What are woodcarving chisels made of?

5th March 2020

What are woodcarving chisels made of?


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		Woodcarving chisels are made up of several different parts, and each part may be made from a material with specific properties.

		Blade
		The blade of a woodcarving chisel is typically made from quality, hardened tool steel.

		Steel Steel is a metal alloy of iron and carbon. Tool steel is the name given to steel that has a carbon content of between 0.5 and 1.5%, and which has, typically, been hardened and then tempered to create the properties of hardness, abrasion resistance and durability.

		Hardening and tempering Hardening is a heat-treating process in which metal is heated to extreme temperatures and then rapidly cooled in water to give the metal hardness. This hardening process also causes the metal to become brittle. Tempering always follows hardening, and is the process of re-heating the metal and then allowing it to cool slowly in air. The process of tempering reduces the brittleness of the metal and increases toughness and durability.

		The steel that many modern woodcarving chisels are made with may have further metals added such as chromium and vanadium for increased hardness, toughness, and rust resistance.

		Chromium Chromium (also called “chrome”) is a silvery-white metal element that is hard, brittle and lustrous. Chromium is often mixed with other metals such as steel because it is resistant to tarnishing.

		Vanadium Vanadium is a silvery-grey metal element that is hard, malleable and ductile. Vanadium is often alloyed with other steel to create durable tool steels such as high speed steel, which can cut at high speeds and still retain a sharp cutting edge.

		Ferrule
		Ferrules are typically made from brass or steel.

		Brass Brass is a metal alloy made by mixing copper and zinc.

		Handle
		Hardwood The handles of woodcarving chisels are typically made from hardwoods such as oak, ash, beech and hornbeam.

		Hardwoods like these are chosen because they are strong, comfortable to hold and extremely durable.

		Plastic There are also woodcarving chisels available with hard plastic handles such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride).

		PVC is a synthetic plastic polymer and is the third most manufactured plastic in the world. It can be made hard and rigid or soft and flexible and, as such, has a wide range of applications and uses.