Previously, I had been using some random blade that I found in my kitchen drawer for skiving. It was getting the job done, one ratty, rough, time consuming piece of leather at a time. But, I wasn’t complaining. I know that skiving is no one’s favorite thing to do on a Saturday night, so I wasn’t expecting much.
Then along came the safely beveler. There is nothing to compare the smooth, easy slice that it performed on that little piece of leather. I have had a harder time cutting through cake than that. If you can’t tell, I love it! I bought it here for $3.99.
It is not perfect; it will definitely take some getting used to. I am sure it would with an exacto knife, too. You have to be VERY, very careful! It cuts so smooth it will easily cut right through the whole piece of leather before you even know what’s going on. After some experimentation, I have found that it is good to go with cutting off short, thin pieces. Obviously it is more time consuming, but it works better. Then once you get most of he thickness gone, sand out the rest. Once it gets to a certain point, it is really hard not to cut through the leather when it is so thin.
I also got my wood mallet yesterday! I have picked up some mechanical pencils at Micahel’s a few days ago to try Jennifer Buxton’s technique for hole punching. It worked as great as I expected it to! It will take some practice to get the holes even, but overall it works perfect. As far as what mechanical pencil to use, it doesn't matter as long as the tip is metal! I got mine at Michael's, but I am sure any place like Staples or even grocery stores have metal tip pencials.
After some time and some Gum Tragacanth, I ended p with three pieces of leather that I am decently happy with!
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