Starret Scribers,Scriber sharpening and scribed lines

[Mosey]

I just bought a NOS Starrett scriber to replace a worn-out General one of 25 years use. I like its feel.
I sharpened it by gently drawing backwards down a wet Japanese 600 stone, while twirling it in a circle. It is now sharp as a tack.
When drawing lines in marking out, I hold it vertically so the point is against the straight edge tightly, and make the lines quite this. They make a clear crisp scratch. That's it. The technique is the same as proper drafting with pencil on paper. Equally lost tp the mellenium of electronic graphics.

 

[gus]

I just bought a NOS Starrett scriber to replace a worn-out General one of 25 years use. I like its feel.
I sharpened it by gently drawing backwards down a wet Japanese 600 stone, while twirling it in a circle. It is now sharp as a tack.
When drawing lines in marking out, I hold it vertically so the point is against the straight edge tightly, and make the lines quite this. They make a clear crisp scratch. That's it. The technique is the same as proper drafting with pencil on paper. Equally lost tp the mellenium of electronic graphics.

Hi Mosey,
Thanks for sharing on scriber point sharpening. I must congrat you for buying
Japanese 600 grit Wet Stone. It is expensive but sharpens well .

Here is my contribution. Been doing it wrong way sharpening knives for past 49 years as I discovered when I dropped by the Central Fish Market at Tsujiki,Tokyo.Paased by a Sashimi Knife Shop and saw Japanese Artisan using a series of water stones from 600# to 6000# to sharpen sashimi knifes. After watching for 30 minutes.I gathered enough courage to ask for all the stones.To my surprise the owner speak good English. He recommended 3 stones from 600------1000--------3000 to sharpen kitchen knives.Stones cost me US$150.10,000# stone is for shavers.There are two trade secrets.All stones must soak in water for 10 mins in order to sharpen when. One last one was ,you need to condition the stones to original perfect flatness. Wee bitty running water flush away waste to expose new grit.Most stones end up concave and no good for sharpening.
Today my boss is very happy with her kitchen knives but she has another complain the knifes are "dragon slaying Knives", that is too sharp and tends to cut her fingers.
Last foto shows a typical mutilated stone. Stone now a paper weight in the kitchen.

 

[Mosey]

Gus,
Take heart, help is close at hand. Take your concave ruined stone, a flat piece of plate glass or a marble tile from the Home Depot, a sheet of wet or dry paper, and have at it. In no time at all, your stone will be optically flat again. Or reasonably close.
I took a workshop with a Japanese master woodworker, that included sharpening your Japanese chisel and plane blades. Now this is absolutely true...we spent 3 days on our knees on the floor flattening our stones in a tub of water on such a plate. Only when he decided they were flat enough, did we gain the privilege of sharpening our plane blades on these stones. And, when he decided that the stones now had become concave again, mysterious Zen process, it was back to the tub to flatten agaain. The plane blades were deemed to be sharp only when the tiny honed curl on the backside of the edge fell off by itself.
My classmate, ex-marine, and I concluded that there was some inexplicable ancient mental state we had attained to get real sharpness. Then I think you are supposed to commit sepaku, ritual self-disembowelment.
Anyhow, flatten your stones and sharpen away.
Your wife is right, by the way.
Mosey

 

[gus]

Did a bit of carpentry. Mostly used Record,UK Jack Planers and Chinese Planers. Went to TokyuHands,out curiosity bought a japanese planer.To my surprise they beat our chinese planers. Second trip bought a larger planer. Restoring the original sharpness now not a problem. All my carpentry now use Japanese hand tools.Saw a collector planer in its wooden box and this cost a fortune.Was hand crafted by Master.
Went on to teach my ex-boss in Yarra Wine Valley,Melbourne,Australia.Bob was a good student.His wife,Ruth now very happy with all the kitchen knives especially the meat carving knive.See fotos. The Sashimi Knife Shop in the Tsujiki Fish market.My Aussie Boss.

I envy you.Taught by a Japanese Carpentry Master.I did mine by the backdoor to cut meat not wood. Before WW-ll we did have Japanese Carpenters in Singapore. It is so self-satisfying to have carpentry tools that are so sharp and you get the required results. Failure of which would a badly mutilated wood piece.It is not so easy to get hold of Japanese Water Stones outside Japan.I have a good collection. All craftsmen treasure their tools and they just won't lend theirs. Same thing with my fishing rods.Ha Ha.

 

[Mosey]

You will find me on Model Engine Maker forum most of the time. Come on in, the water's fine.

 

[gus]

You will find me on Model Engine Maker forum most of the time. Come on in, the water's fine.

