Flexcut – Slipstrop – Carving Tool Sharpening Kit

Flexcut – SlipStrop – Carving Tool Sharpening Kit

Keep your carving tools in prime condition with the Flexcut SlipStrop, a convenient sharpening solution designed for maintaining both the inside and outside edges of gouges and vee tools. This simple, easy-to-use kit helps you achieve and preserve a razor-sharp, mirror-like finish on your cutting edges, ensuring your lines remain smooth, straight, and accurate for detailed carving projects.

Specialised SlipStrop Design

• Complex Moulding: Features two areas of leather with moulded profiles that match the contours of various gouges and vee tools.
• Inside & Outside Sharpening: Easily aligns with the interior curves of your tools for quick, effective stropping.
• Time-Saving Maintenance: Eliminates the need for frequent resharpening by keeping edges in top condition between honing sessions.

Included Honing Compound

• Specially Developed Abrasive: The included compound bar is formulated to work efficiently with the SlipStrop’s surface, delivering a high polish and keen edge.
• Crayon-Like Application: Simply rub the compound onto the moulding to prepare it for stropping.
• Consistent Razor Edge: Achieve a mirror finish rapidly and maintain it by repeating the process as needed.

Easy & Effective Sharpening

• User-Friendly Process: Stropping is straightforward—just match your tool’s shape to the appropriate part of the SlipStrop and make a few gentle passes.
• Prolongs Tool Life: Regular stropping helps reduce the frequency of full sharpenings, preserving the integrity of your carving tools.
• Ideal for Various Tools: Perfect for Flexcut chisels, gouges, and vee tools, as well as other brands that need precise edge upkeep.

Sharpening Your Tools with the Flexcut SlipStrop

Your Flexcut Carving Tools arrive factory-sharpened to a highly polished, razor-sharp edge. This superior finish ensures efficient, long-lasting performance. In essence, the more polished the edge, the sharper it becomes—and the longer it stays sharp. To maintain this edge, routine stropping is required.

The simplest way to keep your lino cutting tools in prime condition is by stropping both sides of the cutting edge (inside and outside) with the Flexcut SlipStrop™ and Flexcut Gold™ Polishing Compound. Unlike sharpening stones, which are too coarse and can introduce scratches (thereby reducing sharpness), the SlipStrop enables you to preserve that mirror-like polish.

Why Use the Flexcut SlipStrop™?

• Purpose-Built Design: Moulded profiles for the inside edge of gouges or V-tools allow quick and accurate stropping.
• Outside Edge Versatility: Simply flip the SlipStrop to accommodate the outside edge of your carving tools as well.
• Prolong Tool Life: Proper stropping postpones the need for frequent stone sharpening, helping keep your tools razor-sharp.

Stropping the Outside Edge

1. Flat Leather Side: Position the tool’s bevel flat against the strop, pulling away from the edge to avoid cutting into the leather.
2. Roll for Gouges: As you draw the gouge along the strop, roll it to polish the entire cutting edge.
3. Use the Moulded Coves: Aligning the blade with the strop’s contours ensures more consistent contact, polishing more of the edge.
4. Angle Awareness: Keep the bevel flat. A high angle may round the edge too soon, while a low angle fails to abrade effectively.

Stropping the Inside Edge

1. Choose the Right Profile: Select the strop cove or angle that best fits your gouge or V-tool’s inside contour. If no exact match is available, opt for the largest radius that contacts the entire edge.
2. Tilt to Create a Secondary Bevel: Slightly tilting the tool forms a secondary bevel on the inside edge, increasing durability and removing any burr.
3. Adjust Frequency: The need for stropping depends on how abrasive your carving material is. If the tool feels like it’s dragging through the cut, it’s time to strop again until razor-sharp performance is restored.

Tips for Best Results

• Apply Compound ‘Crayon-Style’: Rub the Flexcut Gold™ compound onto the SlipStrop surface before each stropping session.
• Pull, Don’t Push: Always pull the tool away from its cutting edge to avoid slicing into the leather.
• Maintain Consistency: Frequent light stropping is more effective than allowing the blade to become noticeably dull.

By incorporating regular stropping with the Flexcut SlipStrop™ and Flexcut Gold™ Polishing Compound into your carving routine, you’ll preserve the mirror-like polish of your tools’ edges and enjoy smooth, precise cuts every time.

Helpful guides

Sharpening and maintaining carving tools · Choosing a lino cutting tool