Swivel Knife

The swivel knife is the starting tool of leather carving and tooling. It has a small, chisel-edged blade set in a barrel that spins freely in the handle, letting the blade rotate under the fingers as the hand guides it — which is what makes it possible to cut smooth, flowing curves rather than the straight segments a fixed blade would produce. Every stamped or carved design — floral patterns, basket weave borders, figure carving — starts with swivel knife outlines cut into leather that's been dampened just enough to cut cleanly (a process called "casing").

How to use it

1. Case the leather first — dampen it with water and let it sit until it returns to a slightly cool, even dampness throughout, not soaking wet.
2. Hold the knife upright, resting the index finger in the yoke at the top of the barrel and wrapping the thumb and middle finger around it.
3. Set just the front corner of the blade into the leather at your starting point and draw the knife toward you.
4. Rotate the barrel with your fingers to follow curves, while keeping your wrist and hand angle steady — the leather can also be rotated under the knife for tight turns rather than twisting your arm into an awkward position.
5. Aim for a consistent cut depth throughout; this takes practice, since starting and stopping strokes tend to taper the depth at the ends if you're not deliberate about it.

Care

The blade needs frequent stropping with a leather strop and polishing compound (jeweler's rouge is a common choice) to stay at cutting sharpness — this is closer to maintaining a straight razor than a utility knife. Full resharpening on stones is only occasionally needed if regular stropping is kept up.