Sharpen my hook knife

[cronos]

OK here goes the bone question. How do I maintain and sharpen my hook knife, is there a special sharpening tool or is it a matter of choice?
I have been using a kitchen knife sharpening rod (Ouch!!! I can hear from all those who are at one with steel), but all it seems to do is take the edge of it. Is my choice of tool wrong and or my technique?

Or should i stop being tight and go and buy a new one!?

Cronos

 

[singteck]

I think a half round file would be a good start. Just get the bevel right and don't try to make it shave hair.

singteck

EDIT: opps I thought he was talking about billhook!!

 

[British Red]

You could try a piece of wet and dry paper wrapped around a length of dowel or pipe (about the diameter of the knife curve). I have yet to find a better way

Red

 

[cronos]

Tried a small file, but i must be doing some thing wrong as it takes the edge off it. Maybe its my techneque and not the process. I'll try the wet / dry and dowel method.
I have also heard of someone using a ceramic nail file, the kind you get in a lasses vanity case.

Cheers for the help guys

Cronos

 

[Pignut]

If it is like my spoon knife the edge is only beveled on one side, All i use is fine wet and dry glued to a lolly stick, then run this over the beveled side (Ensuring the face of the bevel and loly dtick are flat against each other)

Clear as Mud!

 

[woodchips]

I got a spoon knife for Christmas, not a frosts, that was very blunt from new.

I had good success sharpening the outside of it to a convex edge with the wet and dry hoodoo hone, and on the inside I wrapped some 1200 grit wet and dry round a fat marker pen and slid it around a bit, flat to the knife, just to knock the burr off.

I then stropped the outside bevel with a belt glued to wood with autosol paste and then just plain leather, then rubbed the the inside again with the fat marker pen again. It shaved the hair off my arms and let me finally finish my spoon!.

Just remember, spoon knives generally have a chisel edge, ie flat on one side and beveled on the other like this /| so you should try and preserve this by holding your dowel/marker pen flat to the metal on the inside. If you have already created a bevel on the inside with the steel you will just have to roll with this and not worry too much about it.

If you don't want a convex edge on the outside, just wrap the wet and dry round a ice cream stick or similar.

 

[Big John]

I picked up both half and full round sharpening stones from a tool shop, both about 1cm diameter, for mine.

As has already been said, the bevel is only on the outside, so carefull use of a flat stone should be all that's needed, but the round stones are good for tidying up any damage to the inside edge.

On a side note, the shop in question is this one , a fantastic shop ram-packed full of all sorts of old and new tools, the website does it no justice at all! Well worth a phone call if you're after something old or out of the ordinary. Santa got me an adze from there as well!

 

[Dave Budd]

hook knife? is that a hook shaped knife such as a sickle shaped? or a hook knife as in the spoon carving tool?

If former, then I suggest wet and dry around a rod or for fine edges (I make basketry knives with a 3" long hooked blade) try ceramic rods.

If latter, then Wet and dry for the inside and either a stone of your choice for the outside or wet and dry on a board. If you use a stone on the outsidde you soon wear a groove into it! I tend to stick to the wet and dry for teh whole spoon hook myslef and use my thumb to strop the edge.

many ways to skin a cat!