Thanks to a post by Anna Kirby, I realized I really need to be sealing all my tack items with leather sealer. That prompted a trip to Tandy Leather, which is not too terribly far away but still a bit of a trip.
So of course, while I was there I had to browse around. Just in case.
I’ve always wondered about the special skiving knives that some people use for thinning leather, and the guy at Tandy let me try one out, which is just what I needed. I hate to buy something I find out it’s not going to work the way I hoped. But this thing is awesome! It cost $14.99, but for someone who really hates skiving, it’s great.
The thing I really like about it is that it thins a large area (well, in terms of mini tack, anyways) not just a little bit like I can do with an exacto knife. I found myself still using the exacto and sandpaper to neaten things up, but overall this skiver thing is pretty darn cool.
Before…
…and after!
It’s true that I could have achieved similar results from my old all-exacto method, but not nearly as fast or as easily. Hurrah for new toys!
Shoestring Stable 