steveb leatherworks: the blather

You’ve heard me in past posts refer to the fearsome Splitter, the handy as heck (almost a necessity) tool for a leather-crafter to have, and as dangerous a neighbor as you’d ever care not to get close to.  This is a tool with a Dahmer/ Gacey like personality…. yet another tool that doesn’t come with an instruction book, rather, it should come with a “call 911” sticker you can affix to it..ha….  hmmm, not really… only kidding

sorta

The splitters function is simple, it’s to shave, cleave or “split” leather by its thickness.  In English-> this is a tool you use to make a piece of leather “thinner” in terms of thickness.

Sounds easy, sounds simple, right?  Sorry to disappoint – it is anything but. Challenge lies in the fact that it takes a tremendously sharp blade and a good deal of physical force to pull the leather “through” the blade. This is a brute force operation… conducted around a 3lb, 6″ razor blade. It is also really easy to cut through the piece you’re trying to split, which is why , again, experience rules.

I used the splitter in this instance to thin out a strap,  because I am making belt loops. The same thick leather as I use for the belt, I use for the belt loops.  I take a 1/3 off the thickness of the strap i use for the loop, so it will bend sharply and not crack as a thick piece is prone to do. Its a little thing, but then, thats what your paying for, right?

I have a 6″ splitter, meaning the nasty razor blade is 6″ wide and weighs about 3lbs – this is one sharp chunk of steel.. I could not imagine trying to pull anything wider than a belt through this sucker though, the only analogy I can draw is… imagine if it was soft wood we were trying to PULL through a knife blade…ugh!@! Thats is what it is like… stupid, plain and simple. It is one of the reason, I order my hides split at the tannery to the thicknesses I use most.

Out of all the tools I own, this is the only one i left the “stock” safety grill on..it is that scary.