Sharpening nickers

[David Ryle]

Purchased a Stanley 45 the nickers could do with some maintenance, what is the easiest way to sharpen them, I've got big fingers holding these things is not easy.
avid

[bridger berdel]

A small pair of locking pliers could be helpful. Also, if these are the 3.wings.with.a.hole type, a small screw in the hole mounting it to a block of wood could be helpful.

[Robert Engel]

I've thought about this too.

How about a longer screw to screw the nicker onto a holding jig?

[steven c newman]

Put a fat fingertip into the beveled/countersink area. Push the nicker around on your stone of choice....hone the flat/back of the nicker. KISS.....

[Rob Luter]

I think that LN has an available accessory for its honing jig. Only $79.95. Or you could do what Steven suggests

[David Ryle]

Whoa, take it easy, k.i.s.s. indeed! Good idea about the fat finger though.

[Patrick Chase]

Whoa, take it easy, k.i.s.s. indeed! Good idea about the fat finger though.

Don't forget that nickers are generally soft enough to be filed (Rc50 or so, similar to a quality scraper or handsaw). I generally file mine to shape in a metalworking vise, and then hone freehand on an Ark to refine.

The $79 option from L-N sounds tempting, of course. Knowing them it might actually exist :-).

[David Dalzell]

Most knickers can be held down with the eraser end of a pencil; then slid around on a water or oil stone.

[Dave Parkis]

A pencil is MUCH easier on your fingers. BTDT.

[Patrick Chase]

A pencil is MUCH easier on your fingers. BTDT.

There are two "gotchas" to be aware of with the finger/eraser technique though:

1. Doing significant sharpening by lapping the back as Steven suggested will inevitably thin the nicker. That's OK in a design like the Veritas that has a depth-adjust screw for the nicker, but not so good for the Stanley planes, which require the nicker to be exactly 50 mils thick to register to the outside edge of the skate. If the nicker doesn't reach to that edge then it won't do you any good. Of course you can put a shim under the nicker to bring it back into alignment, but that makes it more of a pain to adjust (been there, tried that, ended up paying for a new nicker).

2. On old planes the nicker bevel geometry is often messed up, and working the back alone won't fix that.

For my #55 I filed the nicker to the shape I wanted (it's the sliding kind so I had some extra metal to work with) and then refined the bevel on an ark. I only lapped the back enough to remove the burr. These things are made a little softer than irons for a reason, and we'd might as well take advantage of it.

[steven c newman]

Overthinking way too much, again.....nickers are about $6 counting shipping...and, in a pinch, the Stanley ones have two other lobes that can be sharpened up...

[Robert Engel]

How about a magnet on the end of a dowel?

[Patrick Chase]

Overthinking way too much, again.....nickers are about $6 counting shipping...and, in a pinch, the Stanley ones have two other lobes that can be sharpened up...

Depends on the style. There were/are 3 major nicker designs for the #45 alone. The newer "3-lobed" ones you describe can be found cheaply. The older-style sliding nicker that I replaced a while back was $15 plus shipping from nhplaneparts.

[allen long]

Sorry . . . cannot . . stop . . . myself . . . from . . . asking ..... if you need to sharpening advice because your nickers are in a bind?

[David Myers]

Sorry . . . cannot . . stop . . . myself . . . from . . . asking ..... if you need to sharpening advice because your nickers are in a bind?

Please sir. We'll thank you to take this forum seriously.

Now, as to the question of sharpening knickers, one usually sharpens wearing the same pantaloons that one carries out the work of the day in.