Question On Head Knife.

[evaengineer]

Well, I have very little money. The most I could spare would be $60 for one. Any suggested links on where to find one at that cost? Or should I wait? I have a sort of hard time cutting right now.

[silverwingit]

You can spend a lot of money on a head knife, but I don't think it's necessary. I'd start with an affordable knife and spend the rest on sharpening tools, strops and materials and learn how to use them-- you gonna need 'em.

CS Osborne knives are just fine especially for a first knife. Here's the one I'd start with:

http://springfieldleather.com/24746/Knife%2CHead%2C%2371/

They also make a slightly larger one (5" vs 4 1/2"):

http://www.csosborne.com/no70.htm

Osborne calls the larger #70 a round knife and the smaller #71 that I recommend starting with a head knife. I never have figured out what the difference in terminology means but I like the smaller one because I think it has slightly sharper points that make it my preferred knife for detailed cuts and inside corners, etc. It can also do anything the larger knife can do which is why I recommend it.

Good luck and tell us what you decide and what you think of your new knife.

Michelle

Edited September 2, 2013 by silverwingit

[Matt S]

Leprovo (in England) do one for £24, needs a good sharpen but I like it, another option is the halfmoon knife used by flooring fitters, it is basically half the shape of the head knife with a straight edge. I have been using one for all sorts of jobs for years, and a little bit easier to use in my opinion.

The one from Le Prevo is a Geo Barnsely. The half-moon and quarter-moon types are available for even less at Bachelors. Like a lot of professional tools they need sharpening when new, but my £13 quarter-moon knife is my main user.

[immiketoo]

Eva, if you look on ebay, you can fond some decent knives. Bruce Johnson may also be able to help. He is a member here and he sells vintage tools that are worth a look. Good luck!

[Konnie]

When my first head knife (bought from Ebay) was really sharp I practiced and practiced. Meanwhile, I've also bought one of Bruce Johnson. Now I cut almost everything with my head or roundknife. Partly also grooves at 45 degrees.

I chose this knife because I would like to master the tools of the old saddler. There must be a reason why this type knife was invented for leather work. I think so. I do not want to miss this knife.

[leatherjunkie]

Well, I have very little money. The most I could spare would be $60 for one. Any suggested links on where to find one at that cost? Or should I wait? I have a sort of hard time cutting right now.

$60.00 for a head knife? you should be able to get an osborne for that price. hope you can spare some money and lots of time on sharpening equipment. the osborne knife that i tried was about as sharp as a butter knife. the reason knives cost so much is the type of material that it is made out of. the good quality knives will just need stropping regularly and sharpening once in awhile. Chan Geer told me he can cut up 5 to 6 hides with just stropping. after 6 hides he does sharpen it on a diamond stone.

you would be better off stropping the hell out of a box knife then spending 60 bucks on a knife that needs lots of time on a diamond stone before you can try it out.

[electrathon]

In reference to the above, part of the issue here is how good are you at sharpening? This was where my statement about only buying a good one came from.

If you can sharpen your pocket knife sharp enough to dry shave the hairs off your arm you will have no issues. If not, practice sharpening. A round knife can be tricky to get sharp. It needs to be very sharp (sharper than a box cutter blade is new). A good knife will arrive sharp and will stay sharp for a long time. A poor knife will arrive dull and will need sharpening on a very regular basis.

[keplerts]

Can you use one of those ez-pull kitchen knife sharpener to sharpen a head knife? I just can't seem to get the hang of sharpening mine. I think I'm getting it sharp but it doesn't cut worth a darn. So I thought about using one of those EZ sharpeners. Has anyone tried one yet?

Thanks,

Tom

[Ski]

I doubt it. Every blade has a different grind. Some have convex, some have scandi grind etc.. Each one has a different method of sharpening. Rather than giving up, keep practicing and what will make a world of difference is try and get someone to show you the error of your ways and point you in the right direction.

If you think that is hard to sharpen try honing a cut throat straight razor

[FlHobbyist]

Can you use one of those ez-pull kitchen knife sharpener to sharpen a head knife? I just can't seem to get the hang of sharpening mine. I think I'm getting it sharp but it doesn't cut worth a darn. So I thought about using one of those EZ sharpeners. Has anyone tried one yet?

Thanks,

Tom

This is a definite no. The sharpening angles are different and it wont get your round knife sharp enough.