Marking Knife Care & Sharpening

Your marking knife leaves my shop sharp and ready to use. Here's how to get the most out of it and keep it that way.

1. When it arrives

• It's sharp, so mind the point.
• Keeping it in its leather sheath when not in use protects the point, and your fingers.

2. Using it

• Flat back against the line. Run the flat back against your square or the edge of the mating board, with the bevel facing the waste side. That puts the line exactly where you want it.
  
• Either direction. The spear point is symmetrical, so it marks in both directions, and works the same for left-handers.
• No handle, on purpose. Hold it close to the point for control. It lies flat in tight spots, like between dovetail pins.
• As a corner chisel. The flat, surface-ground back pares cleanly. Use it to clean out the inside corners of half-blind dovetails.

3. Keeping it sharp

• Clamp the knife in a honing guide (the Veritas Mk.II works well) and hone each side of the spear point.
• Remove the burr with a few light strokes on your finest stone, flat back down. Keep the back dead flat, and never put a bevel on it.
• 14C28N comes back quickly on water or oil stones.
• CPM MagnaCut holds its edge much longer but takes longer to sharpen. Diamond plates, diamond lapping film/compound or CBN work best.
• A few strokes on a strop between sharpenings keeps the edge crisp and puts off a full sharpening.

4. Care

• Both steels are highly rust resistant. If it gets wet, a wipe-down is all it needs.
• Store it in the sheath or hang it by its hole, where the point won't knock against other steel.

Questions?

If your knife isn't performing the way you expected, reply to any of my emails or contact me here. It comes straight to me.

Your knife comes with a full-year money-back guarantee. Full details are on the Guarantee & Warranty page.

Nick Dombrowski, toolmaker