When, Why, and How to Skive Leather by Hand

[@Sigma_Freud18]

Since most of us skive (and most of us don't do it well), this video has great value to me. Correct skiving is a skill most of us don't master right away, because frankly, videos about skiving just don't exist in detail like yours does. Sharpening these knives has also been a mystery to me. Great content..!!!!!

[@9500836]

Skiving is what's make me wanna quit leathercraft sometimes...

[@muleathergoods9116]

Yeah, skiving is not easy, and I'm not afraid to say that I am among the ones who don't do it well, lol. But one thing I'm sure is the sharpening makes it way more easier. Have a good one Ronald.

[@TheTruthHunters]

I'm just starting into leather crafting - and so far, your vids helped me tremendously, you have no idea. I soak it up like a sponge :) Keep it coming and thanks a lot - packed knowledge empowering the newbie. Thanks a bunch! Greetings from Germany.

[@abelvillarreal6488]

Absolute best video tutorial on skiving and the reason to skive your leather edges.

[@jeffb957]

I'm new to leather, but I've been woodworking, including hand carving for years. I was taught to sharpen on stones and strops with the pulling motion, with long strokes the length of the stone. The reason for doing that is to minimize the possibility of gouging or scratching the sharpening surface. Some of the higher grit waterstones are pretty soft, and its easy to mess them up if you are grinding back and forth on one area. The pulling motion also helps in keeping the tool a uniform thickness. However, results are the ultimate test. If what you are doing works, it works 😁

[@charlesjones1535]

Pretty sure he has lots more scrap leather if this piece gets damaged.

[@amyacheson9609]

Hello. I have Arkansas oil stones. What do you recommend for sharpening a skiver? I have the flat knife skiver not the french

[@amyacheson9609]

@@charlesjones1535 what method do you recommend if you are using Arkansas stone? I have the oil not the compound. I need to sharpen desperately

[@jeffb957]

@@amyacheson9609 An oil stone will work just fine for the initial sharpening of the blade. The critical point is to maintain a consistent angle while you sharpen. Try for a 25 to 30 degree angle. Also rub the flat back of the blade flat on the stone to flatten and debur the back as well. The stone alone won't get you there though. Get a piece of 3/4" MDF board,about 4" by 8", and glue a piece of veg tanned leather to the face, rough side showing. There's an abrasive paste called honing compound. Put a generous dollop on the leather surface, and pull the blade across the leather maintaining that 25 to 30 degree angle. That will polish the bevel of the blade. Be sure to also rub the flat back of the blade on the leather in that pulling motion to polish up the back as well. The true definition of "sharp" is two mirror polished planes that meet at an angle between 20 and 45 degrees. So get the angle right, and polish both sides mirror bright, and it will cut really well for you. If you want more info search for woodworking videos on how to hand sharpen woodworking chisels. It's the exact same process. A guy who calls himself "the wood whisperer" did a really good hand sharpening video.

[@amyacheson9609]

Thank you

[@Raisopod]

Most people strop one direction rather than back and forth, it's both to maintain proper edge alignment with each pass and to extend the life of the stropping medium. Back and forth movements have a higher chance to cut through your strop and require you to find new leather to use. Single direction strokes on the strop let you control your blade easier so you get a nice consistent angle, and the edge never travels in the direction of the strop, so you won't cut your strop by mistake. The back and forth movement is good if you're re-profiling a knife's edge on a hard stone if you were to chip or break the edge somehow, since that sort of motion removes a lot of material from the blade quickly.

[@charlesjones1535]

He is using scrap as a strip, not a razor strip, which you do use in both directions anyway with an X stroke. So not really sure what point you are trying to make

[@CasaErwin]

@@charlesjones1535 I thought his point was quite clear. Whether I agree with it or not is another question, but his point is clear.

