SHARPENING BOX
Its angle is between 8° and 18° and is the result of partial or total grinding.
Sharpening a blade consists of giving it an angle so that it becomes sharp.
To home or to whet is to give it an edge.
Sharpening
is the first
work to be realized on a blade:
- with an angle of 20 degrees if one wishes a razor edged type finish
for cutting soft materials, but the blade will be very fragile in this
part,
- with an angle of 30 degrees if a long
- lasting cut is required, especially if used for cutting harder materials
such as wood,
- it must be symmetrical so that the blade penetrates directly without
deviating.
This roughing down work can be carried out with a corundum stone.
The
honing must
be carried out at the same angle using a stone with a very fine grain
: above 600 (25 micrometer). This can be done using a diamond tool. The
finer the grain, the better will be the cut and durability.
All of this work can be realized with a sharpening steel, an Arkansas
stone...the difficulty consists in placing at the correct angle.
The
Box
4"72 x 4"72
x 1"57
in tinted pine
to hone blades of
1"18 to 3"94 mm length and
0.06" to 0.16" mm thickness.
Artificial stone:
0.6" x 0.6" x 3"94
grain 600
( 4 usable sides )
The first correct and symmetrical sharpening will make for an easy and
fast re-sharpening, with only a slight honing of the edgenecessary.