Which Round Knife

[Ferryman]

Thank you JCUK that is most helpful.

I do find that the older tools had better quality steel. I have hedging tools made be Elwell and modern stuff cannot hold a candle to it.

[chuck123wapati]

11 minutes ago, Ferryman said:

Thank you JCUK that is most helpful.

I do find that the older tools had better quality steel. I have hedging tools made be Elwell and modern stuff cannot hold a candle to it.

I agree wholeheartedly, sadly quality control isn't as stringent as it used to be. if you do buy an older used knife pay close attention to the edge, how much wear and if it has been properly sharpened, knives can wear out in that the overall grind angle is lost or worn away through sharpening, over use or improper sharpening. very easy to fix other issues such as loose or damaged handles. I've bought a number of very good knives really cheap on ebay simply because the handles were damaged.

[jcuk]

Sorry got ahead of myself some of the knives on EBAY plus the one from Abbey maybe on the large for someone new to leatherwork as these can be a dangerous tool to use,  maybe a better knife for a someone new to the craft would be this and once you get more adept at using the knife you can invest in a larger model. I started with one similar to this.

https://www.abbeyengland.com/barnsley-single-head-knife-552.html

Just be carful when using a round knife or any knife keep your free hand behind the cutting edge, if you can watch some good videos on how to use a round knife. when i  get a bit more time will post some which might help you.

Hope this helps 

JCUK

 

[jcuk]

Hi again he is a video that you may find useful also have a look at some of the other videos he has showing you how to sharpen and maintain the round knife and other tools. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUgZjMPw0AA

Hope this helps

JCUK

[Ferryman]

Thanks JC 

I will check his videos out.

I have had these fingers for 72 years and would like to keep them so will probably go for a head knife to start with.

Edited February 12, 2020 by Ferryman

[Hardrada]

On 2/11/2020 at 12:44 PM, jcuk said:

these have a good following too i know many saddlers who use them.

https://www.abbeyengland.com/solingen-round-knife-329-8376.html

Thanks for posting that link. I ordered one. Still waiting to hear from them about shipping costs, though.

I wanted one of these: https://www.ds-leder.de/borger-habmondmesser-mittel.html, but they never got back to me regarding shipping of a small parcel to Canada.

Edited February 12, 2020 by Hardrada

[zuludog]

1 hour ago, Ferryman said:

Thanks JC 

I will check his videos out.

I have had these fingers for 72 years and would like to keep them so will probably go for a head knife to start with.

As I think I've already mentioned, have a look at YT videos by JH Leather, she uses a head knife for most of her work

She also has a good video on sharpening a head knife........and an equally good one on the saddle stitch, which she sometimes calls the double hand stitch

[jcuk]

31 minutes ago, Hardrada said:

Thanks for posting that link. I ordered one. Still waiting to hear from them about shipping costs, though.

I wanted one of these: https://www.ds-leder.de/borger-habmondmesser-mittel.html, but they never got back to me regarding shipping of a small parcel to Canada.

No worries Abbey use to ship to me in the middle east good rates 

 

14 minutes ago, zuludog said:

As I think I've already mentioned, have a look at YT videos by JH Leather, she uses a head knife for most of her work

She also has a good video on sharpening a head knife........and an equally good one on the saddle stitch, which she sometimes calls the double hand stitch

 Yes have a look at this link very good use of a single head knife

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU5IzvX3lrc

Hope this helps

JCUK

 

 

[johnv474]

Of those discussions I have seen on this topic, there are several that regularly get recommended.

The old standby head/round knives would be CS Osborne, Barnsley (if you can find one), or Vergez Blanchard.  These cost between $50-$120.  So far as I can tell they are all made from a similar grade of steel and are typically forged.  They tend to be a mild steel (if that is the correct term), which is relatively easy to sharpen but needs touched up regularly.

The default choice for most is to buy whatever is sold at the local leather store: Tandy.  I don't regularly see the Craftsman or Stohlman brand recommended, but many people end up owning them anyway due to the Tandy being everywhere.

In terms of quality, in other discussions, one head knife that regularly gets recommended is the Weaver Master Tools head knife.  This costs about $91.  I consider this a safe bet even though I do not own one.

If those prices are too high, there are some cheaper options.  One option is to buy a vintage knife from an auction such as Ebay.  In this way a person might get an older Osborne or Rose head knife and save a few dollars.

There are high end, custom makers, as well.  These tend to have excellent finishing, better steels, and a revised design--in some cases, improvements.  Examples (of many--I am sure to be missing some) include Leather wranglers, Chartermade (I'm not sure if he makes head knives but makes knives), Doldokki, and so on.  These knives tend to be in excess of $200.  There are several notable makers I'm skipping here, but not for any reason.

There are also some super-cheap knifes available on Amazon.  I would not expect a no-name $25 knife to hold an edge all that great.  It might start out sharp, though.

If the above are not a good option, a person can repurpose other knives that have a similar shape.  Look for a short (3" or less, I'd say) knife with a deep belly and long cutting edge (lots of swoop in the blade shape).  A person will likely have to do some grinding, etc., but a knife such as an Ulu, Benchmade Nestucca, or Wander Tactical Tryceratops can be made to imitate a round/head knife (but for more money than the non-custom options above).

The most recent option I have selected personally is the round/head knife made/sold by KevinLeatherTools (of CrazyCut fame).  He makes knives from D2 tool steel (an improvement over CS Osborne, etc.).  This steel ought to be harder so edge holding ability is improved at the expense of more difficulty sharpening.  He has models for between $45-$60, shipped.  However, they take about a month to arrive.  This steel is not the absolute ultimate but no one I'm aware makes head knives out of any of the so-called super steels (which did not exist when CSO, Blanchard, etc. developed their blades).  Mine is set to arrive Monday so soon I'll know better.

For the moment I use CS Osborne round knives because it was the first one I bought.  It has taken a fair amount of work to make it how i like (shortened handle to fit my hand, changing sharpening angle and putting on a better edge than the factory offers).  I don't regret the purchase but want to spend more time using and less time maintaining.

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by johnv474
add'l options

[MikeRock]

A tool seller friend of mine has an old Osborne, Newark, for sale for $50.  I just sent him an email to see if it was sold yet.  Good knives are fun to own and use.  Poor ones........well, not so much.

God bless