Wood Carving Tools?

[Hibernicus]

Hi everyone. I'm a total beginner, just ordered a starter kit from Tandy and some tooling leather scraps to practice on. One of my problems so far is, I cant seem to get the hang of the swivel knife, my cuts are very messy and inconsistent. It just doesnt feel intuitive to me. I've got some wood carving experience and I was wondering if some of the same tools and techniques could work on leather. I'm particularly thinking of the V-gouge which produces cuts as seen in this picture.

Of course I'll keep practising with the swivel knife too, just wondering if anyone has ever tried woodworking tools.

[Wishful]

Well, I have not tried wood working tools but before the modern era - a lot of tools were made out of necessity and can have multiple purposes. Give it a go and see how it does but do practice on the swivel knife as I think you will attain the best results.

[Cyberthrasher]

Well, there is a V gouge for leather, but I doubt it would perform on leather the way you want when it comes to detailed images.

I've been posting this a lot lately because it's THAT important. Go here and sign up for the free tutorials. At the bottom of the list is one that's specifically focused on swivel knives. It's loaded with practice routines to build that skill.

http://paintingcow.com/content/index.php/publications/free_lesson_sign_up/

[Hibernicus]

Thanks for the input guys. I know the swivel knife is the best tool for the job, it just feels so awkward to me and gives me cramps in my hand. I was kind of hoping that some of the tools I'm more comfortable with might work. Anyway, I just did a little experiment with the v-gouge. It was very easy to work, but left a broader cut than it does in wood. Obviously not a substitute for the swivel knife, but I think it might have some potential for certain effects though. I'll keep practising with the swivel knife anyway, and I'll probably try some other experiments with the wood carving tools I have on hand. I took a photo of some cuts for comparison, v-gouge is on the left, thinner cuts on the right are from the swivel knife.

[Cyberthrasher]

Looks like maybe you need to sharpen the knife and work on your casing a little. Looks like those cuts are pretty shallow, which is a sign of it being dry. Dry leather will require more effort to cut. Is your knife adjustable? There's a $15 dollar "deluxe" knife that Tandy sells which has an adjustable height. That's a lot more comfortable for me to prevent cramping. Plus, the one I had in my kit had a really rounded blade, so it was terrible to use for anything. Also, you shouldn't have to grip it that hard either, so maybe with the right casing on your leather it will ease up some of those cramps.

[Ferg]

My first thought is that you didn't "case" wet the leather. If you no nothing about preparing leather for tooling please access

Bob Park's "Casing Leather".

Second thought: If you did wet the leather, you tried to tool with the knife when the leather was too wet.

ferg

[Hibernicus]

Unfortunately I have to use the basic knife that came with the Tandy starter kit. I don't see any way to adjust it. The only way for me to get any tools is to order internationally and it's very expensive. I'll try sharpening it, but it's brand new, unless they supply them unsharpened?

I've been following the instructions in the kit about casing the leather, sponging it lightly on both sides and then allowing it to return to its former colour, but the article you mention makes it seem like there's a lot more to it, so maybe that's where I'm going wrong.

Thanks for the help.

[Northmount]

Unfortunately I have to use the basic knife that came with the Tandy starter kit. I don't see any way to adjust it. The only way for me to get any tools is to order internationally and it's very expensive. I'll try sharpening it, but it's brand new, unless they supply them unsharpened?

I've been following the instructions in the kit about casing the leather, sponging it lightly on both sides and then allowing it to return to its former colour, but the article you mention makes it seem like there's a lot more to it, so maybe that's where I'm going wrong.

Thanks for the help.

The blade needs sharpened, even though new. The typical new blade, especially Tandy, needs a lot of work. There are other threads about sharpening swivel knives. Do a quick search and you should be able to find them.

Tom

[Cyberthrasher]

Unfortunately I have to use the basic knife that came with the Tandy starter kit. I don't see any way to adjust it. The only way for me to get any tools is to order internationally and it's very expensive. I'll try sharpening it, but it's brand new, unless they supply them unsharpened?

I've been following the instructions in the kit about casing the leather, sponging it lightly on both sides and then allowing it to return to its former colour, but the article you mention makes it seem like there's a lot more to it, so maybe that's where I'm going wrong.

Thanks for the help.

yeah, there's definitely a lot more to it than that. What you see in the instructions is what a lot of us refer to as a "quick-case", which is good for stamping in a pinch, but not much else. As a side note here, when I quick-case, I spray both sides of my leather until it's good and wet then let it sit for about 15 minutes. At that point it hasn't completely returned to its natural color, but it's getting close. The key is "visible moisture", but not wet, while being cool to the touch (on your cheek or back of your hand). It takes some practice to get right. When I full case, I'll soak it in a pan or under the hot water, let it sit out on some plastic wrap for an hour or two, then bag it (ziplock or other sealed bag) and put it in the fridge overnight. When I pull it out I can just lightly moisten the grain (tooling side) with a sponge and in a couple of minutes it will be ready to go for about an hour. At that point I just mist the back side again and let it sit for a couple minutes and I'm back to work.

The kit knifes do NOT come sharp, especially the one in the basic kit, which is non-adjustable. You can re-hone it so that it's got an actual edge and then strop it as normal, but I found they don't hold an edge for very long. Can you order from Tandy in the UK at a good price?

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.co.uk/

This one's not the best, but you'll see it has a little adjustment at the top of the barrel.

http://www.tandyleather.eu/en-eur/search/searchresults/8002-00.aspx

[David8386]

When you use your swivel knife try relaxing your hand some. Try using a metal ruler as a guide and cut some straight lines. While doing it notice how you just tilt and go following the ruler. Now start without the ruler and do a couple of straight lines keeping the same feel of the knife in your hand. Now start doing some curves but keep everything the same except rolling the knife with your fingers. If your knife starts to drag strop your blade or your leather is drying out. I am still not good with a swivel knife but I found when I quit tensing up and trying to force the knife it works a lot better. Just like wood working let the tools do the work and when they start to drag sharpen them. On casing take a practice piece put it in a sink with warm water for a few minutes as in 1 or 2. Or when bubbles stop coming out of it.

Take it out and get the standing water off with a rag or paper towel. Put the leather in a plastic Baggie or bag and let set over night.

The next day take it out and let it stand until the color starts to return to normal. Then start cutting on it. If you have to stop put it back on the plastic. If it starts to dry spray it with a little water. Hope this helps a little

David