Ben Orford Spoon Knives.

[Wayne]

I was having a chat with a few of my instructors last weekend about his crook knives. I own 5 Ben Orford's and I find one almost impossible to get a good edge and the others do not keep there edge as well as my Nic Westermann or my Sarv.

I'm not knocking Ben as I also own a couple of his carving knives that I use regularly as well.

I was just wondering if others had the same experience. I don't really mind stropping more often it could be that i'm just heavy handed.

 

[Robson Valley]

You may need to do more than stropping. You might have to back up to 1500, even as coarse as 800 grit fine automotive sandpaper (cheap and always as fresh as you need it.)
Certainly paint the bevel with black felt marker. There's no better way to see exactly what you have done.

I revise the 25 degree bevels on farrier's knives to use for wood carving at 12 degrees. Many has been the night when I've gone to bed wondering why the dang thing seems so blunt.
Seems like blunt forever. Black marker and a 10X magnifier for my old eyes = just a hairline unfinished at the very edge.

 

[NoName]

@ Robson Valley
Totally correct ��

 

[OldJimbo]

Add another agree to Robson's post.

There are two problems one is likely to meet with edges, and both are dealt with using a lens of at least 10X and a marker.

One is the almost invisible bit of secondary bevel left right at the edge which needs to be honed out before stropping.

The second is the slightly wavy edge where you end up stropping the high spots to sharpness but don't touch the low spots. This is seen on honing a new Mora where you see flakes of steel forming as a wire edge but not a uniform strip of wire edge. So you continue honing until you do see a well formed continuous wire edge. Then you can strop off the wire edge and put on a proper finish with no lens needed. Bent blades really do require the marker and lens treatment because they are harder to hone uniformly, especially if you grind your own out of farrier's tools.

I reckon that I'm pretty good at sharpening since I can sharpen a vintage razor blade and make it sharper. But not without a lens I can't..

 

[NoName]

Old jimbo
Totally agree
Ps

Woodworking Knives should be sold witout a (micro) secondairy edge !


As for difficulty in sharpening
My difficulty list:
1. True 100% scandi grind ( from 220 to 30000 totally flat )
2. The straight razor
3. The spoon knife

 

[Robson Valley]

If you intend to "free-hand" this, remember pull strokes only and hold your arms tight against your sides.
That way, you cannot lift your elbows to sweep the edge up and round off the bevel in the process.
Pull, stop, lift straight up, back to start, straight down, pull again. 3X per side.

Consistency is the key to wood carving pleasures. My gouges and knives were $35 or more each.
One adze blade was near $100.
Don't mess that up.

 

[Robson Valley]

If you intend to "free-hand" this, remember pull strokes only and hold your arms tight against your sides.
That way, you cannot lift your elbows to sweep the edge up and round off the bevel in the process.
Pull, stop, lift straight up, back to start, straight down, pull again. 3X per side.

Consistency is the key to wood carving pleasures. My gouges and knives were $35 or more each.
One adze blade was near $100.
Don't mess that up.

 

[falcon]

Ben's sharpening demos are superb and I'm wondering if he's done one on YouTube for spoon knives

 

[crosslandkelly]

[video=youtube;uDjGbx7jIt0]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDjGbx7jIt0[/video]

 

[falcon]

Well found that man 👍

 

[Dave]

Get yourselves one of these Wayne.

Natural round arkansas stone, Works very well, and delivered for £6 ish.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Oil-stone...338228?hash=item1c593e4834:g:03MAAOSwMmBV1a40