Sorby paring chisel

[Dangermouse]

Hi all
I have just won this I Sorby paring chisel on ebay. Just wondered if anyone knew how old it might be. Its blade is 10 inches long and 1 1/4 inches wide with I sorby and punch's head as a trademark. Its in lovely condition and hardly ever used I would think, with a fantastic tapered blade. All I have to do now is sharpen it \/ and find a nice bit of wood for the handle.

I would never belive how hard it would be to get some good photo's of this chisel, took me dozens of tries to get these.

 

[jimi43]

Lovely chisel my friend...want to know what handle truly suits it as an original....

Mine is remarkably similar....

Douglas has also honed this one for me and it is without doubt one of the best chisels I have....razor sharp and superbly balanced....you got a good-un there mate!

Cherish it...you won't find better today.

Jim

 

[AndyT]

It's often difficult to date tools by their marks, since even personal names soon became intellectual property which could be traded. Thus well-known marks tended to stay in use long after the originator had gone to the great toolroom in the sky.

For Sorby though there was some useful info in the recent thread about Richard's old chisel, including this thread on backsaw.net where it is suggested that the Mr Punch logo did not appear until after 1876 but before 1901. BPM III says much the same, suggesting a usage period of about 1870 to some time in the 1920s.

Although appearance of a logo in a catalogue or advert gives a reasonable earliest use date, it's hard to see when a mark stops being used - catalogue compilers could be quite frugal in their continuing use of old engravings.

So I'd say your very nice chisel is about a century old, give or take a few decades!

 

[Cheshirechappie]

That's a lovely chisel - good spot, and well done for winning it!

While we were pondering the birth of the bevel-edged chisel, some interesting bits and pieces came to light, including the Illustrated Sheffield List of 1885 (which Bugbear posted a link to). It seems that at that time, the b/e chisel was either not known, or at any rate was not extensively made in Sheffield, because it wasn't listed.

A bit of speculation now - I think production of many things using imported raw materials and materials of strategic importance was under Government control during WW1. That would have included tools (I'm sure I've seen 'War Specification' Norris planes discussed on here before now). Many of the familiar trade marks could well have stopped being used at that time; maybe I. Sorby and the 'Punch' mark was one such.

So, for different reasons, I'm going to agree with AndyT and date your chisel between about 1890 and 1914. (I may be totally wrong, though!)

By the way, Ray Iles supplies replacement chisel handles in several patterns and sizes - though making one is an interesting and rewarding job!

 

[AndyT]

By the way, Ray Iles supplies replacement chisel handles in several patterns and sizes - though making one is an interesting and rewarding job!

Ray Iles has - at last - moved on from his abandoned 'work in progress' website and now has an updated super-wizzy online shop. Handles are here: http://www.oldtools.free-online.co.uk/shop/handles_ferrules.html.

Another source would be Tool Bazaar in Scotland: http://www.toolbazaar.co.uk/Spares.asp#5

 

[Racers]

Hi, Dangermouse

London Pattern Boxwood would be my choice, but box carvers are nice as well.

Pete

 

[jimi43]

By the way, Ray Iles supplies replacement chisel handles in several patterns and sizes - though making one is an interesting and rewarding job!

Ray Iles has - at last - moved on from his abandoned 'work in progress' website and now has an updated super-wizzy online shop. Handles are here: http://www.oldtools.free-online.co.uk/shop/handles_ferrules.html.

Another source would be Tool Bazaar in Scotland: http://www.toolbazaar.co.uk/Spares.asp#5

WOW! I didn't realise he had updated and that is some improvement right there!

And those prices are hard to beat! I have a hankering now for a set of rosewood London Octagonals.....used to be that you bought the steel and made the handles...but with this new fangled rusty stuff forum....I think I might turn that around! I feel like plantin' a crop of 01 variety in the orchard this year and see how they come up! :mrgreen:

Jim

 

[Dangermouse]

Bit of an update, all sharpened and my goodness, it cuts like a hot knife through butter. I had some Thorn tree logs and used one of those for the handle. Not a standard style, but I find it comfortable and the chisel is a revelation on how wonderful an old chisel can be.

I LOVE IT !! (hammer) \/

 

[jimi43]

I knew you'd love it DM!

Nice job on the handle!

Enjoy it!

Jim

 

[Racers]

Nice one Dangermouse, nothing cuts like a paring chisel.

Now you need the other sizes :wink:

Pete

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Excellent stuff!

That looks a good design of handle for a paring chisel, given that they are pushed by the hand, or in some cases, from the shoulder. The swell at the end of the handle will spread the load nicely on the palm of the hand. Smaller handles tend to concentrate the force of the cut rather uncomfortably on a small area of the palm of the pushing hand.

There's much more scope for wood use when handling a paring chisel, too. As they're not used with a mallet (well, not heavily, anyway), a greater range of brittle but attractive timbers can be used. You don't just have to stick with the old beech, ash, box or hickory as you do with 'bash-bash' chisels. And if the stock timber is available free - even better!

It wouldn't surprise me at all if that one became a 'favourite' chisel!

 

[Dangermouse]

Yes CC thats what I was trying to get , a nice fit in the palm of the hand, spreading the pressure. but not such a lump at the end to be ugly or uncomfortable to use. I think I cracked it and I seem to be using this chisel all the time now. So yes deff a favorite.

 

[GazPal]

That's a very nicely done Grecian handle and re-fit DM and I bet it sees many more years of regular use.