Removing Size Markings from Chisels??

[Andrew Teich]

I was setting up to sharpen all my chisels as I had gotten very lax finishing my last project and many of them were dull. I figured they all could use a touch up. I also just received my size 18 and 32 Narex chisels from Highland which completed my set from 3 to 32. I am a sucker for sets just like anybody but have used all my chisels on projects excepting the two I just received. I also had them all laid out in order as I was considering building a box to store them in the tool closet and then carry out to where I can use them.

The chisels have all arrived with some sort of lacquer or coating, I guess this is normal. In the past I had just ground through it on sandpaper on the initial flattening and sharpening. I had remembered my teacher at a class I took tell us that he had removed that stuff on his chisels (some other brand) with lacquer thinner. I decided that this would be much better than letting it gum up my nice new sheet of sandpaper.

I took them outside onto the patio and began to remove this stuff with a paper towel and some lacquer thinner. The 32 went just fine and I started in on the 18. About two swipes with the paper towel over the top and the size and brand markings were gone. Just bare metal with the even machine marks that the Narex chisels have on all their faces.

I'd like to hear opinions on what to do next. Should I just leave one chisel with no marks, should I try more lacquer thinner on the others to remove their markings. Should I attempt to remark them somehow or are unmarked chisels fine as my eye holding one up to the work will pick the right size. How would you remark a chisel? Wood burning on the handle? Buy a set of number stamps and have a go at the blades or handle?
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[Chris Vandiver]

In most cases chisels are not marked for size and it certainly isn't necessary. I think the one Narex you have with the clean blade, looks better than the rest.

[Jim Koepke]

Only a few of my chisels have size markings and I never notice them.

Though now that I know, the ones that are printed I might try some lacquer thinner on them to see if the markings come off.

You will likely find that you will pick your chisels by sight more than by reading the markings.

Most of my chisels have different handles. I can usually pick the chisel by the handle without seeing the blade.

You could always color code your chisels if you need a size designation on them.

jtk

[Andrew Joiner]

I store my chisels in a row from smallest to biggest above my main workbench. I never look at the markings, just grab the one I need.

[Andrae Covington]

I'm too lazy to purposefully remove the printing on the steel (I have Narex and Ashley Iles) but it comes off pretty easily with lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, etc. when cleaning. So on most of mine the printing is either gone or nearly gone, but some still remain. It probably looks better to wipe them all clean.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I rubbed a couple of mine off sliding the blade left and right on the tool rest of the grinder . . .

I very rarely care about the exact size of my chisel. The only time I do, I only care that's the same size as the plow iron I used.

I thought once about taping my chisel handles with colored tape using the same color code as is used on resistors, simply because my brain would understand that. . .

[Jerome Hanby]

I thought once about taping my chisel handles with colored tape using the same color code as is used on resistors, simply because my brain would understand that. . .

In mm? Decimals to handle fractions of inches would keep me guessing, I use those values so seldom that it's easy to mix up silver and gold. Seems counter intuitive to me, as minerals silver is worth less than gold, yet silver is the greater multiplier (.1) over gold (.01). I always stew over that for a while trying to sort out which is which.

[Jessica Pierce-LaRose]

I didn't say it was a good idea . . . I was going to do decimal inches . . .

Gold and silver are usually just the tolerance values, 5% and 10% respectively. So the tighter tolerance is worth more - so I suppose that makes the gold/silver thing work?

EDIT: now that I think about it, isn't Gold .1 and Silver .01 when used as a multiplier? It's rare I use something with the values low enough to warrant those.

Sorry to go so off topic . . .

[Jerome Hanby]

Thayt's what always gets me, I encounter those colors so infrequently as multipliers, I can't keep them straight. plus I've seen at least two tables that contradict each other <g>

[Kent A Bathurst]

I have mine in a wood rack.......blades hidden.......1/8 & up by 1/16ths....I know which "slot" holds the 6/16 [3/8] and which lost holds the 1", so I can calibrate my "grab" pretty accurately. I'm missing a couple of the odd-numbered 16ths after I sold off some Japanese chisels....those slots sit empty. Well - no chisels, other stuff has gravitated there like floats and dental picks.