Skiving stretchy leather

[SheltathaLore]

I have had one heck of a time skiving some regrettably stretchy pig lining.  Aside from making sure my knives are as sharp as possible, are there any other tricks?  Can I stabilize the leather in some fashion while I'm working on it?  I tried putting some masking tape on the back, but it wasn't grippy enough, and I ended up with a lump skating right ahead of my knife that inevitably got cut into.

[bikermutt07]

How thick is it? Most lining things I have seen weren't thick enough to need skiving.

Maybe try a one sided layer of contact cement on a scrap piece? Just an idea.

[SheltathaLore]

Relatively thick, for lining.  It's also part of a turned edge, so reducing the bulk is good for getting a really crisp corner.

 

You mean sticking it down to the glass?  Sounds reasonable; I'll give it a try.

[bikermutt07]

Yeah, just try a scrap and see if you can get it off the leather after it does or doesn't work.

Maybe try rubber cement instead. Heck, I don't really know, just trying to put another set of eyes on it for ya.

Merry Christmas

[SheltathaLore]

No harm in giving it a try!

[flerg777]

Let me know if that works!  I'm like bikermutt07, I don't know, but I have an idea: I use a small 45 degree cut piece of wood for skiving the ends of pieces for box stitching.  You set the piece on top of the leather, back just a bit, and bring your knife down against the wood, which forces it into a 45 degree cut. 

Regardless, good luck!

[SheltathaLore]

I'll definitely keep you posted!  I'm taking today off to let my fingers heal after I kept stabbing them with the needle yesterday, though >_>

[bikermutt07]

14 hours ago, SheltathaLore said:

I'll definitely keep you posted!  I'm taking today off to let my fingers heal after I kept stabbing them with the needle yesterday, though >_>

Any success?

As for poking yourself.... I use a wine cork to back up the leather when stitching. That was the awl goes into the cork, not me. I'm not a fan of spilling my sissy juice.

[Wedgetail]

Well I suck at skiving. Straight up...

but one thing I have learned as I blunder through it myself, is it is as much about a sharp knife as it is about technique. Particularly when it comes to thin/stretchy leather, you want the knife to do the work for you; not your muscles... If you're the kind of person who pushes the knife along, then thin/stretchy leather is going to bunch up real easy and is going to tear out.

Instead try just a gentle pressure and use the slicing motion of your knife to do the cutting for you. Always the slicing down and away so it cuts on the stretch and doesn't bunch up. If it stretches a lot, use less pressure, or try using a block of wood or a bone folder to weigh down the edge you're working toward (anything will do, just don't want to slice your fingers if you happen to slip!)

Think a bit like cutting a soft tomato. If you just push your knife into it, it will cut it but it will also crush down. If you slide your knife forward as you gently push down, it will slice cleanly.

also try to do it on a hard smooth surface. I don't have a good marble slab, so do my skiving on a smooth glass cutting board someone gave me as a Christmas gift in a cheese knife set... Can get one just like it for $5 at the shops.

if you are doing all of that and it still won't work? *shrugs* I got nuthin'!

Edited December 29, 2017 by Wedgetail
Block of bond folder? Stupid autocorrect.

[SheltathaLore]

I only just got my first real knives and I'm still learning to sharpen them, so it really sounds like I might be missing something there.   I guess it's time to go absorb another few hours of youtube videos on sharpening.