The Armour Archive

I just finished cutting some half gauntlets out of sole bend 13-15 oz. leather with a box cutter. There has to be a better way to cut leather. It was almost as bad as cutting out 12 guage stainless with a jigsaw. So what do you use to cut out leather? Is there a shear to do this kind of work?

Ugh... I hate cutting it out like this. I'm always afraid of slicing myself.

Are there any professional leather workers out there? What do you use?

Depending on the leather, aviation snips can work quite well ... though they can leave a funny mark on the edge ...

Michael B

It's easy to mess a cut up with a razor knife, isn't it? Guiding it with a steel straightedge like a metal yardstick helps a great deal.

There's a leatherworkers' knife called a head-knife, shaped like a nut chopper, that is practically semicircular. Its edge, being well curved, is very good for slicing leather with and doing a half bazillion other leather-whittling tasks.

A more modern tool is the leather shears: stout scissors with one edge serrated to help hold the leather to be cut. One good make is Gingher. Considerably more expensive but even more effective, and with a better guarantee than Gingher can offer, is the Cutco #77 Super Shear. It's marketed as kitchen shears with household shear applications, and boy does it deliver -- it'll go through aluminum siding without denting its guarantee, and it blows through nine-ounce belt-weight leather like it isn't there. It tends to slip on something as thick as sole leather, but if you horse it into the cut, the leather will yield. You may wish to try aviation snips for that weight of leather. Put the edge that marks things up on the flesh side, or bevel all edges of the cuts with an edge beveler: planes all those funny little marks away.

If the razor knife is the only option, look into linoleum blades, which are shaped like hooks, so you can cut on the pull without any concerns -- though they may be a little small for sole bends. Also make a point of using a fresh blade. An absolutely razor keen edge makes all the difference -- regardless of knife type.

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"The Minstrel Boy to the war is gone..."

[This message has been edited by Konstantin the Red (edited 01-12-2004).]

I have started using a band saw to cut sole leather. You rough the shape out and then can go back and trim it down as needed. For a long time I found that you can buy special "leather & cork" blades for a jig saw. They work really well, but the band saw is just faster when your making alot of armor. Then just grab your favorite edger and round the edges.

I use a Beverly Shear for sole leather.

You can buy inexpensive craft sheers at Leather Factory that will do the job. It's safer than a box cutter. It doesn't leave "funny edges" like Av Snips. The down side it you end up with Popeye like forearms because it takes quite a bit of strength to use them. The Gingers are a better sheer, but quite a bit more expensive (3-4 times the cost.)

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"Do or do not. There is no try."

James,

when cutting leather that thick, I use a boxcutter and cut a bit outside my pattern lines. I make several passes, deepening the cut each pass. When cut out I dress the edge with a dremel tool and a rough sanding drum, then skive the ragged edges smooth.

A bandsaw would work but I cut so much oily and greasy metal on mine that it would stain the leather to badly.

There is bar none no better leather cutting tool than a head knife but the edge requires a LOT of dressing and stropping to stay in the razor sharp zone.

-Damian

Check out hardware stores. Most times there is someone who knows what they're talking about. I myself am using leather shears that i found at Lowes for incredibly cheap.


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Solei Deo Gloria

unless your doing intracit curves. avation snips work well. I use the walmart brand. I think its power snips. or some crap. they cut better the the 3m wiss brand for leather. grind the teath down if they leave marks. just on the top side though the teath make it a lot easier.

I swear by the Leather Factory Leather shears. The cost about $30.00 two years ago and I cut hundreds of leather scales out of their leather thickness armor (13-15oz). Granted, it was tiring and my hands would cramp after about an hour of cutting but the lines were clean and I could do curves pretty easily.

BEDLAM

I've got Leather Factory shears myself, and they are very good. Then I met the Cutco. Enough said.

gotta second the cutco my brother sells that stuff on and off and we have a couple pair around hear they will cut a penny into a corkscrew without denting the edge

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Fortitudine Et Prudentia
"with fortitude and prudence"

Well I will be ordering a Cutco in the near future. But as for now i figured out a better way to cut this leather. I just coat the box cutter razor blade with bee's wax. Bee's wax makes it sooooo much easier to cut this leather.

Thanks for all the suggestions

Landen