Adjustable Edge Creaser (Vergez Blanchard)

[Macca]

Indeed Bruce, its close to impossible to find vintage pricking irons in good condition over here, you might find the odd one but 99.99% of them are busted/worn/damaged in some way.

I got lucky with an ebay purchase recently, seller inherited a bunch of Dixon leather tools, 50 years old at least, didn't really know what they were so were listed as a job lot.

they had been oiled & stored in wax paper so perfect condition, as good as the day they were made, zero signs of use on them

I was happy that day !

[MorningStar]

Howdy!

I have used the adjustable edge creaser as well as various other brand/types (largely bought via ebay).

Different manufacturers, differing time frames, and alterations that may have been made by any previous owner will have an effect on tool quality and ease of use.

Overall, the older tools are better made and the best choice - provided they have been treated kindly by the previous owner(s).

Use the correct number in relationship to the thickness of the leather is another key point. The thinner the leather, the lower the tool number (typically). Also, the older edge creasers were designed to round/smooth the edge of the leather at the same time it made groove. When using one of these, edge the leather BEFORE creating the crease. A little moisture and saddle soap run along the edge before using the edge creasing tool helps as well.

There is a slight learning curve, true enough, but hand position is critical. (The older tools tend be more "right hand friendly", but can still be used by lefties. See note in explanation below.)

Use notes: Grasp it like you would a vertical door handle or pitcher of tea.

Align the long edge along the outside of the leather and make sure the part that does the grooving is making contact with the leather. Without tilting the tool, push it forward. (I usually stop about an eighth of an inch from the end and gently tilt the tool foreword to complete the line.) Lefties - you will need to start at the farthest point and pull the tool TOWARD you.

Hope this helps some.

PJ

[ClaireAshton]

Those tools must be worth at least £600 ($1000) retail !

[Hi Im Joe]

Indeed Bruce, its close to impossible to find vintage pricking irons in good condition over here, you might find the odd one but 99.99% of them are busted/worn/damaged in some way.

I got lucky with an ebay purchase recently, seller inherited a bunch of Dixon leather tools, 50 years old at least, didn't really know what they were so were listed as a job lot.

they had been oiled & stored in wax paper so perfect condition, as good as the day they were made, zero signs of use on them

I was happy that day !

Wow...you lucky bastard.

[Macca]

Those tools must be worth at least £600 ($1000) retail !

They went for decent money, but still much less than half retail.

I'd have been happy at retail price as they look unused & better quality than the new equivalent

Wow...you lucky bastard.

YUP !

Edited July 21, 2014 by Macca

[Tannin]

...

I hear people mention that certain brands come polished sharp from the factory such as the Douglas. If you look at the blades next to each other the Douglas is almost mirror like and the VB is a dull steel color. Is that actually a sign of sharpness or a different type of steel? As far as I can tell I now have the VB as sharp as the Douglas but it still isnt shiny. Maybe someone with better understanding of these tools and sharpening can chime in.

The Douglas could very well be the superior quality tool but for me I have had better luck with the VB. maybe its my lack of experience.

A blacksmith-toolmaker assured me that you don't need mirror shiny bevels to achieve a razor sharp working edge - and many professionals can't justify the time to get that level of finish. That said, the tools made by this guy have very shiny bevels! Also, I notice that many pro leather workers do have very shiny bevels on their knives. While it is true that unpolished bevels can be plenty sharp enough, refining the bevel with successively finer stones & then stropping with compound/polish also refines the edge, which tends to help make the sharpened edge last a little longer. A shiny/oiled edge might also slip into the cut material a little easier. It also suggests a higher level of finish/care - although that can be misleading.

I strop my tools frequently, sometimes with bare leather (from cheap old suede welding gauntlets or fancy belt/saddle leather) mounted on a piece of flat wood - sometimes with a little Autosol metal polish or white compound added. I recently got some green compound in a kit which is a tad coarser - the green pigment is the grinding compound in the "fat". Consequently most of my tools now have shiny bevels, whether they originally came that way or not - I like to think they get better the more I use them . Frequent stropping means that I rarely need to re-sharpen my tools.

BTW Well known veteran Swedish woodcarver Wille Sundqvists recommends stropping blades rather than buffing, as he believes buffing rounds the bevels; the Swedes tend to prefer dead flat "Scandi" bevels, especially for carving, although a convex bevel produces a more robust, longer lasting edge (commonly used on woodland axes & bushcraft knives for that reason).

Edited November 5, 2014 by Tannin

[DavidL]

Before I knew any better I used green compound (10k+ japanese standard grit ) plus jewellers rouge on my VB awl blade to establish the edges. Now I would use 1k or 5k japanese water stone (600+ grit american standard)

It took forever to shape the blade with the jewellers rouge and green compound and polished the blade at the same time. I can't exactly tell but a completely polish awl blade seems to have more friction when going through the piece of leather.

I would agree stropping would be better than jewellers rouge and even too much stropping would hurt the blade.

