Care of Bonsai Tools

8/3/2019 Care of Bonsai Tools

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BSSJ Bonsai Topics: Care of BONSAITOOLSFlex Houvig / BSSJ

Bonsai tools are to a bonsai artist as pencils

and paints to an illustrator. To get the greatestutility from our tools, it is essential that welearn the proper methods of cleaning, sharp-ening, and maintaining our tools.

The normal sequence for a tool care session is:- clean the tool- Inspect the tool for nicks on blades, or joints which are too loose- sharpen the edges on those tools which cut- lubricate and seal the finished metal.

Cleaning Tools:

Given that our tools are used on plants which have sap, and are manytimes moist or wet, there is usually an accumulation of sap, bark dust, andsome rust spots on our tools.There is an excellent product whichcan be used to remove sap and rust,called Sandflex, which is the firstmaintenance tool used in the sharpen-ing process. For my tools, I preferSandflex, medium grade.

This cleaning block is hand-held,

and used to “scrub” away rust, dirtand sap. Once this is completed, thetool can be examined.

Here we can see a section of a toolwhere a spot of rust has started....



Using the Sandflex to gently rubover this spot 6-8 times, the rustspot is nicely removed.

Sandflex also removes built-upsap from scissors. Here a dirtyblade can be seen before using

Sandflex, and the clean blade after.

Inspecting Tools:

Look over each tool. Notice:- nicks along the sharp edge of a cuttingtool- bent blades or handles- loose or tight rivets or hinges

Some of these defects can be corrected,while others cannot.Tools which are too loose or have large

nicks in the blades should be set asidefor further evaluation. For really bad de-

fects, consider investing in a new tool....you will feel better if you do!Small nicks on the edge of a blade can sometimes be removed during thesharpening process, depending on the size of the nick.

Sharpening Cutting Tools:

Our cutting tools are most effective when sharp. This is because sharpedges cut through wood cells, while dull cutters and scissors clamp and

crush cells, resulting in a lot of damage to the area, as well as a messy-looking job.

There are many types of honing methods and stones. I prefer JapaneseWaterstones, which are soaked in a large bowl of warm water before use.These stones are available online, and can be $30 to $50. (2) different grits



(400 and 1000) are useful. 400 gritallows restoration of an old un-maintained blade to the pointwhere it can be sharpened, while

1000 grit performs the final knife-edgesharpening.

Curved blades are easily sharpened withround ceramic rods, which can be found in a kitchen supply store for a fewdollars.

One can also find the popular EZE Laphand diamond honers, in several gritgrades. These are handy for a quick“touch-up” on a blunt edge. However,they should never be used for a fullsharpening, as the diamond will re-move a lot of metal from the edge in avery short time, and can do more harmthan good. Care and patience is re-quired for a good sharpening session!

The cutting edge on all tools is the edge that is beveled. and this is the onlyedge which should be sharpened. On scissors, this edge is on the outside,and is easy to get to, and the scissors can usually be opened up wideenough so a Japanese water stone can be used to sharpen the tool.For other tools like concave cutters, knob cutters, and root cutters, the bev-eled edge is on the inside of the blade. This requires use of a roundedstone to sharpen, from the inside of the tool outward.This type of stone canbe a simple round ceramic rod (like used in the inexpensive kitchen knifesharpener).



Prior to a sharpening session, Waterstones should be allowed to soak inwater. This also tends to soften up the surface layer of the stone. This isimportant for the sharpening process, as the metal edge rubbing over the

stone causes a “slurry” of stone, water and metal to form on the blade. Thislubricates the edge, and helps the blade to run smoothly over the stone.

When the stone is removed from thesoaking bowl, it should be placed onsomething which can both absorbthe water, and keep the stone fromslipping during sharpening. I use anold folded towel.

If the tool has been kept in goodshape, then the finer grit stone maybe used right away to bring back therazor edge to the blade. Coarse gritstones would be used to straightenand re-vitalize an edge before fine

grit sharpening.