Thanks,Mosey.

Will drop by.See you. We both seems to have common interest.
Bought many jack planers but never happy. But the Japanese planers enthralled me.

 

[Mosey]

Gus,
I confess to having a few hand-forged chisels and wooden planes on the wall. The big block plane that I sharpened a few years ago still is sharp enough to keep using and it makes a curl thin enough to read the paper through. I will sharpen it sometime again.
Keep in mind that the Japanese generally work with soft woods, unlike us. Cherry may be the hardest.
Hope to see you over there.
Mosey

 

[MuellerNick]

After reading all those funny time-waisting methods to sharpen a scriber, I think it is time to invent a jig for that process and sell it for a lot of money or invest 3 weekends building your own. You guys must have too much money or too much time or both of it.

Before waisting $150 for whet stones to get the scriber sharp, I suggest to invest the 17 seconds my method in posting #4 takes.


Nick

 

[lensman57]

Hi Gurus,
Please contribute your 2 cents worth.
I don't deny being taught badly in Trade School and marking out jobs. Or perhaps I was a bad student.

1. I bought two expensive Starret Scribers to start all over again.
How would a professional tool maker sharpen scribers? Go to bench Grinder
Use oils stones to hand sharpen. How pointed should the scriber points be.
2. Would the hardened scriber point eventually run out and a heat treatment
done to restore.

3. Marking out. I don't deny using brute force to get deepest scribed line.

Hi Gus,

Here is my two pennys worth, you need to get a hobby miniature grinding wheel mounted on a shank ,3.2 mm normally, for hobby driils auch as Dremel, they are about £3.00 for set of 3, if your scriber is carbide get the silicon carbide wheel.Measure the diametre of the scriber cylinder. drill, ream a piece of Aluminium to the size you just measured. Load the aluminium bit on to the nice QCTP that you have just made and put the sciber through the hole and having mounted your mini grinding wheel in the lathe chuck bring the scriber to center heigth and rotate the it so the pointed side ias parallel with the wheel, turn the lathe on ( safely ofcourse ) and using the highest speed possible bring the scriber to touch the wheel and start rotating the scriber by hand clock wise, against the direction of the wheel rotation. Be very light handed and within a couple of rotations you will have properly shrpened scriber with polished sides.

The whole thing takes less than 5 minutes, it costs next to nothing and is precise and repeatable.

You can adapt this method to sharpen anything you want including threading tools, cut off tools, etc. You just need to make the tool holder differently each time. Oh and cover the ways with oily tissue to avoid getting abrassive on the lathe part.

A.G

 

[Mosey]

After reading all those funny time-waisting methods to sharpen a scriber, I think it is time to invent a jig for that process and sell it for a lot of money or invest 3 weekends building your own. You guys must have too much money or too much time or both of it.

Before waisting $150 for whet stones to get the scriber sharp, I suggest to invest the 17 seconds my method in posting #4 takes.


Nick

Nick,
Most respectfully, you just don't get it.
Go to the dictionary or internet, or whatever, and look up the word "zen".
Read everything listed therein.
Go buy some $300.00 natural waterstones.
Get on your knees.
Sharpen until you see the light.
You will then feel sharp, and your sharpened finishing nail will feel sharp.
Get back to us and let us know how you feel.

 

[gus]

Nick,
Most respectfully, you just don't get it.
Go to the dictionary or internet, or whatever, and look up the word "zen".
Read everything listed therein.
Go buy some $300.00 natural waterstones.
Get on your knees.
Sharpen until you see the light.
You will then feel sharp, and your sharpened finishing nail will feel sharp.
Get back to us and let us know how you feel.

Hi Mosey,

Initially Gus did balked at the Water Stone Prices displayed at TokyuHands,Shinjuku,Tokyo,Japan. Did some price check.The prices at Tsujiki
Fish Market were slightly cheaper. Saw my Senseis sharpening knives and testing their sharpness. Went all over the fish market to watch other senseis sharpening knives.And recalling how sharp the Katanas (Samurai Sword) and the sashimi knives were. Having seen how they knock the tuna heads with small knives with extreme ease makes sense.The Japanese and their expensive water stones adds up.
You are right.Until one gained insight and the experience sharpening knives the Japanese way,one will not see enlightment.
Just came in from the kitchen.Boss wants her fish knives sharpened in 5 mins.Or else no fish slice soup for dinner.Nellie is a good cook.

 

[goldstar31]

Unfortunately, discussing fish knives and whatever is somewhat irrelevant -especially when there is a problem- and a major one at that- about sharpening machine tools.

Machine tools is where - we or you- came in.