I like bad, new tools

[John C Cox]

It depends on the steel.. . New modern steels don't respond well to traditional bricks...

[Patrick Chase]

Blue paper steel is a post WWII innovation which coincides with the increased use of Portland cement by the Americans... This portland cement does not generate the correct sort of slurry which results in significantly reduced edge life on the traditional white cement paper steels...

Blue steel of course requires Blue Circle cement, as every experienced woodworker knows.

(I only know about Blue Circle because of a well-known gag in aerospace circles, wherein early production Panavia Tornado interceptor variants were said to be flying with "Blue Circle radars")

[steven c newman]

Maybe they should start selling 12" x 12" squares of Terrasco Flooring as a polishing stone?

Ok, ok...how about this? You go into a Borg, pick out a concrete block the ones shaped like a brick? Mix up a slurry of Portland Cement and fine sand, with enough water to make paste. Trowel that mix into the flat surface of the block.....then do a slick finish. Depending on the grain size of the sand used, will determine the "grit" of the sharpening stone. I doubt IF you could use it as a water stone......maybe use a mineral oil like lube? Schwarz may even use Olive Oil....

You may have to buy a steel finishing trowel to slick finish the slurry......about the same slurry one uses on Concrete Counter Tops.

[Alan Schwabacher]

Everyone knows the only appropriate fluid for top quality sharpening on concrete is the stuff that drips out of your car onto the slab. Naturally.

[John C Cox]

I found out that bricks and rocks are no longer used in the field by professionals when a chisel needs a bit of a touch up. The tool of choice is the hand held belt sander. Expecially if you need a "Factory sharp edge"...

[Andrew Seemann]

I've got the Taunton DVD of Tage Frid. At one point, he talks about the importance of sharp chisels, then casually walks up to the stationary belt sander, hits the bevel free hand, walks over to the buffer, hits the edge to take off the burr, and then goes back to work. No oil stones, water stones, diamond stones, jigs, guides, special compounds, float glass, surface plates, grit progression, or any of that nonsense. It is interesting the different approach that people have when their tools are just tools, and not the object of their hobby

[Pat Barry]

Everyone knows the only appropriate fluid for top quality sharpening on concrete is the stuff that drips out of your car onto the slab. Naturally.

I have had success with the bevel on my chisels and plane blades but great difficulty with flattening chisel backs on concrete floors - How do you guys do this?

[John C Cox]

Everyone knows the only appropriate fluid for top quality sharpening on concrete is the stuff that drips out of your car onto the slab. Naturally.

I am being totally serious that the best sharpening lubricant I have found for use on ceramic type stones and such is spit... Good old saliva works better on ceramic stones than anything else... And I bet it would do the trick on concrete as well...

[Jim Koepke]

I am being totally serious that the best sharpening lubricant I have found for use on ceramic type stones and such is spit... Good old saliva works better on ceramic stones than anything else... And I bet it would do the trick on concrete as well...

It helps to look at an LV tool catalog to the point of drooling if one is going this route.

jtk

[steven c newman]

Do you have any concrete steps....well worn ones?

Also, anyone that "chews".....Mail Pouch makes a decent concrete "lube" DAMHIKT....