Hardrada

How's it? I'm sure the handle's got perfect fit. My Don Carlos has a bit of play: the metal wiggles a bit in the wooden handle.

Thanks for the educational explanation/link, @jcuk & @zuludog. I'll see if I can make my knife click-click when I use it to cut from now on. I prefer oil stones simply because that's what Al Stohlman's Leathercraft Tools book said to use. I read that book when I was starting out in leathercraft so I stuck with its suggestion; sometimes you just go with what you learn first and if it works fine you see no reason to try something else.

I tried cutting curves with the clicker knife but I could never get it to work for me. I also wonder whence the term 'clicker' came? Mine doesn't make any sound when I use it.

I'll say it again: there isn't really anything better than a half-moon knife for cutting curves. I've tried all others and they just don't cut it (pun intended). My current cutting stable, arranged from most to least used, starting from the left:

BTW, I don't think the French knife would profit you much, certainly not as much as the half-moon one. I've never handled a French knife but by the looks of it I can infer it uses different techniques. Cutting curves with the half-moon is quite easy, but I don't see how I could use the same technique with the French one. See here:

It's indeed not on the pocket size province: But my hands are towards the large size (not too large, though, and I have lean fingers). I find it OK now that I'm used to it, but at times it doesn seem a bit large. RML has a Vergez Blanchard, smaller and within your range: https://www.rmleathersupply.com/collections/skiving-cutting-knives/products/vergez-blanchard-head-round-knife-120mm?variant=706864527 Yeah, call me a shameless enabler, but I do think you should definitely have a half-moon knife in your toolbox. It's not a waste even if you end up using it only for certain tasks. Well used, though, and you can cut straight lines and curves, even tight ones, with ease, as well as skive, glass edges, &c. If you buy a quality knife, it'll last you a lifetime, so again, I see no waste of money there but a savvy investment. The key with these knives is that they must be kept sharp, always. So, make sure you have your sharpening stones, strop, and green compound.

This is what I got from Abbey: It was only £ 36 about a year ago. Perfectly within your range. https://www.abbeyengland.com/solingen-round-knife-329-8376.html

You need to pull your arms at an angle, not straight like an eagle. Pull the left arm away from you and ~45° upwards, and the right arm downwards at the same angle and towards you. Basically, you're pulling the threads following the direction of the hole's slant.

Ahh, curves. Now I see why you're using an Xacto. For curves, the best knife is the half-moon knife, really. You're gonna need to practice with that knife a bit, though, before you can master it; but it's not as scary as it sounds (or as it looks), if you watch the proper technique and then replicate it, you can be up and running pretty quickly. I was cutting smooth curves with mine in no time (same day, basically). Here's another one with techniques. I disagree on the sharpening approach with this fellow, but his cutting techniques are spot on (jump to the ~3:00 mark to see the S-curve cutting): What they mention there is paramount, though: the knife has to be very sharp. Always. This is true of any knife, anyway, not just the half-moon. A dull knife will force you to make several passes and it's also more dangerous than a scary sharp knife, as you'll try to use more force/pressure and if it slides or bounces on you or if your finger or limb is in the way, God help you. Lacking a half-moon knife, you can cut curves with a straight knife such as the Japanese skiving knife by successive straight cuts. Start at 45°, cut, then cut the newly made 'pointy' ends at 45°, and so forth till you've a curve. RE: sanding, I never sand my edges, if they need evening out I glass them with the knife instead. Here're two more references. In the first one several cutting choices are discussed and shewn, and sure enough, he does say that a craft knife (Xacto) is not the best to cut leather with and why; the second one concerns clean edges, so that might be useful to you.

I guess that latigo should be OK for sheaths and holsters then. Or at the very least for sheaths.

Pretty snazzy.

Just make a small modification and you're good to go. In some cases you have to modify somebody else's pattern, anyway.

