Blog Post Knife Build

Hello everyone.

A few months back there was a blog post on how to turn a cheap Chinese "leather trimmer" into a pretty decent craft knife. https://www.leathercraftmasterclass.com/post/diy-the-perfect-leather-craft-knife-build-along-tutorial

This is exactly what I was looking for. It works great and most importantly is DIRT CHEAP. I completed mine with 1/8" thick black canvas micarta "knife handle liner", that I found on eBay for $4. Which gives you enough micarta for at least 2 but maybe 3 of these leather craft knives. Mine aren't perfect or pretty, but believe me they feel great in your hand and perform perfectly. In case anyone was "on-the-fence" about building one. I wanted to share a few things...

Firstly, if you happen to be 'left handed' like me, this project just became much much easier. When holding the blade in your left hand the set screw doesn't interfere with your grip at all. I left it as is and it's fine. Ill post a picture below showing it in-hand.

Second thing I wanted to share is my experience with the disposable "snap-off" style blades. While they are perfectly adequate, I stumbled upon an alternate blade insert which is "leaps & bounds" greater than the snap-off style, with the only drawback being they don't snap-off for a fresh edge. You actually just switch out the whole blade for a new one. Again they are Chinese and cheap, If you can find the "leather trimmer" you can probably find these blades in the same place. They are slightly thicker, but not so thick it won't easily glide through material. Also the actual blade steel is higher quality. I'm guessing because it isn't engineered to "break" by design. The part number for the blades I found are 'FD-505'. I don't remember exactly how much they were but I'm sure they were less than $2 for a 10 pack. They fit perfectly into this knife handle. Also they strop back to razor sharp quite easily. I've used it everyday for at least a month or 2 and I just installed my second blade today (that's what reminded me to share this). I have been so happy with the results! Here's some pictures of both blades installed. P.S. - Ignore my gross hands, I work in construction...