Marples chisels - when were these made?

[Mark Gibney]

Hmm, lot to think about. Mike Brady says he has what looks like the same chisels and doesn't rate the steel, that might be the one post I pay most attention to.

Thanks for all the feedback, great to be able to get this knowledge.

[Lasse Hilbrandt]

+1 on what Patrick said. They may take a few sharpening sessions to get into 'good' metal.

Even if they are not 'world class' they are worth having. I have a lot of 'less than stellar' chisels around for use outside the shop or working on dirty jobs.

If nothing else they can be used to make skew chisels or fishtails.

jtk

Jim

How come there is better metal inside than outside these chisels ?

[Tony Zaffuto]

I have a set of chisels marked "Greenlee" and for all practical purposes, are identical to the picture in the original post, except mine have green plastic handles and marked with a different name. Everything else is identical, including the "Made in Sheffield" and the white spacer. Steel is good-found better and worse through the years. Why did I buy these? Found the set of 4 in an antique mall, for $16.00, 3 had never been used and one of them looked like whoever tried to sharpen it, was a beaver that used his/her teeth to gnaw at the blade.

[george wilson]

If you use your chisels to cut some butter,and the butter dulls them,they are IRWIN!!!

[Mike Brady]

Just because they say made in Sheffield that does not mean the steel is made there, just that they are assembled there.

Matt

That would only happen in the situation where someone was fraudulently selling a product. The makers in Sheffield had integrity.

[Jim Koepke]

Even if the steel isn't optimum, they can do some work.

If nothing else they will get you to hone your sharpening skills.

jtk

[Jim Koepke]

Jim

How come there is better metal inside than outside these chisels ?

The hardening process often makes the steel at the edge chip or roll over easier.

I do not know the actual metallurgic reasons for this, but it has often been mentioned in the past in reference to new chisels and plane blades.

jtk

[Daniel Rode]

I have a full set of the Marple's Blue Chip chisels. Great chisels, IMO. They sharpen easily and hold an edge well. I think Marples sold millions of them. They were a great value then and reman so now.

I have a couple of Irwin chisels that I bought to make skew chisels. The steel is soft. They are easy to sharpen, like my older Marples, but they the dull right away. At $4, I still paid too much.

I have an oddball 1/4" Irwin chisel with a rubberized grip and a steel cap. The steel cap probably connects directly to the tang. It's like it's designed to be beat on with a hammer. While I don't ever use it, the steel is pretty decent. I can't remember where or why I bought it.

[Jim Koepke]

The steel cap probably connects directly to the tang.

This would be like the Stanley Everlasting chisels.

You can confirm your suspicion with a continuity tester or an ohm meter.

I keep getting Harbor Freight ads in the mail. Looks like they have a free digital meter coming up with a $5 purchase. They have a few things I might want.

I looked at the $10 Windsor chisel set. The blades were a touch thicker than what I would want for making a 1/4" fish tail. If there weren't already too many chisels in my shop (no way! too many chisels? ) I would be tempted to buy a set.

jtk

[Patrick Chase]

The hardening process often makes the steel at the edge chip or roll over easier.

I do not know the actual metallurgic reasons for this, but it has often been mentioned in the past in reference to new chisels and plane blades.

jtk

Decarburization. There are other factors as well (differences in heating/cooling rates at the periphery vs core for example) but decarburization can really mess up edges.

[Jim Koepke]

Decarburization. There are other factors as well (differences in heating/cooling rates at the periphery vs core for example) but decarburization can really mess up edges.

Thanks Patrick, I knew it happened, didn't know the name.

jtk

[Patrick Chase]

Thanks Patrick, I knew it happened, didn't know the name.

jtk

Decarburization really shouldn't be a significant issue for modern chisels from reputable brands - they should all be using inert-gas furnaces, passivation coatings, etc. It's much more of an issue for people who try to heat-treat their own blades with MAPP torches etc.

I think this may be a case where the conventional wisdom lags behind reality a bit.

[Stewie Simpson]

http://taths.org.uk/424-a-present-from-taths

[Jim Koepke]

Thanks for that Stewie.

I love old tool makers catalogs.

As in almost any field of interest, catalogs supply a wealth of information.

One of my favorite sources:

http://toolemera.com/

jtk

[Matt Knights]

That would only happen in the situation where someone was fraudulently selling a product. The makers in Sheffield had integrity.

The word HAD is key here. The Marples brand was bought out by Irwin some time ago, they had the parts made in China and then they were assembled in Sheffield therefore allowing them to use the words "made in Sheffield", this was somewhat of a marketing ploy playing on the tool making heritage of Sheffield. This practice has now been abandoned, and is now considered fraudulent but for a while was common practice among many brands.


Matt