GREAT video, very informative and never ceases to amaze how many people are either afraid or just don't care to sharpen their tools. Also, if need - something like a round dowel or anything to match the inside of a gouge can be used to polish those rounded surfaces. I will say it did look at bit scary in that stone pond, was waiting for something to surface for air or bite. Well done ... that man!
This is fantastic. I've been trying to find a way to sharpen my in-cannel gouges (for making bagpipe reeds), and I haven't had much luck. Your wood-block plus abrasive approach did the trick for me. For folks in the USA, I used MAAS metal polish, and it worked beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing!
I had never sharpened flat chisels before so I invested in quality Japanese water stones and also bought an adjustable honing jig which allows me to sharpen a precise and constant angles. I took my time on the first chisel and when I was done I could see my reflection in the chisel which now looked like a chrome plated bumper on a car! I was absolutely amazed by the water stones performance and the chisels I did were like razor blades. Amazing results for a 1st time novice.....unbelievable!
well you taught this old dog a new trick... i have never been that happy with my gouge sharpening process. but using a block of wood cut to the exact shape of the gouge is brilliant and i will now do all my gouges this way.
I am super obsessive about how sharp my tools are as I always have been told, "a sharp chisel is a save chisel." But until now, I have not been able to find a decent video on how to do it a gouge correctly... Great amounts of thanks to you, and may your forever keep teaching because you are a great asset to not only "Do it Myself" mentality, but also making timeless pieces of art that are actually used and cherished, thank you!
The timing for this video is perfect. I was just using a few gouges and skews two days ago and they need touching up now. You would be perfect for voice acting. The tonal and enunciative properties of your voice are absolutely perfect.
Really good information. I've had a small carving set for a while but never bothered trying to sharpen the gouges until now. I didn't have the same...well, anything, but I used what I had and was still able to get it up to a mirror finish. I'm not sure if it's even worth doing, but I think I'll keep a block ready with some compound and just go back to it every so often while I'm working to keep the tool sharp. Thanks for the great idea :)
I like that, and it is such a good idea to use the wood and an abrasive compound as the final step. I reckon you ought to try Brasso for your final final step. I believe that it's abrasive compound is Cerium Dioxide, and it is very fine and can sharpen to a mirror finish. I've used Alusol, it is much coarser by comparison to Brasso. Thanks again. (PS, I don't make instruments, but your video is very helpful for me.)
Hi, I thought I'd come back and let you know that I went out into my shed last night after watching your video, and tried the Alusol/Brasso on a couple of gouges I have and a knife. It works a treat, but I cut my fingers on the super sharp edges - it gets the chisels that sharp. Many thanks
Thank you, you can also use honing compound in the same way.. Very useful trick for people with so many different carving tools, and who wouldn't want a huge collection right?
Really nice video and very helpful, but I am curious. Would it not be better to keep the stones in clean water? I assume that iron oxide or rust is quite abrasive in its own right. Would this not interfere with the abrasion of the finer stones. There would be no point in using a 5000 stone if it is covered with large abrasive particles of rust. Just asking.
Great video. Very informative. My woodcut tools for woodblock printing are getting dull. Could I buy a piece of soft wood and use my veritas honing compound as you did at the end of the video without doing the first few steps with the water honing? Thanks
Hi, I have wanted/needed Gouges before but have not got them because I never knew how to sharpen them, so the ordinary flat stone, and especially the 'Gouge Sharpening' stone is especially interesting, thank you. Take care. mrbluenun
i notice you are pushing and pulling on the stone, ive seen others just push and others just pull. im guessing now it dosnt matter. and i had been wondering if you could use wood as a polisher instead of leather. thanks for the video. any suggestions for rust prevention?
thank you, very interesting! now I know I don't have to use power tools to sharpen my tools. did you make a video on how to sharpen the carving knives as well? how about stroping? thank you from Italy
This is pretty much my go to even after all this time. I have a conical Waterstone to use if the gouge is absolutely messed up to start with but other than that, no changes.
Do you think it is possible to sharpen while the stone is in the plastic water container ?? Then no need to wet and particles remain in water to assist sharpening the blade
is it just me or does the lighting and the wood colours of these videos remind anyone else of christmas stuff? you should be wearing a little elf hat and be making toys for the good girls and boys :D
How do you keep your water stones flat? Do you lap them with a diamond plate? I just use diamond plates for sharpening, they work fantastic and retain flatness at all times.
Diamond plate when necessary but I use a ceramic flattening stone after every single use and it works great. One of our luthiers has two of each stone and rubs them together after each use to stay perfectly flat, an expensive option but certainly better as they have the same grit/finish in the end.
hi just a quick top instead of using auto sol try using tormek honing paste it is abit more expensive tank auto sol but it works out between 6000 and 9000 grit also if you use this tormek paste try and put abit on a piece of mfd and pull your plane irons and chisels over it and I think you may find a difference but I think for the best results try a leather strop and charge that with either the tormek paste or if u want a really keen edge then get a block of Aluminium oxide that works out to about 15000 grit hope this helps and keep the videos coming as a apprentice cabinet maker I enjoy picking hints and tips from your videos
I don't have gouges (yet...) but I'm still thinking that the final few passes for each side should be "forward", to completely remove the "burr" (wire-edge) from the tool you're sharpening.
