Scrapers, Picks & Hooks

An engineer's scraper or bearing scraper is a hand tool used to remove raised areas from metal surfaces that have undergone machining. Their sharp edge is specially designed to give a smoother, truer surface although a truly flat surface is impossible to achieve.

Cromwell stock a range of engineers scrapers from popular brands such as Kennedy and Eclipse Blue so you'll be sure to find the right tool for the job from our selection.

Why scrapers?

Scrapers are commonly used to achieve smooth surfaces in metal where any high spots would be to the detriment of functionality. For example, mating surfaces like those found in the cylinder block and head of a car engine or machine blocks that improve the overall accuracy of the machining process.

Types of engineers' scraper

There are three main types of engineer's scraper available: Flat blade scrapers, triangular scrapers and curved scrapers

Flat blade scrapers - As the name suggests, a flat blade scraper features a flat blade with a sharped tip designed for scraping flat surfaces only. The tip features a slight convex, which minimised the risk of the cutting edge digging into the surface and creating burrs.

Triangular blade scraper - Commonly used for more intricate working such as scraping corners and edges as well as for removing burrs from the inside of smaller components and bearings. The triangular blade scrapers name comes from the triangular blade that tapers to a point, which can be used on flat and curved surfaces.

Curved blade scrapers - Designed for scraping the insides of bearings and curved surfaces, these scrapers are also referred to as bearing scrapers and feature two sharp edges.

Considerations for choosing a scraper

Selecting the right scraper for the job is paramount to achieving the right results. Making sure your scraper is the correct tool is mostly dependent on the application it's involved in. For instance a bearing scraper being used to scrape a flat surface will most likely end up damaging the work piece, same as a flat scraper being used on a curved workpiece would cause burrs.

On the other hand, a flat scraper or a bearing scraper being used on a flat or curved surface, respectively, would yield the best results.

FAQ

What are scraper blades made from?
The blades of an engineer's scraper are commonly manufactured from steel or a tempered variant of steel, due to the hardness of the surfaces being scraped. The handle portion is commonly either made of wood or a polymer variant.

Do I need an engineer or bearing scraper?
When working with surfaces that require precision scraping, then the answer in undoubtedly yes. Using other scraping tools like a chisel would result in damaging the workpieces as its corners would dig in resulting in burrs and imperfections that would affect surface contact between two components.