An important thing that there are discussions about on knife forums are that knives that are highly polished using a sharpening stone that is 8k upwards to 12k and stropping with compounds that it works better with slicing, paring, push cuts. The blade done with high grits like doesnt work have great edge retention on stiff materials like stiff veg. Knives that are done on coarse stone below 600 american standard grit has better edge retention on tougher materials. Still have to do tests to figure out the best combination, stiff veg probably rough stones 600 grit being the highest and strop. Thin stretchy chrome tan probably 5k or 8k stone and strop.

BTW Well known veteran Swedish woodcarver Wille Sundqvists recommends stropping blades rather than buffing, as he believes buffing rounds the bevels; the Swedes tend to prefer dead flat "Scandi" bevels, especially for carving, although a convex bevel produces a more robust, longer lasting edge (commonly used on woodland axes & bushcraft knives for that reason).

Hollow grind would work the best to get the sharpest blade possible and least resistance from the shoulder of the blade (good for getting the cleanest line), worst aspect is the blade isn't robust, veg tan shouldn't be too much for hollow grind . Convex is a close second to hollow grind, more durable than hollow.

[Tannin]

Hi David, yes sharpening is certainly a learning process. Yes, 600 grit tends to be my rule of thumb starting point for general routine light-ish sharpening too - by which I mean 600grit wet & dry paper, which seems somewhat similar to my 1000 grit Japanese waterstone, and my cheap but good Draper combination oilstone.

I guess "too much" of anything isn't good by definition but I don't see a problem with stropping. It is effectively directional straightening (like a butcher's iron) and polishing of the blade. But perhaps you can explain?

...

The blade done with high grits like doesnt work have great edge retention on stiff materials like stiff veg. Knives that are done on coarse stone below 600 american standard grit has better edge retention on tougher materials. Still have to do tests to figure out the best combination, stiff veg probably rough stones 600 grit being the highest and strop. Thin stretchy chrome tan probably 5k or 8k stone and strop...

That sounds wrong to me. Perhaps several different things are being confused? Broader angle bevels give better edge retention - more metal behind the edge supporting it. Coarser grinding does not have better edge retention in my experience - it is more likely to catch & break/nick but it is quicker to achieve. Coarser ground blades do, however, sometimes cut well, things like soft vegetables/fruit (like tomatoes) & rope, because they have been left with micros-serrations like tiny saw teeth.

Also, it might be better not to use chrome-tan for a strop as it is known to cause corrosion of carbon steel blades (green compound might have similar issues, TBD) and so is generally not recommended for sheaths.Veg tan leather contains tannin which does react with carbon steel too (so perhaps best to clean off any residue) but the blue-black stain it produces is a more stable, protective iron compound (and it is the basis for "rust convertor" products). In practice, it probably has little effect, especially as the strop ages and is, perhaps, used with polishing compounds and/or oil but perhaps worth considering?

Edited November 6, 2014 by Tannin

[DavidL]

From what I read people who do heavy duty work, like cutting wood, cardboard, plastics use well below 600 grit. They say the blades last longer between sharpening. Soft materials like fish, fruit, hair shaving with a straight razor needs a polished blade upwards of 5k and compound. Chefs that require a sharp knife sharpen with progression from coarse, fine, extra fine, 5k, 8k. Then they keep sharpening with the 8k as a touch up until the blade gets damage, a benefit is that the blade last longer.

[barra]

While not adjustable a good grease can still be achieved on the cheap. The crease on the scrap piece of veg tan was done with the plastic bone folder. An even better effect can be achieved home made by getting an old boot knife and cutting a slot in the handle the distance in that you want your crease. Then sand and polish the outer edge to form a longer inner edge guide that runs up against your leather.

Alternatively just use a nice piece of hardwood to make a creaser. Can be made in minutes, lasts forever and gets better with age and use.

Barra

[Tannin]

Hi David, that many folk who do heavy duty work use only coarse grinding doesn't surprise me. I carve wood and most of my tools - including axes - have bevels hand stropped to a polished finish, however, I sharpen my wood splitting maul, billhooks and rip hooks (/"reap hooks"/sickles/hand scythes) with only a coarse stone. But the reason I do that is simply because it is good enough and also it is normal to stroke the blade of a rip hook with a coarse stone regularly during use, to keep the edge keen. Perhaps their logic is that if they stop at, say, 600 grit they are no longer removing metal?

Sharpening kitchen knives is a bit of hobby/practice-ground for me. A lot of the cheaper knives & old knives need to be worked on a wet stone wheel to establish the edge before sharpening - otherwise it would be a very long process. A cheap oil combi-stone is then enough for normal use, as regular sharpening will be required. I sometimes strop too but seems excessive. Recently I switched to using a 480/1000 Japanese waterstone - it creates a keen edge but very dull -- not as good/shiny as the cheap oil stone. I've added a 3000/8000 waterstone to the process and that gives a pretty refined finish but, again, it seems excessive - because kitchen knives really need to be sharpened regularly. BTW Stropping with compound gives a similar result to the 8000 stone.

Hi Barra,

Intrigued by your knife idea but couldn't quite grasp the details from your description/image. Are you using the knife handle like a burnisher/slicker?