Straight-edged tools are placed on the stone surface. Feel for the bevel byrotating the blade slightly, until you can feel the bevel. Keeping the blade atthe bevel angle you have just found, push the blade against the stone. Thisshould be done in a smooth continuous motion, which helps to insure thatthe whole width of the blade is getting the same amount of contact with thestone, and the same amount of sharpening.

This sharpening stroke should be repeated 2-3 more times on a blade thatis in good condition. Once one blade of the tool is done the other blademay be sharpened in the same manner.



Be careful with sharpened blades, as a care-less move can result in unwanted use ofBandaids!

Scissors are easily sharpened on a 800 to1200 grit Waterstone. The key to a sharpedge is to first find the correct angle of thebevel, then push the edge against the stone,stroking the edge down the stone in a single

smooth action, meanwhilekeeping the same angleagainst the stone. Move in onedirection only, against theedge. Do not attempt tosharpen on the flat side of thescissor.

Here we see the inside beveled edge of a knob cutter. To sharpen thisedge, use the round ceramic rod. Find the bevel angle by holding the rodagainst the inside of the blade, and rotating the rod until you can feel thebevel. Gently run the rod across the blade, keeping the same angle to thebevel. 4-5 strokes should sharpen the edge nicely. Repeat the same thingon the other blade.



A root cutter also has the bevel on theinside, as we can see, so the sameprocess can be used to sharpen theseblades. One difference between the

root cutter and the knob cutter is astraight blade versus a curved blade.This means a different motion is re-quired for these different blades.

The blade edge can be checked for sharpness using the fingers. Rub a fin-ger ACROSS the blade edge (NOT along the edge), until it feels sufficientlysharp. Once one blade is “sharp” the other blade can be sharpened andtested in the same manner.

Checking The Bite:

The blades on cutting tools work like shears. A good check to see if toolblades are coming together properly is to close the tool, and hold it up tothe light. You should NOT be able to see a crack of light through theblades. If you do, then either the edgeshave been ground too far, or are out ofline.

Check concave cutters and root cuttersby closing them, and you should see aslight overlap of the edges. This overlapshould be even in the same amountover the complete surface of the bladeswhere they meet.

The cutting edges must be perfectlyaligned with one another for proper cut-

ting. If the blades are parallel-aligned,but show an air gap, then one way to get the blades back together is to re-move a small amount of metal from the ʻstop pinʼ, which keeps the handlesfrom closing farther. The pin can be ground at the point where the oppositehandle seats against it, thus allowing the blades to close more. Once theblades can meet, the light test can again be used to see if additional metalshould be removed from the edges, to parallel-align them.



Donʼt forget that wire cutters are also cutting tools, and can be sharpenedin the same manner. This makes cutting wire easier.

One caution on use of wire cutters: the scissor-type cutters are designed tohandle up to about #14 gauge wire, while the heavier wire cutters handle12 gauge and up. Trying to cut #6 or #8 gauge wire with a scissor-type cut-ter will result in bending the cutter handles and ruining the tool! Know yourtools and how to use them!

Once the tool blades have been cor-rectly sharpened, the finishing touch isapplication of WD-40 to the sharpened

edges, and the hinge pin. This will helpseal out water, and will form a micro-thin surface seal over the metal, pro-tecting it.

When the sharpening session is fin-ished, rinse off the Waterstones, and place them on an old towel to dry. Iusually sharpen twice a year: once in mid to late Summer, and once in Win-ter. The one caution for the Winter session is that the Waterstones must be

left to dry for several days in a warm environment, so ALL the water drainsfrom the stone. This is a particular requirement if the Waterstones arestored in an environment where the temperature can drop below freezing.Placing a wet Waterstone back in an unheated storage area which is belowfreezing will result in the Waterstone cracking when the interior waterfreezes and expands.

Summary:

These techniques apply to all cutting tools, and when practiced properly,

will allow many years of use from your cutters.

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Care of Bonsai Tools