worst condition chisels I've ever (Sort of) restored. Stanley 720's

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Apr 7, 2018
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16
Note: I do not do this for a living, or professionaly. i just collect them.
have few full sets of 750's,
bevel edge socket swans, witherbys,
in the process of building a set of NOT pitted 720's (1/4-3/8-1/2-5/8-3/4-1-1.25-1.5-2) still missing 1.75" and 7/8"
a full set of #40 everlasting, and a #20 everlasting
currently trying to put together something of #740's only have a 1/2"-3/4"and 1" so far (they're really rare for some reason)
and many many single items like EA Bergs (wonderful steel) lakeside(made by Stanley) bucks, KK, etc etc. and few slicks.
and dont even get me started on japanese blades (love their steel but hate the ergonomics)

anywais. heres' a user set ive put togetherreal quick.
look at BEFORE pics and you'll understand.

these are just 1/4-1/2-3/4-1" small set Stanley used to sell a long while back.
most lengths were about factory lengths, unused.
I think i need to do a bit better flattening the 1" back to get more pitting out, but its surprisingly shaving sharp as well after leather strop.

pic with handles is to compare finished of original stanley handls colors to the UGLY RED (mohogony) i tried to match. as you can see, depending on year nad how they felt about it, stanley's colors are all over as well, so mot worried about collor much.

I've no idea why i restored those original handles but whats done is done. First i tried soaking the leather caps in oil but they were rock solid so i made my own and epoxied them on existing handles. cleaned them up a bit and stained them. wood was actually quite solid there.

New handles that are on the chisels themselves:
as close as i could match with original sizes.
these are made from IPE (brazilian walnut)  Janka hardness of 3680 so its right up there just under lignum vitae.
In comparison beech is at 1300, and white oak at 1360, I'm sure IPE will stand to any abuse.
why did i leather capped it? for looks lol otherwise that leather is a joke at that level of wood hardness. besides if you look at pics, if iriginal stanley handles have a tennon thru leather roughly less then 1/2", the tennons on my IPE handles wee all roughly 7/8" so like i said, leather is just for looks.

Kept the color original, the new handles have bin stabilized with cyanoacrylate just because its still wood though its referred to as ironwood as well, and any wood moves slightly. figured its not going to hurt it.
They're also epoxied onto the chisels (I hate dropping socket chisels by excident if I grab it by the handle and its bin sitting for a while beforehand)

Sharpening wasnt an isua i do most of the work on worksharp 3000 slow speed grinder (basically sandpaper on glass-dead flat)
the grind is just a 30 degree flat grind, no micro bevels or ruler tricks.
 

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ALI Construction said:
...dont even get me started on japanese blades (love their steel but hate the ergonomics)
...

I assume that it's the ergonomics of the handles that you don't like, because that seems to be the common complaint.  Have you ever put a new western style on a Japanese chisel?  You've done a brilliant job on the Stanleys, seems like you could do the same for Japanese chisels.  Or is it something else about the ergonomics of Japanese chisels that you don't like?
 
An interesting hobby...I learn something new every day.  [big grin]

How old are these chisels? Any idea?
 
Cheese said:
An interesting hobby...I learn something new every day.  [big grin]

How old are these chisels? Any idea?

Info taken from FineWoodworking community

720 Socket Chisel
Manufactured: 1930 to 1969
Sizes: 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, 1, 1-1/4, 1-1/2 inch widths
Construction: Steel shank, hickory handle
Finish: Lacquered
Uses: General purpose chisels
Average Price: $5 to $10 (Those are the 1990 prices.)

740
1930 to 1955
1/8, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 1, 1-1/4, 1-1/2, 2

750
1930 to 1969
1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 5/8, 3/4, 7/8, 1, 1-1/4, 1-1/2, 1-3/4, 2

Found a blog that might interest the purists Lone Pine Toolwork
 
Harvey: when I said don't get me started on Japanese chisels i met i didn't want to describe them all, i do however have a few slicks with long handles laminated from japan, and few shorties, roughly 5/8"-3/4"-1"-1.75", my gripe about them is ergonomics of the chisel itself, steel itself is almost always short, kinda unnecessarily bulky near the cutting blade (actually Im wrong, the bulk of softer steel is necessary to support the cutting laminated edge cause its brittle but hard), Japanese chisels are great for chopping. I don't chop much.
I prefer long skinny blades like 720, 740's and swan's for more finicky work, as for chopping and or just a good beater that can serve around as a crowbar/screwdriver/other Swiss-army knife functions, you cant get any better then Stanley everlasting's with solid thru shank.

i gave them Japs a try, praise their steel that takes a wonderful edge, and stays that way like none other, but I figured ill live with sharpening a bit more often but with ergonomics that I like.
BTW whats with those 300-500 Damascus looking chisels? the cutting edge is still either white or blue steel. so that's like putting lipstick on a pig.

P.S. Japanese saws are a whole different story, i'd even keep one in the kitchen to cut bread if wife would let me.

Mario:
thanks for the blog, as far as info from fine woodworking, #720's are not limited to the sizes listed.
there are indeed a 1/8" (most expensive because also rarest)
5/8" (i have one with factory machining marks on top and sides, so its not a regrind)
(7/8" seen one and held one also with factory machining marks)
and seen a 1.75 pop up on ebay recently, but way too high of a $$$ so I passed on it.

Steel is comparable to 740 and 750's Id even say identical, just different lengths.
now dont mix these up with newer 1251's and oddball defiance garbage this steel is slightly softer on average.
reason why there's not a whole lot of odd widths around is because Stanley used to sell full sets early on, and later towards 50's the most popular set was the one I just did (1/4-1/2-3/4-1)
and there's plenty of 3/8's around because many Stanley tool boxes included that one as a standalone with their other tools.

throughout years Stanley used to put all kinds of packages together like a small toolbox where they would have a 720, a 750, few squares, low angle plane and some lay out tools.

Also during the sweetheart era they also had tool boxes similar to these but most of the stuff was just marked SW with a heart logo on it.
I have a few socket type's like that.

 
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