Hand Scraper Handle Improvement

I thought I'd share an "aftermarket" handle for hand scraping. The Sandvik and Anderson come with sort of glorified file handles, they are nice in their own way, but will dig a hole in your abdomen.

At Rich's suggestion I used the plastic top cap of an aerosol spray can as a temporary fix to spread out the pressure when hand scraping. The idea is not new as I've seen other versions in use. However I had my own idea for a handle cooking.

I commissioned my Dad who is skilled in wood turning, I sketched up a design on a napkin over lunch and he glued up some 2x4 pine stock for development purposes and made the drawing into reality. I have been testing it and its a nice improvement. I think the only improvement would be a larger center hole to more deeply seat the taper but that's a minor detail.

Thought I'd post for you guys "getting ready to scrape" and acquiring the tools, just buying a shiny brand new scraper doesn't quite cover all the bases. it could also be made of delrin or some other plastic-type material turned on a metal lathe.

Ready-made versions available here as well.

Griffe und Zubehör | DICTUM GmbH - Mehr als Werkzeug

I think, however, that starting with a big chunk of wood and then shaping it to suit your hand is a better approach.

Nice handle! I made my two from acetal off-cuts. I faced the end and turned the rest of the contour free-hand using a carbide scraper, in wood-turning fashion. Milled a slot in the end about an inch deep and bashed the shank into the slot.



The difference in use is immediately apparent.

I always found the original " Sandvik "handle ok. I think I/we must scrape differently in the UK. Regards Tyrone.

Out of curiosity Matt, how well stuck on was the plastic handle on the Sandvick scraper? This is another of the jobs on by to-do list...


The Sandvick handle is ok for holding in the hand, but not so good if you want to lean into it like a prop-forward.

I'm with Tyrone on this one. I am having some difficulty picturing what scraping style/motion such a wide handle is supposed to originate from. Anybody got a video with an example?

The black handled one I push with my gut or sternum. The white handled one is shorter and I can tuck it in the crook of my arm or push with my bicep or even hold in my hand. I also tried using the ball of my hand to 'bump' the end and whilst it's comfortable and 'works' well it produces deep gouging scrapes with a large burr raised at the end.

Mark Rand said:

Out of curiosity Matt, how well stuck on was the plastic handle on the Sandvick scraper? This is another of the jobs on by to-do list...


The Sandvick handle is ok for holding in the hand, but not so good if you want to lean into it like a prop-forward.

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There'll be plenty on here thinking " What's a prop forward ? " . I'll leave it to Mark to explain. Regards Tyrone.

That wide handle spreads out the hurt when your "body" Scraping. If you are strictly arms scraping the handle that comes with it is ok, but I teach Body scraping.
I have used boat trailer rollers I cut in 1/2 ( a students Idea) and bored out to the of of the handle and pressed on. I also screw on a 4" plastic sanding back disk. At the class Matt took I saw him hurting and gave him a paint can top he used to spread out the hurt. The original Andersons had a rubber pad that snapped over the wood handle. Rich

Pic's: Matt at MI class, Jim in Atlanta Bump Scraping at GA class, Burmise student in Taiwan 1/2 moon flaking and student body scraping from AL class a few yrs back

I got a replacement rubber pad for orbital sanders at one of the borg stores. Four tiny wood screws attach it to the end of my handle. There was about a 1" center recess that the screws went in and I filled this with JB Weld to cover the screws and fill the recess. This is on an old Anderson scraper. The rubber pad is 4" across and definitely spreads the pressure out. I usually stand the scraper straight up on end with the flat bottom of the rubber pad on my bench and this saves me from accidentally dulling or dinging my carbide by just laying it carelessly on the bench between cycles.

Mark Rand said:

Out of curiosity Matt, how well stuck on was the plastic handle on the Sandvick scraper?.

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Just barely there. I gripped the shank in a bench vise with soft jaws, pulled on the handle, a couple of medium taps from a 16oz hammer and it was off. Once the taper releases its done. very gentle operation overall.

Ocean said:

I'm with Tyrone on this one. I am having some difficulty picturing what scraping style/motion such a wide handle is supposed to originate from.

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Sorry no video, but I put the butt of that somewhere on my chest, could be against my stomach muscles, or up by the sternum or pec. All depends on the height of the work and what's a comfortable angle of attack to the work. So I brace with my legs, one front and one back, and then drive (sort of rocking in rhythm when scraping an area) with my upper body and legs. I basically just control the downpressure and aim the blade with my hands. But its not all bent over like the Japanese technique as they seem to drive from the pelvis or hip area.

