Workshop Heaven Scary Sharpening Kit (Magnum) Reviews

5 Rating 4 Reviews

The new and improved Workshop Heaven Scary Sharpening Kit (Magnum) contains:
A rock solid, 18½" (470mm) wide block of dead flat 10mm thick float glass. This provides the ideal substrate for use with sheet abrasives.
A soft suede leather mat to support the float glass and keep it in place.
2 sheets each of 40 micron, 30 micron, 15 micron and 9 micron, pressure sensitive adhesive backed, aluminium oxide microfinishing film. A heavier duty version of standard lapping film with a thicker backing and a stronger resin coating.
2 sheets each of 3 micron and 1 micron lapping film. The 3 micron grade has a 'P' resin coating making it slightly more durable than the other superfine grades. The 1 micron film is roughly equivalent to an 11,000 grit Japanese waterstone.
1 sheet of 100 micron microfinishing film for heavier material removal, regrinding primary bevels for example. This can either be stuck to the back of the glass or any other convenient flat surface: absolute flatness is less critical for grinding than honing.
250ml of HoneRite Gold - a concentrated water additive that makes water non-corrosive and ideal for honing.
500ml Spray Bottle
Regular price if purchased individually: £134.60
3M lapping and microfinishing films are extremely accurate superabrasives that provide precise, consistently uniform, close-tolerance finishes. A high-strength polyester film backing is coated with premium, micron-graded mineral particles that are electrostatically oriented for greater cutting efficiency. The particles are bonded into a layer of resin that holds the particles in place for increased durability. PSA is the acronym for Pressure Sensitive Adhesive and is a heavy duty version of the adhesive on the back of a Post-It note.
To use, cut each sheet into four 2½" (63mm) strips, peel off the backing and carefully fix a strip of each grade next to each other on the piece of float glass applying firm pressure for an even secure bond, be careful to avoid trapping air bubbles and leave a 2cm gap at either edge. Spray a drop of diluted HoneRite Gold (or water if you are using this method in conjunction with waterstones) on the surface of the lapping film to lubricate the process and prevent swarf from building up.
With the blade angled fractionally steeper than the primary bevel angle, work the down the grits using pull strokes only - one or two strokes on each strip. This system works particularly well with a honing guide, we recommend Richard Kell's guides because of their exceptional accuracy and repeatability.
A few strokes flat on the back of the blade starting from the 9 micron film will remove the burr and leave you with an exquisitely fine edge.
Matthew's Sharpening Chisels - Practice Video

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“great kit!!! I love this method for sharpening”

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Posted 4 months ago

“Having spent £100 on a Veritas honing guide and getting good results I was not convinced either my carborundum stones or diamond (admittedly cheap version) were doing a brilliant job - sharp yes and yes a presice honed line. Come in Scary Sharp! The system promises an easy to use, easy to maintain system but I have not yet tried it. Why? Because having invested heavily in Scary and Veritas I thought a true system response was needed hence I am building a honing station - a strong base for the very sturdy glass plate that will include a drawer for abrasive sheets and space for the Veritas. The intention is that the honing station will have a home for its storage so that it can be lifted onto the bench when needed but stored when not. Incidently, packing and delivery were superb with the kit including a spray bottle I had not expected.”

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Posted 5 months ago

“The scary sharp method is absolutely amazing. Got new chisels from workshopheaven that came very sharp but I wanted to try out the scary sharp stuff. I used the 4 finest abrasive sheets and the outcome is amazing. Wood was like butter... I followed the YouTube video with Matt and Ben at workshopheaven and it works a treat, by far the best way to sharpen chisels and plane blades.... If you are going to get this then go the distance and get a honing guide as well for precision.... And you may as well treat yourself to a set of quality new chisels from workshopheaven. (None of the above is exadurating, it's amazing ..)”

2 Helpful Report

Posted 3 years ago

“I recently started woodworking, and I quickly realised that one of the main skills I needed to work on was sharpening and honing my tools. Buying some cheap chisels on sale, as well as sharpening a lawnmower blade, on some whetstones (240/1000 and 3000/8000) got me decently flat backs and sharp edges, but it was messy and the 240 grit stone got visibly concave really after my first session. There had to be a better way. I looked into diamond stones, but with the mixed reviews and experiences I found, coupled with the initial cost of good-quality stones, I got a bit put off. That is when I found this system which looked excellent on paper. It comes with a perfectly flat slab of glass, and the latest high-tech top-notch lapping and finishing paper from 3M. The product description said the consumables should be good for at least two months of sharpening, but I figured with my relatively low activity and modest use of chisels and planes, that might last me two years, and so it seemed quite a cheap solution too. The pack came with two sheets each of the abrasive foils, which I cut into strips on a paper cutter. They were easy to stick to the glass, and once there create a grinding surface flatter than anything but a brand new or lapped whetstone. The honing fluid, which smells like an interesting mixture of solvents, anti-corrosives and oils – similar to the gun oil I once used in the Navy – comes in a bottle that is not convenient for pouring, so I will be finding another container for it, but I quickly tried it just to see how it works, and its properties are excellent for sharpening, adding just the right kind of moisture to the lapping sheets, lubricating and protecting the tool as well, and with an odour that is not overpowering, but of course does remind you that frequent use would require good ventilation or a mask against chemical vapours. Just testing it quickly, I got out a 3mm chisel, flattened the back for a few seconds on the 40 micron lapping paper, then carefully drew the bevel across it a few times, and removed the burr. And, amazingly, just a few seconds of using the coarsest of the lapping papers (save for the 100 micron meant for grinding), the chisel was already as sharp as it was when I bought it. It was faster, less messy and better than any result I got from working a lot harder on my whetstones when I tried those out. It was actually ready for any but the most detailed fine cutting. In short, I am thoroughly impressed already, and that's even before honing my way through the different papers to the very finest for what I can only assume is an edge so scarily sharp one really should not touch it. Highly recommended!”

1 Helpful Report

Posted 7 years ago