[Lightningbolt]

Last week it had finally become necessary for me to set aside a certain block of time to give my carving knives the attention that they deserved. It's something that so often gets easily neglected in the hustle & bustle of my daily goings & comings, but when completed it's such a wonderful thing and I can't wait to use my blades again!

Somewhere I read that you should "touch-up" your blades after about every 20 minutes of use as a general rule. That bit of advise has lingered in the back of my head for years and although it's not something that I fanatically document every time that I pick up a knife, it has proved to be one good bit of information that has proved very useful over time. That "touch-up" in most cases usually consists of just a quick polishing on the leather powerstrop that I put in my drill press.

After a period of time the leather just don't do the trick anymore so I must return to the stones. In most cases I can start out with a medium arkansas stone, then a fine, and in the case of my delicate detail knives I have one of those very expensive hard extra-fine arkansas stones. With my larger carving knives I then get good results by actually sanding them with 220 grit paper in my palm sanders. Leather stropping always finishes the process.

In issue #28 of WCI Ian Norbury says that sharpening with an oilstone will produce the best edge, but it's very time consuming and it takes a very skilled person to do so. Over the years I can honestly say that I can get very good and consistent results by sharpening this way and I'm glad that I've taken the time to learn the sharpening skill.

Ian goes on to say that using machines, anyone can get a second-rate edge very quickly and that he prefers having a quick second-rate edge rather than spending the time necessary with an oilstone. I think this is very good advise and something to consider as I believe that Ian's carvings speak for themselves.

However, every once in a while I still like to return to my stones since it's a skill that gives me a lot of contentment and more ownership of my carving. It's sort of like setting up a website: Anyone can learn to use a webpage editing program but there's also a huge chunk of knowledge that can only be gained by actually learning how to write raw HTML. That's sort of how I look at knife sharpening too... I just want to know everything that I can at its most basic level.

Picture #1: What a nasty ugly mess of rust, dents, and scratched steel!
Picture #2: Read #1 again.
Picture #3: I use mineral oil on my arkansas stones since it's food safe.
Picture #4: Ahhhh... just look at that glossy shine after sharpening & sanding
Picture #5: What a lustre! All the effort has been worth it!

[Irishman]

Yes I think your tools were ready for some cleaning and sharpening. I try to power strop each time I pick up another tool to stay ahead of needing to sharpen with a stone. My tools usually tell me when its time to get the large slow moving wet stone to get the bevel back. Quite a difference once they are sharpened and well worth the extra time it takes.
Patrick

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I keep a hand strop on the bench and reach over and give the tool/knife a few strokes and keeps them good until or when I roll and edge

[Kenny_S]

Every day is a good day to strop your tools!!!!!!! I do have some tools that have a little rust on the shanks but none on the business end. But then, Those where rusty when I got them.

Good pictures Dave. Glad you tool the time, they needed TLC.
Now get back to carving with your bandy new sharpened tools.

[Capt. Bandaid]

The time I spend stoning and stropping is very theraputic. It is like it gives something back to the tool that it needs after it gave service to me. Ok, so I tend to get a bit anthropomorphic on rainy afternoons. I usually keep my tools coated with a good rust inhibitor so mine don't usually get too nasty looking, even down here in Houston. I use something called Marine Tuf-Cloth and it leaves a dry film; no oils in it at all. You can find it at www.Sentrysolutions.com on the web. Works on firearms, too.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

For rust and other things I use a product called "Top Saver", we don't really have a rust problem, but it sure shined up my DeWalt table top lol, it comes in a kit with 3 other additives, one for router bearings, one blade lube,,,,? can't remember the 3rd, but worth looking at, reasonable price too if you shop...its at www.empiremfg.com I have had my kit for the best part of a year now.