Alternate ways to sharpen hook knife and how to make it scary sharp
In this blog we want to share with you about alternate ways to sharpen hook knife and how to make it scary sharp for you to create beautiful designs in wood carving.
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Alternate ways to sharpen hook knife and how to make it scary sharp
Sanding block
People also use a slim sanding block to sharpen their hook knife as well. As we said, since the knife has two points of contact at the end of the curve, you can use a block for the purpose too, and not just a dowel. The dowel allows for easier push motion since it can rotate at the edges of the blade utilising the whole length of the sandpaper. Although with a sanding block, it is limited to only corners of the block.
It is impossible to use this technique if the hook knife has a sharp curve since a sanding block corner cannot fit in between. In such cases the method we explained step by step will be much better for sharpening your hook knife.
It is impossible to use this technique if the hook knife has a sharp curve since a sanding block corner cannot fit in between. In such cases the method we explained step by step will be much better for sharpening your hook knife.
Dremel tools
The Dremel rotary tool has been a really helpful piece of equipment when it comes to power carving wood. With a multitude of bits at your disposal, you can do so much more than power carve wood with it. It also comes with sanding drum bits that can be used to sharpen a hook knife as well. You can actually modify existing sanding drum bits so that they can accommodate more than one grit of sandpaper on it.
Since you can design the Dremel bit to be thin it can reach into sharp turns of a hook knife. Also since it rotates itself, it will use the entirety of the sandpaper without making any waste. You also get ceramic stone bits that can be used for the purpose of sharpening as well. These stone bits are available in multiple grits, but they might not be available outside of a set, so you will have to purchase a whole set of bits for the Dremel if you want to sharpen your hook knife properly.
Since you can design the Dremel bit to be thin it can reach into sharp turns of a hook knife. Also since it rotates itself, it will use the entirety of the sandpaper without making any waste. You also get ceramic stone bits that can be used for the purpose of sharpening as well. These stone bits are available in multiple grits, but they might not be available outside of a set, so you will have to purchase a whole set of bits for the Dremel if you want to sharpen your hook knife properly.
How to make your hook knife edge scary sharp?
While the process we mentioned in our step-to-step guide will definitely make your hook knife scary sharp, you can do a few more things that can take it up another notch. The first thing is to sharpen the outer bevel using a sharpening stone or a whetstone. When you do that you can hone that bevel a bit and improve the sharpness on the cutting edge.
For the inner edge, you should start off using 1/2 inch dowels that have sandpaper attached to them, and using rotating movement run it along the edge of the blade. If you aren’t sure whether you are sharpening the edge at all, then you can cover the edge with a marker. The area that you have to sharpen will be covered with a marker and when you sand it properly, the marker stains will have been removed. This will show that the whole edge is being sharpened equally and properly.
You can do that with every grit of sandpaper you are using on the hook knife to make it scary sharp. This will help indicate that it is time to move on to the next sandpaper grit as well. From coarse to super fine grit, up to 1000 or 1500 depending on how sharp you want your hook knife to be.
Removing the burr on the hook knife requires quite a lot of stropping since the hook knife is made of hardened steel. This is because brands want their hook knife to be durable without the fear of it bending too much under duress. Using the suede side of the leather and some polishing compound removes the burr with relative ease and some patience.
For the inner edge, you should start off using 1/2 inch dowels that have sandpaper attached to them, and using rotating movement run it along the edge of the blade. If you aren’t sure whether you are sharpening the edge at all, then you can cover the edge with a marker. The area that you have to sharpen will be covered with a marker and when you sand it properly, the marker stains will have been removed. This will show that the whole edge is being sharpened equally and properly.
You can do that with every grit of sandpaper you are using on the hook knife to make it scary sharp. This will help indicate that it is time to move on to the next sandpaper grit as well. From coarse to super fine grit, up to 1000 or 1500 depending on how sharp you want your hook knife to be.
Removing the burr on the hook knife requires quite a lot of stropping since the hook knife is made of hardened steel. This is because brands want their hook knife to be durable without the fear of it bending too much under duress. Using the suede side of the leather and some polishing compound removes the burr with relative ease and some patience.
