Sharpening an arc

Hi all

How do I go about sharpening a curved blade, such as the right hand blade in this pic?

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n.../Score/022.jpg

In the absense of any other offering you could try the following.

Get a piece of softwood and shape it so it matches the curvature of the bottom of the shave. Glue wet and dry to the curved surface and holding the blade at the right angle draw it along the wood. You will need to change paper or make several sharpening blocks up through the grits. You can finish using polishing compound on the bare wood or leather over the block.

I have an otherwise spare 1/2" AlOx wheel that has been dressed to a round profile, like a bike tyre. (My grinder takes 1" but a few washers pack this wheel out enough to safely run.)

I've tried making sharpening jigs for a more consistent finish, and did settle one one that has... "potential" but more often than not I just freehand the blade, using the wheel as a "fast round file."

It doesn't get it machine perfect, of course, but with a bit of practice the result is quite usable. (Then again, I freehand turning tools every day, so I've had a lot of practice with awkward shapes. :rolleyes:)