Swivel knife recommendations?

[AdamDavis]

Hey guys, I was wanting to try my hand at carving but wasn’t sure what knife or tools to buy. I was looking at Berry Kings as I have some edgers from them that I like. Any opinions about these? There are multiple size options as well, is one better? I appreciate any and all input! Thanks!

[tsunkasapa]

I have a King knife and I like it. But I don't think it's really any better than the Craftool Pro I have. Either one is a fair outlay of cash. You might consider a more economical option until you decide if you like carving.

[AdamDavis]

@tsunkasapa Thanks and you’r right; I may  not like it. I was thinking buying a decent one now would save me from having to upgrade later. Perhaps they are all pretty similar ?

[fredk]

They are all quite similar, but the top makes use ball bearing races to make the swivel smooth whilst the cheaper ones just rely on the yoke turning in a drilled hole. If you buy one of these; first, dismantle it and put some toothpaste into that hole. re-assemble and work the yoke turning in the hole. the toothpaste will smooth the action. dismantle, clean out the toothpaste and apply a light coat of 3-in-1 oil

[AdamDavis]

@fredk thanks for the tip! I may still have some lapping compound from brownells;; might be worth a go.

[billybopp]

If you want to go inexpensive at first to see if it's something you're interested in, poke around on eBay.   I've bought five or six swivels for $15 or so.   Nothing fancy, but good enough to experiment and learn with!  If you like it, get something better later.  You'll also start to have an idea about what you look for in a swivel!

- Bill

[battlemunky]

I have 4 different swivel knives, one BK, one Tandy basic, and two no name/unidentified knives. To me they are all similar enough to where I have different blades on each and use them for the blade and not the knife so much. If I had to do it over again I think I'd opt for the route @billybopp suggested and then when you determine whether or not carving is your thing or not, then invest in a better name unless you like the cheaper ones. The blade is the important part unless the yokes don't turn well but @fredk's advice should limit that too.

Let us know which direction you take. It's always cool seeing other folks' directions in the journey.

[AdamDavis]

Right on guys! Thanks for the advice!

[kseidel]

Professional's perspective:  While the swivel knife body is not really that critical to a beginner, the blade can make or break your experience.  A sharp blade ground at the correct angle and polished to a mirror surface is important for smooth cutting in the leather.  Most budget blades are ground on coarse wheels and are impossible to make satisfactory cuts.  You will not be able to create a design that looks anything like you want and you will get discouraged real quickly.  I have found it impossible even for a professional to get satisfactory results from hobby stamping tools.  I know it is a significant investment, but quality tools are worth what they cost.  On a side note, you can always recoup your investment in quality tools, while cheap tools have little to no resale value.

What style of carving and stamping are you wanting to try?

Keith

[Leescustomleather]

Check out these, he is on Etsy LeatherStampsTools He has a lot of top-of-the-line tools, I own quite a few of them but have yet to spring for a swivel knife body. I realize that my comment is not very helpful but if you go look, I bet you will enjoy seeing what he has to offer. He is also a sponsor on this site

[AdamDavis]

@kseidel I generally tend to agree with the buy once cry once philosophy. Is there brand in particular you would recommend?  As to what I would like to carve, anything really but I had been thinking floral.

@Leescustomleather thanks,I will check out those offerings.

[YinTx]

Sharp blade is a must.  Nothing coming from low price sources is ground and polished properly that I've seen.  I've taken apart several of the vintage Tandy swivels, polished the cone, applied oil, and reassembled.  Makes a world of difference.  Various degrees of polish on these blades, which I use still on occasion despite having some really expensive swivels.

YinTx

[kseidel]

On 7/8/2022 at 7:37 PM, AdamDavis said:

@kseidel  As to what I would like to carve, anything really but I had been thinking floral.

 

Different styles of carving/stamping uses different types of stamps.  Same with swivel knives.  Angle blades have little use in floral carving while they can be very useful in figure carving.  If you are only doing borders for geometric stamping, then a wider thicker blade is better.  My favorites are Ole' Smoothie by Chuck Smith.  I have shorter fingers, so I prefer a 3/8" barrel that is 3¾" long from base inside yoke to tip of blade.  This knife is not adjustable so must be purchased for length.  Chuck offers a blade made from COBALT that is superior to carbon steel for reduced drag while carving.  It is comparably priced to competitors yet is a much better quality knife.  His contact info is Chuck Smith, 760-749-5755, Mobile:760-535-5191.  Keith

[johnnydb]

I'm going to agree completely about any swivel knife first being sharpened before it will be useful.  

