[Mischief]

I cant figure out how to sharpen this micro v gouge i got from Dockyard. Compared to the one I have from Rick's beginner's set this is like sneezing on kitchen towels vs scotts tissues. Any tricks out there on this? Or should I have spent the money on a two cherries or more expensive one ( I was overtaken by the set of 5 micro tools for what I would have had to spend on one two cherries or comparable.

[Ashbys]

If your going to sharpen mirco tools , I suggest a magnifier the head set works well. They are very small but the better you can see the edge the finer you can sharpen .



Ash

[Dan S]

I have a set of the micro tools and I have always hated sharpening them. At first I used stones which wasnt so hot. Then I used to use a simple wheel that I attached to my drill press with good results. Now, I use one of those paper wheels on a buffer motor. For me it works great.
A long time ago I had a one inch bench top belt sander that I found at a swapmeet. I think it came from harbor freight. Woodcraft used to sell leather belts that would fit it. It worked really well and cost under 50.00 complete.
Dan

Dan

[Claude]

Hi, Mischief!
I have a Dockyard set and have a couple of tricks for sharpening. First, get yourself a small hard Arkansas stone. This is good enough to put an edge back on the V tool, and gouges also, if you rotate them as you pull them along the stone. For honing (or stroping), the standard leather strop is too soft. I use a flat piece of basswood that I've rubbed some of the honing compound on. It's really softer than I'd like (the basswood), but it works. A better piece of wood might be cherry. If you have neither of those, then take an ordinary sheet of card stock (about three sheets of typing paper thickness) and rub some compound on it. Hold the V tool so one side is flat against the strop (what ever you use), and pull it a few times. Then switch to the other side of the V and pull it a few times. You can then go back to the hard Arkansas stone and lay the inside of the V tool on an edge of the stone and pull to remove the wire edge from the tool...only need a couple of pulls; then go back to the strop for a couple more pulls along each outside edge.

Claude

[chpster90bu]

Hey, Claude, thanks for that reply to this thread.....I have had the same problems, and you gave a great explanation. I appreciate it. Bonnie

[tucker1931]

I bought a soft fluffy wheel from Smoky Mountain, it's the one that Allan Goodman uses in his Carving wood spirits on a walkin stick DVD. I got me a stick of white stuff to put on this buffing wheel. You put the wheel in a forward reverse 1/4 inch electric drill, and give all your gouges micro included a little spin and you are in business, I don't even own a strop and I have sharp tools at all times. I'm a new carver and know nothing about sharpening but this works wonders for me and the whole deal was around $20,00.
Cliff

[Dundee]

I have the same problem with my 1mm pfeil v-tool. So a more expensive tool isn't the solution. I been taking it slower using 1500 and 2500 grit sand paper on a piece of plywood and checking frequently that I'm getting the angle correct and evenly removing the metal along the edge. It seems to be an improvement for me.

Chris

[Colin_Partridge]

I dont have any problems with any of my micro or other tools if they get dull I just package them up and send them to Rick in Seattle (Little Shavers) I never even try to sharpen my tools any more. Rick is an expert and my tools all come back sharper than they come from the manufacturer. The money I pay is little compared to the frustration I can get sharpening tools. Not only that but I cant believe how fast I get them back and I live in Canada.
Colin

[GardenGnome]

I too was having a challenging time sharpening my micro "V" gouge. I have a belt sander with a leather stropping belt that is real good for larger tools, but the micro set offers a special challenge. Even using buffing wheels is risky because you can overheat your tool real easy due to the friction involved. It's also hard to control the shape.

Determined not to let it best me, here is what I did. Now my tool is so sharp I could shave a flea.

First thing you should realize is there really isn't much metal to be removed due to how small the tool is. You can make the job more tedious by removing too much at first or ruin the tool completely. The micro "V" gouge is particularly challenging due to the shape. The best thing to do is remove only the amount of metal required. I found a way to control the sharpening procedure for micro tools that doesn't involve anything expensive.

First you need to make some special tools to work with. Get yourself some popsicle sticks and some two sided tape. You also want some 400 grit, 600 grit, 1200 grit and 1500 grit wet & dry sand paper. Put a piece of the two sided tape down one side of the popsicle stick and stick it to the back edge of each piece of sandpaper. At less than a buck for a piece of sandpaper you can make a lot of these tools for cheap, so it should lasts for years.

