Jon Mac.Spoon Carving First Steps: Knife Sharpening

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Knife Sharpening

Jon has been busy carving recently so has needed to do lots of this!

First he soaks the Japanese whetstones in water.

Using the rougher side first, he sweeps the blade 10 strokes up and 10 strokes down, and then 10 strokes alternate.

Then he wipes the blade to remove the larger particles from the bevel.

He repeats the sharpening process using the finer side of the whetstone until he is happy that the knife is sharp.

Then he wipes the blade again before stropping. He strops to break the very fine foil edge off the blade that has formed during the sharpening process.

He uses a leather strop - an old leather belt.

And when this is all done, the blade is sharp enough to shave with...

...and he can return to his carving work.

4 comments:

Callies Cottage25 January 2010 at 21:03
Gosh that is one VERY sharp knife!!
Warm Wishes,
Cally x
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Unknown5 February 2010 at 17:49
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Anonymous14 January 2011 at 16:20
What grit/s do you use for sharpening your knives here? Thanks, JP
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Jon Mac14 January 2011 at 16:28
Hi J.P How's it going ?
The main grit is 1000 followed by 6000 with slurry, and finished off on the 6000 without slurry. Then a little stropping...J

Here is a link to my page with a link to a film
http://spooncarvingfirststeps.blogspot.com/2011/01/knife-sharpening-with-jon-mac-part-1.html ...Have fun...J
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Jon Mac.

Folk Artist.

Photographer.

Jon has worked with his hands all his life. He has learnt many traditional working skills, from construction to carving beautiful wooden spoons and drinking vessels. He has spent much time on Dartmoor teaching outdoor pursuits, such as Ten Tors team training and working with private companies providing team building/survival resources. He is a retired member of Mountain Rescue and spent seven years on the active call out list with his local team.

( D.R.G.Ashburton).

He has spent many years exploring the Devon countryside perusing his other interest in photography, industrial archaeology and local history. He recently used his local knowledge and field craft skills to great advantage when acting as field assistant to researchers investigating bat habitats and behaviour here on Dartmoor.

Jon runs tailor made courses both here in Devon and occasionally in Scotland, for anyone interested in spoon carving and woodcraft skills. Using traditional hand tools, Axe, hook knife and knife, he teaches the techniques for the fast and safe removal of waste wood, shaping and designing. He also teaches how to attain a super sharp cutting edge with the use of Japanese water stones.These skills are key to making anything you wish out of wood.

He is also a knife designer and has had his designs fabricated by top blade smiths.

Jon believes passionately that the skills of both using and maintaining knife and axe blades are ones which need to be shared, in order that we do not loose these important techniques. Jon particularly enjoys sharing these skills with those who have little or no experience of using edge tools.

Sunday, 24 January 2010

Knife Sharpening

4 comments:

Carving a Dragon Kuksa.