Gordon Ward on mon 18 jul 05
I spent an hour this morning trimming some "off the hump" tea cups that
needed a fair amount of trimming. After going through my extensive
arsenal of trimming knives and loop tools, both purchased and made,
(tool junkie) I must say my favorite all around trimming tool is the
Bison tungsten carbide loop tool. I had 2 of these in different sizes,
but one broke, and I now guard the other carefully. It is artfully
made, a joy to use, and has performed beautifully for many years now.
You may still be able to get one from the maker, Phil in Las Vegas.
My second favorite loop tool is one you can make yourself if you have a
small propane torch, a vise, a grinder, and some pliers. Buy the best
quality hack saw blade you can find. If you have a used one, all the
better. Put it in the vise and snap it in half. Then grind the teeth
off being careful not to get it too hot. Then put an edge along the
length of both sides. On the end of the blade that has been broken,
grind in a couple of notches on either side near the end. This is
going to help hold the blade on the handle. Next, decide on the shape
you want, then with the torch, heat the spot to be bent until reddish
and bend with pliers. You can experiment with different shapes.
Lastly you need a handle. Find or cut a piece of wood that you can fit
to your blade. Use the hole on one side to fasten with a screw. Then
whip the handle/blade attachment using copper or brass wire. The
notches help give something for the wire to hold to. If it is too ugly
or sharp, wrap the whole connection with a bit of duct tape. These
tools work great because the steel is fairly thin and amazingly the
heating doesn't seem to affect the hardness of the steel that much. Of
course, they won't stay as sharp as long as a Bison tool.
Happy trimming,
Gordon
| |
|
