@@paulhartzell4587 That’s a great question Paul. I used some traditional gum spirits turpentine along with beeswax and mineral oil. Gum spirits turpentine is available as a food grade supplement if used as directed. Regardless It’s not to be ingested by itself. Neither should beeswax for that matter however hand mineral oil is, mainly as a laxative. The turps I used for my polish was from a vintage can that was tossed out long ago so no SDS docs were available. The polish I demonstrated in this episode is simply the traditional beeswax polish of 1/3 parts of each ingredient heated in a double boiler. I should have clarified that the walnut oil alone, would be finish enough. My turpentine was simply a vehicle to reduce the wax to make the polish more workable. A “food safe” polish can be just 3 parts oil and 1 part wax melted together. It is trickier to use because as too much wax makes the surface stickier and harder to buff out. Personally I’m not concerned about the small amount of turpentine I used for my project here as the solvent flashes off. That said, the paste wax itself is not to be ingested regardless. Also it does come off with washing and rinsing. So let the user beware and decide what works best for their projects. Walnut oil will dry whereas mineral oil does not and nut allergy people made be advised to use only mineral oil. Vegetable oils (olive,canola etc.) can be used but also can get rancid and cause other issues. Best thing is just simply use the wooden items and keep them clean. For me paste waxing is mostly for aesthetics and not totally necessary except for the occasional wipe down with plain oil. Thanks for bringing that to my attention, hope this helps.
Some very popular knives are popular because they use a softer steel and sharpen so easily. I bought this set just to see if l could sharpen them up to a useable status, I could. Obviously they will dull quickly, but they will also sharpen quickly.
when something is in a glass case, but you can walk around the case you can get pretty good measurements by taking a photo with a rule or coin of known size in the same plane as the object. i've carried a tiny light weight tripod to the museum before and set that up next to the cases to get a reference to scale from. if you can't get into the same plane then it's a bit harder and i usually have the most success finding a feature and giving that feature a size that makes sense and scaling the rest from there, similar to what you did with the hand in the photo then scaling from your own hand. i think it's a fun challenge and seeing what i got right or wrong when i'm done is great learning. good video, cheers hombre.
When I started sharpening my own tools in the previous century it was the only way I knew of. I’ve since used oil and water stones, diamond cards, lapping compounds, fine grit sandpaper and buffing compound. I Still use oil stones out of habit and convenience. It works for me anyway.
Very sorry the accident happened. I also bought a china miter saw similar to Makita. Although I'm a trained metal machinist and aware of the importance of workpiece clamping securely before cutting, you reminded me of the danger and yes the 45 degree opening is a danger and I have seen another RU-vidr adding another piece of plywood to the fence to prevent tearout but now it is a good idea to prevent the work piece from pulling towards the gap. Very appreciative of your sharing your unfortunate accident to remind us all about the danger. Thank you and wish you a speedy recovery of your hand function. 🙏
Thank you for your kind words. My hand is continually healing and gaining strength but my range of motion is still an issue. However I am grateful that I didn’t loose any fingers.
Rubber mallets are typically used as a “persuader” to bump a work piece together or apart without marring the surfaces. It’s not used for woodcarving because it absorbs the blow to the tool you’re using and it would be harder to control with the bouncing.
What this is teaching me is that I need better tools than my dinky little swiss army knife--but as a first ever project this is a lot of fun so far!! Thank you so much for helping me get started, I'm super excited to learn more.
I’m glad to hear that you found this episode helpful. Folding knives are convenient however I much prefer fixed blade knives because they’re easier to use. All the best in your whittling journey.
You have a cool channel. You seem to have very high production value for your size, do you have prior experience in videography? Is this a retirement project?
Thank you for your comments. Yes I do admit that my RU-vid channel is a retirement project now though I started it before retiring. Regarding my production value and size etc. all credit goes to my daughter. She is the one who does the photos, videos, and editing as far as what gets posted. I’m just the one that talks about whatever interests me. Often times she will make helpful suggestions for topics as well as making it concise and understandable as I tend to ramble.
I don’t think you could get a piece long enough to make a pipe stem out of a Tagua nut. As far as bending it probably not as it is quite hard and brittle. Maybe a pipe bowl could work out fine though not being a smoker I wouldn’t know if it is a good idea or not. Best thing is to give it a go and find out what works.
Very nice set of homemade tools. I will definitely use some of your ideas and try to reuse some old or broken tools in purpose of woodcarving. Thank you.
There are many ways to sharpen your knives. Main thing is to sharpen them with the way that works best for you. My oilstone technique is just one way and it has worked for me.
I have abandoned all my stones and worksharp systems for a 2x4 and sandpaper only pulling I never push into apex anymore. I finish all my blades with black compound and green on a hard leather strop. Out of all the methods I've finally found one that works awesome for scandi and convex blades . Once you find your method it feels so darn good 👍 I now have no fear about reprofiling an edge on any knife. All knife owners should learn how to sharpen .
I've worked with Sassafras to make picture frames and shelving, as well as the privilege of working with American Chestnut. The two woods are virtually identical.
I’ve always been taught to pull the edge, not push. Pushing the edge also pushes the burr. Also was taught that the stone in this case, I always use sandpaper, is only used for shaping the edge. The leather actually sharpens and polishes by removing the micro serrations that the stone/sandpaper leaves on the edge. Also to use a thin piece of leather rather than thick as the thick can cause dulling due to the “cushion” of the thick leather creating rounding/roll over of the edge. Been doing it that way since I was 6 when first taught nearly 50 years ago. In the end, whatever works for an individual. This is just how I do it.
Thank you for your comments. It’s always interesting hearing how others approach tool sharpening. Bottom line is to keep ‘em sharp with the method that works best for you.
