I am still immature, but I think that it is the first step of the better to sharpen the sword.
If you use a beautifully sharpened blade, your hardships so far are like a lie.
"Carve easily"I can do things.
There are even times when it feels like you're really carving tofu.
When you can carve easily
"Carve the intended line (line quality)"It will be.
When you can carve the intended line
"Width of Design"Will spread.
For example, arcs can be carved beautifully, so you can take them into your design.
As the range of designs expands,
"My own design"You will come to think of.
I think that everything enters from imitation first.
Through imitation, it is important to experience the difference between "what you know" with your head and what you actually try.
I think that it is only through these experiences that the ground is formed to think about my favorite line quality and design.
In order to improve in this way, it is important to "sharpen" as the stairs on the first floor. I think that sharpening the seal sword is an important task.
It is difficult, but please continue to challenge by all means.
* In the first six months when I (the fifth generation) also started training, I sharpened my sword for about 6 hours every day (laughs)
Let's do our best together!
How to sharpen an iron brush [篆 1]
Here, we will introduce how to sharpen the seal (iron brush) of [Teramachi store 4th generation owner "Ryuzen"].
If there is something you can put on or be quick when carving a stone, it may be because the seal (iron brush) is standing. It is the source of failure and injury, so please take a look.
Of course, sharpening is also necessary to practice. If you become a decent whetstone, you will be said to be a one-time craftsman. I think that it is difficult, but please try it by all means. Here's how I sharpen it. Therefore, we hope that you can use this as a reference to find a way that is easy to sharpen yourself.
◆ First of all, please check what happens when you sharpen the seal (iron brush).
From the left of the photo, it is "before sharpening", "sharpened with rough whetstone", and "sharpened with finishing whetstone". If you look at the shine of the blade, the difference is obvious. I always use finishing whetstones, but 篆 stone by engraving, rough whetstone alone can be carved enough.
A Next, I will introduce the whetstone.
-Upper left of the photo [Oil stone for rough whetstone]
A moderate hardness is good. A very soft whetstone is not recommended because the blade is small, the force is put on one point, and the whetstone becomes more recessed.
- Photo upper right [finishing whetstone]
As for the finishing wheel, it is good if there is a natural one, but it is very expensive. It is the inkstone of The Valley. If you look for imported things or ceramic ones, there seems to be nothing like natural products made in Japan. It may not be necessary if you just sharpen the iron brush.
- Photo lower left [rubber stopper (to be used under the whetstone)]
If you go to a shop that sells do-it-yourself supplies, you will sell them. If there is no wet rag, etc. are fine. In short, it is OK if you can prevent slipping.
- Photo lower right [diamond whetstone]
Industrial diamonds are machined on the surface. It is a useful tool for sharpening hard knives. It is not a special need. The price is about 10,000 yen, but it does not decrease, so it may be a good deal in the long run.
When the B tool is ready, place the oil stone on top of the stopper and fix it.
Then, bring oil to the whetstone and stretch it moderately with your fingers. This is enough for cheap sewing machine oil.
C Finally, we will sharpen.
Lightly press the iron brush against the surface of the whetstone, and hold it lightly from the top with the index finger of your left hand. Press from the front as it is to the top edge and lower it further to the lower end. It's a repetition of this. Move as big, light, and firmly as possible.
If you sharpen only in a fixed place, the whetstone will be dented only there, so let's use the whole surface as much as possible. No speed or power is required at all. Use your power as evenly as possible.
Sharpen one side at a time. Instead of sharpening only one side at a time, turn it over. You can increase the number of times on one side at a time. as few times as possible (5 to 10 times). If you can, increase the number of times. I put my finger on the corner of the sword and sharpen it if I make it. However, be careful not to sharpen more than necessary.
Also, the face of the blade must be straight. If it becomes round, the angle that can be carved will change when carving, so it is useless. That's what we call clams. To be honest, sharpening an iron brush is very difficult.
However, if you carve it with a well-sharpened iron brush, I think that the hardships now can be carved smoothly like a lie. By all means, please try your best to sharpen and experience the feeling of carving with a sulsul.
D Finally, the finishing whetstone is finished.
The finishing wheel feels a little smoother than the rough whetstone. The sharpening method is the same as in the case of arato above. However, because it is soft, please sharpen it more carefully than when roughing.
The point of sharpening is to apply power evenly without putting too much force.
When the finishing wheel is applied, the surface of the blade is really shiny and the cutting edge becomes sharper.
However, as mentioned above, the finishing whetstone is more expensive than the rough whetstone, and the finishing whetstone etc. that I am using now seem to be more than 50,000 yen from 30,000 yen if there is a thing of the same quality when buying now.
(Comment from the 5th generation "Koryu (training)" )