Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Note: If you have any questions that are not answered here, please contact me and I would be happy to answer them and even post here so others can also know...
What advantage does the SK-3 Swivel Knife have over its competitors to make it the most expensive knife on the market?
- 1st: UNCOMPROMISED QUALITY - I use only the highest quality materials - there are no seconds - it's either the best, or it hits the trash bin. I apply this to the yoke, bearing, shaft, barrel, and most importantly, the blade.
- 2nd: It's the LIGHTEST SWIVEL KNIFE IN THE MARKET - a 1/2" barrel with 1/2" blade, and a large yoke weighs about .9 ounces - yet it's strong enough to handle even the most abusive carvers.
- 3rd: Our SK-3 SWIVEL KNIFE GOES OUT SHARPENED, STROPPED, & READY TO CUT - it's totally up to you as to whether you strop it after that. I've had some customers tell me that they don't even need to strop, but still do it out of habit - reinforcing that it doesn't need frequent stropping. I've tried over 22 different alloys, hardened and tempered to everything from RC-67 down to RC-45, which has resulted in approximately 220 different combinations of alloy and tempering techniques. This blade will cut as smooth on the best-of-breed top shelf leathers, as it will on the bottom-of-the-barrel cheap leathers.
- 4th: It's CUSTOMIZED TO FIT YOU – you can adjust the height so it fits to your hand, you get to choose between yoke styles and barrel sizes. Once the right combination of components is put together, you can carve effortlessly, all the while enjoying ultimate comfort.
- 5th: COLOR CHOICES - not that color makes a swivel knife perform any better, but color just adds that one more touch that makes this knife customized for you.
Can the barrel be modified to accept Tandy blades?
Sure, it could be drilled to fit the Tandy blades….but why would you want to do that? This blade is smoother than any blade out there and will hold an edge longer plus I have blades from 1/2” down to 1/8”.
Do you make angle blades?
I can custom grind any angle on any of our five blade sizes - just let me know if you want a steep angle like a Tandy ceramic or a little more shallow and I will do it.
How does your alloy blade compare to ceramic blades?
There is no real way to compare steel alloy to ceramic in that ceramic can not be sharpened. You will definitely feel the difference in our blade in that it will slice the leather instead of just denting it. Our blade will perform as smooth or smoother than most ceramic blades.
Do you make beader blades?
I have been working on beader blades for some time now but still need some details to come together to make everything work just right. When that happens, I will put them out in the market, but unfortunately at this time I don't have everything working the way I think it should be.
Why is your knife so light? Is it all aluminum?
The SK-3 is not all aluminum. The barrel is 6061-T6 aerospace quality aluminum, which is then anodized to make it even harder at the surface, along with having the ability to put favorite colors on it. The yoke has a stainless steel shaft with a sealed ball bearing and a jeweler’s bronze saddle. The blade is sort of a secret alloy.
The SK-3 swivel knife is ultra lightweight, as a matter of fact, with a 1/2” blade, 1/2” barrel and large yoke, it only weighs 0.9 ounces – very easy on the hand when cutting for many hours!
Your swivel knife blades are a bit unique and I was wondering, do you have a sharpening guide that attaches to the swivel knife like Tandy's?
We carry the Keen Edge Sharpener, which is also available through Tandy Leather, but ours are bored on one side to fit our blade. For those that already have a Tandy sharpener, we send a replacement Allen set screw for the jig that allows our blade to fit it for sharpening.