rawhide1 Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Howdy All I was wondering and needing a little info. on finger carving. Do ya make your cuts and leave them alone. Will they open up on their own? Or are there other steps after making your intial cuts. Any and all help is greatly appricated. Thanks, Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
hidepounder Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Hi Mike, I do a fair amount of finger carving on all my belt and organizer linings, etc., and I don't do anything to the cuts other than clean with oxalic acid and apply a finish. There are a couple of things to consider, however, such as the thickness of the material and the type of blade used to make the cuts. If you are finger carving a 2-3 oz piece of lining leather, your cuts are going to appear very fine because the depth of cut is shallow. In that instance I use a 1/4" blade designed by Peter Main that has a slight angle and a very flat bevel at the edge, producing a wider cut without going through the leather. If you are cutting a thicker piece of leather, say 7-8 oz, then any blade will do. A thicker blade will make a more open cut as long as the bevel at the cutting edge is not too steep. Try not to cut too dry...you want it cased, so that the cuts stay open. Hope this helps........ Bob Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TwinOaks Report post Posted November 29, 2008 Expanding on what hidepounder said... It's a good idea to have at least two blades for your swivel knife. One with the 'standard' bevel, and one with a much shallower bevel. You don't have to get it from Peter Main, though I'm sure his tools are top quality. You can just get a spare blade and (use a jig for this) re-bevel the edge on both sides. This will result in a much wider cut. Also, with LOTS of practice, you can "slide" the blade through a curve to widen it a bit more. The best visual I can give you for this is to picture a car taking a corner sideways, skidding/sliding around it, then straightening back up. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawhide1 Report post Posted November 30, 2008 Hidepounder, TwinOaks I want to Thank y'all for taking the time to answer and share your knowledge. I now have a good starting point!! My first project will be the inside of a belt for my daughter. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