[@invictusbp1prop143]

Not going to criticize anyone else’s thoughts on this one…because I don’t go out of my way just to be a dick to strangers. But I was always taught that stropping is a one-direction activity meant to remove the microscopic burr that rolls up on the cutting edge of the blade. So to remove it, yo drag the blade away from the edge, never into the edge as doing so would defeat the purpose by cutting into the leather strop if the edge is laying flat against the strip as it should be. Tilting the cutting edge back just the tiniest little bit necessary to avoid the edge catching would elevate the cutting edge off of the strop slightly, meaning you’re not touching the burr on the edge, which is the whole point of your mission. The process also polishes the beveled cutting edge, keeping the bevel flat and smooth while honing that cutting edge as it meets the flat underside of the blade. To my understanding, flipping this blade over and trying to cut with the bevel down is a bit like jerkin it with the back of your hand or writing your name with your elbow…. Ya might be able to make it work but it’s gonna be clumsy, inefficient, and just ain’t the right way of doing things. Things are made a certain way for a reason. With the bevel up, you can control the depth of your cut. If you put the bevel down, you can really only cut deep and will likely take a big gouge out of your work if anything. In order to get anything like a consistent cut, you’d almost have to grind a bevel on the flat side of the blade as well, wouldn’t you? At that point, just use your pocket knife. A chisel grind knife is made that way for a purpose. If you add a grind on the flat side, you’re changing your edge geometry, making the grind finer which means more maintenance and probably the need to run it over a stone progression every time to straighten your edge, remove scratches, fine tune it, and THEN strop it instead of just stropping it. And if you’re not someone who knows how to properly sharpen blades, or someone who loves to constantly sharpen and maintain blades, it may not be a good idea. …in my opinion. Jus sayin.

[@Rossski]

I thought that you were supposed to use the suede side of the leather too

[@wilsonmiller1903]

He was just doing the top grain side because it’s easier to see on video, he normally dose the flesh side. :)

[@andreyka64]

I don’t even work with leather , but I still enjoy your videos.

[@Bawamba]

Hehe same here, just enjoy watching someone that's good in their profession :)

[@Corter]

I'm so happy to hear :) you should give it a go sometime, it's fun!

[@andreyka64]

@@Corter my friend made a simple leather wallet. Now im tempted to make one myself, or a belt.

[@HBSuccess]

Me too. My dad was a bookbinder though and so I’ve always been interested in leatherwork.

[@wonderwend1]

You are SUCH a fantastic teacher

[@andreatthatsme]

Eric, on a serious note, I wrote the previous post way before watching the whole video. So... you asked the question about if anyone could give you a reason not to rub back and forth. I can't. But I can tell you that the leather crafters from Japan and Korea i watch do not rub that knife back and forth and sometimes they use a wet stone with oil. Same thing with those particular French skivers. Most americans (primarily midwesterners) don't use that knife. They use the moon knife. Only those of us like you and i who have lived, or immersed ourselves into asiatic cultures, have expanded to using tools in their trade. If I find the video I'm thinking of, I'll post it separately. And you are correct. Skiving the edges and leather properly brings your projects to a whole nother level. And finishing edges with dye or tokonole gives it a clean look. It really depends on the look your going for also is the difference between being paid $30.00 for a simple veg tan wallet and $75.00 for the same pattern where someone takes their time and pays attention to detail. 🤑🤗😉

[@Zer0_Cool69]

Good tips. I like how you used the wing divider to show where to start your skive.

[@notwrkn2mch]

Had to skive for the first time today and while it wasn't bad it still wasn't great.... Now is see Your demo and it will be a big help on my next project

[@jimathey6153]

OLD LEATHER SMITH here, very good Eric, sorry I was taught 2 use a ROUND KNIFE 2 Skive but all of the tools you showed work well 2. GOD'S BLESSINGS ✝️⚾🙃

[@CasaErwin]

That piece of leather that keeps the blade from cutting the stitching is called a "welt."

[@phreddiecadarn9431]

Here in Brazil we call it "alma", or the "soul" of the sheath. It makes kind of sense.

[@antoniocomputersbarreto7429]

Awesome advise. I learn something new today. Really appreciate it. God bless

[@duxallinarow]

How do you guys always know what I need to know for my next project? Excellent video. Even the sharpening tips are useful. Back to the Weaver shopping cart!

[@carlajohnson846]

I was convinced I needed a motorized skiving machine before finding your tutorial! Thank you for showing me that developing handtooling skills is a better investment.

[@DJDarkGift]

Stropping does make your knives sharper plus you don't have to sharpen them as often. If your using compound as you should be, it is an abrasive so it obviously will sharpen a bit to some extent. I'll even strop my exactos and scalpel blades a bit and they last a bit longer. I only strop in one direction and try to keep the angles constant. Great vids. Thanks for your tips and experience. Have a crap ton of leather from a warehouse find and thinking of making some things for myself.

