Originally Posted by
Warren Mickley
Now we have a fellow testing chisels by scratching. I tried it last night myself. Using a Marples blue chip, which I abandoned about five years ago in favor of an 1830 chisel, I was able to scratch a Butcher chisel from about 1880. This butcher chisel I had used a few weeks ago to chop seven feet worth of end grain in white oak, after which it still cut white pine end grain rather well. I am skeptical enough that someone could test a chisel without the familiarity that comes with regular use; here we have people wanting to test without use.
Something to think about: what is my motivation for keeping and testing a chisel I know to be softer than a cheaper Home Depot chisel? You can't use a chisel unless you want to keep it, and I didn't feel like paying for it just so I could be a product tester. I've had plenty of experience with soft knives and tools, and it was all BAD, so I run from them. I try to learn from my mistakes instead of reliving them over and over. My only bad experience with overly hard steel was the purchase of an expensive, overrated Shun knife, which chipped easily. Now I use knives that aren't quite as hard, because I can sharpen one in five seconds and put it in the dishwasher later. I can't sharpen a chisel in five seconds.
I thought the idea that harder steel keeps its edge longer was pretty well settled. Is there evidence out there that soft steel can actually stay sharp longer? Is there a difference between hardness and resistance to dulling?
Maybe soft Irwin chisels are great, and they have some special quality that makes soft steel hold an edge, but I can get harder Narex chisels for similar money, and Narex has a better reputation.
I'm not surprised that a 19th-century chisel would be soft. It would be a sad thing if metallurgy had not improved in 137 years.
Cry "Havoc," and let slip the dogs of bench.
I was socially distant before it was cool.
A little authority corrupts a lot.