How To Sharpen Linoleum Carving Tools
The most significant techniques to sharpen wood carving tools may include.
How to sharpen linoleum carving tools. Honing a linoleum knife. I use a range of U and V gouges as well as a small straight chisel for woodcuts and skew knife. Then your knife is sharp as can be.
Little and often is the key and a quick check and strop before each carving session should be part of your creative preparation ritual. It is possible to send your tools away and have them professionally re-sharpened but really it is best to learn to keep them in full working order at all times. My next invaluable tool is probably the 95 a large U gouge used for really shifting larger areas of non-printing lino once the accurate work has been done.
After that you should push the tool away from you. Lay the blade of the tool close to flat on the other hand at a slight angle on the stone. Then pull the outside of the tool down a flat strop again not into the cutting edge until the burr is gone.
Thats what youre looking for when sharpening a knife. Look down at the cutting edge. With one end of the leather clamped or held down draw the blade its edge pointing away from you towards you at the angle of the blade making sure you catch up some of the honing paste.
Blades cost a few dollars each and a lino cutting tool set can run you between 10-20 CDN depending on how many blades and handles it includes. Tip the knife one way or the other side to side and as you do look for a white glint on the edge of the knife. Turn the knife up so the blade is directly under a source of light.
To sharpen the tools pull the inside of the tool down the slipstrop not into the cutting edge until you feel a burr a small buildup of thin metal on the outside of the tool. In especially dry areas you may need to do this more frequently. Although these cutters will work on traditional harder linoleum if you mostly carve the softer linoleum the Speedball lino cutters work great.
