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Tools and

Slip Stones

- J.dition to the bench Stones you need at least ~s Å„ne, preferably Arkansas, slip stone. Slips : me in various shapes and sizes. The rule is to surÄ™ that you have one which will fit inside smallest gouge. Ii will do for your big ones, although you may prcfcr to have different :cknesses for widcr tools. I grind an inside bevel ~ most of my straight gouges but even if you do : : want this bcvcl you may at some time be med to grind inside, and a Carborundum or ~z'ix slip as well will save time.

Cheaper Alternatives

-re are various ways of saving moncy. A biggish •- nsas slip stone can be madÄ™ to double as a : -mh stone if it is set into a bÅ‚ock of wood. Slatc '•--.-.eh and slip Stones are cheap and are adcquate r.nishing, but cut the metal very slowly, whilc -*:.:!es of grit or bits of discardcd burr can get .-ght in the surlace and scratch the chisels edge. lapanese water stones are excellent at removing ; metal - indeed, the finishing stones quickly : r :duce as good an edge as an Arkansas. Thcy are

-    m r*ararively cheap. Howcvcr, they are not long

-    â€¢ ng as they work on the principle that the artace is constantly worn away to cxpose fresh,

â– -'p grit. Othcr disadvantages are that you need _ry the tools thoroughly, and any oil that finds

E Q U i P M ENT

its way on to the stone clogs it. For finishing carving chisels a 6000 grit stone is quite sufficient and is far cheaper than the 8000 grit stone. The slip stones tend to wear into bumps and constantly need reshaping.

Strops

Removing the burr after sharpening and keeping the edge keen are best done on a leather strop. A piece of dry hide will burnish the metal eventually but a dressing of chrome polish such as Solvol Autosol or Autoglym which can be bought from car or motorcycle accessory shops quickly removes the burr and polishes the metal to a mirror finish and the keenest edge. When the pastÄ™ dries out it falls off the leather, so it is best to rub some tallow or petroleum jelly into the flesh side of the leather and then smear the abrasive pastÄ™ in afterwards. A Iittlc will then last a long time. Pieces of leather glued around shaped strips of wood and dressed in the same way provide the safest way of stropping the flutes of gouges.

Techniques of Sharpening

An Inside Bevel or Not?

Not all carvers put an inside bcvcl on a gouge (see Fig 1.1), as it is a slight disadvantage when using an inverted gouge to make a bali shape. Its main

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