I've got an old really beat up and pitted plane iron that I've been working
on. There's a lot of good metal left in the iron, so I think it's worth
cleaning up. After spending an hour attempting to flatten it with the P120
paper included with a Work Sharp 3000, I finally got it to the point where
it could be sharpened.

Would it be beneficial to go with a really heavy grit for the Work Sharp
3000, such as 50 or even 36? Do I risk leaving such deep gouges in the
metal that they won't come out with the next higher grit?

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

For a plane iron, I would think 50 & 36 grit is way too coarse. A
somewhat slow spinning medium grinding stone would be better for
initial rough honing.

Sonny

On 07 Jan 2012 11:12:46 GMT, Puckdropper
puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote:

I've got an old really beat up and pitted plane iron that I've been working
on. There's a lot of good metal left in the iron, so I think it's worth
cleaning up. After spending an hour attempting to flatten it with the P120
paper included with a Work Sharp 3000, I finally got it to the point where
it could be sharpened.

Would it be beneficial to go with a really heavy grit for the Work Sharp
3000, such as 50 or even 36? Do I risk leaving such deep gouges in the
metal that they won't come out with the next higher grit?

Boulder paper, eh? Scary stuff, Pucky.

That's one of the reasons I prefer coarse diamond hones. They'll take
down metal quicker if you need it removed. Grab a set of DMT diamond
paddles http://goo.gl/rdGf0 or an HF set of diamond plates.
http://goo.gl/3vGmk rectangular block or http://goo.gl/SfW0p
individuals.

Alternatively, you can spend the extra time (and same expense) with
next higher grit papers. Whenever you use coarse grits, it's only a
matter of time to sand out the deeper gouges (when you have the metal
left in the iron.)

--
Worry is a misuse of imagination.
-- Dan Zadra

On 1/7/2012 5:12 AM, Puckdropper wrote:
I've got an old really beat up and pitted plane iron that I've been working
on. There's a lot of good metal left in the iron, so I think it's worth
cleaning up. After spending an hour attempting to flatten it with the P120
paper included with a Work Sharp 3000, I finally got it to the point where
it could be sharpened.

Would it be beneficial to go with a really heavy grit for the Work Sharp
3000, such as 50 or even 36? Do I risk leaving such deep gouges in the
metal that they won't come out with the next higher grit?

Puckdropper

Use the "heavier" grits to remove unwanted problem areas. the heavier
the grit the faster the removal of those particular spots.

BUT heavier grits create their own problems area and will need to be
remove step by step. The lighter the grit the more quickly/fewer grits
you go through before you can go to polishing the surface.

"Puckdropper" wrote in message
eb.com...

I've got an old really beat up and pitted plane iron that I've been working
on. There's a lot of good metal left in the iron, so I think it's worth
cleaning up. After spending an hour attempting to flatten it with the P120
paper included with a Work Sharp 3000, I finally got it to the point where
it could be sharpened.

Would it be beneficial to go with a really heavy grit for the Work Sharp
3000, such as 50 or even 36? Do I risk leaving such deep gouges in the
metal that they won't come out with the next higher grit?

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.


The gouging depends on how well the abrasive is graded for particle size.

I like 100 grit carbide powder (from Lee Valley) on a sheet of glass with a
few drops of oil for troublesome plane soles. This is a manual process, of
course, and if you're trying to do it exclusively by machine it might not
suit you. I can understand why, having invested in the Work Sharp, you'd
like for it to serve all your grinding needs.

The powder from Lee Valley is well-graded as to particle size, so you
wouldn't be putting in scratches that would cause you more than the usual
amount of work with the next finer grit.

But anyway, whatever you use, you then need to work your way through the
grits without skipping any until you get down to where you want to be in
terms of finish.

Tom
Beat it to fit, paint it to match

Sonny wrote in news:b3d94433-12b7-4d0a-9e43-
:

For a plane iron, I would think 50 & 36 grit is way too coarse. A
somewhat slow spinning medium grinding stone would be better for
initial rough honing.

