![]() ![]() The broad deep strokes are to cut both wood and graphite they should be made with the middle section of the blade their purpose is to sharpen the pencil ! Rather than setting the length of the blade at right angles to the length of the pencil, turn the back of the blade backwards slightly towards your body, giving an angle of about 70 degrees with the pencil axis. Sharpening a pencil takes practice, and here are some tips. Sharpening the blade makes this angle slightly larger still although we are talking micro-degrees of angle, it does result in an inflexible blade that will not only take a lethally sharp edge, but will retain it too. These dimensions mean the angle at which the faces (sides) of the blade meet as they converge to the edge is not too ‘thin’ the blade is top quality Sheffield steel anyway, but this angle makes it even less likely the blade will flex or bend. It measures 0.25 cm thick at the ‘back’, and 1.5 cm deep from back to edge. The blade is 8 cm long, giving the user a good choice of which section of the blade to use it is made of hardened steel that takes a very good edge and retains it. Thus it is easy for the user to control the blade and make it pitch, roll and yaw. The handle is 10 cm long, fitting the average hand size it has wooden scales making it easy to grip and it is medium broad. Consider the movements of the blade like those of a boat on the sea. The handle must give control and leverage. Particular features are its handle and its blade. It is a regular folding penknife described as ‘classic’ in an English sense I guess an American pocket knife would be more rugged and heavy. Burgon & Ball Classic Pocket knife you can see it on their website, under gardenning tools. I have used many different pocket knives, but now have what I think is the ideal knife. Why aren’t replacement blades commonly available? Categories sharpeners Now some sharpeners truly are disposable – with no ability to replace the blade – but many are attached with a tiny screw, and will take this replacement blade. It was the only realistic way I could see to keep some favorite sharpeners, like a DUX inkwell, usable over time. But I ordered them as part of a larger shipment, and now wish I had ordered more. It is a shame that I couldn’t buy them locally. Yikes – replacement blades from overseas. ![]() In the photo are some replacement blades (the KUM Standard 530S) that I ordered from the highly efficient Cult Pens in the U.K. These sharpeners usually dull quickly and will chip at the wood instead of shaving the wood. We no longer recommend hand-held sharpeners for any of our colouring pencil lines. ![]() Laurentien, a colouring pencil brand that will be known to Canadians (now part of Sanford), states here: So there are a lot of blunt sharpeners out there in the world. I suspect that even a single sharpening dulls many blades, and that the working lifespan of a typical handheld sharpener blade in tip-top condition may be less than that of a single pencil. What this means is that portable sharpeners are being sold as de facto disposable items – even fairly expensive ones with glass and metal housings. Art supply store staff tend to agree that this would be a good idea, but they have no place to order them. Yet, in years of frequenting art and office supply stores, I have never seen a replacement blade for sale. ![]() Rust and oxidation may also have had a role. The blade may be made very cheaply and be just barely usable a few times, or even if better quality, have become dulled over time. The weak aspect of most portable sharpeners is the blade. And sometimes it is the fault of the sharpener. Sometimes this is the fault of a cheap pencil. Yet they are frequently a frustration to use, splintering, chopping, and breaking pencils. Pencil sharpeners are an essential pencil accessory. ![]()
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