Last Melbourne scraping class I made up this batch of handles for scrapers that Phil (machtool) had made.. personal preference is for the ball end, but some preferred the mushroom style..



Whatever feels most comfortable.

Ray
PS.. Now I have to make another batch for the next scraping class..

Ray.

I've been chipping away with the Octagon version.

matt_isserstedt said:

but will dig a hole in your abdomen.

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Matt.

Have you thought about shortening the tang on your Sandvik stick, or gluing the handle on? You could do yourself a nasty injury. If that handle come off, when you were body scraping.

Regards Phil.

Hi Phil,

With you having had experience with all shapes and sizes what's your favourite handle shape? Ball, mushroom, octagonal, Biax? Renz?

Ray

Found a video where the guy's actually doing what you people described.

Don shows how to rough scrape a surface - YouTube

Interesting.

No offense but that is not body scraping as Matt was describing. I also agree the tang needs to be deeper in the hole, but I am sure Matt knows that, but wanted to show you his handle. He did say that in his post. You need to have the flat end pressed against your boby and not in your hand. The Japaness style is more like it and so is his scraper. The only difference is the scraper style. I have to figure out how to down load onto You Tube so you can see how it is done a more efficient way and less effort to push using your body mass and not your arms. This from the PMC Facebook page and Ted my assistant teacher showing how we teach it. Please note if you have the scraper like this you can see the blue spot easier as your eyes are above the blue spot. Ted Uses a 3" 3" square pad on the end of his scraper. In the photo in my last post, Jim is using my scraper and you can see it's a yellow sander pad.


https://www.facebook.com/TaiwanScraping/photos/pcb.768159893194740/768159816528081/?type=1&theater and this is in Chinese but if you watch the whole thing you will see several examples of it, plus I show some students how. The classes over in Taiwan are in a class-room where we teach using a small plate at first and then we have a small machine we had made with universal castings to we can teach CI to CI, Turcite to CI and finally Liner way mount scraping. This next one is from a TV station like CBS evening news, but it was a Taiwanese channel that interviewed me last fall when i was over there fore a 30 year birthday / class reunion at PMC. I am interviewed in the end of it, but can be seen in it from time to time. I wish I had dieted before it. LOL

??????????? ???? - ???????? The Taiwan classes as designed to copy the exact class I have been teaching for 30 years and the weekend crash course 3 day class is a condensed version of it and so is my DVD for that matter. Click the ?? marks.

There are several ways to scrape, My Dad learned it from a German and we had a business making $$ hand scraping, so it had to be a cost effective way and less tiring. This is why we fell in love with the Biax when we started to use them in 1972. I teach body scraping, bump scraping, You can put the handle in your elbow, your tummy, your hip, your pelvis, your shoulder as long as you push it with your mass and not your arms. I also teach my students how to hand 1/2 moon oil flaking and of course how to use the BIAX power scraper and flaker.

If I were you and you have a file handle. Get a flat rubber pad about 4 or 5" in diameter and use a wood screw to attach it to the end so you can push the scraper with the mass of your body and not your hands. Holding the round ball with your hand and pushing it will give you hand cramps like crazy. If your happy the way your doing it, so be it, but I swear if you try it you will like it.

Rich

Here is mine..... Rough as guts... took about 3 minutes to make on the lathe... Nice and grippy... I push it with my shoulder when forced to, otherwise I use the Biax..

RC99 said:

took about 3 minutes to make on the lathe..

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Really? just going on looks, I'm surprised it took that long, was there a tea break in there somewhere?

Ray

Richard King said:

If I were you and you have a file handle. Get a flat rubber pad about 4 or 5" in diameter and use a wood screw to attach it to the end so you can push the scraper with the mass of your body and not your hands. Holding the round ball with your hand and pushing it will give you hand cramps like crazy. If your happy the way your doing it, so be it, but I swear if you try it you will like it.

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G'day Rich.

All ready thought of that. I picked that up from Robert / Lazlo, when he did your class, a few years back. We show that style also. I think Robert used a 4" backing pad from a sanding disk. Current plan is to lay on a little bit of every thing, for every one to try, and see what suits them best.

I've got guys coming that just want to learn how to flatten a wood working plane. I think you would agree with me, arm scraping probably suits them best. Then you have characters like R.C, who go out and buy horizontal borers, and need to know how to lay into it.

Regards Phil.