Sharpening my Curve Carving Gouges

My previous post described how I sharpen my flat (letter) carving gouges. Mostly this post is about “commissioning” (sharpening them for the first time) or if I need to repair an edge.

I’ve had to do a fair amount of work to the curved gouges I inherited.  You could, as I have, change the bevel on a carving chisel with the approach I use below.  I learned this approach from my friend Anada (a_dorje on Instagram).

I use my 8″ Tormek 3 (now Tormek 4).  Ideally you’d want to use something that doesn’t create a hollow bevel (something like the Work Sharp System) .. but! .. once I have the new angle on the chisel set and polished, I usually just use the strop to keep the chisels sharp.  

So to commission a new chisel or reshape a bevel, I take the chisel to the wheel,  then 1000, 4000 and 8000 grit stones.  Then I strop.

So here goes:

Setting the gouge for 25 degrees.

I often us black permenant marker to see where the grind on the bevel is

The new bevel, right off the Tormek with a hollow grind.

Then I work the new bevel on my Shapton water stones.

You can see that 90% of the hollow grind has been removed.

Then I hone the inside edge to remove the burr created by the Tormek and the stones.

Then again with a finer Arkansas translucent.

You can see the 1/16″ front edge of the gouge effected by the stones.

Then I strop the outside of the bevel on the Tormek.

And then the inside.

Last I take the gouge to the flat and shaped strop to work the final burr back and forth until it falls off.

The final test.

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