Stropping A Cheap Skiving Knife To Super Sharp 

Thank you for the insight. I am new to leather and have learned a lot from you. Ordered a knife today. Working at it at a reasonable pace, lots to learn. Thanks again and thanks for the internet and RU-vid.

I've just ordered a couple of those knives Harry. They look good value. Yes stropping is the way to really refine an edge. Sandy

I have one of these cheap knives arriving today. I'm so glad you showed this, I was worried the knife wouldn't be good. I feel better! Thanks! I'm new to leather working and this is my first Skiver.

Thanks Harry! For the novice you you are very good at explaining the leather crafting use of tools

I have the same one. Came in an Amazon kit. Thanks for the video. Sharpened mine, work great

I recently bought the exact same knife on Amazon (for about $10 USD), it was surprisingly sharp right out of the box, but the edge was a little nicked and marred up. After sharpening out those defects with an oil stone, stropping and polishing it, it's become an invaluable tool in my shop. Completely worth the money; and for someone with a tight budget, this is an excellent alternative to some of the far more expensive knives of its kind.

I actually re did my handle on that cheap knife as well, just for fun, and now I really love it.

I also ordered one of these and thought I would have to stop it thanks for showing me how

I got this knife too, and was amazed at how good it was. The wooden handle quality is so so, but the blade is very very good. Great bargain!

I have one of those and you’re absolutely correct!! They’re super nice for the price.

Absolutely! I bought mine from Amazon, quite pleased.

I watched this video and ordered one, and it actually is quite good. I've used it to skive leather strap I made for my watch. Good value for money.

i just received the same knife off amazon. it did come with a nick on the edge but i'll get that cleaned up and other than the nick, i was impressed with its sharpness as delivered. Definitely a few minutes on the strop board will go a long way too as always. a dull tool is a dangerous tool.

Thanks Harry, one more time for the tips!

Thanks for the skiving info Harry.....very helpful man....PS - the snow in the window background shot was pleasing as it is 90deg F and humid herein Atlanta, GA summertime.....Cheers until next time man.

I got one of those knives for about £5. They're very good value for money, but are obviously made down to a price, and can be improved The finish on the handle is a bit cheap & nasty. I sanded it back to the wood to remove the varnish and make it smoother. Now it is more comfortable to hold, and as the grain is revealed, it actually looks quite attractive Knives work better with a long, shallow angled bevel, especially for skiving I ground back the cutting edge on three progressively finer oilstones to remove the small secondary bevel and produce a bevel about 5mm long This is much better; now it is very sharp, and one of my favourite knives The grinding did take a few sessions spread over a week, but it's worth doing

I agree with you in regards to the ferrule/tang. It does get in the way. If you do rework it in some fashion, would you please share it with us? Thanks!

Another great video. I just ordered me new hi dollar knife from a name I cannot pronounce. I,m sure it will do great. Thanks for your video. By the way nice strop. The ones to buy are to narrow and short for me. Mine is older than dirt but still works. "haha"

I wasn’t sure it had worked...then I saw the blood. Top job mate :-)

Hello Harry, I'm new to the whole leather-working hobby and am trying to make a belt. (Your videos are a tremendous help) Anyway I found that the color of the leather wasn't dark enough so I tried dying it. When the dye dried however it made the leather very stiff and difficult to work with. Is there a good way to soften leather and if so would it be possible for you to make a video?

Thanks! Just what I was looking for.

Great vid. Thank you sir

I just bought a 100 piece leather working kit from Amazon knowing that the quality would not be that great but I would get the full range of tools I need to get started. Lo and behold it has the same knife and it was pretty sharp as well.

Very helpful. Thank you.

That also is my complain about the handle. I have been wanting to make a simple one sided handle that i rivet the blade flush on so i can skive at very low angles compared to what i possible with this handle

thank god u pointed out your criticism at the end. the width of the handle and the fact that itll probably interfere didnt even cross my mind o:

I have one. i have stropped this knife like crazy lol and yes it is rather sharp but I find it doesnt hold a sharp edge for very long. Cutting leather is ok but it seems skiving is rather hard and needs to be re stropped after 2 or 3 skives.

