Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Today I have another tool review from our friends at Wazakura Japan - jin/deadwood carving tools! Generally speaking, when working on deadwood, I have a pile of tools that I use from rough carving to detailed maintenance. (I prefer to use hand tools versus machine tools, but at the same time I don't do as much deadwood work as some). Though I have a share of knives and picks, I generally find that tools that cut on the pull stroke - that cut as you pull the tool towards you - yield the best results in terms of control and detail. So I was very excited to receive two jin tools from Wazakura to take a look at:
1) 7.24" Triangular Blade Chisel
2) 7.4" Jin Sickle Scraper Chisel
I specifically requested these tools, because they are the kind of tools I use most frequently in my work. They also tend to be tools that, when you need them, it is difficult to find a substitute if you don't have them. So here are some unboxing photos:
As expected, the tools come in the nice Wazakura boxes.
Well-packaged on the inside - and the sharp edges of the tools were further protected by a thick plastic sleeve.
Unboxed for display. I like the rough handles because I imagine these tools might get slippery when wet.
Consistent with my experience with other Wazakura tools, the tools were very sharp out of the box. "How sharp?" you ask? Sharp enough that we almost had a user malfunction while I was trying to carve deadwood while taking photos
Barely cut the skin... but it was close I really like the jin sickle because in addition to being sharp, the wide blade removed a lot of material while I was still able to control my cuts. I could place my thumb on the tool close to the cutting head and control cuts very precisely.
The sharp point was great for getting into cracks, and the tool's sharpness allowed me to use it to define the margins of live bark.
The triangular blade chisel was a little more situational. I found myself using it for cleaning out cavities or spaces between branches. In this use, I found that you could rock the tool to provide leveraged scraping.
It was also perfectly suited for situations where you were trying to clean out an old vein, or when you were trying to create channels in the deadwood while still following the natural line of growth of the tree.
All in all I was very happy with these tools and another pair will soon be finding a permanent home in my tool bag!
And now the best part! I will be giving these tools away in our next two site contests. Stay tuned for another fun contest where you could win!!
If you want to order some of these great tools, if you go to their site via any of the links from BonsaiNut, you will help support the site!
1) 7.24" Triangular Blade Chisel
2) 7.4" Jin Sickle Scraper Chisel
I specifically requested these tools, because they are the kind of tools I use most frequently in my work. They also tend to be tools that, when you need them, it is difficult to find a substitute if you don't have them. So here are some unboxing photos:
As expected, the tools come in the nice Wazakura boxes.
Well-packaged on the inside - and the sharp edges of the tools were further protected by a thick plastic sleeve.
Unboxed for display. I like the rough handles because I imagine these tools might get slippery when wet.
Consistent with my experience with other Wazakura tools, the tools were very sharp out of the box. "How sharp?" you ask? Sharp enough that we almost had a user malfunction while I was trying to carve deadwood while taking photos
Barely cut the skin... but it was close I really like the jin sickle because in addition to being sharp, the wide blade removed a lot of material while I was still able to control my cuts. I could place my thumb on the tool close to the cutting head and control cuts very precisely.The sharp point was great for getting into cracks, and the tool's sharpness allowed me to use it to define the margins of live bark.
The triangular blade chisel was a little more situational. I found myself using it for cleaning out cavities or spaces between branches. In this use, I found that you could rock the tool to provide leveraged scraping.
It was also perfectly suited for situations where you were trying to clean out an old vein, or when you were trying to create channels in the deadwood while still following the natural line of growth of the tree.
All in all I was very happy with these tools and another pair will soon be finding a permanent home in my tool bag!
And now the best part! I will be giving these tools away in our next two site contests. Stay tuned for another fun contest where you could win!!
If you want to order some of these great tools, if you go to their site via any of the links from BonsaiNut, you will help support the site!
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