How to sharpen pencils with a knife?

Office workers have a question how to sharpen pencils with a knife, is unlikely to arise. They are accustomed to using the simplest tool - sharpener, the quality of sharpening after use which is enough to solve current problems. Yes it is more convenient in the conditions of "clean" work. But undergraduate students of engineering and technical universities, artists and those whose activities are closely connected with the drawing up of schemes, graphs, often "sharpen" their skills in this direction. Why do not they use a stationery sharpener?

to content ↑

Difference between sharpening with knife and sharpener

The stationery tool, of course, at first glance is extremely convenient. Just a couple of seconds you can restore a broken pencil and continue your work. But the sharpener has several drawbacks:

• does not give really good sharpness;
• has to be corrected very often, since the lead is short;
• after such sharpening it is impossible to draw very thin lines;
• not every sharpener is suitable for any pencil - you need to pick up the tool by its diameter.

Important! Blades in clerical sharpeners are often not very sharp and not as thin as one would like, besides, they quickly fail. As a result - the rod just breaks down time after time at the next attempt to podrihtovat. Given these facts, it is understandable why it is better to sharpen pencils with a knife. If you get accustomed, even outwardly your writing device will look much more beautiful.

to the contents ↑

What kind of knife should I sharpen?

After you understand that it is still accurate to sharpen a pencil with a knife, it's time to think about exactly what. Kitchen utensils at once discard as a suitable option - its blade is too thick, uncomfortable, and if still jagged - it will not turn out at all to transform a pencil.

Only a writing knife will do. Big or small choose - decide for yourself.

Important! Note that the big tool has replaceable blades in the set and is more reliable, but it's more convenient to take it with you to the nature to create sketches or wear it in a briefcase to work.

to the contents ↑

Where to sharpen?

Another nuance of how to sharpen a pencil with a knife is about the amount of rubbish. Here the principle is simple:

• if you have a lot of them - choose a convenient place, spread a newspaper or an oilcloth;
• if you have 1-2 pieces that need to be sharpened, and you are at home, you can sharpen them directly over the trash can.

Important! Many artists do not throw out the remains of slate, but use it to decorate the background in their paintings.

to the contents ↑

How to sharpen?

The rules of how to sharpen a pencil with a knife are simple enough - the main thing is to fill your hand. Operate, adhering to the following recommendations, and you will always succeed:

1. Pencil in the left hand, knife - in the right. If you are left-handed, then vice versa.
2. Point the tip away from yourself.
3. Place the blade on the pencil about 2.5 cm from the edge, preferably at an angle of 45 degrees.
4. In small pieces remove the shavings of wood - only in the direction of "from yourself"!
5. Be extremely careful, since it is very easy to cut your fingers when cutting a chip with a knife.
6. Turn the pencil consistently so that you open a new area near the lead.
7. Do not press hard to break the rod.
8. Please note that the length of the protruding "bare" rod at this stage should be just over 1 cm.
9. As soon as it was possible, slowly and very gently grind the pencil from all sides, giving it the necessary length and sharpness.

Now you know how to properly sharpen pencils with a knife and why to do it this way. Be very careful and your sketches will become real masterpieces, and manual schemes will be as accurate as possible!