Noticed a lot more people asking about leather paring knives lately

Last week at the local craft store in Portland, I saw three different people in the bookbinding section looking for a decent paring knife. One guy was holding up a cheap one and asking the clerk if it would work for skiving leather. It made me think back to about three years ago when I first started, and you hardly ever saw that. Back then, most beginners just used whatever sharp blade they had, or avoided leather altogether because it seemed too hard. Now, with all these YouTube tutorials showing the process, it feels like everyone wants to try a leather-bound journal as their second project. I get it, the results look amazing, but jumping straight into skiving without practice is a recipe for sliced fingers and wasted material. Has anyone else had to talk a new binder down from starting with a full leather cover?

2 comments

2 Comments

mason.margaret1mo ago

Yeah, the part about sliced fingers and wasted material hit home. I mean, my first try at skiving looked like a beaver got to it, and I definitely donated some skin to the craft. Maybe it's just me but starting with a full leather cover feels like trying to run before you can walk, you know? I still have that first messed up piece as a humble reminder.

logan_white461mo ago

But is it really that big of a deal? We all mess up when learning something new. Keeping the messed up piece is kind of funny, not some deep lesson.