BACK
LATERAL SURFACE
Testing the Sharpness of the Universal Curette Blade
Sharpening of the Gracey Curette
TEST STICK POSITION To test the cutting edge, grasp the bottom third of the test stick in your non-dominant hand between your thumb and index finger. Position the test stick vertically upright at 12 o’clock. INSTRUMENT POSITION FOR RIGHT HANDERS In your dominant hand, hold the instrument with a modified pen grasp. Place the instrument handle behind the test stick with the toe of the blade pointed toward you. Place the cutting edge to be tested against the left side of the test stick and fulcrum on the right side. Tilt the terminal shank toward 3 minutes past 12 o’clock so that testing is done at exactly the same angle that the blade is used for scaling. INSTRUMENT POSITION FOR LEFT HANDERS In your dominant hand, hold the instrument with a modified pen grasp. Place the instrument handle behind the test stick with the toe of the blade pointed toward you. Place the cutting edge to be tested against the right side of the test stick and fulcrum on the left side. Tilt the terminal shank to 3 minutes before 12 o’clock so that testing is done at exactly the same angle that the blade is used for scaling. TESTING THE CUTTING EDGE Press the cutting edge laterally into the test stick and release. Test the entire length of the blade. A sharp edge will bite into or grab the test stick but will not slide over the surface of the test stick. When the edge is removed from the test stick, it produces a metallic sound. If the cutting edge slides over the side of the test stick it may indicate the blade is still dull, or the terminal shank is not positioned correctly. Vertical shaving strokes on the test stick will dull the cutting edge. TESTING THE OPPOSITE CUTTING EDGE To test the opposite cutting edge, rotate the toe away from you positioning the handle and terminal shank in front of the test stick and repeat the same process. Be sure to test the entire length of the blade.
CUTTING EDGE
TOE
TERMINAL SHANK
FACE
°
The Gracey Curette differs from the Universal Curette and Sickle Scaler as the facial surface of the blade is tilted downward at a 70° angle to the terminal shank creating only one functional edge to be sharpened, the lower edge.
The cutting edge on a Gracey instrument is not curved to one side as it may seem but is straight as it comes forward off the terminal shank. This is important to remember when sharpening in order to maintain the original blade design. LATERAL SURFACE BLADE
BACK
Instrument Position for Right Handers
R
NON FUNCTIONAL EDGE
FACIAL SURFACE
CUTTING EDGE
TOE
FACE
CUTTING EDGE
TERMINAL SHANK
°
BACK
LATERAL SURFACE
BLADE
ROUNDED UNDER SURFACE
Instrument Position for Left Handers
The Gracey instruments are paired designs and the blades are identified by a number. Each double-ended Gracey has an odd and an even number which identifies the blades. For example, the Gracey 1/2 has the #1 blade on one end and the #2 blade on the opposite end. ° TERMINAL SHANK
L
NON FUNCTIONAL EDGE
GRACEY /
FACIAL SURFACE
CUTTING EDGE
BLADE
15 IT’S ABOUT TIME
16 A CLASSIC APPROACH TO SHARPENING SCALERS & CURETTES
ROUNDED UNDER SURFACE
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