More new edge tools/toys -Sorby incannel gouges.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

After having picked up that paring chisel I shared a little while ago I realized there's still more decently priced things on that auction site than you'd think if you're willing to purchase from overseas, and since so many of my favorite tools are from the other side of the pond anyway. I picked these up for less than 20 bucks each shipped from England. Of course, I love picking gouges and chisels up for a couple bucks each at flea markets, but I don't see much of those anymore, and not nice ones or ones in good shape.

These still need some honing, but fortunately no major reshaping as far as I can tell so far. I used the smallest to try coping a bead, and it worked pretty well considering how dull it was. Hopefully these will let me put the files and rasps away for some edge details and coping work.

Now I just need to pick up some slips so I can get away from this silly sandpaper thing when I need more than stropping can do.

I really like the handles on these, they have some character.

They're all marked "I. Sorby", (well, it might not be an I on the largest, but it's a rough stamp) and either "Sheffield" or "Cast steel", and most have the "Punch" (of Punch and Judy) logo-mark. I started to wonder about how old they might be, but the Sorby company history is too convoluted for me.

275086
275087
275088
275089
275090

[george wilson]

Old boxwood handled English carving tools are my favorite to find!! The OLD Sorbys should be o.k. for quality and hardness of the steel. I used old Sorby plane irons (with the punch logo) among others when I was in public. They were fine.

You can regrind those in cannel gouges into out cannel and they will be more useful,if you don't mind losing 1/4" of blade. Or,perhaps you have uses for them as is. Generally classed as pattern maker's gouges as is. Used to carve fillets in patterns.

Back when those were made,tool makers were only concerned with making real tools for professionals. And,keeping up with the quality of their competitors. Today,they worry about someone getting a steel shard in the eye,and make their tools too soft.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Oh, I plan to keep them in-cannel; I've been meaning to pick up some more "regular" out-cannel gouges, and still will at some point, but I'm hoping to use these for coping molding, and roughing in curves in something like a bracket foot - I already back up the work and use chisels and gouges across the grain to rough in convex curves. I've used gouges to do the same for concave portions, and decided the some in-cannel gouges would be nice, being able to register off the back and not the bevel is just a little easier for me.

I still need to hone these, but I've played with them a bit today and I'm enjoying them a lot.

[george wilson]

They would be good for those uses. It might be better if they had cranked handles. You can make them into cranked ones if you take the handles off and heat the necks red hot and bend. I'd keep the gouge down in water while heating,though the heat won't go down far enough to do any damage. I have some old ones that were converted. Probably you don't want to do that anyway.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

Cranking the handles might be a bit more than I want to try! The blades are actually a little longer than they look in the photos, at least to me. So far they seem workable.

A couple of these might need a bit more than stropping to get to a final edge, but no major work - have you used the Spyderco slip stones, George? (or anyone else?) I remember you talking about the bench stones, and was thinking of going that direction as I look to pick up some slip stones.

Anyone have any ideas on reshaping oil stones into slips? I'm happy with my bench stones, but sometimes I find small, or broken oilstones (or ones that have been used to sharpen fish-hooks or something until they're concave by a half inch!) at the local junk haunts - certainly more than I find carving slipstones, since I never come across anything close to those. Is this the sort of thing one could accomplish without too much work at home?

[george wilson]

I have the ceramic Spyderco slip stones,but they are very fine,only for final edge polishing.. You need a set of India slip stones to get the edge ready for fine honing. I also made some curved strops with leather faces for in cannel gouges.