Boston KS Pencil Sharpener Restoration, Pt. 2

Now that the internals of the Boston KS sharpener are all clean, I'm going to sharpen the blades and reassemble it.

This is one of the blades.  I tried to show how there is an overhang on each of the blades which is the edge.  I'm going to run a file over the top and between the blades themselves and see if that will sharpen them a bit.

I have these cheap inexpensive diamond files. They're the only thing I have that is small enough to get between the blades themselves.

You can see from the first picture above that I clamped an awl in my vise and then used its shaft to hold the blade.  That way I can get at it and also turn it.

I started with the medium, then the fine and super fine files.

I went over the top surface and then angled the files to get in between the blades - into the gullets.  In running my finger over them, they did feel sharper, so it seems that I was able to sharpen the blades - they seem to have a better cutting edge now.  Not that they were dull to start with; I just figured since I had it apart it was worth taking the time to try and sharpen it.

I have a couple other sharpeners to work on, so I'll so some research see if there is an actual technique to doing this.

Reassembly is just the reverse of disassembly.

I put a drop - just a touch - of Tri-Flow lubricant on the friction surfaces on the ends of the blades and the shafts.  I thought something like Lubriplate grease would be too heavy and would tend to attract dirt.

Polished and waxed the painted surfaces and used Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish on the chrome.

You can see the tarnish on the shavings container.  The polish took that off.

The cleaned and lubricated innards.

It spins very easily now.  Another "cheap thrills" project.

Here's the Boston KS after the renovation. Looks good!

And works well.  Now that's a sharp pencil.

Like an analog speedometer - this a perfectly designed device. Why would you need an electric sharpener?

Even though it's totally functional, it does have a classy semi-deco design. That center rib is a great touch. For some reason, the streamlined look reminds me a bit of Raymond Loewy's classic GG1 locomotive.