A carving knife refers to a variety of cutting-edge steel carving (ENGRAVING) tools, with a wooden handle at the rear, which is usually round for the comfort of the palm. Some carving knives have oval cross-sections, some have diamond-shaped cross-sections, and the tops are all obliquely pointed. The top of the tool with a rectangular section is a beveled surface, which is blunt, round and pointed. The tip and width of the blade are determined by the depth and width of the line to be engraved. Carving knives come in a variety of sizes and shapes. Both curved and straight handles are for ease of use.
Introduction to the types and usage of carving knives—tools are the most direct assistants and companions for sculptors in their creation. In the process of wood carving, the carving knife and its auxiliary tools play a very important role. It is widely used. As the saying goes: "There is nothing as ingenious as a family", "Three-thirds of skill and seven-point of family". To see how a person's craftsmanship is, one only needs to observe his tools, and the maintenance and modification of tools can also prove the quality of workers. In woodcarving creation, the tools are complete and can be sharpened and used, which can not only improve work efficiency, but also give full play to one's own skills in modeling, so that the operation of knives, chisels, washing and refinement are free and easy, clear and smooth, and increase the artistic expression of the work.
There are many types of carving knives, basically divided into two categories. One is the "Weng Guan-shaped" blank knife, commonly known as "cutting the wilderness" and "rough knife", and the other is the "drill strip" trimming knife, which is mainly used for digging fine blanks and trimming. The widest chisel is 4-6 cm, and the narrowest chisel is only as small as the tip of a needle. When a beginner woodcarver chooses knives, he must first understand their respective uses, and then go to the place of origin, manufacturer or blacksmith shop to make a custom purchase. Blank knives are best produced in Dongyang, Zhejiang, Yueqing, Wenzhou, and Guangfu, Suzhou. In some places, you can also buy more suitable woodcarving tools in art material stores. If it is inconvenient or unavailable, you can learn to do it yourself. The advantage of doing it yourself is that you can choose it regardless of the type, size and shape of the knife, and you can buy handy tools at any time according to different uses and needs. However, self-made knives are limited to "drill strips" for polishing. Some people have also tried to use a steel file to make a blank knife. For example, the blank knives and smoothing knives used in Fujian are directly made of iron bars or steel bars. Because the top of the iron handle is square, it is easy to blank without a wooden handle. The types, uses and production methods of wood carving knives are introduced one by one below.
