying too hard!
I am fairly lazy, so to put a nice edge on my el-cheapo Stanley scraper I
use a fine belt on my PC belt sander and hold the scraper the long way
against the belt. Then I roll the edge with whatever screwdriver is around.
Nice fine curls every time!
Greg

presharpened scrapers!! good ideal.
but if making your own is hard wook, making enough to sell will be a
pain....
but i'll let you start making some for me!!!
c'ya larry

"patrick conroy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> > Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> >
>
>
> Man o' man - I *know* what you're going through.
> I'm thinking of starting a business in Presharpened Disposable Scrapers
just
> for idiots like me...
>
>

stoutman <[email protected]> wrote:

> Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
> Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
> Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>
> Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>
> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> DUST.
>
> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Leave scraper where it is, go out and buy thin scraper, the thinnest you
can find. I have one that's 0.45mm thick. This gives me curls from Borg
pine. Right tool for the job, that's the key.

Peter
--
Add my middle initial to email me. It has become attached to a country

"Patriarch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote in news:qQbie.34962$tf1.2661265
> @twister.southeast.rr.com:
>
> > Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
> > Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
> > Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
> >
> > Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
> >
> > Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> > DUST.
> >
> > Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
> >
> > Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> >
> >
>
> Scrapers and pine aren't the best of combinations. Try some hardwood.
> Cherry and maple work pretty well. Walnut OK. Oak varies. Softwoods
> generally suck.
>

Fortunately, scrapers work best on softwood where you need them most - knots
and such which are hard to sand and twice as gummy. Though more of an art
than science on softwood, if you press less - tough when you're getting bad
results for great effort - and push more, your chances are good to smooth
out the tough areas.

You may want to tune up a smoother - best of all on soft wood

On Tue, 17 May 2005 01:32:06 GMT, the inscrutable "stoutman" <[email protected]>
spake:

>Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
>Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
>Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>
>Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>
>Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
>DUST.
>
>Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
>Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, fine. Send it to me. I'll get 'er working...and keep it.
Got my address?


------------------------------------------
Do the voices in my head bother you?
------------------------------------------
http://diversify.com Full-Service Web Development

Try it on harder wood. I find my scraper doesn't work as well on soft
woods. Course, it might just be me.....

Getting the burr right and repeatable is an epiphany. Creating lace
shavings with it is poetry.... and NO sanding dust.... and it's quiet....

If you want to go pick that scraper up, here's what I do.

The first steps (honing) are essentially the same (start with a mill file,
diamond vs water, blah, blah blah). How do you roll the burr? burnisher at
90 to the edge? I've found that holding it about 5 deg off of 90 with the
tip slightly leading the handle (think of this as 5 deg off of 90
horizontally and the tip leading by 5deg as well), then start the stroke at
the tip and finish at the handle, while maintaing the angles. Talkes a
little practice, but it's the best method I've found.

Of course, if all this fails, the one good thing about a dull scraper is
that it doens't take up much room in the shop (unlike some of those other
tool purchases [roto-zip, detail sander, etc, etc......])

Joe C.

"stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
> Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
> Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>
> Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>
> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> DUST.
>
> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>

How well does the scraper work now that you put a few nicks in it?

Dave

stoutman wrote:

> Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
> Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
> Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>
> Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>
> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> DUST.
>
> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>

stoutman wrote:

> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> DUST.

Scrapers don't really work on softwoods. <G>

Barry

In article <[email protected]>, "CrackedHands" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>Since then, when I got lazy, I just put the scraper on the vice and
>file it away w/o worrying that it's nice and polished. Then I just pass
>a cheap ($2) engine push rod (not even a true "burnisher") over it a
>few more times and, wham, got good shavings.

That's what I use, too. It may not be a "true burnisher" but it's every bit as
good as one - that's some danged hard steel. Some day, I'll get around to
making a nice handle for it on the lathe...

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

Nobody ever left footprints in the sands of time by sitting on his butt.
And who wants to leave buttprints in the sands of time?

"stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote in news:qQbie.34962$tf1.2661265
@twister.southeast.rr.com:

> Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
> Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
> Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>
> Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>
> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> DUST.
>
> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>

Scrapers and pine aren't the best of combinations. Try some hardwood.
Cherry and maple work pretty well. Walnut OK. Oak varies. Softwoods
generally suck.

Patriarch

[email protected] (Doug Miller) wrote in
news:[email protected]:

> In article <[email protected]>,
> "CrackedHands" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>Since then, when I got lazy, I just put the scraper on the vice and
>>file it away w/o worrying that it's nice and polished. Then I just
>>pass a cheap ($2) engine push rod (not even a true "burnisher") over
>>it a few more times and, wham, got good shavings.
>
> That's what I use, too. It may not be a "true burnisher" but it's
> every bit as good as one - that's some danged hard steel. Some day,
> I'll get around to making a nice handle for it on the lathe...
>

There's one in my toolbox, too, but it came with a caution: Don't cut it,
because it _might_ be one of the sodium-filled ones.

