micro chisel

Look at a Veritas mini chisel set from Lee Valley — if a set of three will suit your needs. They’re of the same quality as full sized Veritas chisels which is superior ( in my opinion). I have them, their low angle block plane and mini spoke shave,
 
I just got the new Klingspors catalog, there are some kits
they are a nice company to deal with. I’m a catalog guy, but first pic has their web address
 

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ilanortho said:
Can you provide advice on how best to sharpen these delicate chisels? I know how to do so on regular chisels, but have patchy success with the tiny ones using shaped slip stones etc. Thank you.
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I use the Veritas "narrow jig, and 3 different grades of stones.




Whetstone Sharpening stone SHAPTON Ceramic KUROMAKU #5000 - Shapton Ceramic Stone - Amazon.com

Whetstone Sharpening stone SHAPTON Ceramic KUROMAKU #5000 - Shapton Ceramic Stone - Amazon.com
www.amazon.com

These are available in the US. I'm unsure about other markets.

Cheers,
Ken
 
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Picked up a set of micro chisels from MicroMark. (3) skews, (3) straight, (2) Radius, (1) needle point angled, (2) Dogleg straight, (2) U-groves and (2) V-Groves.
They are sharp out of the box however, time will tell how they retain their edge.
 
ilanortho said:
Can you provide advice on how best to sharpen these delicate chisels? I know how to do so on regular chisels, but have patchy success with the tiny ones using shaped slip stones etc. Thank you.
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I sharpen under a microscope. Actually I do everything under microscopes ( I use Bausch & Lomb Stereozoom Binocular Micro- scopes, models 4 or 5 only due to depth of field considerations). I bought my scopes from ebay. I mostly use 7x enlargement for sharpening. You can actually see everything you are doing at 7x. At a 1000 grit, You can get a mirror finish on a .01" chisel. You can also get eyeglass/headset type magnifiers that will do 6x to 7x or thereabouts: good enough for chisels. I have never used one but I am told they will work just fine. I do not have a source since I do not have a need. I am a firm believer in microscopes.
I have heard it said that, "if you can see it, you can probably build it". That is probably 99% true. If any questions, let me know.
Tips(I forgot): 1. use mineral oil for a lubricant. Get at Walmart pharmacy. A quart for a buck or two (probably last a century or two), 2. you can use very small flat stones (with an inch or two max dimension) to keep the cost down. You do not want or need any special curved/shaped stones, 3. buy stones from Woodcraft.com (they have lot's. 400 to 1000 grit will do - or whatever works), 4. DO NOT use any mechanical grinding wheels, they will destroy your drills in a microsecond through overheating and turning the metal blue. Once the metal turns blue, the metal turns soft as butter and is useless for anything. Throw any blue drills away, 5, not all drills are equal. Some are top-notch superb hard metal and keep a sharp edge for a long time and some are just plain soft crap. You can't tell the difference until you make it and use it. Throw the soft crap metal chisels in the trash as fast as you can. DO NOT waste any more time on them, 6. you can use these chisels for chiseling, scraping, drilling, temporary shimming, prying, etc. They are really handy, cheap, easy to come by, always available, no supplier problems, and they give a long second life to some very expensive small tools (the drills themselves-which may have had a very short first life. I have had some that lasted only one hole, but that is a tail for another day).
 
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Something as small as these 'micro' chisels only need their edges touched up periodically on a very fine (8000) grit stone. Or even lapped on a leather strop. There are some very fine compounds such as rouge that will provide a mirror finish. A microscope? Not needed IMHO. Bigger stuff to sharpen, look at Shapton stones, Japanese waterstones, DMT diamond stones or a Tormek sharpening system.
 

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Jimsky said:
Never use diamond stones to sharpen your tools - they are tool killers! Water or Oil stones only, no preference for a better one, use the one you are comfortable with or like more! :cool:
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I said for 'bigger' items. I have used diamond sharpening for many many years. But also have used Arkansas stones, water stones, Crylon man-made stones, lapping plates, and ceramic stones, all of which have their own characteristics. Specifically use a diamond lapping plate that flat to .0005" for flattening chisels and plane irons. My overall preference is my Tormek slow speed grinder and lapping wheel. But you could always use the 'scary sharp' method with flot glass and silicon carbide papers. The method for me, depends on the tool and the edge I need to achieve. I have about 60 year experience in tool sharpening and maintenance.
 
By-the-way, I use diamond to remove material quickly. I finish with much finer instruments. And never on something small or fine like turning tools or carving chisels.
 
Philski said:
By-the-way, I use diamond to remove material quickly. I finish with much finer instruments. And never on something small or fine like turning tools or carving chisels.
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I use the diamond stones along with abrasive powder only as dressing stones, to prime actual stones. When it comes to sharpening stones, I am sure we have our own tastes and preference. I like water stones and use particularly one brand - Naniwa. They are the balance of good quality and price. Highly recommend.

Sharpening Stone | NANIWA Abrasive in Japan　/ Japanese whetstone / Diamond tools

NANIWA/ Lobster is top brand of Japanese sharpening stone. Wider range of products cover everyone's needs. Based on longterm experience and reputations, we specialize in abrasive media, stone processing tools, sandblasting systems and diamond tools.
www.naniwa-abrasive.com
 
I have ordered a 23 pieces micro chisel set from Mihail Kirsanov.
He added me to the waiting list so now I have to wait till my set will be made. 8-)
He makes only a limited number per year but it is definately worth waiting for.
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Maarten said:
I have ordered a 23 pieces micro chisel set from Mihail Kirsanov.
He added me to the waiting list so now I have to wait till my set will be made. :cool:
He makes only a limited number per year but it is definately worth waiting for.
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and these chisels are really good
this is my set
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I have purchased a variety of these sets from Micro Mark and am constantly finding more and more use for them. The variety is invaluable to me and worth every penny. For making precise cuts and fine carving I have found them to be indispensable. I like the quality. They come sharp and seem to hold an edge very well. A carver can never have enough chisels. Like clamps, the greater assortment and variety the better. Thumbsup
 
Peter Gutterman said:
I have purchased a variety of these sets from Micro Mark and am constantly finding more and more use for them. The variety is invaluable to me and worth every penny. For making precise cuts and fine carving I have found them to be indispensable. I like the quality. They come sharp and seem to hold an edge very well. A carver can never have enough chisels. Like clamps, the greater assortment and variety the better. Thumbsup
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Peter,
It's looks as though you and I are in the minority regarding these chisels. I too have a set of them and found them to be very sharp right out of the box, hold their edge and as yet never had one break. Of course I only use them as hand chisels not pry bars.
The only downside I have found is that out of the set of fifteen I only used about five of them on a regular basis. ;)

Ron
 
I can only relate my own experience. Of late I have required a wide selection of very sharp edges of very precise widths. It's nice to open up a set and find exactly what I need. You can see the applications and results on my Flying Cloud Mamoli kit bash build log, from the scratch carved figurehead, to precisely cutting out frames for frame and panel doors, or inletting precise square holes in the deck for bitts. I hope these examples prove sufficient to uphold my opinion of the tools in question. Full disclosure: I used chisels from other resources as well to achieve these results.
 
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