Trimming Oversized Belt Lining

[howlback]

What is the best style knife/method when trimming oversized belt lining? (I'd like to use veg-tan of identical thickness as a liner)

[kiwican]

I think personal choice of blade and one you are most comfortable with using. Just make sure it's sharp and don't rush the cut. I use a Stanly knife

[immiketoo]

I would be lost without my round knives.  While you can get by with almost any sharp knife, there is a reason the round knife has been use in leather for thousands of years.  It goes back to ancient Roman or Egyptian times.  Cant remember which.  

 

[bikermutt07]

1 hour ago, immiketoo said:

I would be lost without my round knives.  While you can get by with almost any sharp knife, there is a reason the round knife has been use in leather for thousands of years.  It goes back to ancient Roman or Egyptian times.  Cant remember which.  

 

Here here. Once you have a really sharp one, you will never go back. Terry Knipschield told me they were depicted in Egyptian carvings.

[immiketoo]

Agreed.  Life changing.

[howlback]

My round knife was excellent but it’s grown dull and I’m inexperienced when it comes to sharpening... any advice/threads I should check out to get it back in action?

[Rockoboy]

On ‎24‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 1:35 AM, howlback said:

My round knife was excellent but it’s grown dull and I’m inexperienced when it comes to sharpening... any advice/threads I should check out to get it back in action?

Depends on whether your knife needs grinding or just a decent strop to rejuvenate the edge.

Grinding is fairly specialised (or needs somebody who has the gear and knows what they are doing), whereas stropping is fairly easy to accomplish. (I can manage it, so it can't be too difficult).

I glued a piece of leather about 300mm X 60mm X 5mm thick to a scrap of flat and smooth timber, applied some green paste (incorrectly called jeweller's rouge, but I cannot remember the correct terminology), and watched somebody with more experience for a minute or so. The end.

[sheathmaker]

If you lay out your belt pattern slightly oversize also and the glue the liner(also oversize) and then cut, the result will be a smooth edged belt ready form burnishing.  I would still use a round knife for this.

Paul

[BDAZ]

Every product I make requires trimming lining. In my case usually leather or suede but sometimes 3-4 oz veg tan. The tool I find INDISPENSABLE is a 60mm rotary cutter. It's easy to use the narrower leather to track the cutter and the results are usually perfect. There are blade sharpeners which work to some degree. I strop the blade once it starts to dull .

 

Bob

[Boriqua]

I love my round knife but when I reach for a knife to trim one piece to another I use my Fairly inexpensive Kiridashi.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Japanese-OKEYA-Kiridashi-Kogatana-Woodcraft-Knife-Hammered-Blade-Left-Handed/381797595256?hash=item58e4e8f878:m:mBzArzR6jzw-euOiaUWfjTA

Mine is white steel and so long as you strop it before every use it stays mind blowing sharp. This is my go to for matching a back of something to a front. I usually oversize the back of my holster to the front, glue and then trim. I use the left handed version which when used in a draw fashion has the flat facing away from the work and the steep bevel against the work.

So why do I use this over my very nice and sharp round knife.

I have found my Round knife can, if not really really careful, ride up onto my face piece and potentially ruin a good deal of work. With the kiridashi I pull the knife around the top as my guide and there is little danger of it riding up. The left hand version with the steep bevel to the inside is perfect because you naturally tilt your hand to the right when cutting which actually makes the cut right up flush to the top piece. A little sanding and its done.

Edited April 30, 2018 by Boriqua