James and Sherron Bowen on tue 25 dec 07
At high speed, especially with a dull or very fine grit abrasive, enough
heat is generated to burn off the fuzz on the wood being sanded or ground
down.. We used to "burn" or burnish hardwood floors with our drum sanders by
deliberately dulling the grit on used 080 grit sandpaper on the sanding
machine by running an old piece of sandpaper rolled up across the drum on
the sander while the sander was running. It was known as "knocking the grit
off" the paper. If you paused slightly with the drum on the floor it would
leave a charred black mark on the floor. When properly done the bare wood of
the floor has a shine unlike any sanded surface.
JB
----- Original Message -----
From: "June Perry"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, December 25, 2007 7:55 PM
Subject: Re: cocktail forks, now sharpening wood tools
> Phil,
>
> I don't get fuzziness when I sharpen my bamboo tools on my grinding
> machine.
vpitelka on tue 25 dec 07
June Perry wrote:
"As far as bamboo sharpening, I just make them and keep them honed on my
grinding machine. The heat generated turns the edges brown and it seems to
compress the wood giving it a really sharp edge."
June -
I have experienced the same thing when sharpening wood tools on the bench
grinder. The scorched edge is very hard. I believe that I have heard of
people hardening some functional wood objects with moderate heat. Does
anyone know anything about that?
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on tue 25 dec 07
Hi Vince, June, all...
Far as I know, Heat, or traditionally, some close proximity to Fire, will
in-a-way 'harden' Wood, but it is mostly dehydrating and shrinking it to
effect an increase in density...with apparently some chemical changes also
contributing.
Any Wood or Bamboo Tool which one wishes to be used for Cutting, would be
best sharpened with a very sharp Steel Chisel, leaving a clean-cut
surface...rather than by using Abrasive means which ( even if somewhat
sub-visually, ) leave a fuzzy and ragged surface.
Phil
l v
----- Original Message -----
From: "vpitelka"
> June Perry wrote:
> "As far as bamboo sharpening, I just make them and keep them honed on my
> grinding machine. The heat generated turns the edges brown and it seems
> to
> compress the wood giving it a really sharp edge."
>
> June -
> I have experienced the same thing when sharpening wood tools on the bench
> grinder. The scorched edge is very hard. I believe that I have heard of
> people hardening some functional wood objects with moderate heat. Does
> anyone know anything about that?
> - Vince
Logan Johnson on tue 25 dec 07
Happy Holidays All!
I seem to remember hearing something about an indigenous peoples ( please don't ask which people) after sharpening the end of spears would put the ends into the fire to harden them. Now when I asked my hubby if he could remember hearing anything on that subject he said in Vietnam some of the Viet Cong would "heat treat" the ends of bamboo pungi stakes. Sorry I have this gruesome reference.
Logan
vpitelka wrote:
June -
I have experienced the same thing when sharpening wood tools on the bench
grinder. The scorched edge is very hard. I believe that I have heard of
people hardening some functional wood objects with moderate heat. Does
anyone know anything about that?
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
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Logan Johnson
Yakima Valley Pottery & Supply
719 w. Nob Hill blvd.
Yakima Wa. 98902
(509) 469-6966
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WJ Seidl on tue 25 dec 07
Vince and all:
Burning the ends of wooden spears, tools implements, etc. was a well
known technique of (more) primitive peoples.
Heating the wooden end would cause the natural resins to "boil" and
permeate the wood fibers. When they cooled and hardened, the wood
(then) would be much more resilient.
Works with popsicle sticks, too.
Happy Holidays,
Wayne Seidl
vpitelka wrote:
> June Perry wrote:
> "As far as bamboo sharpening, I just make them and keep them honed on my
> grinding machine. The heat generated turns the edges brown and it seems to
> compress the wood giving it a really sharp edge."
>
> June -
> I have experienced the same thing when sharpening wood tools on the bench
> grinder. The scorched edge is very hard. I believe that I have heard of
> people hardening some functional wood objects with moderate heat. Does
> anyone know anything about that?
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, or change your
> subscription settings here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots2@visi.com
>
>
Anita Rickenberg on tue 25 dec 07
"I believe that I have heard of people hardening some functional wood
objects with moderate heat. Does anyone know anything about that?"
Vince,
Subsistance cultures use digging sticks which consists of a stick sharpened
on the end and put in a fire to harden the end. It would be the same
principle as hardening a wood tool in a fire.
Anita
John Rodgers on tue 25 dec 07
Many, many years ago - when I was a kid, ( I really was once) I went
with my Dad to a bait shop as we were going fishing. Now back in those
days here in the Deep South we used bamboo cane poles for fishing. There
was an old fellow - about my age now (but back then I thought he was
really old - ancient in fact) - who was using a blow torch on a bunch of
cane poles he was working on. He was rotating the cane/bamboo and
bathing the flame over it, browning the wood with it to a brown-black
color I asked what he was doing that for? Would it not catch the cane on
fire? "Nope" he said. "Sonny-boy, this here fire makes the cane harder
and tougher, more difficult to break.!" Well, little did I know.... one
day that old guy's application of fire to the cane was going to be of
importance to me for tempering cane/bamboo tools for pottery.
You just never know!
Regards,
John Rodgers
Chelsea, AL
vpitelka wrote:
> June Perry wrote:
> "As far as bamboo sharpening, I just make them and keep them honed on my
> grinding machine. The heat generated turns the edges brown and it seems to
> compress the wood giving it a really sharp edge."
>
> June -
> I have experienced the same thing when sharpening wood tools on the bench
> grinder. The scorched edge is very hard. I believe that I have heard of
> people hardening some functional wood objects with moderate heat. Does
> anyone know anything about that?