Once you have your four sanding sticks ready, you will also need a scrap of wood. Fir or Pine 1" x 2" or 2" x 4" about 6 inches long will work fine. (more on the wood block later)

The First Step

Now, often "V" gouges develop a problem where they get a hook on the leading edge or one side is shorter than the other and this is the first thing to be addressed. This problem develops over time due to improper stropping. Hold your gouge with the tip pointing straight at a fine stone, or you can use your 400 grit sanding stick for this or even better, place the big sheet of 400 grit on a piece of glass. You want to square up all the leading edges so they are flat and even and square to the top edge of the gouge at the tip. Hold the tool against the abrasive surface and move it away from the point of the "V", so if the "V" points one way, move the chisel the other way. This is important because you want to keep the inside surfaces and edge of the gouge as clean as possible. Perform this step with caution because you only need to see the whole "V" shape in the new flat surface you are making. You don't want to remove too much metal if you can help it. If the whole "V" shape does not reveal itself then you need to repeat this step until it does. This will vary due to how damaged the edge is. This is going to define your new cutting edge and any repairs for width of the tool needs to be addressed now.

Once you have the tool squared off you should be able to hold it in your hand and turn the point towards you and see light reflecting off the newly formed square surface. Use a bright light for this and twist the gouge until you see the reflection off the front "V" edge. If the reflection isn't even, in other words, only one side reflects and you have to turn the tool to get the other side to reflect, then your edge isn't even and you should drag it over the abrasive again. It's much better if your new edge is flat to begin with. Sometimes holding the tool against a small block of wood helps you keep it at an even angle to the abrasive.

The Second Step

Okay, now you have the new flat square surface. Place the shank of the gouge (the part closest to the handle) in a vice, using a piece of leather or cloth to protect the tool from the jaws of the vice (not necessary if you have rubber jaw guards). You want the tool to be held firm with the "V" pointing up. You want to have it positioned so as you sit there and work on the tool you can see the light reflecting off the new flat "V" shaped surface. A jewelers loop is also a good way to follow your progress.



So with the jewelers loop (or your magnifier of choice) on and ready to go, start with the 400 grit stick and work the thickest parts of the blade first. Keep the flat surface of the stick parallel to the inside edge of the gouge.



Always move the stick down during the working stroke, never move it upwards against the gouge. Don't think moving it upwards is faster as that is false economy. Take your time and make it right the first time, you will be done sooner and be happy with the results for years to come.

Work carefully keeping the stick at about 15 to 20 degrees to the flat surface on the inside of the gouge. Keep working the 400 grit until you see the reflection is getting really small. when it gets that small, about 1/64" stop and move on to the other edge and repeat the procedure. Leave the gouge in the vice because seeing the reflective edge is all important for these steps.

Once the second edge is down to 1/64", stop and examine the point of the "V". Hold the sanding stick at the same angle as you held it for the sides of the "V" and work the point so it becomes an even 1/64 edge transition from one side around the tip to the other side. You will need to roll the sanding stick as you work it so that you don't wind up sanding a flat surface on the tip. Really take your time with this step as it is by far the most difficult.

Now your new cutting surface is taking shape it should still be square on the tip of the gouge with a flat spot 1/64" wide. Now you change to the 600 grit sand paper and start again as you did with the first side of the "V" gouge, keeping the stick at the same angle as before and keep you eye fixed on the reflection from the 1/64" flat. It will get smaller and smaller until it disappears all together. Pay close attention and stop working the surface as soon as the reflective flat surface disappears. If you continue you will be throwing your edge off square and you will need to start again with the very first step in order to get the edge back to square.

Once you have the first edge perfect, move on to the second edge and then work the point as well. STOPPING AS SOON AS THE FLAT REFLECTIVE SURFACE DISAPPEARS IS IMPORTANT! Once again the point of the gouge is real easy to ruin on this step, so take your time and make it perfect because you are almost done and a mistake here will mean starting all over again at Step One.

Once you make it this far you will have what look like a new sharp edge, but it is not sharp enough yet.


Christopher

[GardenGnome]

Step 3, Finishing And Stropping

Remove the gouge from the vise and turn it at all angles while inspecting the new edge to see if you can see a reflection off the old flat edge anywhere. If during this inspection you should see a reflection, you should replace the gouge back in the vice and use the 600 grit stick to remove the metal that is causing the reflection. Holding the stick as before. Try and only work the area of the blade that needs stock removal and leave the good parts of the blade unmolested, otherwise you run the risk of ruining the whole edge by going too far. When I need to do this I make a special stick with just a sliver of sandpaper glued down one side so it is impossible to sand too much of the new edge at once. You might be impatient and want to skip making a special stick for this step, but you should take your time and proceed in a methodical straightforward way. The joy you will feel from using a tool that was challenging to sharpen is intense and worth taking your time to get it right. A joy every time you use it.

