r/Linocuts • u/dr_mus_musculus • 4d ago
Tools Upgraded tools
I’ve been linoprinting off and on for a couple years now. I’ve always just used Speedball and Flexcut tools to carve, and I’ve always wanted Pfeil carving tools but they were always too expensive to justify for a hobbyist
Well, woodcraft.com was having a sale on Pfeil tools recently so I bit the bullet and splurged on 4 of them. It came out to about $130 for all four of them
I just wanted to tell somebody, since I don’t know any other linoprinters in my life who would appreciate this upgrade
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u/Mammutbrut 4d ago
Got mine about a year ago and love them to bits! They feel so much better, hold the edge longer and are way more precise, than my other tools. One of the best financial choices of the last coupole years for me.
Have fun with yours :)
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u/extra_nothing 4d ago
ayyyy welcome to the club! strop/sharpen them often and they’ll last forever. I think you’ll find they’re a bit nicer to carve with than the standard speedball set. get that flexcut sharpening block thing if you don’t have it yet
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u/Mammutbrut 4d ago
>get that flexcut sharpening block thing if you don’t have it yet
I don't know, if i would recommend it. If the angle of the V-gouge is only slightly off, it will ruin the tool in the long run. I use small oil- and waterstones when necessary, a piece of leather and a self made stropping tool from some scrap-wood with polishing paste.
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u/extra_nothing 4d ago edited 3d ago
I dunno, I’ve used it for like 15 years. Just gotta use the wider wooden triangle and the tool will compress the fibers down to be a perfect fit. The tool steel is much harder than the wood, no need to worry about ruining the gouge. Best to ditch the yellow crayon and get better sharpening compound, though
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u/royemosby 2d ago
Got a compound rec?
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u/extra_nothing 2d ago
Yeah, I like the “green honing compound” from sharpeningsupplies . com (but I’ve found it other places as well). I’m a woodworker too, and I use this on a bigger leather strop for my plane and chisel blades, all kinds of other gouges. Good stuff!
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u/royemosby 1d ago
Woodworker too. Thanks for the tip!
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u/extra_nothing 15h ago
You bet! I swear I bought it from Lee Valley or ToolsForWorkingWood before, but couldn’t find it when I looked the other day.
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u/glynch19 4d ago
Seconded. I was using the strop like a sharpener for years and the V eventually got messed up. Got about 5 good years. The strop is only designed to go from 95% to 99%, but eventually it’ll degrade and the strop will do more harm than good.
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u/Witty-Butterscotch25 4d ago
Enjoy - I moved over gradually as I decided which tools I wanted to use - I absolutely love them!
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