Flowing Edges

sterile scalpel blade for leather carvingtracing pattern pieces onto leatherhow to cut a thick leather hide

Looking closer at the technique for cutting the leather into the most fluid of lines, using a fresh scalpel-knife to carve the pattern pieces onto the right side and turning over the blade to lift the wrong side and re-trace the incision, effortlessly employing the material’s own weight while sleekly slicing the way through the hide.

slice-lines in 6 ounce leatherhow to cut a thick leather hideleather corset pieces, cut from pattern

2 Comments.

  1. Ahhh nice method. I use a normal cutter-knife (like you use them for carpets) of cause a skalpel is much sharper

  2. It is, but the sharpness doesn’t last long. Normally it’s fine, but for this much sculpting I have to switch blade every 3 to 4 pieces if I want to keep my edges smooth.
    The real benefit of it is how easily it handles while slicing curved lines, which is a horror of a thing to do with standard cutter knives. :)