Once the dreaded reflections are gone and you have an even semi sharp edge, proceed with the refining. Take the pine or fir wood block and place it on the table in front of you with the grain facing away from you, or clamp it in a vice is better. Take your gouge and make a straight cut down the center of the block somewhere, running with the grain, of course. Start easy and repeat to make it as deep as the height of the blade. You want to keep your strokes even and true in order to make the cut in the wood the same shape as your new cutting edge.

Now take another tool, a chisel of some sort, and carve the corner of the block so it becomes the same shape and profile to fit the inside of the "V" gouge. Do this by using the "V" gouge and pressing a "V" shape mark on the end of the block in the corner, with the point of the "V" pointing to the corner. Then use this mark as a guide to carve the shape along the corner for about two or three inches (that's all you will need) and check the shape by pressing the inside of the "V" along the new profile. sometimes it can be refined with the "V" gouge so it becomes a perfect mirrored shape.

Take your 1200 grit paper and cut a two inch strip off one end. The first part to refine is the inside of the gouge to remove any burs or flash. Place the sand paper, sand side up, over the carved wood profile on the corner of the block and then press the inside of the gouge down hard over the sandpaper and onto the form so the form lays flat inside the flute of the gouge and holds the sandpaper against the length of the flute. Hold the sandpaper in place with one hand and pull the gouge back and off the form. By doing this you will sand the inside of the flute along and off the edge of the blade. Do this once and inspect the inside of the gouge to see if there is anything left in the way of burs or anomalies such as little bits of metal poking up. If it is perfect, as it should be because you only moved your sanding strips downward and never upward, then you can proceed. If you don't see a clean edge then repeat until it looks good.

Once that is done move to the "V" shape cut in the wood and place the sandpaper over the cut. Place your "V" gouge in the far end of the cut and, holding it just as you did to make the cut, draw it backwards forcing the paper into the cut. It would help to fold the paper first with a sharp fold. Most 1200 grit sandpaper I have seen is very thin so the thickness of the paper should not be a problem. You only need to do three or four times, should be plenty. Inspect edge, now it's starting to look good.

Remove the 1200 grit and rub stropping wax into the cut and onto the corner shape. It should draw on like a wax crayon and color it completely, even if you have to cut a sliver of stropping compound to do it right. I use the green stropping wax. Once the stropping wax is rubbed into the wood, run the gouge backwards through the cut repeatedly, keeping it at the same angle you use to carve. Don't use too much pressure. A firm even stroke is more effective. Keeping it tight in the cut is more important than pressure. As you strop the gouge you will see the green wax turn black as it works. Every 10 to 20 strokes of the gouge in the cut, run a couple of stokes on the corner as well to help polished the inside edge and remove any polishing flash that occurs. By the way, if you do see a little flap of metal coming off the tip of the cutting edge, this is a good thing and means you only need to strop a bit more until it's gone. If you are unfortunate enough not to be able to buy stropping wax where you live, then you can strop your blades with 1500 grit sandpaper instead. It works almost as good.

After stropping the blade a for five minuets, wipe it clean with a soft cloth. Be sure to wipe all the wax off it and inspect the new edge. It should reflect like a mirror and show little or no signs of striations.

Grab a scrap of wood and give it a try. It should cut with little effort. To see just how sharp it really is, try an end cut. If you can cut across the grain with relative ease, your sharp!

Keep your new stropping block near your bench so occasionally you can give your "V" gouge a strop or two to help keep this new edge razor sharp. Like when you're about to start a new project. BUT be sparing with the stropping really, as too much can blunt your tool and your back to step one. Sometimes it takes just a touch to remove micro burs and return the fire.

It's best to store your very sharp tools so that the tip is protected by a piece of leather and if the tool gets bumped it will cut into the leather. I have an old metal tool box I lined with an old leather coat. I managed to strategically place some of the pockets so I can slip my favorite tools in there for extra protection. the rest of the troop lays in the box with the edges facing the ends with the handles in the middle.



Now, go make your tools as sharp as they can be.



Christopher