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, or change your
> subscription settings here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots2@visi.com
>
>
>
June Perry on tue 25 dec 07
Phil,
I don't get fuzziness when I sharpen my bamboo tools on my grinding machine.
I get a brownish , very slick, smooth and very sharp finish.
Regards,
June
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Mike on wed 26 dec 07
One nice material for wood trimming knives is pine. From one piece of
quartersawn pine you can get much material for trimming tools.Split off
layer by layer, so you have a strip which consists of one hard and one
soft ring. The hard layer (ring) will become the cutting edge. Make your
blank the shape you want then single bevel the knife edge with the hard
layer as the cutting edge. When it dulls can be trimmed in a couple
seconds with a sharp chisel or utility knife (as Phil indicated). Very
easy to do on the fly when you're working. Also, none of those little
end grain fuzzies that you can get from bamboo knives.
Mike
in Taku, Japan
karatsupots.blogspot.com
www.karatsupots.com
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET ????????:
> Hi Vince, June, all...
>
>
>
>
> Far as I know, Heat, or traditionally, some close proximity to Fire, will
> in-a-way 'harden' Wood, but it is mostly dehydrating and shrinking it to
> effect an increase in density...with apparently some chemical changes
> also
> contributing.
>
>
> Any Wood or Bamboo Tool which one wishes to be used for Cutting, would be
> best sharpened with a very sharp Steel Chisel, leaving a clean-cut
> surface...rather than by using Abrasive means which ( even if somewhat
> sub-visually, ) leave a fuzzy and ragged surface.
>
>
>
> Phil
> l v
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "vpitelka"
>
>
>> June Perry wrote:
>> "As far as bamboo sharpening, I just make them and keep them honed on my
>> grinding machine. The heat generated turns the edges brown and it seems
>> to
>> compress the wood giving it a really sharp edge."
>>
>> June -
>> I have experienced the same thing when sharpening wood tools on the
>> bench
>> grinder. The scorched edge is very hard. I believe that I have heard of
>> people hardening some functional wood objects with moderate heat. Does
>> anyone know anything about that?
>> - Vince
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
>
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, or change your
> subscription settings here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots2@visi.com
>
Maggie Jones on wed 26 dec 07
I believe archeologists have found wooden spears that were made in that
manner.
Maggie
On Tue, 25 Dec 2007 11:55:59 -0600 vpitelka writes:
> June Perry wrote:
> "As far as bamboo sharpening, I just make them and keep them honed
> on my
> grinding machine. The heat generated turns the edges brown and it
> seems to
> compress the wood giving it a really sharp edge."
>
> June -
> I have experienced the same thing when sharpening wood tools on the
> bench
> grinder. The scorched edge is very hard. I believe that I have
> heard of
> people hardening some functional wood objects with moderate heat.
> Does
> anyone know anything about that?
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net; wpitelka@tntech.edu
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka
>
>
_________________________________________________________________________
_____
> Clayart members may send postings to: clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list, post messages, or change
> your
> subscription settings here: http://www.acers.org/cic/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots2@visi.com
>
>
=?iso-8859-1?Q?Tig_Dupr=E9?= on wed 26 dec 07
Vince, June, and All Mud Buds,
For a true history of heat-treating wooden tools, let us=20
step into the Way-Back Machine. We'll set the dial for=20
about 25,000 BC or so and travel to meet Oorgh, a=20
hunter of the time. (Actually, nearly ALL the men of=20
that time were hunters!) =20
Ah, here we are!
US: Hello, Oorgh. How's the hunting these days?
OORGH: Me find plenty. Me and Ug and Plok and=20
Shul find lotsa things with horns and good meat.
US: You haven't yet discovered how chip stone to=20
make sharp edges, so how do you manage to kill=20
them?=20
OORGH: Use stick. I call it "spear."
US: But, Oorgh, a stick isn't hard enough to go=20
through the skin of a large animal like that.
OORGH: HAH! You think Oorgh not smart? I burn=20
end of stick in fire. Make it black. Then sharpen=20
stick on stone. Very hard. Stay sharp long time.
US: So, what you have done is to heat-treat the
wood.
OORGH: Yep. Me go now. Wife hungry, want
large furry thing for dinner. Also need skin for=20
new dress. =20
US: Bye, Oorgh. Good hunting!
And now we return to the modern time. (Well, as
modern as it gets.) And there you have the rest of=20
the story. Folks have actually been heat-treating=20
wood for a long time. Bamboo is actually a very=20
dense grass, but gets the same treatment as wood. =20
Do a little heat-treating in the flame of your propane=20
torch, not a lot--just until it starts to smoke. Then=20
sharpen the tool as Mel suggests, using successively=20
finer grit paper. I finish with wet 1000 grit for my=20
bamboo carving tools. By the way, I use my wheel
for this activity. Glue sandpaper to old bats, put on
the wheel and spin at a moderate speed.
Found an old "Made-in-China" bamboo leaf rake=20
someone chucked into the trash. What a treasure! =20
Tools for a lifetime! =20
The tips of the tines were already bent, so I can=20
shape them the way I want and harden them to stay=20
sharper. The rest of the rake provided a bunch of=20
cutoff tools, lifting tongs, faceting wire handles, and=20
needle tool handles. The long bamboo handle got
cut up into brush handles, into which I affixed hair
from many different critters, including pony tails
from the female of the human species. (They gave=20
them to me!) Great brushes!
Yes, I am a pack rat and a dumpster diver! My searches
give me hours of fun, annoy my son to no end (loads of
fun!), and provide me with a bucket-load of tools, many
of which I give to my students about this time of year. :o)
A very happy time to all, and best wishes for a good new year.
Tig Dupre=20
in Port Orchard, Washington, USA
=
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