The swivel knife can be one of the most tricky leather tools to get comfortable with. It takes a lot of time running one to develop good feel for it. After a handful of years, I still learn something new with it every single day.
A swivel knife is used to carve vegetable tanned leather and can be utilized to create beautiful pieces of art! While the knife doesn't actually remove material, it cuts the surface and opens up a small channel. Those cuts will often times make up the primary object of the design and will then be beveled, to add depth. The swivel knife can also be used to create single detail cuts, often referred to as decorative cuts, deco cuts, ornamental cuts, or dress cuts. These flowing cuts are generally the final step of a tooling project and play a key role in highlighting the intricate details of a pattern.
In this video, decorative cuts will be the main focus, but basic swivel knife usage is the most important part to creating smooth and effortless dress cuts!
Leather:
Hermann Oak full grain natural vegetable tanned tooling leather
Swivel Knife:
Barry King 1/4" thin blade 3/8" barrel
Girty Leather Co. Website:
https://girtyleatherco.com/
Music by: Epidemic Sound