I got one and started carving on some cased leather and knew instantly that it was in rough shape right out of the box.  

 

I then spent several hours regrinding the edge and then putting a true razor-sharp edge that will shave a tough beard close.  It takes a stone progression through surgical black Arkansas stones and a strop with jewlers Rouge or better.  

Then it finally was fine to cut with.  Tool sharpening is a completely different skill set....but the polished edge is worth it.  

Because you don't want to start and stop a cut changing angles or direction when you do.  It will look bad when you pound it out.  Only the sharpest razors will do what you want...then you can focus on the art instead of the knife.  

[AdamDavis]

@kseidel thanks for the info and the recommendations. I appreciate it!

[Scootch]

I have a couple of BK and a couple of Clay Miller swivels.  They all have different blades installed.  I do find myself favoring the Miller.  Whatever you go with, buy several blades.

Scootch

[JayEhl]

To add, I found the barrel size to be a consideration.   I have a 1/4"? size from BK that I don't enjoy using as much as my original Tandy 3/8"?.  I also have an old school Tandy 1/2" (or maybe it's 3/4"?)  barrel and although I like the heft, the barrel size is too big for me.   And I found a set of swivel knife blades from a  garage sale that included two ceramic blades.  Those are amazing and have been enjoying using those the most.

[sbrownn]

On 7/8/2022 at 4:14 AM, AdamDavis said:

@fredk thanks for the tip! I may still have some lapping compound from brownells;; might be worth a go.

Seems like lapping compound will make it a looser fit than it already is.  

2 hours ago, JayEhl said:

To add, I found the barrel size to be a consideration.   I have a 1/4"? size from BK that I don't enjoy using as much as my original Tandy 3/8"?.  I also have an old school Tandy 1/2" (or maybe it's 3/4"?)  barrel and although I like the heft, the barrel size is too big for me.   And I found a set of swivel knife blades from a  garage sale that included two ceramic blades.  Those are amazing and have been enjoying using those the most.

Thanks for the tip about ceramic blades.

[AdamDavis]

@SBrown I had been thinking Lapping would smooth out any roughness. Moot point now, I opted for a Barry King which, I’m happy to report is plenty smooth as is.

Edited October 1, 2022 by AdamDavis

[stelhrse]

Hi. Is there a formula to adjusting a swivel knife for proper fit? I never know if my knife from blade to yokei s adjusted right. Thanks.

 

Edited October 1, 2022 by stelhrse

[tsunkasapa]

I think the only criteria is your comfort. Can you use it without feeling cramped or too stretched out?

[sbrownn]

14 hours ago, AdamDavis said:

@SBrown I had been thinking Lapping would smooth out any roughness. Moot point now, I opted for a Barry King which, I’m happy to report is plenty smooth as is.

I'm sure it would.

[sparctek]

14 hours ago, stelhrse said:

Hi. Is there a formula to adjusting a swivel knife for proper fit? I never know if my knife from blade to yokei s adjusted right. Thanks.

 

There is a youtube video of Gordon Andrus called Swivel Knife 101. At the start of the video he shows what he uses to set swivel knives for his use and explains why. I followed that advice to set my own and tweaked a little bit to adjust for my preferences. I think this is a very good place to start: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6_9bwi1fcM

Hope this helps.

[stelhrse]

Awesome. Thanks sparctek.

 

[leatherjunkie]

yes swivel knife body is not most important part of the knife. the blade is the most important.

The body will aid in comfort in your hand to use.

Top of line blade for retaining sharpness is leather wranglers swivel knife. You will pay about 200 bucks for one of his knives. 

But you wont need to sharpen it out of box. just need to strop it.

Barry King also has decent blades. His swivel knife body is also comfortable to hold and use.

I use my Ed Labarre bear maul swivel knife the most. It just fits my hand and easy to use.

Chuck Smith old smoothy swivel knife and Henley swivel knives are good too.

The key is find one that fits you and blade retains sharpness. Don't worry about brand name so much.

Jim Linnell said you can sharpen a straight screwdriver to do swivel knife work.