Well-sharpened tools = easier work
It is very important to sharpen your tools (paring knife, awl, edger, strop, essential...) before or after each use to ensure their longevity and keep a sharp cutting tool . Learn in just a few minutes how to prepare a strop and sharpen your leatherworking tools.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SHARPENING AND GRINDING?
- Sharpening is the process of removing a layer of metal from your cutting tool to restore its sharpness and reform the edge (the sharp edge of the blade) . Tools are typically sharpened with sandpaper or a sharpening stone (dry or with oil) .
- Sharpening consists of preserving and maintaining the edge of your tool and thus delaying its wear (delaying the next sharpening) . We recommend sharpening your cutting tools after each use (at least for knives). Generally, sharpening tools is done using a strop (leather).
HOW DO I SHARPEN MY CUTTING TOOLS?
As explained above, tools are sharpened using sandpaper or a sharpening stone. The choice of grit is made according to the condition of the tool (always finish with a finer grit => the higher the number, the finer the grit) . Example: start with a 400 grit and finish with an 800 grit. The cutting angle must always be respected when sharpening.
In this video we show you how to sharpen the Indispensable knife. The steps are the same for sharpening a diamond-shaped awl or a paring knife. In the video below we recommend starting sharpening with 1000 grit sandpaper and finishing with 3000 grit for optimal sharpness (the blade did not cut). Always keep the same angle of about 20 degrees. The narrower the angle, the easier and deeper the cut will be.
HOW TO PREPARE A STROP / POLISHING BOARD?
The "Sharpening Oil" and "Polishing Paste" mixture on the polishing board will take several days to dry completely.
Watch the video ⬇️📽️
Feel free to reapply the polishing paste regularly depending on your usage. There's no need to reapply sharpening oil. The more the strop is soaked in paste and the older it is, the more effective it will be.
WHAT LEATHER TO MAKE A STROP / POLISHING BOARD?
If you want to make your own strop or change the leather of your strop, we recommend you use PREMIUM vegetable tanned leather (reference: with a high thickness: at least 3.3 mm (so that the flesh side of the leather is still fluffy and not split). We sell pieces of 8x50 cm in 3.3 mm.
To glue the leather to the wooden board, we recommend using neoprene glue. We also sell ready-to-use strops on our website, complete with an ergonomic handle for a better grip.
WHAT PASTE SHOULD I USE FOR SHARPENING?
We recommend DIALUX polishing paste. The paste should be applied to the previously oiled piece of leather (flesh side) by rubbing the stick vigorously.
There are two schools of thought regarding which side the sharpening compound should be applied to: the grain side or the flesh side of the strop. Knife makers recommend the flesh side because its fluffy texture helps retain the sharpening compound better. The "flesh side" retains more compound due to its fibrous structure, while the "grain side" offers a smoother surface that can result in a finer polish. We'll leave it to everyone to experiment.
HOW DO I KEEP MY CUTTING TOOLS SHARP?
Maintaining the edge/cutting edge of your cutting tools is done using a STROP before or after each use.
HOW TO SHARPEN AN AWL WITH PLIERS (DIAMOND SHAPED AWL OR DIAMOND POINT AWL)?
Learn in just a few minutes how to sharpen the 4 sides of a pliers awl (also called a diamond awl or diamond point awl). This very useful tool for piercing leather when sewing saddle stitch is often sold pre-sharpened, so it must be finished sharpening.
HOW TO SHARPEN A SWIVEL KNIFE?
To properly sharpen an opening knife, we recommend using the Tandy Leather guide reference TL_88118_00, which will help you keep the blade at the correct angle during sharpening (avoid rounding the blade). Please note that each side of the blade must be sharpened in the same way on the sharpening stone or strop (same number of passes).
HOW TO SHARPEN A ROUND CUTTER OR A BISSONNETTE?
We offer you a specific tool for sharpening your round cookie cutters ( diameter 4 to 16 mm ) and bissons. The sharpener (ref. TA759) is made of stainless steel and covered with emery powder inside and out.
HOW TO SHARPEN A BLADES?
The edger must be sharpened regularly, especially for chamfering fine leather. An 800-grit sanding sheet will be required to sharpen the tool. Sharpening templates are available to facilitate sharpening.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ABAT-CARRE >
KNIFE FAN VIDEO:
We also invite you to watch the video "Fan de couteaux" which approaches the sharpening technique from another angle.
SADDLERY-LEATHERMAKING TECHNIQUES BOOK:
In this book, about ten pages are devoted to sharpening leatherworking tools: round awl, Indispensable knife, pliers awl, paring knife... (with diagrams) . We recommend it!
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1 comment
Exotica leathers
A very well-written and informative tutorial. A perfect guide for anyone looking to sharpen leather tools effectively and maintain precision.