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Has anybody bought a 1/2" Thompson bowl gouge recently?

Sam Fleisher

Sam Fleisher

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The other day I started using a bowl gouge recently purchased last month and noticed a bluish color on one side of the shank behind the flute. I had bought two and the other one isn't like this.

I was just wondering if Doug has changed his process? None of my other thompson tools have had this and I was just wondering if it's something I need to keep an eye on. Probably not but I was just curious.

I gave him a call but his voicemail was full.

First pic is the blue side, the other pic is the same gouge. Doesn't show up as good in the pic as in person.
 

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Last edited:
I have a 5/8" one that I have had and been using for several years that has a spot that is missing the "bluing". I figured it was just cosmetic as it also gets removed sharping and honing the back side. I can't tell any difference using it compared to the several other Thompson gouges I have. But I know Doug stands behind all of his tools.
 
James Seyfried said:
I have a 5/8" one that I have had and been using for several years that has a spot that is missing the "bluing". I figured it was just cosmetic as it also gets removed sharping and honing the back side. I can't tell any difference using it compared to the several other Thompson gouges I have. But I know Doug stands behind all of his tools.
Click to expand...
This is an actual blue color not the normal gun metal bluing color. kind of a metallic chroma blue color I would describe it as.
 
I got a 1/2 spindle gouge last summer and it has discoloration on one side. I think it is the tempering process as I do not believe the entire length is tempered . Maybe @Bill Blasic will chime in for clarification. Even though Doug has retired I am pretty sure there is no change in the product warranty.
 
Gerald Lawrence said:
I got a 1/2 spindle gouge last summer and it has discoloration on one side. I think it is the tempering process as I do not believe the entire length is tempered . Maybe @Bill Blasic will chime in for clarification. Even though Doug has retired I am pretty sure there is no change in the product warranty.
Click to expand...
I don't think it's a warranty issue, I was just curious. My original 1/2 inch gouge was 3 years old approx , bought it with a 5/8's and they didn't have the blue tint. Picked up a new 5/8 a month or so ago and then the 2 new half's last month with the one half inch gouge being different I was just wondering if it was a tempering thing or something. Wouldn't want it snapping off. But if you had one discolored from last summer then it's probably just a process thing.

I would say whatever they do to them has a definitive line right where the flute stops. Just odd it's on one side and not the other.
 
I messaged Doug Thompson and he said that was just an artifact of the heat treatment. The tools have to be stood straight up and that’s a contact mark from the fixture. He may elaborate further if he logs in here.
 
Sam Fleisher said:
The other day I started using a bowl gouge recently purchased last month and noticed a bluish color on one side of the shank behind the flute. I had bought two and the other one isn't like this.

I was just wondering if Doug has changed his process? None of my other thompson tools have had this and I was just wondering if it's something I need to keep an eye on. Probably not but I was just curious.

I gave him a call but his voicemail was full.

First pic is the blue side, the other pic is the same gouge. Doesn't show up as good in the pic as in person.
Click to expand...
Sam Fleisher said:
The other day I started using a bowl gouge recently purchased last month and noticed a bluish color on one side of the shank behind the flute. I had bought two and the other one isn't like this.

I was just wondering if Doug has changed his process? None of my other thompson tools have had this and I was just wondering if it's something I need to keep an eye on. Probably not but I was just curious.

I gave him a call but his voicemail was full.

First pic is the blue side, the other pic is the same gouge. Doesn't show up as good in the pic as in person.
Click to expand...
Sam, The coloration you see is from the heat treatment. When the steel is hardened it has to be stood straight up so they don’t bend at the high temperatures so they touch a fixture in two places along the steel. The hardening is done in a vacuum oven (no air) so when the steel is removed it’s a geogeous silver, blue and purple color. The tempering is done at atmosphere which will produce the dark gray color you see on the steel. Now to answer your question the difference in color is the fixture mark from the two processes nothing different except color.
 
Doug Thompson said:
Sam, The coloration you see is from the heat treatment. When the steel is hardened it has to be stood straight up so they don’t bend at the high temperatures so they touch a fixture in two places along the steel. The hardening is done in a vacuum oven (no air) so when the steel is removed it’s a geogeous silver, blue and purple color. The tempering is done at atmosphere which will produce the dark gray color you see on the steel. Now to answer your question the difference in color is the fixture mark from the two processes nothing different except color.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the response! I wasn't worried just curious.
 
Jeff Jackson said:
Not all of them. D-Way tools are hardened the entire length of the tool.
Click to expand...

I have ground parabolic flutes into the tang end of both D-Way and Thompson BGs and both have performed as well as the original flute ends.
 
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