Enhanced with a Titanium Nitride (TiN) coating to dramatically increase it's edge holding ability, Sorby's 1/2" Excelsior Spindle Gouges produce details on between center work where the grain runs parallel to the lathe bed. They are used to create coves, beads, and other profiles on such items as goblets, vases, bed posts, candle sticks, and other spindle work. 1/2" Gouge has a 12" handle with an overll length of 18-1/4". Ash handle. High Speed Steel (HSS) blade. England Sorby Excelsior Turning Tools Robert Sorby's Excelsior tool range has been designed with the connoisseur wood turner and those who regularly turn hard woods in mind. A plasma bonded Titanium Nitride (TiN) finish layered over traditional triple tempered High Speed Steel (HSS) provides the perfect combination for tool longevity and edge retention. In tests the TiN coating outperforms the hardest wearing steel tools and will even better tungsten carbide. Excelsior tools' cutting edge weigh in at an impressive Rockwell hardness equivalent of 80. They will outlast standard tools by four times - more than a match for popular cryogenically treated and powdered metal turning tools. The combination of the bonded plasma TiN finish and HSS not only eliminates the possibility of chipping and brittleness often associated with harder metals, it also allows for easy sharpening. The TiN coating also has the added advantage of reducing friction where metal meets wood. This is particularly effective when working with extremely hard and abrasive woods or when cutting through knotted burrs. The result – spend more time turning and less time sharpening! England