[@crawford5450]

Best skiving video on you tube. Period.

[@admcc56]

Very good tutorial. Thank you for being so thorough.

[@tataydev]

I definitely learned something today. I like videos like these as they are very objective and with simple examples they are able to send the message across. I am new to leather craft and just started practicing saddle stitch on scrap leathers and will continue to work on those basic skills, stitching, skiving, burnishing, etc... before I go on a particular project. Thanks so much the video!

[@mikepower4113]

Just bought some skiving tools. Your video explains them. Great video

[@tonynet2709]

Great video. Learned another couple "small" points, even though I already have some experience. You really do well as an instructor. Keep up the good work!

[@QueenB1066]

This is a great video. I'm just earning to make leather creations and I've learned so much about skiving. Thank you.

[@whazee]

I cant say which stropping technique works best, but even cheaper knives can get devilishly sharp with just a pull stroke! 😄 Always helpful guys, thanks!

[@risosdamaromba4742]

Awesome Awesome Awesome video! Dont have any words different then this! Thanks so much!

[@patrickrostker6693]

Best tutorial ive seen, im new to this becaus im redoing leather for an old camera and getting custom about it. This will hel because i have great quality albeit thick leather to work with. Thanks for posting, now i have more tools to aquire 😅 🎉❤

[@JamesThomas-ub2wd]

Thank you for the education and for keeping me company during the pandemic. I have learned a lot and am grateful for you and your videos.

[@waynestockwell4010]

A great job of explaining how to skive.

[@toddwells7970]

Just coming across this video, as I'm shopping for a straight skiving knife...funny how that happens! Great tutorial and generous information that is so well presented! Thank you!

[@andyshields5935]

Thank you for your informative detailed explanation on skiving leather, sharpening with the white (course)/red(medium)/ green (fine) rouge before using any tool and for detail and thinning the leather for stitching. Now I have to go, practice skiving. Great job, keep up the great videos.

[@thisissoeasy]

Extremely well explained! Thank you very much!

[@michaelhada1865]

Great tutorial for a beginner like me. This is one technique or skill I would love to master and you explained this skill very well. Thank you.

[@donnaroberts164]

Excellent video! This will help me big time!

[@patriciaingraldi4719]

Thank you. Always great information from you.

[@elizabethhampton1557]

Thank you for sharing your expertise..incredibly helpful!

[@rohanbruce1]

Thanks for all these videos. Your explanations are really helpful for a newby like me. Much appreciated.

[@agnesrambling]

Funny thing is, while i am finishing wallet, I am watching this and keep nodded my head because that is what I have learned from your other videos. Great info.

[@freezinweasle1]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge. I am also a blacksmith and have made my own skiving knives. I am in the process of making another one.

[@bjw8427]

Great video. Just getting into leather crafting. Great teaching!

[@TheMariusDarkwolf]

Awesome video. Love your work, glad to see this one

[@fluegge1904]

Ahhh so thankful to find this video! I can't wait to go practice. This was exactly what I was looking for!

[@davidenglund]

This was a very good teaching video. Thank you for taking such care in your presentation and explanations. So far the only skiving I've done is to thin thick leather spots for snap locations, or to create small patches of leather to cover snaps/rivets. Just had an "Ah ha!" moment while watching, and you didn't even cover this. But I realized when creating those small patches, I should skive a bigger piece first and then cut the patch from it. LoL Doah! Many thanks. :)

[@pwman]

Loved this video. Sharing techniques, insights and learnings! That you so much for doing this!!!!

[@chrisebbesen5798]

Excellent, top notch! Thank you for your help.

[@nathang2209]

so many questions answered thank you!

[@hjalar]

Just the information I was looking for, explained beautifully. Thank you so much!

[@Dragon652]

Hi there from NYC. Thank you very much. Very very helpful, informative and simply put.

[@jorgenunes9488]

Thank you for the video, you are a very good instructor !!!

[@albertoarnaizt.9746]

Felicidades, por la "masterclass" un video muy instructivo. Estoy deseando el siguiente. Gracias por compartir tus conocimientos

[@femipajo3309]

Hola amigo. Disculpa.. Como se llama esta técnica en español?

[@albertoarnaizt.9746]

@@femipajo3309 Se llama rebajar cuero ;l

[@DameonTheTrainer]

WOW! You covered that very well. Thanks, you clarified my questions and doubts.

