Contain Your Mess
Yes, once again we are going to show a little love for the Swedish giant – but this time, not for cabinetry. Instead, I today sing the praises of IKEA’s $5 sharpening tray, the “Baggmuck.” The store sells it as a “shoe tray,” so you’ll find it in the marketplace alongside the door mats. (And right now, a red Baggmuck is on sale for $3.99 – a bargain I’d happily snap up if only it were blue.)
A boot tray (it doesn’t have to be from IKEA, but the price there is right) holds just about everything (barring a spray bottle of water, if water is your lubricant of choice) you need for everyday sharpening, and it slides right under a bench when you’re done with a sharpening session. And, you can spray your waterstones in place, and not worry about the sludge and water going everywhere (as long as you don’t go crazy with the spay bottle). The water evaporates eventually, leaving a dried layer of sludge that helps to stiffen the tray and make it…no, I’m lying. It just makes it dirty. But I’m a dirty girl, so I’m OK with that.
And if you’re feeling fancy, like Katherine, you can spend an additional $15 at Petsmart and get a fancy bone-shaped tray. (The cat-shaped ones on offer were, I’m told, too small and flimsy.)
1 When I (Katherine) came back with this tray Megan asked how much I paid for it for this post. I told her the honest truth of $20 and got a response of “Really? It says $12 on the store’s website!” THOSE BASTARDS! But get this – she clicked on the link and it changed the price to $20 ?!? Veeeery interesting…
If, somehow, I could teach my cats to sharpen, all of the mess would be outside the tray, and none inside.
Baggmucks also perfectly fit eighteen 4" pots with tomato seedlings in the spring, keeping the water off your floors and tables. Double them up to move the pots inside and out for hardening.