Reply To: Flattening the backs of chisels and plane irons
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Hi Craig. I don’t dont believe it’s rubbish. In fact for the cost of some sandpaper and some honing compound, you can definitely find a working edge, but I just done believe it’s as good as it claims, and unfortunately does have it’s downs. I’ve used this method for a while and found if you introduce the three menzerna metal polishing compounds instead of the single green compound, you can arrive at an even better edge, and those compounds are quite cheap.
I am only trying to point out problems I had been having, and perhaps it may be of help to somebody else. On a chisel using predominantly for paring, there is little wear on the back, but a plane iron does show wear, and so should be refreshed each time for a better cutting edge. My point above, perhaps not so clear, was that after a while of pulling the back of chisel on a strop, you will indeed round the edge, which is not desirable.
In working I’ve found this step isn’t required as such, but does help to achieve a much better cut when finish planing or tasks where a much finer edge helps.
Apologies if I offended you or Paul, Craig.