Frustated and Looking for help

that was me. in the cases where I have seen this, the edge didn't roll, though- it looked more like chipping, or even like metal had been torn out of the tool. the kind of thing you'd expect from brittle steel.

sounds like the steel is too soft to hold an edge. your options-

sharpen very frequently. use these as utility chisels and get better for chopping. return them and get better. have a go at hardening and tempering these.

Hi All, Thanks for the initial round of comments. Can anyone recommend some mortise chisels that this won't happen with? Are Ray Illes the ones to trust?

What would be involved with tempering these to make them harder, or is that a dream?

Andrew

I have one ECE mortise chisel of very good quality.

If I make some tool that needs to be hardened I heat the steel in a charcoal fire (think BBQ grill with a small fan) to a dull red (should be around 850 degrees celsius) and quench quickly in a bucket of water, but then I only use tool steel thats good for water hardening, some of the oil hardening wil crack if they are subjected to the quick quenching that happens in water (oil quenches slower!). After that I annael them for 2 hours at 200 degrees Celsius in the stove to relieve internal stresses and bring the hardness down from overly brittle to a good working hardness.

you'll access a better group for that question over at rec.crafts.metalwork

rec.crafts.metalworking

thanks :)