Skiver not skiving

[CreativeName]

I got this set and I can only get them to bite on the edges.  On the back of a belt strap, they will barely get a little leather dust off.  Am I doing something wrong or did I just get a total POS tool set? Is there a way to adjust them to work better?

Edited 8 hours ago by CreativeName
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[DJole]

23 minutes ago, CreativeName said:

I got this set and I can only get them to bite on the edges.  On the back of a belt strap, they will barely get a little leather dust off.  Am I doing something wrong or did I just get a total POS tool set? Is there a way to adjust them to work better?

I have one of those "safety skivers" (the silver one),  but I never could get it to work right, never making a clean, even skive.  

I now use two different tools for skiving. One is a French edge skiving tool, and the other is an Olfa Japanese skiving knife. Do an internet search on those terms to see what I am talking about.
I spent some time watching videos to see how the Japanese skiving knife is used, and I caught on quickly. I polish the edge up with 1000 grit sandpaper and my leather strop before starting a skiving project, and I have learned the "feel" when I need to re-polish in mid project. 

For other jobs, such as skiving large bits of leather (rather than just edges, like the Japanese knife), I use the French edge skiver. I keep it sharp and polished too. For some projects using stiffer leather, I can use it for edge skiving. 

Maybe others have figured out how to get those skiving tools to work, but mine just sits in a drawer, and I reach for the other two tools frequently.
I think the only selling point is that they are "safety" skivers, whereas the other skivers (especially the Japanese knife) have a bare razor edge, right there ready to injure the careless. Just keep them sharp and polished, be careful, be aware of where your fingers are, and use a polished stone surface to skive on. 

[bruce johnson]

It is hard to make a generalization about the two styles of skivers you have. These designs have been around for a long time. I could get both styles of the originals to work. I modified several. On the silver skiver I bent the handle up on one to reach some areas I couldn't otherwise. On the black skivers I bent the ends to different arcs. 

There are some great tools coming from the Asian countries, and on the other hand - some cheap knockoffs that aren't made to function correctly. I haven't had any of the Amazon skiver versions through here that I've used but here is my thoughts. If these are made so the blade angle is too steep, they will dive down and dig too much. If the blade edge is tipped up then the leather rides under the cutting edge. There is a sweet spot for angle and you may need to tip the handle one way or the other to find it. The other thing is to make sure  there isn't something on the frame on the bottom in front of the blade edge that prevents the blade from contacting the leather. Too thick and the blade can't meet the leather.  

The other issue is blades. I get some Import tools with supplied blades that are "universal blades", the cutting edge is about as sharp as the back edge (dull, dull, dull). Gripping them with a visegrips and buffing makes a big difference. Option B - order some good blades. Good quality blades make a difference.