Sonny

What's really taking the time is flattening the back. If I can get the
back flattened, doing the rest won't be difficult at all. It does cut
pretty nicely in the area that did flatten out, it's just taking forever.

Hopefully this will be the last time the iron ever needs such work.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

"Tom Dacon" wrote in
news
The gouging depends on how well the abrasive is graded for particle
size.

I like 100 grit carbide powder (from Lee Valley) on a sheet of glass
with a few drops of oil for troublesome plane soles. This is a manual
process, of course, and if you're trying to do it exclusively by
machine it might not suit you. I can understand why, having invested
in the Work Sharp, you'd like for it to serve all your grinding needs.

The powder from Lee Valley is well-graded as to particle size, so you
wouldn't be putting in scratches that would cause you more than the
usual amount of work with the next finer grit.

But anyway, whatever you use, you then need to work your way through
the grits without skipping any until you get down to where you want to
be in terms of finish.

Tom
Beat it to fit, paint it to match

I'm working on the iron (blade) and not too concerned about the plane
sole. This is a wooden plane, so a couple light passes with the jointer
should get everything square and flat.

Not skipping grits makes sense to me. I'm just looking at finding a more
aggressive starting point to try to make the job take a reasonable amount
of time.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

On 1/7/2012 2:57 PM, Puckdropper wrote:
wrote in news:b3d94433-12b7-4d0a-9e43-
:

For a plane iron, I would think 50& 36 grit is way too coarse. A
somewhat slow spinning medium grinding stone would be better for
initial rough honing.

Sonny

What's really taking the time is flattening the back. If I can get the
back flattened, doing the rest won't be difficult at all. It does cut
pretty nicely in the area that did flatten out, it's just taking forever.

Hopefully this will be the last time the iron ever needs such work.

Puckdropper

You only flatten the back once. ;~)

On 07 Jan 2012 20:57:42 GMT, Puckdropper
puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote:

Sonny wrote in news:b3d94433-12b7-4d0a-9e43-
:

For a plane iron, I would think 50 & 36 grit is way too coarse. A
somewhat slow spinning medium grinding stone would be better for
initial rough honing.

Sonny

What's really taking the time is flattening the back. If I can get the
back flattened, doing the rest won't be difficult at all. It does cut
pretty nicely in the area that did flatten out, it's just taking forever.

Yeah, pitting really hoses the edge, doesn't it? this is one of the
very few areas that a machine makes quick work of a sharpening task.


Hopefully this will be the last time the iron ever needs such work.

Ayup.

--
Another belief of mine: that everyone else my age is an adult,
whereas I am merely in disguise.
-- Margaret Atwood

Larry Jaques wrote in
:

On 07 Jan 2012 20:57:42 GMT, Puckdropper
puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote:

Sonny wrote in news:b3d94433-12b7-4d0a-9e43-
:

For a plane iron, I would think 50 & 36 grit is way too coarse. A
somewhat slow spinning medium grinding stone would be better for
initial rough honing.

Sonny

What's really taking the time is flattening the back. If I can get
the back flattened, doing the rest won't be difficult at all. It does
cut pretty nicely in the area that did flatten out, it's just taking
forever.

Yeah, pitting really hoses the edge, doesn't it? this is one of the
very few areas that a machine makes quick work of a sharpening task.


Hopefully this will be the last time the iron ever needs such work.

Ayup.


Well, I picked up some 80 grit and gave that a try. It helped a bit, but
it will take quite a bit to get that iron to 100%. There's about 1/8-
1/4" on either side that isn't flat, but the middle is good. I'll just
have to use the plane like it's a smaller plane.

Puckdropper
--
Make it to fit, don't make it fit.

"Puckdropper" wrote in message
b.com...
I'm working on the iron (blade) and not too concerned about the plane
sole. This is a wooden plane, so a couple light passes with the jointer
should get everything square and flat.


Sorry - I misread your post and thought you were working down an iron plane
sole.

Tom