Sharpening..... again!

[bcarvings]

Hi,
I read in this book that it said I should sharpen the knife on stones like 15 degrees, then when stropping, strop a second bevel near the cutting edge. Am I sapossed to do that? I've seen a lot of pocket knives and none of them have 2 bevells.

The first bevel is the taper of the blade itself, the second bevel is the cutting edge.

Just copy that murphy ... lay it on the stone and look at the angle then copy that with your pocket knife.

You really can't 'Strop' a second bevel onto the blade, but you can round off the bevel that is there if you are not careful.

All stropping is supposed to do is remove the wire edge and then polish the micro-grooves left by the stone, to a smooth finish. If you look at the blade under a magnifier, after stoning it, you will see very fine grooves cut into the blade and the edge will look like a fine saw blade. Stropping removes these microscopic grooves. The compound you use is a micror-abrasive. Check a good carver's (sharpener's) blades, and you will find them mirror finished at the edge and about 1/4' to 1' back. That's what makes those blades glide through the wood so easily....most of the rough areas that produce drag friction have been polished to a glass like surface.

Al

[2leftfeet]

I'm just a newbie here but get the best stone you can find... found mine at an auction its about 50 -80 year old oachita (sp?) stone... than its practice and patience... it also helps to learn from an old hand... our guild in wheeling has class every once in a while good luck....

stevo

Pretty close; *OUACHITA much like Washita and from the same basic area.

If you hold your blade at a 15 degree angle to the stone, you will end up with a 30 degree bevel. *That's on the high side of what is usable for most carving wood. *

The second bevel from stropping is considered a micro-bevel; although all you are doing is dulling the tool slightly to make the edge last longer.

I had a Ouachita canoe once.....it wouldn't take a stropping, but it sure took a beating. It was damaged by improper stoning...well, actually it was rocks, but that one piece stamped hull never did leak at the keel! Don't know about Ouachita stones, though!

Al

LOL
Now Al
why in the world would you want to strop the boat??????????

LOL

duh.....I dunno.

Al

It were a baaad boat! :P