Grafting with a razor knife

General Fruit Growing
#1

Been a fan of Victorinox knives when grafting for years but this year I finally completely changed over to grafting with a razor knife. It’s not just a matter of speed but it’s also much sharper. Finally got tired of spending 30 minutes adding a good edge back on my knife when I got done. What are your thoughts and what are you using?

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#2

I have been using a box cutter from Home Depot to graft the last 6 years. I wiped the blade with alcohol after each graft to prevent fungus growth. I changed the blade when it getting dull. A box of 75 refill blades will last year’s.

Tony

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#3

Tony are you working on pear and apple grafts or have you finished up? I’m about half done since this weather has been a little touch and go this year.

#4

I only got the pears done and I will start on the apple on Sunday. I may have to graft on some of the pluots next week because the scions starting to wake up.

Tony

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#5

Thanks Tony it sounds like we are on the same page except i’m starting apples next week and finishing pears this week. Cherries are starting to push growth in the refrigerator so I may graft them before the rootstocks green up.

#6

I use the knife I have at the time, which includes a half-dozen pocket knives including a nice little Vic swiss myself…but the knife I use the most often, and find myself actually looking for, is a folding box-cutter from HD or Menards…it is box-cutter sharp, obviously, but it is also much heavier and more rigid than old-school models with retractable blades…it feels the most secure as an extension of my hand.

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#7

A decent grafting knife, properly sharpened, has a much better edge than a new box cutter blade.

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#8

murk, of that I have no doubts…but I do like my sharpening speed…

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#9

I use disposable Personna blades similar to what you see on this picture. They are durable and they stay sharp for a long time.

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#10

I pruned my son’s small orchard for him and saved all the cuttings to practice grafting which I did for 2 months. I got a pruning knife. I had sharpening tools. BUT an exacto knife from the craft store felt the best in my hands. I kinda did my own variation of veneer grafting and appeared to have beginners luck. I kept trying to feel comfortable with the pruning knife (b/c this is what REAL grafters use, LOL) But I felt better control (and MUCH safer) with the exacto knife.

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#11

Same here. I have no problem with the box cutter.

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#12

Marie,

There is a frost warning in Omaha tonight. So cover your tender plants and trees. I like your razor too. But I used the fat Orange box cutter. All the razor blade stayed sharp for a long time. I nicked my fingers once in a while.

Tony

#13

Tony, I have no means to cover the trees, so I hope the flowers and fruitlets will be lucky to survive. Put space heater into the tunnel with tomatoes and peppers, they should be cozy, the other vegetables will be hardy enough by themselves. I wish good luck to you with your trees.

Maria

#14

I’m primarily using a box cutter.

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#15

Those look extremely sharp. Do you have a holder for them?

#16

No I use them as it is. They are made of thick metal, so they do not bend. The blunt ridge is comfortable enough to push with the fingers. There are different variations of those blades for the different price. But even the cheapest ones are very sharp for the grafting.

#17

Knives are over-rated but I like having one still. There’s a guy I send my knife to in Chicago named Frank Surace. If you google him you’ll find him. He puts an edge on my knife as sharp as a utility razor blade. If you send a grafting knife to him be specific that it’s for grafting so he doesn’t sharpen both sides of the blade.

Eight, ten-years ago I bought my Tina grafting knife for 140 dollars back then. It’s a great knife. I think they’re 120 now.

A few days ago I wouldn’t have been able to graft what I was doing with a utility knife. I had 1/8" rootstocks that required I have my hand on the top of the blade of the knife to slowly and carefully make my veneer cut. You cannot safely hold a bare-root seedling in the air and perform the cut necessary with anything other than a knife or (yes just a razor blade you would hold in your hand.) Having the right tool for the job — we all know that lesson.

Dax