Carving Knives

[Gorloth]

Hi all,

I'm new to this site, having found it on Google. A long time ago ~ 40 years or so I had an Elderly lady teach me how to tool leather. Often I wondered why an elderly

lady would teach ME how to tool leather. Well my mom used to teach Artex (out of business a long time ago) painting technique at the local senior citizens center (on a

volunteer basis) (I used to accompany her to the senior citizens center). I think thats where I gained an intertest. An elderly person passing on a craft non absorbed by

elderly people. (like really how many years do they have left) but non the less... a nobel cause. Now that I'm over 50 I now realize what (40 years later) I could of

learned from these seasoned citizens. Isn't that how it goes. My grandmother had a sister that who lived in Scottsdale...married to a retired Navy photographer who

was 1/2 Hopi native Indian. He had a collection of Kachina dolls that even I as a 9 yr old was impressed with. Well this was back in the late 60's. Forward to now....

I was going through some old boxes of stuf and I found my old leather tools, which look like new. I have 2 ruby tipped carving knives. One angled and one straight which

I remember carved in leather like a hot knife through butter. I searched on the internet and could find no reference to ruby tipped carving knives. Are they still out there.

Are they old school. I would like to find out if they are really worth anything...essentially not for the $'s, but if this is something that has been passed by as they seem to not

be made anymore. Just curious I guess. I'm just a EE who works for an Aerospace Company revisiting the past.

[ClayB]

Ruby blades haven't been available for many years. They have been replaced by ceramic or different alloy blades. Some people still prefer to use the ruby blades if they can find them.Once in a while they are available on Ebay and places like that. If ruby blades got nicked or scratched, they were difficult to sharpen without special equipment, and if dropped, sometimes the ruby tip would come off. There is nothing wrong with using them if you have them, saving them as a collectable item, or offering them for sale as there is market for them.