I work alot with epoxy composites- which usually have to be extensively sanded before finishing. In an effort to cut down sanding, and the dust, I picked up a scraper and found that this did a great job.- till it got dull. Now I can’t seem to put a good hook on the edge.
I bought 3 German-made scrapers- and when they arrived I founf they had no edge- it was left to the individual craftsman (Hah!) to establish his own hook (I’m told). So whats the trick?
Replies
Here are some good links for that
http://www.joewoodworker.com/scraper.htm
http://www.brendlers.net/oldtools/scraping/scraper.htm
http://www.fine-tools.com/G10004.htm
1 - measure the board twice
2 - cut it once
3 - measure the space where it is supposed to go
4 - get a new board and go back to step 1
hey, if these suckers are anything like automotive bondo, they can be, in the semi-cured state , planed with normal handplanes (sharp of course) and worked with body rasps. Sandpaper at this stage just clogs, and no amount of crepe rubber will clean the belts, and files just clog up.
You got a bunch of pointers on the scrapers, hope you have good luck with that, it ain't rocket science.
Hope that helps.
Eric
mighty good- many thanks
Your problem with scrapers dulling quickly probably lies in the fact that epoxy composites are quite abrasive. You probably cut them with carbide-tipped saw blades. Scrapers are, by design, made of the softer steels. If you want to scrape, be prepared to work on the scraper edge a lot.RoRo
psuedomonas,
It amazed me how difficult it was to get a grip on sharpening cabinet scrapers. The links that Rick posted really explain it very well, however, for some reason my outcomes, for a while, were just not satisfactory. The key, I believe, is understanding that you first need to establish a 90 degree angle(between face and edge) as high a quality as any plane blade, that rolling the edge takes little pressure and can only happen if the 90 degrees has been achieved, and, most important, use the tool gently...let it do the work and tilt forward until the burr grabs.
It helps to use a jig to insure the blade is square to the sharpening and honing surfaces. My jig is a chunk of square stock with a kerf down the middle. Before that however, both surfaces of the scraper need to be flattened and honed on stones. I also use the Veritas plastic thing to set a consistent burr on the edge. Finally, it works great.
AND A REALLY GOOD MILL FILE works wonders.. Just me...
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