[@dzpak]

I haven't watched this video, and I already know I will appreciate this... Some parts of skiving has been a bit of a mystery to me

[@nkosiakinlabi3135]

I love your method and will be using it, but first a lot of practice. THanks for sharing!

[@rmojo23]

Very cool! We appreciate all of all your hard work on all of these! Can’t wait to print them. I use the older versions everyday.

[@charlesabaday6815]

Just discovered your channel. Great videos you're making of your beautiful work, so clear and helpful with your explanations. You break down the craft into its most fundamental steps and techniques, with videos that focus on each skill. I especially appreciate your guidance on practicing, again and again. Practice makes perfect. Plus, you're a fellow Bay Stater living on Cape Cod. Just wonderful and Many thanks.

[@matthewsharp9395]

Great video. I really enjoy watching your in-depth instruction vids

[@thomask5965]

With leather strops which are soft unlike sharpening stones there’s a greater chance of rounding your edge by doing pushing or sideways motions while sharpening. You’re also more likely to gouge into your leather strop. You can also round your edge with a pulling motion if you press too hard, which is something for new sharpeners to keep in mind. Whatever works, works though. Consistency is key and if you’re able to get a consistently sharp edge then don’t worry too much about “best practices”

[@abubakerfarhat9524]

You are such a great person

[@WobblingHobGoblin]

Your videos are the best! You've inspired me to try and build a card wallet! :D

[@joekeffer3520]

Outstanding tutorial. Thank you.

[@ronaldphillips8166]

Everyone learns the same technique's in their own unique way. Good training information and video. Subscriber

[@Milocinia]

Stropping side to side will remove a lot of burs that you don't need to lose. The other way aligns them more without removing them. Think of a blade like a comb. You don't want to remove the bristles of the comb if they get bent. You just want to realign them. Magnified a blade looks like a jagged serrated blade. You don't want to remove the serrations but to realign them.

[@danielpeens3253]

Absolutely love your teaching videos!

[@jacoklopper4772]

Thank you for the tips Sir!

[@Sam-gf1eb]

There actually is a reason to strop one direction instead of back and forth. Stroping is just like using a stone, except it's much more precise. Stroping back and forth the way you do is creating scratch marks horizontally, which makes it easier for the blade to break. Think about it like the grain of wood. It's much easier to break wood if you break it along the grain instead of going against it. You won't notice a difference on leather since it's a relatively easy thing to cut, but if you sharpened a knife with horisontal scratches and used it for whittling dry wood, you'll probably get some chipping at least on the microscopic level.

[@vasuhardeo1418]

supercool tips , bought a tool set and I was wondering what both those tools were for, thanks for the useful info dude.

[@Blove0130]

You are such a great teacher!!! Thank you :)

[@chauvoduy9350]

I work with chrome tanned leather. I sharpening the knife before each skives but it only stay sharp for a little, it dull very quick and i need re-sharpening very often. My sharpening gear: 400-800 grit double side stone, 1000 grit natural stone for polishing the knife.

[@snakehandlerjorge]

Great block of instruction, thank you for this

[@brianmcurtis]

You can use a flat knife to thin leather by flipping it over and riding the bevel, which I learned from woodworking with chisels.

[@drawingpassionchannel1887]

Your videos are so inspiring and fun to watch !! i don't work with leather; i am an artist but i enjoy watching your videos and the way you teach unique techniques :))

[@johnnyc.5979]

Most excellent, always enjoy your videos. I am slowly replacing my Chinese "tools" with more professional equipment. Just bought the skiving knife and French edger using your link. Thanks...

[@joerunyan2438]

Very good video and great teacher, I have learned a lot!

[@caotico9014]

Thanks for making this video

[@406Montana]

This was a great video. I've been doing it all wrong with my knife and I really suck at skiving. Thanks..

[@matthiascarroll1924]

Informative is an under statement. Thank you!

[@brendan6747]

22:28 I'm pretty sure this one point is stated 40 times in one video Amazing skills and video dude I learned a ton thanks 👍🏿

[@bhepburn1344]

Thank you. Very helpful and great tips.

[@joshuayilikalasrat8471]

Thank you so much, it is a clear video and helpful tools. Where could I buy the tools?

[@FrugalShave]

Very good and informative video.

