Читать книгу The Handcarved Bowl - Danielle Rose Byrd - Страница 53

53

T H E H A N D C A R V E D B O W L

Chapter 3 | S H A R P E N I N G

or other custom shape, as refer-

ence. I use a system of dowels and

paddles made from MDF or tight-

grained hardwood (B). The flat is

used to address the bevel side of a

tool edge(the back/convex side of

a gouge or both sides of a knife)

and the dowel or profile is used to

accommodate the interior (con-

cave) side of the tool edge.

MDF or tight-grained hard-

woods are good substrates for

abrasive paper. If MDF gets wet, it

turns to absolute mush, so keep it

out of the elements and away from

liquids. I try to stay away from

woods with significant variances

between earlywood and latewood

because the earlywood tends to

wear away and leave a pattern of

more durable latewood behind,

resulting in an uneven surface.

Attaching Paper to Substrates:

The paper can be attached to a

substrate with spray adhesive,

purchased with an adhesive

back, or dry rolled onto a dowel.

Adhesive-backed paper is more

expensive but has a consistent-

ly tacky surface that is hard to

achieve with spray adhesive; a

light, consistent spray will result

in a uniformly tacky surface, but

any heavy-handed application

will result in larger droplets (C)

that must be spread out quickly

to create an even surface. There

have been many occasions when

I’ve made these paddles less than

perfectly and I’ve still used them

without any discernible detriment

to the tool edge, but I still try to

avoid major inconsistencies if I

can help it.

Each adhesive brand’s

instructions vary slightly, but

they all tend to convey the same

concept: spray the back of the

paper, wait a minute or so or until

it’s no longer wet (just tacky),

then attach it to the substrate.

This makes it possible to remove

the paper later without any of the

adhesive staying behind on the

substrate, which makes reusing

them infinitely easier. The sprayed

paper can just be lightly pressed

onto the paddles, but I find that

wrapping the dowels with elastic

bands helps to keep them on

longer. (D)

It’s wise to do this in batches,

with some type of backer behind

them to prevent stickiness every-

where. I use a very fancy system

of a cut up garbage bag out on my

patio on a windless day. I place

each paddle down, rough cut the

paper to size, then flip the paper

over and place it near the paddle.

I spray the backs of each paper in

one go, wait until the adhesive is

tacky without being wet, then go

in the same order I sprayed them

to attach the paper to the paddles.

(E) After I’m done I fold the bag in

half, tacky side in, to keep it free of

debris until its next use.

Abrasive Paper Recommendations

3M makes a line of micro-abrasives, Hewn & Hone offers a selection,

and they may also be available at automotive stores. I have used the 3M

micro abrasive papers extensively and find I only need one more coarse

grit, somewhere in the #400-#600 range, to round out the lineup. I just

buy the single sheets at the hardware store because I tend not to need as

much of this grit for the heavier work.

QUICK TIP

E