Tour of my Tool Kit

My tool kit is brilliant!  It was a gift from Mum and Dad is one of the best presents I've ever been given.  It was made by Scott Exeley Leathers out at Arthurstone near Meigle.  It's very cleverly designed, with a slot for each tool, and rolls up neatly.  It protects my tools, and when each slot is full, I am confident I have everything with me I need to create a linocut.

You can buy a very cheap lino cutting handle and individual tool heads you can screw into the handle - such as the red handled tool below.  However, I would strongly recommend buying 'Swiss cutting tools' - the wooden handled tools below - available from Intaglio Printmakers.  I have been amazed at the range of cuts you can make every time I’ve bought a new tool.It’s very true that a crafts person is only as good as their tools.

Once you’ve bought your tools, you also need to buy a leather strop and some honing paste to keep your tools sharp.  It’s really important to sharpen your tools every time before you start cutting and about once an hour while you’re creating your lino cut.



I keep other equipment in my tool kit - tools for cutting, and pencils and pens for laying out the designs.

 

If you're interested in doing a workshop or seeing my prints, have a look at http://www.threebearsprints.com/ or https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ThreeBearsPrints?ref=si_shop.