Johnny! I suggest back lighting the blade with a flash light, checking both sides, to check for the burr at the end. Carving tools should whittle hairs before you try to whittle wood.
Just wanted to say thank you Johnny for the link to the sharpening supplies. I have been looking for a new strop. Thank you and thank you for the great tutorial.
I have been carving for ten years, and I have not used a stone on my knives other than to repair the tip. I have Helvie knives, and they stay sharp as long as I strop them regularly. I do own diamond stones that I have used on other tools such as "v" tools and some gouges. They work the best of all stones I own. Thanks for sharing.
My dad could sharpen a knife to razor, razor sharp. His joke was the his knife was so sharp that the shadow of it cut the leg off a table. I never learned from him, although he always wanted to teach me. My teacher had a poor student. Learn whatever you can from those you have. I eventually got it figured out for what works for me.
Hi Johnny. I've also started using diamond stones recently. I got a Sharpnal stone which has a course side (325 grit) and an extra fine side (1200 grit) and I also got a cheap 600 grit plate. Those together with a strop seems to cover all my needs so far. I've been using them dry but I'll try putting a bit of water on them now I've watched your video. Thanks! :)
@Grumpy_old_git-73 Glad to hear it. I tried without the water but the dwarf can build up and create an uneven plane on the stone. Once I realized that I was all about the water. Just make sure you dry/clean your stones thoroughly after use.
@000cjr glad you agree, really appreciate the reinforcement. I tried sandpaper just ended up being a waste of money, they work, but not easily and not real well for me.
Another great video! I don't think I would have had the nerve to touch a blade to a stone. I was always told that if you strop correctly, you should never have to stone a blade. My gut said that isn't the case, but I'm a beginner, so I was just going by what they said. How about I come down, have a pipe with you, talk carving and let you sharpen my stuff!
@toddjunck5769 😆 🤣 😆 it's not that hard to sharpen on a stone brother, but if you ever need hands on help, just let me know. Sharpening on stones intimidated me at first, so I made it a personal challenge to figure it out real well. Now that I have it down it feels infinitely easy. Next week I'm gonna do a review/How-To on a powered sharpening system. 😉 I'm too lazy for stone alone, and I'm carving so much I want to streamline everything
Great video as always!!! DMT are the way better stones Still using wet and Dry paper but planing to switch to dimond stones after I use all my sandpaper on stiks etc
I have two of those knives and they are my favorite. I have two because I dropped one and needed to “fix” the blade. I fixed it with sandpaper but may grab some of these diamond stones.
@coreybrown1421 i tried and failed to sharpen properly on Sandpaper, just ended up being a waste of money. Diamond stones are easier to use, more straightforward, and they are so durable it's amazing.
Great video Johnny! Do you eventually need to take the knife to the stone even if you strop it frequently? I haven’t dulled a whittling knife yet, but I’ve been carving for only a few months. Is that process a must someday or just when you forget to strop for a while? Also, I accidentally rounded the edge of my only v tool while trying to fix a tiny chip. Now the blade is even but a little rounded, maybe a video for v tools as well.
@joaofalco939 You know, i though that you wouldn't. Matter of fact I was certain. I was dead wrong. Over time the knife will dull if you don't go to a stone. It's slight, not much but over time it will. It'll shift slowly enough that it can be hard to discern till you get a knife that's hit the stone recently. I've carved over 200 carvings this past years and I have definitely seen the effect on my knives.
I’m a big chicken about taking my blades to a stone or anything that will put a new edge on my blades. I do have a set of super cheap knives that was my first set and they have been a bit of a nightmare to use and keep sharp. Not sure if they were just not tempered right or how that works but at this point I’m willing to start there just to try and get the hang of this. My favorite chip carving knife broke the tip off entirely but it was one of the cheap ones so I got a new one from flex cut and although it is a different shape it does the trick. I digress would you possibly have the knowledge of what to do with a knife that has a broken tip? Also how do you know when it’s acceptable to skip from the corse grit straight to the fine grit for polishing? Does that just come with experience? Sorry if that’s a silly question maybe it’s because I’m nervous about sharpening other than with a strop. Anyway thanks for yet another informative and valuable video Johnny!
Oh one more question. I read somewhere that after a while your stone can loose the flat surface and diamond stones are the best way to remedy that issue. Have you found that the diamond stone holds its shape or do you have any more info on this aspect? Thanks again Johnny
@TinyFitz diamond stones don't have that issue, which is why I like them. They just stay flat. You can a grit anytime you want to, with the understanding that you'll spend more time on the grit you skip to. When sharpening, you're removing metal. You can do it all on fine, and take an hour, or you can do it through several grits and save a significant amount of time. For reshaping a knife tip, that would have to be a while video honestly. The gist of it, use the stone to reshape that top back to the desired shape, then resharpen the knife.
