Paasche swivel knife

[SUP]

@bruce johnson that is very detailed information. Thank you. There is so much to learn. I will probably first try with a cheaper swivel knife to get an idea of it, then buy a good one.

@tsunkasapa yes. the blade is everything, isn't it  but  Bruce, are the blades of new knives good? I mean, of harder steel? I heard that these days, most knives have softer steel. Is that true?

[bruce johnson]

55 minutes ago, SUP said:

@bruce johnson

@tsunkasapa yes. the blade is everything, isn't it  but  Bruce, are the blades of new knives good? I mean, of harder steel? I heard that these days, most knives have softer steel. Is that true?

It depends on which maker. The new Craftool and entry level Amazon blades are not that great but workable. As you move up the ladder generally the blade material and grind quality gets better. I've had some Asian made Amazon-ish swivel knives with pretty good steel and some were not. I've got one friend who uses a blade made from a point file that Chuck Smith made years ago - awesome blade and he strops it on his pants to just wipe it off. He said it has never been resharpened after years as a carver in a shop. I believe him and have used it some. I told myself I wasn't going to name names but here goes....Top of the heap for me is Bob Beard - hard to get and expensive - something to aspire to, not start with. The cobalt blades Chuck makes now have really good reviews from a couple people I respect.  LeatherWranglers, Red Ox (Gordon Andrus)are similar in price to Chuck Smith and can't go wrong with any of them.  Barry King, Clay Miller, and Gomph-Hackbarth (Lonnie Height) make good knives.

  The skinny on this -   If I was  outfitting a new bench - for the mid level price Barry King would be where I'd start. He's got a moderately priced swivel knife in more yoke and barrel choices. He's got a selection of blade choices. He'd be way more consistent than taking a stab at Amazon. He can give you advice on what he thinks will work best for you. With his pricing you could actually buy 2 or 3 swivel knives from him in different barrel and blade setups for the price one of the premium knives from another maker. If you decide to move up the food chain in a couple years, Barry King tools hold value more than the lower ends. In the meantime you will have learned to sharpen and maintain, what you like and more  of what your carving style is and what you need to do it. 

 

 

[SUP]

@bruce johnson . I do not plan to buy swivel knives on Amazon anyway. That was only for a first time - when I bought a set when I first started leatherwork. Now I am gradually replacing some of the things with better quality tools.  A swivel knife is one item that has to be of good quality. I am still learning construction techniques so not moving on to tooling as yet but I can see that coming soon. There is just so much construction one can do. I am slowly looking for unusual tooling patterns or drawing my own. Asian and European themes perhaps. 

Thank you for the tips on the really good makers of swivel knives. I will probably start with Barry King and go ahead from there.

[Burkhardt]

9 hours ago, tsunkasapa said:

The blade has far to do with it. Any 'handle' that fits and is comfortable will do the job. But a quality blade is a must.

You talking to anyone specific?