Xactos are just one cutting tool to have and they're not suitable for everything. What weight is the leather you're cutting? If you have to make several passes with the knife, you're increasing the chances of going off with each pass. Methinks you need to get additional cutting tools, such as a half-moon knife, a Japanese skiving knife, and an Olfa snap-off utility blade. The latter is probably the cheapest and more accessible and easier to use option for you right now (not that that means you shouldn't procure the others): if you're cutting thick leather you can pull more blade out (I normally pull out the blade(s) up to two notches when cutting >8 oz leather). https://www.olfaproducts.com/olfa-l-5-fiberglass-rubber-grip-utility-knife-18mm.html

Welcome! Love the ruler with the slits in that third video of yours. Any ideas where one like it can be purchased? (Hopefully not amazon.)

Stropping them will only get you so far. I know from being there myself. Eventually you'll need to sharpen them or remove chipped edges. This is what I use to sharpen my knives: https://www.danswhetstone.com/product/bench-stones/ A Soft Arkansas (Medium) and a Hard Arkansas (Fine) in 8x2x1/2 should suffice. Since the Japanese skiving knives are straight edge and single-bevel, sharpening them with stones is real easy.

One observation on the shell cordovan thing: I think the favoured practice is not to line these in order for the 'Genuine Shell Cordovan' stamp from the tannery can be displayed on the insides of the items crafted with such leather. See an example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mHnZE-8d9o

Or mark the leather and use a half-moon knife. No ruler required to cut straight lines with those. Or, mark the leather and use a Japanese skiving knife to cut it 'in stages'. No ruler required either (actually, rulers are advised against when using these knives, as their super thin edge can be easily dented). Glue your pieces and, again, use a divider to mark the stitching line and then punch your holes with a chisel. Also, you can use black thread so that any slips in the stitching are much less obvious. Also too, get yourself a #0 beveler and refine those edges.

Be also careful not to run your fingertips into the blade when pushing the needle in.

Haha! Love the feather-shaped shields.

You learn something new every day. Thanks for posting that.

I'm sure @Danne will elaborate, but you can see in the third picture that it is indeed lined with leather—with the chevre. One reason for splitting so thin is so that you can glue two pieces of the same leather back to back and have grain on both sides—instead of grain on front, flesh on back, kinda like what they do with lined belts. Having grain on both sides makes the item more durable and way more aesthetically appealing.

https://www.smokingpipes.com/accessories/lighters/moreinfo.cfm?product_id=141099 Most of the times I use a Bic, though; but the angled flame of a pipe lighter does come in handy, as well as the ability to regulate the flame size, which Bics don't have anymore. I had wanted to get one of those Thread Zappers, but if they guzzle batteries, you've just saved me money.

I apply Edge Kote AND Tokonole after. My process is: glass the edges (I don't sand them: don't like the mushrooming that sanding produces); then bevel them; then apply the first coat of Edge Kote and let it dry; then run 400 grit sandpaper in one direction with a light touch (I don't count this as 'sanding'); then apply a second coat of Edge Kote and let it dry; finally, I apply Tokonole and burnish with a cocobolo slicker. Check this out:

I'd advise not to use Pro Dye on the edges: not its intended purpose. I confirmed this with a local cobbler who said 'dye for the leather, Edge Kote for the edges'. He said that even though such advice meant losing my business because his stock was only dyes and no Edge Kote. One issue you'd run into with dyes is rub off (not so much with Pro Dye, which is spirit-based, but with the regular dyes...): imagine that on a dress/suit pair of pants. Also, as to your question: Pro Dye penetrates the leather in such a manner that I don't think my technique would work: the stain is, AFAIK, permanent. Dunno if Fiebing's Deglazer would help here—I've never used deglazer, so I'll let other members pitch in about that.

Have a sheet of shop towel nearby: tear small pieces from it and wipe off any paint runoffs as soon as you've daubed the edge (edge coat dries very quickly, hence you must act fast), using a single motion starting from the centre of the belt (where there is no paint) towards the edge and continuing into the area beyond the belt. Now, scrumple up the piece of towel so as to have the side with paint on the inside of the ball and a clean patch to the outside and ready for the next needed wipe off: this is why you need a full sheet and have to tear small pieces. If you weren't quick enough and the paint dried you can remove it with a piece of "glue eraser" (crepe used for soles): just rub it off (but be gentle so as not to scrape the leather—some leathers are more forgiving than others).