First kit advice

[Tomcat]

Tom Bills has a pretty good video about scrapers. It is available ->here

Thanks, I'll check it out!

[MaineGeezer]

Most of the people here probably know about this hack already, but for those who don't:

You can make an excellent scraper for fine detail work from a single-edge razor blade. Just clamp it in your vise and turn the edge with whatever hard polished rod you use for turning the edge of scrapers.

[phavriluk]

Most of the people here probably know about this hack already, but for those who don't:

You can make an excellent scraper for fine detail work from a single-edge razor blade. Just clamp it in your vise and turn the edge with whatever hard polished rod you use for turning the edge of scrapers.

Learn something new every day!

And the razor blade scraper doesn't (much?) chatter?

[scamp]

I’ve given up on using regular scrapers altogether and now just use utility knife blades and roll over the edges on the steel edge of my table saw. Work great and are sharper than I could ever make my regular scrapers. And when they get dull just make another. Dirt cheap. Also…. They don’t chatter.

[TEETERFAN]

Yes, I am also a fan of single edge razor blade scrapers. After rolling the edge I do mark one side to help my old eye-balls identify which way to hold it. I also have a few old planer blades I use as scrapers, which are a bit wider.

[Tomcat]

What size of razor/utility blade are you turning into scrapers? Aren't they rather small?

[TEETERFAN]

standard size razor blades (1 1/2”), standard size utility knife blades (2 2/8”)

[Stray Feathers]

I posted about this a while back in this thread:

viewtopic.php?f=4&t=9753

I think these mat cutter blades must be very similar to single edge razor blades, but I am not sure about the thickness. We used mostly .012 blades in picture framing, but .015 is also available. I use the honed edge as a scraper, and you can put strips of tape at each end, leaving the blade exposed in the centre, for levelling drop fills etc. But now I am wondering if some of you are burnishing the back of the blade for scraping? I had not thought of that. Bruce W.

[scamp]

I’m not using the back of the utility knife blade. I’m rolling over the sharp edge side and using that as a scraper.