Click here if you are having trouble logging into the forums
Privacy Policy |
Please read our Terms
of Service | Signup and
Troubleshooting FAQ | Problems? PM a Red or a Green Gu.... uh, User
Jef De Wit
super member
Reged: 03/06/09
Posts: 122
Loc: Hove, Belgium
|
|
Hello sketchers
How do you sharpen a blending stump? My first attemp with a pencil-sharpener was a real catastrophe 
--------------------
Clear skies, Jef De Wit
7x50 bino, Meade ETX-70 & Orion Optics UK 12" Dobson
"Bright skies aren't empty skies" (James Mallaney)
|
Jeremy Perez
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 08/12/04
Posts: 1930
Loc: Flagstaff, Arizona, USA
|
|
Ugh, brings me back to my first experience with a blending stump & pencil sharpener 
For minor sharpening or to remove excess graphite/charcoal, hone the blending stump against a sanding block. You can pick one of these up at an art supply store for about a dollar. It's a small hand held paddle with a few sheets of sandpaper stapled to the end. Great for touching up the shape of a pencil tip or blending stump.
For a major re-sharpening on a blending stump, you either need to use a craft knife to whittle it to a point, or just buy a new one if you're inclined. (The sanding block really works great if you use it regularly.)
Hope that helps!
--------------------
Orion SVP 6LT (6" f/8 Newt) || Orion XT8 (8" f/5.9 Dob) || 15x70 Oberwerk Binoculars || Coronado PST
The Belt Of Venus || Sketch Gallery || Sketching Resources || Astro-Photo Gallery
|
Aaron
sage
Reged: 08/28/06
Posts: 299
Loc: Eugene OR
|
|
Scissors work ok to some extent too
--------------------
12" Lightbridge
Telrad, StellarVue F50
7mm Nagler I, 10.5mm XL, 17mm Stratus, 35mm Stratus
TV 2x Big Barlow
Lumicon UHC
My Sketches and Photos
Eugene OR
Eagle's Rest OR
|
dlapoint
professor emeritus
Reged: 08/18/03
Posts: 529
Loc: Moncton NB Canada
|
|
I agree with the sanding block. It works well.
--------------------
Derek
Orion 72mm Eon
Orion 100Ed (Back again)
C4.5
Naglers 16mm T5, 9mm T6
Orion Planetary ep's 5-6mm
Antares 3 Element Barlow
|
Jef De Wit
super member
Reged: 03/06/09
Posts: 122
Loc: Hove, Belgium
|
|
Jeremy, thanks for the advice. I will try a sanding block in the future. Anybody experience with a nail-file?
--------------------
Clear skies, Jef De Wit
7x50 bino, Meade ETX-70 & Orion Optics UK 12" Dobson
"Bright skies aren't empty skies" (James Mallaney)
|
Carol L
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 6034
Loc: Tomahawk, WI 45N//89W
|
|
A craft blade works well.. can't recall the name offhand, but "exacto knife" seems to ring a bell. 
--------------------
 Authoring the monthly AstroSketch page in "Sky at Night" magazine
Lunar Sketch Tutorial
CN Gallery
Photo Gallery
|
Erix
Toad Lily
Reged: 12/25/04
Posts: 22342
Loc: Ohio, USA
|
|
Quote:
For minor sharpening or to remove excess graphite/charcoal, hone the blending stump against a sanding block. (The sanding block really works great if you use it regularly.)
Hope that helps!
I'm with Jeremy with regards to the sanding block. 
--------------------
Erika
Automatic doors make me feel like a Jedi. 
Zhumell 16", 10" LX200 Classic,Orion ED80, ETX70-AT, DS Maxscope 60mm
My CN Gallery * 2007 July - tracking NOAA10963
|
frank5817
Post Laureate
Reged: 06/13/06
Posts: 4084
Loc: Illinois
|
|
They lose their point?  I better start using them more.
Frank
--------------------
my gallery
|
Carol L
Reged: 07/05/04
Posts: 6034
Loc: Tomahawk, WI 45N//89W
|
|
Sorry Jef, i forgot to mention the nail file.
Yes, i've used them with great success, but it's more economical to get a pack of regular sandpaper at the hardware store and cut the large squares into small pieces. The nail files i've used aren't the metal kind.. they're the sandpaper type. We call them "emery boards" here. One side is rough, and the other side is smoother... is that what you were referring to?
Being sandpaper, the nail files work well to clean the graphite from the stump, but my preference for sharpening the stump is to use the craft knife. It's not actually a knife, it's a small triangular razor-blade which fits into a pencil-like holder. I use them to refresh the tips of my pencils during a sketch, too.
--------------------
Authoring the monthly AstroSketch page in "Sky at Night" magazine
Lunar Sketch Tutorial
CN Gallery
Photo Gallery
|
WadeVC
Carpal Tunnel
Reged: 12/02/05
Posts: 2831
Loc: Lodi, California,
|
|
To be honest, I pick these up so cheap I don't even bother trying to sharpen them anymore. I just toss a few in my sketch kit whenever I go out for the night, and replace them when worn.
But prior to that, I too always kept either a small piece of sandpaper or a emery board at hand for this exact purpose.
--------------------
Orion XTi10 f/4.7
Orion XTi8 f/5.9
Meade NGC 70mm f/10
Orion UltraView 10x50 Wide-Angle Binoculars
My Sketch Gallery
My Astronomy Blog
A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top.
|
azure1961p
professor emeritus
Reged: 01/17/09
Posts: 731
|
|
Quote:
For minor sharpening or to remove excess graphite/charcoal, hone the blending stump against a sanding block.
I second that - the sanding block is the way to go. Oh, I've been told by a couple of people [they must be real artists because they work at an art store ] that you can unravel it and tear and rewrap it. For get it. Just sand it down.
I will suggest - and I've never seen your work, but when blending, get a nice plate finish paper or illustration board. Avoid grainy or textured papers.
I used to do medical anatomical illustration in graphite with blending stumps. Plate finish illustration board all the way and a variety or stumps.
Pete
--------------------
|
|
1 registered and 3 anonymous users are browsing this forum.
Moderator: Charlie Hein, cildarith
Print Thread
|
Forum Permissions
You cannot start new topics
You cannot reply to topics
HTML is disabled
UBBCode is enabled
|
Thread views: 516
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Previous
Index
Next
Threaded
Edit
Reply
Quote
