Long Japanese parer - odd looseness.https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31826742/Japa

[Allan Speers]

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See new thread.

[Stanley Covington]

Alan:

The Patient requires major surgery, but my preliminary diagnosis is the condition is not fatal.

Fold newspaper or cardboard, fold this over the cutting edge, and tape it in place. If you have 6 fingers on one hand, and don't mind a little blood however, you can skip this step.

Mark a dot on the handle's butt with a pen aligned with the flat (ura).

Holding the chisel by the neck, rap the ferrule on a block of wood at a point 45 degrees from the plane of the flat. Repeat a couple of times, then do the same on the opposing side. Then do the same on the other diagonal. The handle WILL loosen. This process will not damage the chisel.

Now compare the depth of the hole with the tangs length. Since the handle is cracked, it is likely the tang was forced into a hole too shallow. If it is too shallow, drill just the bottom a few millimeters deeper than the tang should sit.

Now reinsert the tang into the hole, and check for slop. I suspect there will be quite a bit.

Make shims the shape of the tang flat from cardboard ( cardboard is wood) or from slips of wood to fit into the hole to align the tang properly.

Reassemble.

You can straighten the NECK by bending it, but remember that more than one chisel has been broken through ham-handedness. Do not apply a bending moment anywhere past where the blade flairs and has high-carbon steel laminated to it. Small increments. Remove the handle before doing this, and be careful not to bend the poor tang.

The chisel now needs some therapy, the equivalent of a woman going to a spa and hairdresser. Chisels have feelings too, and appearance is critical to self-esteem doncha know.

Refinish the handle. Sand and refinish the ferrule with burnt silk, or gun blue. Gently Sharpen her. Finish up the polish on a natural stone that makes the jigane a smoky grey, and the steel a hazy silvery white. Ummm.. Sweet.

Tell her that you have been a no-good dirty dog for letting her languish so long, that you love her and only her, and that all those other chisels before mean nothing.

Stan