Violin Forum/Message Board

[picard1701d]

I know you guys will probably say I should get nicer gouges but I can't afford much right now so do you think these will work to get me started with my first violin build?

I thought $65 for a set of six was pretty good.
Here is the link.

http://www.grizzly.com/products/Japanese-Gouge-Set-of-6/G7957

[Chet Bishop]

They are probably quite workable. Get a good set of sharpening stones or the equivalent, as well.
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Chet Bishop
https://bluefiddles.com
https://fivestringfiddles.com

[FiddleDoug]

I got them after seeing another luthier using them. They're OK, but not fancy. They do need some re-shaping and sharpening.
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Doug Wall

www.wallindependent.com

[picard1701d]

Thanks for the replies I think I will buy a set.

[Andres Sender]

Needing sharpening means nothing.

The question is, how good of an edge can you get on them and how well do they hold an edge?
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You can only connect the dots that you have.

[Violin Repair Guy]

Keeping them sharp does mean something. It is very important. Also, be sure never to use a machine to sharpen them. Do it with a sharpening stone.
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Eric Luthier
The Violin Repair Guy

[Dave Chandler]

I started with a set of inexpensive gouges, and found that I only used three out of about 8. And, those three have been replaced with individual replacements from different sources as time went on and I knew exactly what I wanted for a specific job. But the inexpensive set did well for the first violin for sure.

A while back a chinese company was offering a nice set of about 30 or 40 gouges without handles, and of very good steel for about $80 on Ebay. I looked for them again on Ebay after reading your post, but didn't find them. There were some here on the forum that really liked them. Maybe someone will recall and have a contact email or website for them. Anyone?
_________________
Dave in the Blue Ridge
Southern Violin Association

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to the next with no loss of enthusiasm" Winston Churchill

"I took the road less travelled, and now I don't know where I am." Marco Polo

[Andres Sender]

[John Cadd]

When you use a gouge always keep the outer edges above the surface.If the edge goes out of sight when you cut the wood will be in a splitting situation.You also need to twist ( rotate ) the blade as you cut .That means you need a wider blade than you would expect at first
Gouges are awkward to sharpen.Cut a groove in soft wood (pine ) to suit that gouge shape. Cover it with metal polish and draw the edge backwards to get a sharp edge after the main sharpening process. Wiggle it sideways as you move it.It will polish the edge surface. Try the edge on a single piece of newspaper. Razor sharp is best.

[L P Reedy]

[John Cadd]

When you get used to them it`s easy. If people ask you have to give them some helpful tips. No good just saying it`s easy.

[John Cadd]

The gouges shown at the start have the traditional Japanese layer of brittle hard cutting steel bonded to a thick softer layer. I had to remove some old paint from a crevice in a window once . (Misusing good tools ). Using the 1/4 inch chisel I gently prised the paint out of the hole and the brittle steel snapped. Before I knew it the chisel had an inch from the end bent at 30 degrees.So narrow laminated chisels will let you down if you use any leverage.They keep a good sharp edge apart from that.

[John Cadd]

There is a review of these laminated chisels where the narrowest one snaps and bends with little pressure. His break shows a slight crack happenend before they were sold. I doubt if it`s a problem at all for wider tools. It was funny to see a photo exactly the way mine bent. The brittle layer leaves the soft thick layer to bend. When you use a grinder to sharpen keep dipping the tool in clean cold water. Do about 6 tools in sequence and short 4 or 5 seconds at a time for each one then dip put it aside and do the next one.Work round them all in a sequence.The continuous interuption stops you overdoing the grinding. The brittle layer makes a different spark pattern to the soft steel.It helps to see what`s getting ground away.
The very edge of the blade has a millimetre of brittle steel poking out and that can be liable to breaking splinters off the edge. Not really a problem with violin wood. More abrasive wood would cause that headache. The laminated tools are useful if you like shaving the hair off your wrist.

[sdantonio]

[L P Reedy]

The easiest way I've found is with appropriate size conical stones, mounted in a drill press. Keep the speed low and overheating is not a problem. You can just hand-hold the gouge or you can adjust the drill press table so that the bevel fits the stone with the handle sitting on the table. Be patient. Helps to have stones of several grits if you need to take off much metal.

If you don't have the conical stones you can do a pretty good job with a Dremel and sanding drum. This way takes more care to avoid overheating and to keep the angle as you want it.

For hand sharpening, wrap your choice of sandpaper around the appropriate sized dowel. Conical slipstones are NOT a good choice unless you can work the gouge sideways, but they will work if that's all you've got.

For cleaning up the outside my preference is an MDF wheel charged with polishing compound, keeping the back of the gouge flat to the face of the wheel. Of course you can use any good stone or fine sandpaper on a board for that. Hope this is useful.