Finally got my head around that tricky leather paring technique

I was working on a custom journal cover in my basement shop last night, trying to pare down a piece of veg-tan for the spine. My knife kept catching and leaving these awful gouges, ruining two pieces. I took a break, watched a short video from a binder in Seattle, and realized my angle was totally off. I came back, held the blade almost flat against the leather, and it went smooth as butter on the third try. Has anyone else had a breakthrough with a specific hand-tool method that just clicked?

2 comments

2 Comments

paige5143d ago

What video was it? Might need to see that angle.

iris_mason883d ago

Had the same thing happen with my skiving knife. Was pressing way too hard until I saw a guy just letting the weight of the tool do the work. Total game changer.