[@knifeandsheath1049]

Some excellent tips, Thanks

[@kchortu]

I skive the edge in one continuous motion on an angle. I also like an olfa snap knife that is super stropped and a Japanese skiver. The hard smooth glass/granite is not optional, honestly it is more important than the knife.

[@paulgraham4435]

What about using a smooth piece of plate steel? Or is this not as good as glass and marble?

[@SamBluestein]

A reason that I don't like to strop side to side is because if you use too steep of an angle by even just a little bit the blade will dig into the strop and I always feel like when it "cuts" through the compound it gets really dull

[@MakingwithMarilyn]

Great video! Thank you.

[@randyfernando4442]

very well explained. 👍 I just picked up a flat knife to practice skiving, but if i have seen your video first then i would definitely get the french edger first. Thanks for the content! oh one question- Do i need to use that compound to sharpen the knife or only when im polishing it? Thanks!

[@andreatthatsme]

I love skiving 🤪. I know your trying to reduce your footprint but I hope to get a bell skiver next year. That will change my life. Come on "E", cave with me. 😋

[@sinocaig]

great video though thanks for explaining the french skive

[@s7bfreeman]

I learn so much from you, Eric. Thank you! Okay, question for next video: once you've skived your edge, you have a slope towards the edge. How do you ensure your chisel stays straight when you punch holes in a sloped stitching line. As always, thank you for the wonderful videos and your patterns; I haven't bought them all yet, but I'm on my way.

[@Corter]

Lots of practice! When you're practicing your skiving, before you cut off your skived edge to go again, practice punching through the skived edge holding the chisels straight. I used a very thick piece of leather here (around 8oz) so it would show on camera, if you're skiving thinner leather it is much less noticeable and remains pretty easy to get your chisels through straight :)

[@cyclone538]

I agree a lot of practice now my wallets and projects are coming out a clean straight holes

[@nicolejackson1781]

Thank you for this video! I've been slowly getting into leather working because of your great videos! Could you possibly do a video on how to sharpen your tools? Especially the flat Japanese knifes.

[@muleathergoods9116]

Great video. I made a sheath pretty simillar to this one, but my skiving knife is not as fancy as yours.. lol.. and I do just the same way you do to skive the edges, the "diagonal style". But I really need the french one, it seems to be really handy. Well, thanks for all the effort on making this video. Loved it. Cheers.

[@yutaadi]

20:29 Thinning out already thinned leather is the most difficult part. I'm a beginner in leatherwork and always screw it up at skiving thin pieces.

[@nkosiakinlabi3135]

Everybody that’s good at skiving was also bad at it!

[@ilyusishmukhametov4476]

Very informative video, thank you !!!

[@orange-o]

Great video!

[@BornAgain330]

Hey brother quick question I’m new to the whole leather crafting and I’m a welder and equipment operator by trade so I was thinking all man I got this won’t be no problem ha ha slicing is pretty tough so I got mad and pulled out the angle grinder 🥴But let’s say over the last week I have learned there is no substitute for a sharp blade and I think anybody trying to learn the technique of hand skiving while you’re learning I believe a sharp blade and patients will make or break how well someone learns this trade. Just throwing that out there and how often do you go through Blades if someone was to use an X-Acto knife? God bless take care

[@quartercat]

Working with it side to side makes it harder to maintain the angle of beveled edge. Generally you'd want to pull the knife down the strop because it's easier to control the angle of the bevel. Also, the Japanese skiving knives have a slight curve to the edge so mind the corners... additionally, don't press to hard, let the polishing rouge do the work.

[@Corter]

ahhhhhh, see I knew there was a reason :) thank you! I'll try to change my habits too, that makes a lot of sense. Pressure is a big one, not pressing too hard sharpening and not pushing too hard skiving are very important - let the knife do the work!

[@jonathanyates707]

A really useful video. My style of stropping is single direction, but that aside, i found this extremely informative. Thanks.

[@Добрыйдень-б6т]

Thanks a lot! I like it!👍

[@jorgethe9020]

Gracias Maestro por él vidio 😊🙏🙏

[@xavisoloyo]

Thank You very much.

[@dperisty1]

This is probably the best video I've seen on skiving, thanks! Stropping sideways, though... ehhhh :P

[@KaramKaram-tk9ge]

Hello ..thank you so much for your videos ... Could you please make a video about what is the kind of leather do you use for wallet and tote bags and what is the best thikness for projects

[@Scarecrowking]

Could you make a video about sharpening your tools?