When you need to apply more pressure to a lino knife to cut and it becomes harder to run along a surface, the blade probably needs sharpening.
A diamond tool sharpener is the perfect tool to sharpen a lino knife.
It has a similar body to a pen, with an abrasive section protruding from the end.
Step 1 – Hold lino knife and tool sharpener
Hold the handle of the lino knife with your dominant hand .
Using your non-dominant hand, hold the handle of the tool sharpener.
Step 2 – Angle the blade
Hold the knife so the cutting edge is touching the surface of the sharpening tool. The blade needs to be at a slight angle so that the bevel of the cutting edge is flat on the sharpening tool.
Step 3 – Using tool sharpener
Hold the tool sharpener tight and, using your dominant hand, run the blade along the surface of sharpener while keeping it at an angle.
Start at the bottom of the blade and follow the curve in the blade right to the end. Repeat this process several times.
Turn the knife over and again ensure the blade is at a slight angle, so that the bevel of the cutting edge is flat on the sharpening tool.
Start at the bottom and run the curve of the blade across the surface of the sharpener.
Repeat this process a few times.
Step 4 – Checking sharpness
Slice or score an old piece of linoleum or vinyl sheet using the knife.
If the knife produces a smooth cut then it is sharp enough. If there is any difficulty while trying to cut or score, the blade will need to be sharpened further.