So it has no handle. And works pretty well, when I do.

Patriarch

I'm no scraper afficiadado in the least. Still learning every time I pull
it out. The one thing I have
learned is that when rolling the burr, it doesn't take much pressure at all.
I was pushing down pretty hard
the first many times and just got dust. When I tried going at it lighter,
I got a burr that produced shavings.
Cheers,
cc

"stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
> Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
> Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>
> Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>
> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> DUST.
>
> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>
>

Thanks for the tips. I'm gonna give maple a go!

Thanks



"Joe C" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Try it on harder wood. I find my scraper doesn't work as well on soft
> woods. Course, it might just be me.....
>
> Getting the burr right and repeatable is an epiphany. Creating lace
> shavings with it is poetry.... and NO sanding dust.... and it's quiet....
>
> If you want to go pick that scraper up, here's what I do.
>
> The first steps (honing) are essentially the same (start with a mill file,
> diamond vs water, blah, blah blah). How do you roll the burr? burnisher
> at 90 to the edge? I've found that holding it about 5 deg off of 90 with
> the tip slightly leading the handle (think of this as 5 deg off of 90
> horizontally and the tip leading by 5deg as well), then start the stroke
> at the tip and finish at the handle, while maintaing the angles. Talkes a
> little practice, but it's the best method I've found.
>
> Of course, if all this fails, the one good thing about a dull scraper is
> that it doens't take up much room in the shop (unlike some of those other
> tool purchases [roto-zip, detail sander, etc, etc......])
>
> Joe C.
>
> "stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
>> Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
>> Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>>
>> Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>>
>> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
>> DUST.
>>
>> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>>
>> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>
>>
>
>

I also use a pushrod for scraper burnishing. I have several store bought
burnishers that are too soft to roll the edge on hard scrapers. An
additional plus for pushrods is that they are long enough to keep fingers
away from the wire edge of the scraper. Thinking of getting my thumb sliced
during burnishing makes my skin crawl.

"stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...


> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
> DUST.
>
> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>


Man o' man - I *know* what you're going through.
I'm thinking of starting a business in Presharpened Disposable Scrapers just
for idiots like me...

On Tue, 17 May 2005 01:32:06 GMT, "stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
>Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check

Skip the waterstone. I like waterstones, but for scrapers I use a
harder oil or arkansas. Waterstones groove too easily if you work this
narrow edge across them.

>Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.

Roll and turn. Roll the first burr _along_ the burnisher (parallel to
the main surface) and then turn it over by about 90° to stick out
sideways. This is much easier to produce a usefully sized burr.

>Practice scrape on some pine.

You can't scrape soft softwoods. Try some oak instead.

On Tue, 17 May 2005 14:29:40 -0500, Patriarch
<[email protected]> wrote:

>There's one in my toolbox, too, but it came with a caution: Don't cut it,
>because it _might_ be one of the sodium-filled ones.

Exhausts only. So if it's an inlet, it won't be filled.

Anyway, what's the big deal about cutting a sodium-filled valve open ?
Just hacksaw it.

On Tue, 17 May 2005 01:32:06 GMT, "stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
>Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
>Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>
>Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!


>Practice scrape on some >>> pine <<<<.

I found your problem. Pine doesn't scrape for crap.

>DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
>DUST.
>
>Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>
>Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>

Ah, I didn't know that. Thanks. I was expecting nice shavings like you
see in the magazines, but.... DUST.

I will try some maple.



"Patriarch" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "stoutman" <[email protected]> wrote in news:qQbie.34962$tf1.2661265
> @twister.southeast.rr.com:
>
>> Flatten both sides with water stone. Ok. check
>> Flatten and polish edge with water stone. Ok. check
>> Roll the burr with newly purchased burnisher. Ok. check.
>>
>> Feel burr with thumb. Ahhh, nice burr!
>>
>> Practice scrape on some pine. DUST. Change angle and scrape again.
>> DUST.
>>
>> Ahhhh Crap. PPPPFFFFFFTTTTTT!!!!!!
>>
>> Throw scraper across the workshop. Ok. check!!!!!!!!!!!!!
>>
>>
>
> Scrapers and pine aren't the best of combinations. Try some hardwood.
> Cherry and maple work pretty well. Walnut OK. Oak varies. Softwoods
> generally suck.
>
> Patriarch