Harry, you or anyone else have a link to the knife you have purchased and found to be of good quality? I'm finding some at 4x the price, and I can't tell if they are even the same knife you're recommending. Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to buy off amazon, but ebay will work too!

Ive had that same cheap skiving knife for a year. I only strop it and its still sharp.

How can I sharpen the blade of the tool that thins out leather strips? (it's a long flat blade) I'll try stropping it after sharpening

Tenho uma dessas, vou afiar.

My Dad used a cut throat razor and he used a fine stone and spent more time stropping than he did grinding the blade. He became a wizard of sharpening so kitchen knives were never blunt in our house.

Looks good Harry! Good 2 see your getting all the good equipement for the courses😊 I have recently bought a quarter moon knife (headknife?) how to strop the circle of the knife???

Thanks a lot!

Thank you.

Hi, thank you for your videos! It has been extremely helpful. I’m wondering does the expensive tools really make a difference? I’m just beginning, haven’t really invest in tools yet. At the moment I feel that money spent on better leather and threads make more of a difference. But I would like to know, would say Vergez Blanchard pricking iron and skiving knife really do a much better job than the average Chinese made tools? Like the one in your video?

Hi Harry, useful video as always. By the way, that’s Japanese on the knife blade, but whether that’s just Chinese copying every detail of a Japanese tool or not I couldn’t say. Regards, Gerry

If you do decide to re-profile the round handle, can you please record video doing so? The wood would be no problem to flatten down, but the ferule or collar has me puzzling how to reshape it or replace it. Thanks Harry.

Hi Harry, I have some old scissors which need sharpening. Would the stropping help them too? They are steel, one is Victorian I think. I want to use them in my dressmaking as well as a pair just for leather work. Thank you. Claire. Nottinghamshire.

Harry, What brand of diamond stone and is it reasonably price for someone in the USA? Most diamond stone I see, are little stones place serval mm apart. In your video, when you held it up after cleaning quickly, I did not see and obvious diamonds mounted on the face. Thank you.

Hi Harry, I have one of those knives, and it is very sharp. I was just wondering, how much better is an expensive one? I see you have a couple, is it worth the investment, do you think? All the best . T

When you make a strop do you have the grain or flesh side exposed?

Harry, Do you have a tutorial on how to make a round knife sheath?

Hi Harry, it may be a silly question, I am making a strop. What side of the leather do you strop on? or stick down. The flesh side or the smooth grain side?

Hi Harry, I just got one of those knifes and I was wandering if you can show us how to make a leather cover to protect the edge and ourselfs, I really enjoy your videos, thank you

Can you actually whet the new blade until it has that curve as the blade at 0:28?

I do have the same skiving knife i did the impossible to sharpen it used the leather the red and white rouge and it is still dull any suggestions thank you.

Harry, I always enjoy your videos and information. Two point to make; #1 this is white jewelers rouge as commonly sold in the US? #2 The leather is mounted flesh side up, not the side with hair, correct? #3 The leather should be mounted to a hard surface like your wood board for accurate final sharpening, right? Just trying to clarify. Thanks for all you show someone who doesn’t do this everyday. Regards and thank you.

Show us the materials to make the strope

Are the diamond stones expensive?

Hi Harry! Among the cheap, which one the sharpest. I spent hundreds of dollars buying all kinds of knives, but not 100% satisfied. Thanks

Sir I want leather crafting used tools can you please help me to find some.

Can you put up a link where you purchased the skiving knife?

Do you ever have to replace the leather?

Where do you purchase the knife?

Where can I order those knives at?

👍

Made in Japan, it looks like.

Do you have instagram Harry?

A course? Do tell?

ÇİN MALI DİYE ENDİŞELENDİM AMA .KARGO GELDİĞİNDE DENEDİM GAYET İYİ KESİM YAPIYOR. FİYAT UYGUN. BEĞENDİM.

Why wouldn't you put your strop on the back of your diamond stone?

I will strop my chisels between uses... just to maintain a edge...

Those knives are based on a Japanese design. I have the same one and found it works really well if you use the cutting method shown in this video ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GScGT44oPA0.html. I've found mine particularly good for long straight cuts, but have the same issue with the handle when skiving.

it costed me 10 euros

That’s not Chinese sir. It’s japanese