@@JohnnyTheLayton I suppose you did explain the extra time sharpening in the beginning of the video🤦♀️ I feel silly now. Guess I didn’t put two and two together 🤷🏼♀️🤣 Thanks for taking the time to answer and fill in the gaps in my thought process. Diamond stone it is going to have to be then. Glad I asked so I don’t end up buying more than what’s necessary. You’re awesome and as always you are appreciated 😁
How often do you go to stones for woodcarving knives? I've seen other carvers say they only ever just strop, but that first knife you did was real dull.
@l26wang i have heard folks say that all they ever do is strop. I have been carving 1-2 hours a day for over a year. I'm convincrd those folks do NOT carve as often as I do. I can go 6, or 9 months without needing a stone probably, but eventually it'll get to the point that I peobably need one. Looking at this as a "how frequently should i" is the wrong way to view it. You need to view it from the perspective of when your knife needs it solely. Is your knife cutting well, is it sharp? Awesome. Keep going. But if you round the edge, or chip it, stropping alone will be difficult to correct. Stropping using compound is doing the same thing as sharpening. You are removing metal. It's far, far quicker and easier to do that on stones.
@@JohnnyTheLayton Thanks. I'm not a carver (yet). I was more interested interested in this from a sharpening perspective. I have found that stropping edges for maintenance for leather work heavily reduces edge retention. For example a freshly sharpened skiving knife might work for 15 minutes, but after stropping the edge back, it might be ok for 5 minutes only. I suspect the underlying mechanics has to do with metal fatigue. Does carving wood have a similar effect?
@@l26wang Answering that would take a 20 minute youtube video to properly express myself on the subject. To be succinct i will say this> If after sharpening you get 15 minutes of work. But after stropping back up you only get 5. You have not stropped your knife back to the point it was after sharpening. You have not brought that apex back to the point that it was. Period, full stop. In carving, and i can only talk about this from a carving perspective, metal fatigue isn't an issue. Maybe if a knife was used on bone, metal, or as a cleaver that would become an issue, but when carving on wood that's not a quantifiable quality that can be taken into account, from my pov. Hope that helps.
@@JohnnyTheLayton Thanks again for your perspective. "You have not brought that apex back to the point that it was" After stropping the knife cuts as well as off the stone. I don't notice any burrs from various checks. Are you saying this ""post stropping" working condition can still be improved just on the strop? "but when carving on wood that's not a quantifiable quality that can be taken into account" Thanks. That makes sense. So I think you're saying as you strop the knife back to sharpness after dulling from use, you don't notice having to strop more and more frequently. Is that correct?
@l26wang absolutely. Not more frequently, unless I didn't strop well enough. Unless I have rounded the apex. Which can happen at any point due to poor knife work, wood grain, lots of reasons. When a knife is sharpened, on a very fine level it has small serrations. Stropping after sharpening is to remove the burr on that apex, and braze those serrations a bit. After carving those serrations can get gummed up with wood, so you strop to remove that wood from those serrations and align the apex again. If, through extended, use you have lost the apex, that's when you hit the stones to reform it. I spent abou an hour and a half talking to Dick Belcher (master sharpener honestly, college professor and he actually sharpens stubai and schaaf tools for schaff and treeline usa.) All of that is my understanding of it after my conversation with him
Johnny boy. You're the Bob Ross of wood carving.
@@tamarockstar45 haha, I like that. Bob Ross was a swell guy, I'll take that all day long.
I've been struggling with sharpening knives for ages, will follow this and hopefully reignite my passion for carving. Thank you!
@@JoseSuarez-gl3ye Fantastic. I hope it helps! Thanks for commenting and watching.
Best tutorial I’ve seen. Thank you!
Thanks Jade, I really appreciate that!
Johnny! I suggest back lighting the blade with a flash light, checking both sides, to check for the burr at the end. Carving tools should whittle hairs before you try to whittle wood.
@mikereed4876 That's great, thanks Mike.
Just wanted to say thank you Johnny for the link to the sharpening supplies. I have been looking for a new strop. Thank you and thank you for the great tutorial.
That's fantastic. Glad I could help! 😀😀
I have been carving for ten years, and I have not used a stone on my knives other than to repair the tip. I have Helvie knives, and they stay sharp as long as I strop them regularly. I do own diamond stones that I have used on other tools such as "v" tools and some gouges. They work the best of all stones I own. Thanks for sharing.