I hate Autosol polish! I polished the inside of a motorcycle crankcase for 3 or 4 days to get it to racing standard, many years ago. But it does the job.
I use Autosol on my chisels and plane irons . they are beyond sharp. They are so sharp my frined cut himself and dint even feel it.Bloody fool ,I told him to leave my tools alone.All I use is a 2x4 piece of pine ,with many shapes cut in it.
+jonnebanan Car boot sales. In the UK a car's trunk is called the boot. It's like a swap-meet. Everybody parks their car and opens the trunk and uses it like a mini shop where they sell their old junk. It's a great place to buy old tools and stuff, but people sell all sorts of things like toys, books, ornaments, etc.
I also couldn't understand,but I know you can find those at most any garden centers. In my area of NA we call them misters. My wife uses hers for a light mist on her ferns. I believe her's is made from copper? And was around $15 cost
Chrome polish paste smells really bad and it sticks for a long time. Rarely use it anymore. I just buy more finer water stones like 10000 grit and finer.
GREAT video, very informative and never ceases to amaze how many people are either afraid or just don't care to sharpen their tools. Also, if need - something like a round dowel or anything to match the inside of a gouge can be used to polish those rounded surfaces. I will say it did look at bit scary in that stone pond, was waiting for something to surface for air or bite. Well done ... that man!
This is fantastic. I've been trying to find a way to sharpen my in-cannel gouges (for making bagpipe reeds), and I haven't had much luck. Your wood-block plus abrasive approach did the trick for me. For folks in the USA, I used MAAS metal polish, and it worked beautifully.
Thank you so much for sharing!
A terrific technique, Ben. Just as others have commented, my gouges were always dull. Thank you for sharing!
I had never sharpened flat chisels before so I invested in quality Japanese water stones and also bought an adjustable honing jig which allows me to sharpen a precise and constant angles. I took my time on the first chisel and when I was done I could see my reflection in the chisel which now looked like a chrome plated bumper on a car! I was absolutely amazed by the water stones performance and the chisels I did were like razor blades. Amazing results for a 1st time novice.....unbelievable!
well you taught this old dog a new trick... i have never been that happy with my gouge sharpening process. but using a block of wood cut to the exact shape of the gouge is brilliant and i will now do all my gouges this way.
Tayler Made how did it go?
I am super obsessive about how sharp my tools are as I always have been told, "a sharp chisel is a save chisel." But until now, I have not been able to find a decent video on how to do it a gouge correctly... Great amounts of thanks to you, and may your forever keep teaching because you are a great asset to not only "Do it Myself" mentality, but also making timeless pieces of art that are actually used and cherished, thank you!
The timing for this video is perfect. I was just using a few gouges and skews two days ago and they need touching up now.
You would be perfect for voice acting. The tonal and enunciative properties of your voice are absolutely perfect.
Thank you for a very informative video! I bought slip stones to sharpen block cutting tools and found this very useful.
Really good information. I've had a small carving set for a while but never bothered trying to sharpen the gouges until now. I didn't have the same...well, anything, but I used what I had and was still able to get it up to a mirror finish. I'm not sure if it's even worth doing, but I think I'll keep a block ready with some compound and just go back to it every so often while I'm working to keep the tool sharp. Thanks for the great idea :)
Excellent video. Great tip on the polishing compound, can't wait to try it.
Like that tip at the end with the wood and polish. Could I use my strop paste on the wood instead of that chrome polish do you think ?
You can indeed, and thanks for watching! B
Brilliant, I was lost on what to do with my new gouges I now know what to buy!
I like the metal polish with the wood.. great tip, thanks
I like that, and it is such a good idea to use the wood and an abrasive compound as the final step. I reckon you ought to try Brasso for your final final step. I believe that it's abrasive compound is Cerium Dioxide, and it is very fine and can sharpen to a mirror finish. I've used Alusol, it is much coarser by comparison to Brasso.
Thanks again. (PS, I don't make instruments, but your video is very helpful for me.)
Hi, I thought I'd come back and let you know that I went out into my shed last night after watching your video, and tried the Alusol/Brasso on a couple of gouges I have and a knife. It works a treat, but I cut my fingers on the super sharp edges - it gets the chisels that sharp. Many thanks
I've never seen the metal polish trick before. That's very neat!
Thank you, you can also use honing compound in the same way.. Very useful trick for people with so many different carving tools, and who wouldn't want a huge collection right?
Really nice video and very helpful, but I am curious. Would it not be better to keep the stones in clean water? I assume that iron oxide or rust is quite abrasive in its own right. Would this not interfere with the abrasion of the finer stones. There would be no point in using a 5000 stone if it is covered with large abrasive particles of rust. Just asking.
