OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

113288 Chris Freemesser <chris2@c...> 2003‑01‑16 Sharpening question & Bio
Hi all.

A quick question regarding tool sharpening from a relative newbie:

I use the "Scary Sharp" system of sandpapers to sharpen my plane 
blades and chisels.  With this, I can get the tools sharp enough to 
shave hair off of my forearm.  The highest grit sandpaper I use for 
this is 2000 grit.

Would using a leather strop after the 2000 grit paper make the edge 
appreciably sharper, or would the difference really not be enough to 
justify the cost of a strop (it would be a birthday gift, actually). 
If the strop WOULD be a good idea, do I need to use the green 
charging compound commonly available, or do I just use the leather 
as-is?

That being said, I've now posted a few questions here (thanks for all 
the answers, guys!), but haven't officially posted a bio.   Here's 
the short-n-sweet version:

Name:  Chris Freemesser
Age: 33
Location:  Upstate NY
Profession:  Computer systems administrator
Status:  Married, one son (19 mos. old)

Woodworking info:  I've been doing it for about 2.5 years now, mostly 
building stuff for our house (both outdoor items and interior 
furniture we need).  Started out like most newbies...watched N*rm on 
TV and loaded up on power tools.  As my skills developed, I picked up 
a few hand tools to play with, educated myself regarding how to 
properly use them, and discovered that I *really* liked doing stuff 
by hand.  No noise, no dust all over the place, and no worries about 
losing a finger or two....it's a beautiful thing.  I now have a 
variety of hand tools which all see appreciable amounts of use, as 
well as a large list of handtools I, uh, "need" to get.  :^)

Thanks much,

Chris
-- 
_____________________________________________
Chris Freemesser                  chris2@c...
_____________________________________________



Recent Bios FAQ