@waylandgammill625 that's fantastic. I find that if it works for you that's the way to do it then.
Great video, I like how it covers sharping in detail.
I tried to keep it thorough for folks just getting started!
My dad could sharpen a knife to razor, razor sharp. His joke was the his knife was so sharp that the shadow of it cut the leg off a table. I never learned from him, although he always wanted to teach me. My teacher had a poor student. Learn whatever you can from those you have. I eventually got it figured out for what works for me.
@@scotttatlock3188 Wise words Scott, thanks for sharing that.
Great video, Johnny. I just bought this same set per the recommendation of Master Carver Roger Stegall. Now with your vid I could be dangerous......
@@kevint8532 😆 🤣 Glad to hear it!!
Hi Johnny. I've also started using diamond stones recently. I got a Sharpnal stone which has a course side (325 grit) and an extra fine side (1200 grit) and I also got a cheap 600 grit plate. Those together with a strop seems to cover all my needs so far.
I've been using them dry but I'll try putting a bit of water on them now I've watched your video. Thanks! :)
@Grumpy_old_git-73 Glad to hear it. I tried without the water but the dwarf can build up and create an uneven plane on the stone. Once I realized that I was all about the water.
Just make sure you dry/clean your stones thoroughly after use.
@@JohnnyTheLayton Thanks, yeah I wasn't sure about wetting them but like you said I'll make sure I dry them completely afterward :)
I love all your videos, thank you for sharing 😊
@@arielmorales8822 Sincerely appreciated Ariel, thanks for commenting and saying so! 😀
Excellent video. Diamond stones are definitely the way to go for beginners. Great advice throughout the whole video.
@000cjr glad you agree, really appreciate the reinforcement. I tried sandpaper just ended up being a waste of money, they work, but not easily and not real well for me.
Another great video! I don't think I would have had the nerve to touch a blade to a stone. I was always told that if you strop correctly, you should never have to stone a blade. My gut said that isn't the case, but I'm a beginner, so I was just going by what they said. How about I come down, have a pipe with you, talk carving and let you sharpen my stuff!
@toddjunck5769 😆 🤣 😆 it's not that hard to sharpen on a stone brother, but if you ever need hands on help, just let me know.
Sharpening on stones intimidated me at first, so I made it a personal challenge to figure it out real well. Now that I have it down it feels infinitely easy.
Next week I'm gonna do a review/How-To on a powered sharpening system. 😉 I'm too lazy for stone alone, and I'm carving so much I want to streamline everything
@@JohnnyTheLaytonwill do!
Knife cutting much better now!
@@HeroRuddellWoodCarvings That's fantastic, thanks for saying so!
Beautifuly done
@@derekslifer7774 thanks Derek.
Great video as always!!! DMT are the way better stones Still using wet and Dry paper but planing to switch to dimond stones after I use all my sandpaper on stiks etc
@marlawhite3682 Thanks Marla! 😀
I have two of those knives and they are my favorite. I have two because I dropped one and needed to “fix” the blade. I fixed it with sandpaper but may grab some of these diamond stones.
@coreybrown1421 i tried and failed to sharpen properly on Sandpaper, just ended up being a waste of money. Diamond stones are easier to use, more straightforward, and they are so durable it's amazing.
Great video Johnny!
Do you eventually need to take the knife to the stone even if you strop it frequently? I haven’t dulled a whittling knife yet, but I’ve been carving for only a few months. Is that process a must someday or just when you forget to strop for a while?
Also, I accidentally rounded the edge of my only v tool while trying to fix a tiny chip. Now the blade is even but a little rounded, maybe a video for v tools as well.
@joaofalco939 You know, i though that you wouldn't. Matter of fact I was certain. I was dead wrong. Over time the knife will dull if you don't go to a stone. It's slight, not much but over time it will. It'll shift slowly enough that it can be hard to discern till you get a knife that's hit the stone recently. I've carved over 200 carvings this past years and I have definitely seen the effect on my knives.
Awesome, I’ll bring my knives to the renegade and you can sharpen them for me!:)
🤣😂🤣😂
I’m a big chicken about taking my blades to a stone or anything that will put a new edge on my blades. I do have a set of super cheap knives that was my first set and they have been a bit of a nightmare to use and keep sharp. Not sure if they were just not tempered right or how that works but at this point I’m willing to start there just to try and get the hang of this. My favorite chip carving knife broke the tip off entirely but it was one of the cheap ones so I got a new one from flex cut and although it is a different shape it does the trick. I digress would you possibly have the knowledge of what to do with a knife that has a broken tip?
