swivel knife

[biker55]

Hello all, purchased a used swivel knife a few years back, and have decided to try my hand at carving. I tried sharpening the knife because I seem to be using quite a bit of effort to cut the leather. should the blade easily cut through without much effort? are the blades universal, or are they brand specific? How deep should the cut be?  thanks

Edited November 22, 2021 by biker55

[tsunkasapa]

No, it shouldn't take much effort to cut. MOST blades are universal, there are some old ones I have that take a special blade. And you should GENERALLY be 1/3-1/2 the thickness of your leather. If one design element crosses another (think one vine crossing over another. Or Celtic knotwork) then you wouldn't want to cut so deep.

[fredk]

1. yes, it should cut thru the leather real easy

2. the shaft of the blade comes in about 3 different sizes. If you don't know the brand of your knife just measure the shaft diameter. I think Barry King sells blades with different shaft diameters

3. depending on the thickness of your leather, anything from 1/2mm to about 1mm should be enough. Deeper cuts for deep bevelling, shallow cuts just for decoration, eg fur on an animal

4. some folk reckon a ceramic blade is the real dogs-do-das. I just use the ordinary steel blades

[biker55]

thanks for the responses. I'll purchase a new blade and see how it goes.

 

[YinTx]

You should not need a new blade.  a new one will probably still need sharpening.  What kind of leather are you tooling?  Have you cased it?  Have you stropped the blade?  What did you use to sharpen it?  Do you have a photo of the blade end?

YinTx

[fredk]

On 11/22/2021 at 11:46 PM, biker55 said:

thanks for the responses. I'll purchase a new blade and see how it goes.

A good sharpening is all needs

I like to use this wee gadget to keep the cutting edges right whilst sharpening

https://www.tandyleather.world/collections/tools/products/craftool-keen-edge-sharpener

[tsunkasapa]

38 minutes ago, fredk said:

A good sharpening is all needs

I like to use this wee gadget to keep the cutting edges right whilst sharpening

https://www.tandyleather.world/collections/tools/products/craftool-keen-edge-sharpener

 With soft and hard Arkansas stones and a good strop you should be able to get it where it will cut just fine. I strop my swivel knife blades on paperboard rather than on leather. It doesn't wear on the corners of the blade that way.

[TonyV]

Sharpening and stropping a swivel knife, and all the other cutting tools used in leather, is a basic skill inherent to leatherwork you will want to develop.  There are plenty of threads on this forum and tons of videos on youtube, reddit and elsewhere.

fun bonus; you will have the sharpest pocket knives and kitchen knives in the neighborhood!

[biker55]

Thanks for the responses. sorry about getting back so late. will take everyone's advice on sharpening the blade. have been very busy with work and family matters.

[Tugadude]

1 hour ago, biker55 said:

Thanks for the responses. sorry about getting back so late. will take everyone's advice on sharpening the blade. have been very busy with work and family matters.

I think that's a wise way to go.  If you fall in love with carving, then you'll probably want to invest in a better knife anyway, so don't bother with a new blade.  When the time comes, folks here can recommend their favorite brands.