Alaisiagae

Yeah, it's a Tandy French edge skiver, I know that's not top-of-the-line, but it also doesn't bust my wallet at $5.40 (got it on sale). Mike, I'm about 40-50 minutes (25 mi) west and a bit north of Boston. I don't have any other skiving tools, and I liked the wood handle more than the metal Safety Beveler. It figures I'd end up picking something too difficult for my current skill level... I seem to get in over my head rather easily. I still have some scrap belly pieces I can practice with. DJole, thank you for the advice about sharpening stones. I've seen a few sharpening sticks on Amazon, but nothing with a brand name. The tool cuts quite well - but I've never used a French skiver before, so I have no idea if it's pulling to the left or to the right or if I just need more practice using it.

Thank you both. Do you have any tips for using this tool? I practiced on some scrap belly after watching the Tandy how-to video for this tool. The guy makes it look easy! I found it very easy to plough right through the whiole thickness of the leather rather than skiving. Maybe I should have gotten that Safety Beveler for skiving... I'm not sure I've ever sharpened my tools, I've only stopped them on a leather strop with Tandy's economy jeweler's rouge. I also have wet-dry sandpaper 1000, 1500, 2000, and 2500 grits. What kinds of tools would I need to sharpen something? I have access to a dremel tool.

Hi, I'm still a newbie to leathercraft. I bought a French Edge Skiver, and I noticed the blade seems to be sharpened unevenly. As you can see in the photo of the tip of the skiver, the line slants upward from left to right. I tested it out on some scrap leather and it seems to cut okay, no areas along the blade that won't cut. I'd appreciate some advice: what's your take on the situation? The seller offered to send me a replacement if the tool didn't cut correctly, should I take him up on that?

Not sure if you're still looking, but I came across a set of those Greek letter stamps on Ivan Leathercraft, they're out of Taiwan. I browsed their selection on Etsy (they have their own website, too), and they had a bunch of what looked like Tandy stuff, including things Tandy no longer carries. I've never used them/bought anything from them before, so I don't know what the quality of the tools and business are like.

Hello all, I'm Britt! I started my journey into leather crafting one year ago with a mocassin kit I bought at a local craft store. I soon found myself at my local Tandy store (which closed down this spring, sadly), taking classes and buying tools, stamps, and kits. I've primarily worked with veg tan only, though I'd like to learn about the properties of other types of leather. For tooling, I mostly used stamps; I have a swivel knife but very little experience with carving. I still feel very much like a beginner and I'm eager to learn any and all tips and tricks related to leather crafting. I have a lot of tools, but not much experience using them. I'm focused on small projects, and things I can make as gifts for other people.