Also how do you know when it’s acceptable to skip from the corse grit straight to the fine grit for polishing? Does that just come with experience? Sorry if that’s a silly question maybe it’s because I’m nervous about sharpening other than with a strop.
Anyway thanks for yet another informative and valuable video Johnny!
Oh one more question. I read somewhere that after a while your stone can loose the flat surface and diamond stones are the best way to remedy that issue. Have you found that the diamond stone holds its shape or do you have any more info on this aspect? Thanks again Johnny
@TinyFitz diamond stones don't have that issue, which is why I like them. They just stay flat. You can a grit anytime you want to, with the understanding that you'll spend more time on the grit you skip to. When sharpening, you're removing metal. You can do it all on fine, and take an hour, or you can do it through several grits and save a significant amount of time.
For reshaping a knife tip, that would have to be a while video honestly. The gist of it, use the stone to reshape that top back to the desired shape, then resharpen the knife.
@@JohnnyTheLayton I suppose you did explain the extra time sharpening in the beginning of the video🤦♀️ I feel silly now. Guess I didn’t put two and two together 🤷🏼♀️🤣 Thanks for taking the time to answer and fill in the gaps in my thought process. Diamond stone it is going to have to be then. Glad I asked so I don’t end up buying more than what’s necessary. You’re awesome and as always you are appreciated 😁
How often do you go to stones for woodcarving knives? I've seen other carvers say they only ever just strop, but that first knife you did was real dull.
@l26wang i have heard folks say that all they ever do is strop. I have been carving 1-2 hours a day for over a year. I'm convincrd those folks do NOT carve as often as I do. I can go 6, or 9 months without needing a stone probably, but eventually it'll get to the point that I peobably need one.
Looking at this as a "how frequently should i" is the wrong way to view it. You need to view it from the perspective of when your knife needs it solely. Is your knife cutting well, is it sharp? Awesome. Keep going. But if you round the edge, or chip it, stropping alone will be difficult to correct. Stropping using compound is doing the same thing as sharpening. You are removing metal. It's far, far quicker and easier to do that on stones.
@@JohnnyTheLayton Thanks. I'm not a carver (yet). I was more interested interested in this from a sharpening perspective.
I have found that stropping edges for maintenance for leather work heavily reduces edge retention. For example a freshly sharpened skiving knife might work for 15 minutes, but after stropping the edge back, it might be ok for 5 minutes only.
I suspect the underlying mechanics has to do with metal fatigue.
Does carving wood have a similar effect?
@@l26wang Answering that would take a 20 minute youtube video to properly express myself on the subject. To be succinct i will say this>
If after sharpening you get 15 minutes of work. But after stropping back up you only get 5. You have not stropped your knife back to the point it was after sharpening. You have not brought that apex back to the point that it was. Period, full stop.
In carving, and i can only talk about this from a carving perspective, metal fatigue isn't an issue. Maybe if a knife was used on bone, metal, or as a cleaver that would become an issue, but when carving on wood that's not a quantifiable quality that can be taken into account, from my pov. Hope that helps.
@@JohnnyTheLayton Thanks again for your perspective.
"You have not brought that apex back to the point that it was"
After stropping the knife cuts as well as off the stone. I don't notice any burrs from various checks. Are you saying this ""post stropping" working condition can still be improved just on the strop?
"but when carving on wood that's not a quantifiable quality that can be taken into account"
Thanks. That makes sense. So I think you're saying as you strop the knife back to sharpness after dulling from use, you don't notice having to strop more and more frequently. Is that correct?
@l26wang absolutely. Not more frequently, unless I didn't strop well enough. Unless I have rounded the apex. Which can happen at any point due to poor knife work, wood grain, lots of reasons.
When a knife is sharpened, on a very fine level it has small serrations. Stropping after sharpening is to remove the burr on that apex, and braze those serrations a bit. After carving those serrations can get gummed up with wood, so you strop to remove that wood from those serrations and align the apex again.
If, through extended, use you have lost the apex, that's when you hit the stones to reform it. I spent abou an hour and a half talking to Dick Belcher (master sharpener honestly, college professor and he actually sharpens stubai and schaaf tools for schaff and treeline usa.) All of that is my understanding of it after my conversation with him
I spend more time sharpening and stropping than carving.
I find myself investing too much time in it every so often, but that maint does pay for itself.
@ I used to be a chef - you always get cut with the dull knife.
@@PaulRidgeway-h7l ain't that the truth.
Thank you Johnny ..Thank you for the lesson ..Great job
@whittler0507 Appreciate you Gene!