Thanks, i skarpen knifes for chefs and so on, but this i did not know, and my new hobby is old Wood work, so thanks again😉
Great video. Very informative.
My woodcut tools for woodblock printing are getting dull.
Could I buy a piece of soft wood and use my veritas honing compound as you did at the end of the video without doing the first few steps with the water honing?
Thanks
Hi,
I have wanted/needed Gouges before but have not got them because I never knew how to sharpen them, so the ordinary flat stone, and especially the 'Gouge Sharpening' stone is especially interesting, thank you.
Take care.
mrbluenun
i notice you are pushing and pulling on the stone, ive seen others just push and others just pull. im guessing now it dosnt matter. and i had been wondering if you could use wood as a polisher instead of leather. thanks for the video. any suggestions for rust prevention?
Those vids are pure gold!
I trully thank you.
My pleasure.. I'm experimenting with other techniques now so expect more videos on tools and tool sharpening in time! Thanks for watching :)
Nice trick with the metal polish
thank you, very interesting! now I know I don't have to use power tools to sharpen my tools. did you make a video on how to sharpen the carving knives as well? how about stroping? thank you from Italy
Interested to know if this is still you method or have you updated and improved it?
This is pretty much my go to even after all this time. I have a conical Waterstone to use if the gouge is absolutely messed up to start with but other than that, no changes.
@@CrimsonCustomGuitars cheers I was wondering if those conical stones were any use. I got a set of gouges from VintageToolShop for Christmas 😁
After you establish your angle, put various grades of car polish on buffing wheels. Awesome for sharpness and quick as can be.
Do you think it is possible to sharpen while the stone is in the plastic water container ?? Then no need to wet and particles remain in water to assist sharpening the blade
Did you make the fluted wetstone or did you purchase it? If purchased, what is it's proper name so I may track one down for purchase. Thank you.
King sculptors whet stone 👌
is it just me or does the lighting and the wood colours of these videos remind anyone else of christmas stuff? you should be wearing a little elf hat and be making toys for the good girls and boys :D
How do you keep your water stones flat? Do you lap them with a diamond plate? I just use diamond plates for sharpening, they work fantastic and retain flatness at all times.
Diamond plate when necessary but I use a ceramic flattening stone after every single use and it works great. One of our luthiers has two of each stone and rubs them together after each use to stay perfectly flat, an expensive option but certainly better as they have the same grit/finish in the end.
For the U.S. side of the pond "Mothers metal polish" works well.
Where are you situated if I may ask?
hi just a quick top instead of using auto sol try using tormek honing paste it is abit more expensive tank auto sol but it works out between 6000 and 9000 grit also if you use this tormek paste try and put abit on a piece of mfd and pull your plane irons and chisels over it and I think you may find a difference but I think for the best results try a leather strop and charge that with either the tormek paste or if u want a really keen edge then get a block of Aluminium oxide that works out to about 15000 grit hope this helps and keep the videos coming as a apprentice cabinet maker I enjoy picking hints and tips from your videos
Many Thanks - very useful
11:05 for the record, that's called a fillet. Great video, thanks for the tip!
The Rounded edge and ¼ round strip of wood is an 'Ovolo'
Take care.
mrbluenun
Excellent vid. Thank you!
I don't have gouges (yet...) but I'm still thinking that the final few passes for each side should be "forward", to completely remove the "burr" (wire-edge) from the tool you're sharpening.
If you watch carefully you'll see that every single stroke of the blade on the stones and the wood at the end goes both forward and backwards.. vb, B
love your videos :D
I hate Autosol polish! I polished the inside of a motorcycle crankcase for 3 or 4 days to get it to racing standard, many years ago. But it does the job.
oh, that really does sound like a really crappy job.. it does work well though as you say. B
I use Autosol on my chisels and plane irons . they are beyond sharp. They are so sharp my frined cut himself and dint even feel it.Bloody fool ,I told him to leave my tools alone.All I use is a 2x4 piece of pine ,with many shapes cut in it.
2:25 - These are available at -inaudible- Can someone please help. Thanks
+jonnebanan Car boot sales. In the UK a car's trunk is called the boot. It's like a swap-meet. Everybody parks their car and opens the trunk and uses it like a mini shop where they sell their old junk. It's a great place to buy old tools and stuff, but people sell all sorts of things like toys, books, ornaments, etc.
I also couldn't understand,but I know you can find those at most any garden centers. In my area of NA we call them misters. My wife uses hers for a light mist on her ferns. I believe her's is made from copper? And was around $15 cost
i don't have a gouge. nevertheless i could watch this all day.
first using water stone, and afterwards slate (stone) with petrol, and you can shave you with this tool.
Chrome polish paste smells really bad and it sticks for a long time. Rarely use it anymore. I just buy more finer water stones like 10000 grit and finer.
Proprietary method.... I won't say a word. ;)