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#1
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Sharpening question
What is the best way to maintain a keen edge on carving tools such as the
gouges, etc.? Back when I was a chef, I never let my knifes get dull. Everyday I would fine tune them with a few strokes on a hard stone so they were like a hot knife through warm butter. Carving chisels are a different thought altogether with the polishing and mirror finish needed to glide through the wood, not to mention the many different shapes. Would a minute or two on a power strop be what is needed to maintain a keen edge? Or, is a stone then polishing required each time? I just purchased a small sheet of leather and some compound to try out the old method of stropping without power, which seems that it would be good on the straight chisels but a pain for the rest. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated on this subject. Thanks, Patrick |
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#2
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depends on the shape of the gouge.
The more curve the gouge, you must sharpen in a figure 8 motion on the bevelled edge. Very hard to explain but i can show you Steve |
#3
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On a stone or leather?
Thanks, I am sure that I will have another question after this. Patrick |
#4
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Nowadays I use differently shaped diamond hones in stead of wetstone, and I still have found nothing to beat the arkansas for polishing. Bjarte Interesting! So you don't use leather or a felt wheel on a grinder or anything, just a stone for polishing? I kept thinking that I was missing something with what I see and read in the catalogs, but never really could find any definitive answers to back up what I saw. Thank you, Patrick |
#5
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patrick skrev i lsouth.net... What is the best way to maintain a keen edge on carving tools such as the gouges, etc.? Back when I was a chef, I never let my knifes get dull. Everyday I would fine tune them with a few strokes on a hard stone so they were like a hot knife through warm butter. Carving chisels are a different thought altogether with the polishing and mirror finish needed to glide through the wood, not to mention the many different shapes. Would a minute or two on a power strop be what is needed to maintain a keen edge? Or, is a stone then polishing required each time? I just purchased a small sheet of leather and some compound to try out the old method of stropping without power, which seems that it would be good on the straight chisels but a pain for the rest. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated on this subject. Earlier I used an electic wetstone for setting up, and an arkansasstone for polishing. I had arkansasstones of different shapes for the different insides of the irons. Nowadays I use differently shaped diamond hones in stead of wetstone, and I still have found nothing to beat the arkansas for polishing. Bjarte |
#6
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I have invested quite a bit in the tools that I am using, ("Pfeil" or is
that "Pfiel"?), and have given them a lot of thought and truly respect them as I did when I was a chef with my knifes. It is in this respect that I wish to keep them for life and only add to the collection over time and try not to replace them. I ask these questions so as not to *******ize them and thank you for your input. Your methods cross what I believed that I would end up doing but I needed to hear it from someone who could validate my thoughts. It makes sense what you say along the various times and needs to keep a keen edge. It has been my goal to keep the bevel that was created by those who made the chisels and not to create a new one. Thank you JT and all the others who have answered my post. I value your experience. JT wrote in message ... Three or four strokes on a leather strop charged with a stroping compound every hour or two should be enough to keep a sharp tool's edge keen for quite a while. If you're carving found wood or harder woods like cherry or walnut, you'll need more frequent touch-up on your stone. If the tool quality is poor or the bevel angle is incorrect, the edge will need attention more often. I once asked a teaching, professional carver about the advantages of his expensive power strop set-up vs. my manual strop. His response was that he used a power strop because it allowed him to sharpen his, and his student's, tools quickly. Because he spent less time sharpening, students got more instruction. Be careful not to overheat your tool when using a power strop. The keen edge can heat up in a heartbeat if you press too hard or have the wrong angle or strop speed. When one of my tools does need more than a stropping (and wasn't dropped or dinged) I usually make a couple passes on 2000 grit silicon carbide paper adheared to a glass plate (Scary Sharp system) and finish up with a few stroke on the strop. Diamond hones are OK but aren't available in grits fine enough for precision tools. I got tired of cleaning and dressing stones so I switched to Scary Sharp. JT |
#7
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Three or four strokes on a leather strop charged with a stroping compound
every hour or two should be enough to keep a sharp tool's edge keen for quite a while. If you're carving found wood or harder woods like cherry or walnut, you'll need more frequent touch-up on your stone. If the tool quality is poor or the bevel angle is incorrect, the edge will need attention more often. I once asked a teaching, professional carver about the advantages of his expensive power strop set-up vs. my manual strop. His response was that he used a power strop because it allowed him to sharpen his, and his student's, tools quickly. Because he spent less time sharpening, students got more instruction. Be careful not to overheat your tool when using a power strop. The keen edge can heat up in a heartbeat if you press too hard or have the wrong angle or strop speed. When one of my tools does need more than a stropping (and wasn't dropped or dinged) I usually make a couple passes on 2000 grit silicon carbide paper adheared to a glass plate (Scary Sharp system) and finish up with a few stroke on the strop. Diamond hones are OK but aren't available in grits fine enough for precision tools. I got tired of cleaning and dressing stones so I switched to Scary Sharp. JT |
#8
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Silicon carbide sandpaper up to 3000 grit - Scary Sharp system - works
quite well and has the advantage of beilng inex0pensive. Fred "patrick" wrote in message . .. I have invested quite a bit in the tools that I am using, ("Pfeil" or is that "Pfiel"?), and have given them a lot of thought and truly respect them as I did when I was a chef with my knifes. It is in this respect that I wish to keep them for life and only add to the collection over time and try not to replace them. I ask these questions so as not to *******ize them and thank you for your input. Your methods cross what I believed that I would end up doing but I needed to hear it from someone who could validate my thoughts. It makes sense what you say along the various times and needs to keep a keen edge. It has been my goal to keep the bevel that was created by those who made the chisels and not to create a new one. Thank you JT and all the others who have answered my post. I value your experience. JT wrote in message ... Three or four strokes on a leather strop charged with a stroping compound every hour or two should be enough to keep a sharp tool's edge keen for quite a while. If you're carving found wood or harder woods like cherry or walnut, you'll need more frequent touch-up on your stone. If the tool quality is poor or the bevel angle is incorrect, the edge will need attention more often. I once asked a teaching, professional carver about the advantages of his expensive power strop set-up vs. my manual strop. His response was that he used a power strop because it allowed him to sharpen his, and his student's, tools quickly. Because he spent less time sharpening, students got more instruction. Be careful not to overheat your tool when using a power strop. The keen edge can heat up in a heartbeat if you press too hard or have the wrong angle or strop speed. When one of my tools does need more than a stropping (and wasn't dropped or dinged) I usually make a couple passes on 2000 grit silicon carbide paper adheared to a glass plate (Scary Sharp system) and finish up with a few stroke on the strop. Diamond hones are OK but aren't available in grits fine enough for precision tools. I got tired of cleaning and dressing stones so I switched to Scary Sharp. JT |
#9
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"Would a minute or two on a power strop be what is needed"
Yes. - Marc |
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