Old Timer 240T Carvin' Pocket Knife

I am not a wood carver or whittler. I did take a brief class on chip carving and I enjoyed it. I do have a couple of decent chip carving knives.

My 13 year old daughter expressed an interest in whittling. She did not want any special tools, just to use a regular (pocket??) knife. I have long wanted to carve some faces onto the end of my walking sticks.

So, I purchased an Old Timer 240T Carvin' Pocket Knife (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XRDZ61M). I hade a vague notion that this thing would show up needing work, but, my previous Shrade Oldtimer knives at least came sharp. This thing is not even almost sharp. I did not try it on wood, but, even though I probably do not really know sharp, I am pretty sure this is not sharp enough.

Attachment 403390

First, if I take to it, I will probably purchase individual tools. Also, I do have a Flexcut version on order for over $100, but, for $20, it was a decent risk to see if I could make it go a little bit.

I do have a few specific questions. Understand that this is a new direction for me. My friends bring over their plane blades and chisels and I put a decent edge on them and send them packing. I have never dealt with tools like these. A straight blade is not a problem, and things are complicated here because the tools are part of a pocket knife.

Question 1: painted blades

If you look at the image above, tools have a black finish (paint??). It looks to me like the painted the entire blade and then ground a bevel leaving bare metal exposed. As an example, the left most tool, is a gouge. The inside is shown and it is black. If you saw it from the back, like the other two tools on the left, it would be silver (and definitely not polished, I can see grind marks).

When I sharpen my chisels, I remove a burr from the back, then create a new burr on the bevel then move up a grit. When I think of the gouge, if I apply any abrasive to the inside of that tool, I will be removing the paint (or whatever that finish is). How worried should I be about that? I assume that I will need to do that to really get this sharp. I mean, I cannot just work on one side of the tool, right?


Question 2: What do I need

With the flexcut, I see that it will come with something that I can use to polish / strop the edge. I saw a video some time back, of a person creating something similar out of a 2x4 to sharpen a set of gauges. Is that a good way to go? I have not done it, but I guess that I should be able to. Again, not having done this before, I am unsure if I want a set of "slips" or what.

I am very close to a woodcraft store, so I can probably just stop in with my tool and see what they have that will fit those specific items.



Question 3: how to sharpen

Links to videos, specific recommendations, are welcome. I have never used a slip or specialty things.

I was given one gouge by a member of this forum some years back and I managed to get it very sharp. For the inside I think that I had a dowel of about the correct diameter and that worked very well.

Thanks for any help.

Re: question #1 those blades are not painted. That is a rust preventive coating applied to the blank and then the bevels were ground. Longevity of the coating depends on the exact type of coating and your use of the blades. Do not try to remove it.
Question #2 and #3 are the same, sharpening. This is a simple/involved/touchy/politically charged subject. There are lots of ways to sharpen, all work. Pick one method, start carving and your ability to sharpen will grow alongside your ability to carve.
Enjoy!
Mike

What, sharpening a politically charged issue here?

:D

I will just go for it and wade my way through it then.

If you think you and your daughter will take to whittling, I highly suggest checking out this best whittling and wood carving knife guide. The knife selections are decent but the guide is extremely useful to beginners. It addresses some common questions about steel types, edge bevels, etc. As to your questions...

Question 1: Don't worry too much about painted blades. As mentioned above, probably just a corrosion deterrent but pocket knives should be made out of one of the stainless steel alloys anyway. Even if it isn't, as long as you keep your knife clean and dry with the occasional oil wipe down you'll be fine.

Question 2: At a minimum, you need a strop and stropping compound. Eventually, you will need to hone the knife with enough use or if you feel it isn't sharp enough you made need to hone it now. The guide touches on the best grind angle for carving and whittling as well which you may find useful.

Question 3: I have no specific links to videos but there are a ton of decent ones on youtube. Some of the more prominent knife makers even have some useful guides on their websites. Just cruise around until you find one that is easy to follow and you should be good to go.

Good luck!

Nice link, lots of information, thanks Perry - for both the link and the information.