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Chemical blade sharpening

2003

I want to chemically sharpen a blade from a wood block plane. This would be done as the last step of sharpening. I ran across a book describing the process for resharpening woodworking hand files which I will pickup tomorrow but I wondered where else I might look for info.

I tried Google and the search term chemical honing but no specifics were given. I need the chemicals, ratios and procedures and times. Sulfuric acid was mention as being added to water for approximately 10 minutes and some other combination of water and chemical.

I am trying for an extremely sharp edge on the blade. The blade is made of a ferrous metal ( iron + ?)

Thanks,

Randy Tuttle
hobbyist - St. Paul, Minnesota

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Hi, Randy. Please update us when you get the book. Although some sort of liquid honing is probably possible as a sharpening mechanism, to my knowledge this would be an abrasive process, not a chemical process. To my knowledge it is not possible to chemically sharpen an edge. But good luck.

Regards,

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com - Pine Beach, New Jersey
October 20, 2009