I bought a 2" bevel-edge socket chisel in an estate sale a while back. It wasn't much to look at when I found it, and I questioned my decision at the time. Even though it was practically free I knew a lot of elbow grease would be required to get it back to working order. It was covered in rust, with some pitting on the back. The edge had be sorely abused and left with deep nicks. What was left of the handle was a stub, broken off about an inch above the socket.
I took some time over the holidays to work on it. After removing the rust I sanded out most of the pits which were on the back side. Restoring the edge required taking about 1/8" off the length to remove all the nicks, but now it's razor sharp. It was nice to see there is still plenty of good steel left. Last job was to make and fit a new handle from ash. I used the old stub to size the taper for the socket. The rest of the design is patterned after other chisels I have. I cut and glued a stack of leather washers from an old belt to pad the top. The handle is finished off with three coats of polyurethane.
I'm very pleased with the way it turned out -- ready for another century of service. Hopefully, future owners will have a little more respect.
I took some time over the holidays to work on it. After removing the rust I sanded out most of the pits which were on the back side. Restoring the edge required taking about 1/8" off the length to remove all the nicks, but now it's razor sharp. It was nice to see there is still plenty of good steel left. Last job was to make and fit a new handle from ash. I used the old stub to size the taper for the socket. The rest of the design is patterned after other chisels I have. I cut and glued a stack of leather washers from an old belt to pad the top. The handle is finished off with three coats of polyurethane.
I'm very pleased with the way it turned out -- ready for another century of service. Hopefully, future owners will have a little more respect.
