How to Sharpen Bonsai Tools
There are various grades of bonsai tools, and less expensive tools will need to be sharpened more often. Better tools, often Japanese-made steel tools, may need to be sharpened less frequently, but all tools will eventually dull with use and need to be sharpened. Straight-edged dual blade tools are easy to sharpen, as are single-edged tools like jin and grafting knives. With care, your bonsai tools can remain useful for many years. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Look at the blades on your bonsai pruner or other bonsai cutter. You usually will see that there is a wider angle that leads to another smaller angle that forms the actual cutting edge. That narrower angle is what you will sharpen.
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Color the narrow area to be sharpened with a permanent marker. This will ensure that you have removed enough metal to sharpen the blade. Do not remove too much; stop sharpening when the metal that has been colored is silver. Over-sharpening can stop the blades from meeting properly after several sharpening iterations.
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Start at the pivot end of the blade with a medium-grit diamond pocket stone. Draw the stone along the narrow area of the blade to expose new metal.
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Once you have removed all of the permanent marker, finish the job by dragging a fine pocket stone from the pivot end of the blade to the tip.
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Tips & Warnings
Although diamond pocket stones are good for sharpening bonsai tools, any 1/2- to 3/4-inch wide sharpening stone can do the job. Some sharpening stones need oil lubrication, while others only need water. Some ceramic stones need no lubrication.
Although concave cutters are not common bonsai tools, some tool kits include them. Concave cutters are very difficult to sharpen. The edges must mate perfectly or they will not work properly. Nicking the blades of a pair of concave cutters can render them useless. Consider having any concave cutters in your kit professionally sharpened to avoid ruining the tool.
Although a blade may not be sharp enough to cut through the branch of a bonsai tree, it may still be sharp enough to cut your finger. Use caution when sharpening the blades on your bonsai tools.
Although it may be tempting to use a bench grinder, bench grinders can sometimes remove too much metal and shorten the life of your bonsai tools.
References
- Photo Credit paire de ciseaux image by Palindra from Fotolia.com
