Sometimes, it is more about HOW a chisel is used, AND maintained.
So...which was harder steel...Disston, or..Atkins?
Contributor
Sometimes, it is more about HOW a chisel is used, AND maintained.
So...which was harder steel...Disston, or..Atkins?
[OP]
Member
Did you find any evidence that the ones you got were softer in the middle? I seem to be the only one who has reported this - so I may have gotten a dud.... It happens - even with very good chisels.... I got a Pfeil around Christmas time that was mush... It's replacement was fine.Originally Posted by Pete Taran
Contributor
Pete, Thank you for your test. I have a set of Aldi chisels from several years back. I don't use them much. I often use my chisels as gauge blocks and the Aldis are odd size so they can mess me up. I have used them enough that I don't see a great difference in day to day use. I was using the 1/4 inch, 6mm or whatever it's supposed to be. As it happens it's a dead on 5/16 which I needed today. I think the handles are copies of the Spainish Mifer chisels. I have a set of those from the 1970s. Don't use those much either, metric. The Aldis are okay for a five dollar bill.
Jim
Contributor
And the countdown begins....check Aldi's ad flier today and next wednesday.....be prepared to act quickly.....as they sell only one box full of these sets....and they do not restock them.
Member
Just checked the local Aldi's, all kinds of other tools, BUT NO CHISELS!
I suppose I'll just stick with my AI's, Witherby's and other assorted chisels, never experiencing the magic nature of the Aldi's!
If the thunder don't get you, the lightning will.
Contributor
Just because it isn't in the ad doesn't mean they haven't put the stock in the bins.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
Tony,
I'm not sure how you will survive with only those chisels. Ill tell you what, because I'm such a kind and generous man, I'l be happy to run down a set of Aldi chisels and trade you for your AI's or Witherby's even up. It doesn't get much better than that.
ken
[OP]
Member
If you want to feel the magic - you can send me some Witherby's and I will send you my 3 remaining Aldi's.
the main Aldi magic I experience is how quickly their sharp edge disappears...
[OP]
Member
A question for the metallurgists out there....
Assume a 1+% C low alloy steel.
Q&T in brine. We expect some level of retained austenite out of the quench....
image.jpg
Now - if it were real W1 or W2 - that stuff is (apparently) alloyed slightly to improve hardening behavior in a water quench.... But what if the Chinese analog stuff is not... By this graph - it could have ~20% retained austenite if it's not heat treated properly.
How would we finish the conversion of this Austenite to Martensite? If my reading is correct - simply tempering to the correct temperature should do it (but that would likely soften it somewhat).. Another option is sub-zero treatment if you want it hard + low retained austenite....
I may try baking one of these in my oven at progressively higher temps - up to 475F to see if the edge holds up any better....
Contributor
John,
Your brain is working too hard. The chisels are clearly marked CHROME VANADIUM. That means that it has lots of Chrome and Vanadium in the steel along with lots of other stuff. If you really want to play with steel, buy some real O-1 and get to work. As other have suggested, wasting time on a $7 set of chisels is probably not going to yield a vintage Witherby or Buck when you are done...
Member
A generation ago tool makers were bragging about Chrome Vanadium steel the way they brag about A-2 today. Primus planes had chrome vanadium steel irons. Maybe Hirsch or Two Cherries did also. I bought a Record plane iron in 1983 that is proudly marked CHROME VANADIUM STEEL. It is not as nice as 19th century cast steel, but serviceable nonetheless. About like older Marples or Sorby. O-1 steel has Chrome and Vanadium in it; I would not be so sure that these are not all O1 steel. Manufacturers have a long history of hiding the steel they use. "finest Sheffield steel" "Swedish steel", etc.
In the 1984 Lee Valley is their "best" chisel (and their most popular),. "The chrome-vanadium steel blades hardened to Rc 58-62 hold an edge better than a standard carbon steel blade."
Contributor
Have Buck Brother, have Butcher, have Witherby, one of the Mortise chisels is from Japan, another from New Haven Edge Tool Co. And, two sets of Aldi's...
Somewhere in the drawer, there are a few from Germany, British Zone. Maybe an EC Jennings. Just rehabbed a Stanley made Defiance, from the 1930s
Mainly I merely USE my chisels, since that is what they are here for, to be used. Money that others might spend on 1-3 new chisels....I spend on wood. What good is a high priced tool, without the wood to use it on? Maybe sit in some sort of Trophy Case? Mine are for work...and get used a lot. Could not care less what steel they were made from, or where...as long as they do the work I need done, they stay..otherwise they will get tossed. Simple as that, no "magic" involved..just plain work, is all.
Contributor
Warren,
A nice post, but merely pointing out that inferring that Aldi Chisels _might_ be W1 or W2 and susceptible to some exotic heat treats is probably a waste of time when the Chinese folks who made them proudly etched "Chrome Vanadium" on the blade. Just sayin....
Contributor
By the same person that has never even USED them....BTW.
Contributor
I find my Aldi chisels are great for carpentry. I can use them without concern for prying up and wedging apart boards. I don't need to worry about hitting a stray nail. I can shave a little off a 2x4 to improve a fit or make a notch as long as I don't hit a knot. They work fine when used in this manner and were a great value. The smaller size works good for opening painr cans also. The handles don't like being struck with a hammer though, thats too much for them. The edge holds up pretty well for this type of use. Glad i bought them.
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