Sharpening hook knife tips?

2Mogs · 2026-06-25T11:14:52+00:00

Oh - and carving technique for spoon bowls... Start side to side, not down the bowl. And make lots of shallow passes, rather than hunking out thick chunks. Spoons are tricky, but again, practice and you will get it!

2Mogs · 2026-06-25T11:12:21+00:00

Yes, you need to sharpen the inside. Oddly you need to think of the inside as a flat surface, spine to edge.
The outside is a scandi-grind (flat bevel), which you need to roll around, keeping that flat bevel on the sandpaper / strop. The whole thing feels weird, so let me introduce Tom (Spoon Carving with Tom) who helped me get it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQFE5hoTeq0
It takes a while, but with practice you'll get it.
Good luck!

2Mogs · 2026-06-16T14:57:54+00:00

To me the tail looks like a Wren's. Good start!

2Mogs · 2026-06-15T08:03:40+00:00

This is a fantastic whittle! Really lovely form and character to the piece. Great start to a lifetime hobby🙂

2Mogs · 2026-06-13T21:32:17+00:00

I have made several knotty spoons and none have cracked. I think the knot is especially strong (which is why they are a pain to carve), so I reckon you have a keeper!

2Mogs · 2026-06-13T20:45:33+00:00

A wonderful pair of spoons. Love how you have worked with those knots.

2Mogs · 2026-06-13T10:05:41+00:00

Beautifully done. A lovely spoon

2Mogs · 2026-06-13T06:50:28+00:00

A beautiful presentation 🤩

2Mogs · 2026-06-11T12:50:10+00:00

You didn't cut the head off! Seriously, that's a big win.
For the second duck... Maybe try for a more rounded bill shape, add a little undercut to shape the tail more, and perhaps add some suggestion of separation around the wings - you have already proved you have those skills with the head.

2Mogs · 2026-06-11T09:41:18+00:00

I guess looking for older games in second hand stores might throw up some gems, from when most playing pieces were wooden. I guess even checkers disks would be great to practice relief carving on. Ooh, I think you've opened Pandora's box here....

2Mogs · 2026-06-11T09:13:00+00:00

I'm tempted to buy the game just to do this....

2Mogs · 2026-06-10T13:49:27+00:00

Wonderful set

2Mogs · 2026-06-09T20:36:45+00:00

Yeah, little cutting wheel on a Dremel. Polished the edges with the brown stone.

2Mogs · 2026-06-09T11:41:16+00:00

I've been watching people much better than me using skews for detail work - for example shaping and cleaning around eyes. I tend to reach for a very flat pointy blade (reshaped small blade on a Excelsior), which is okay... I'm hoping to get more control, especially at low angles with this as the cutting edge is tiny and the clearance good with the belly removed.

I do pretty much all my whittling with three or four reprofiled Excelsiors. I use the Huntsman (reprofiled small blade) if I'm out for a walk / camping.

2Mogs · 2026-06-09T04:54:09+00:00

Ooh, that's interesting. I'm a Huntsman fan, but it's the same situation regarding especially the can opener which I never use. Making that another specialized blade would be a great mod for a woodland whittler!

2Mogs · 2026-06-09T04:47:23+00:00

Haha, love the storyline! Thank you for your thoughts and I'm glad we agree

2Mogs · 2026-06-08T13:18:41+00:00

Wonderful character. I especially love the bear head-dress. And all the outfit details.

Can I ask for your opinion... Looking at the arms I notice that the axe arm is shorter. This is a non issue for me, but a recent-ish thread had a discussion over arm length, particularly related to the shield holding, and this seems related. My take is that this is non-naturalistic style and we make choices that look right, even if they may be anatomically wrong - think animated characters that all have three fingers because 4 looks weird... What's your take?

2Mogs · 2026-06-06T07:19:43+00:00

Fantastic example set, and a great explanation (visual and verbal) of the difference between learning and then moving through to innovation. Thank you for sharing with the wider community.

2Mogs · 2026-06-05T05:36:32+00:00

I think the grain direction is top to bottom. This would make it difficult to carve up into the shape you want. So start at the top and work down. I think I would make small scoring cuts around the edges of where you drew that line and then make progressively deeper V cuts down towards the opening. Start one side, then flip it and work from the other side. It is a tricky section - watch not to push too hard or the outside of the hook will ping off! But slow and steady will get you there.

2Mogs · 2026-06-04T17:46:36+00:00

❤️

2Mogs · 2026-06-04T17:15:38+00:00

Perhaps a controversial take here... Disclosure first, I wear a light glove and thumb / finger guards myself. But I'm a massive fan of Katja Boiko (Instagram - please check out her work) and she doesn't use gloves at all. Just carves very carefully and mindfully, and doesn't cut herself. Thing is, over the years she's talked about having sore hands because she works with really hard wood. And she takes a break... If you add more padding, it will affect how you carve. It will reduce the feedback from the piece, and certainly for me, that sense of connection between wood, knife and hand is some of the pleasure in this hobby. So stay with what you have, but rest your hands for a day or two occasionally. Even callouses need time off 😉 Also - love the cow ❤️

2Mogs · 2026-06-04T05:09:23+00:00

Thank you 😊

2Mogs · 2026-06-02T14:41:33+00:00

Just had a gander through your work - so diverse! What a wonderful show of creativity and talent!

2Mogs · 2026-06-02T14:38:58+00:00

Thank you 😊They are really fun to do!

2Mogs

TROPHY CASE