I will be grafting some cherry buds and eventually figs and apples.  Very light duty and a very unskilled grower <g>.

Amazon has a selection of knives and 'tools'.  The tools all look interesting, but overkill; I'll be doing maybe 12 grafts over the next 2 years - maybe.

Can someone suggest a good choice given the non-professional/non-quantity of grafting I intend to undertake?  Is a simple, but sharp, pocket knife all I really need?

It's a 'fun' birthday present 'from' my wife along with wax and parafilm and sealer.  It's along the lines of having something to open rather than something I really need.

Thanks all.

Andrew

Andrew,

I've been using razors fitted for utility knives.  For tree peonies, conifers and hard woods, they work very well.  I have one knife handle I use for grafting, but you can use the razor without it... if you are VERY careful.  I cut my finger to the bone a while back...

For me, money is 'less expensive' than blood/pain <g>.  I have enough of one that I don't really want the other - although I have been known to do boneheaded things with tools.

Thanks for the suggestion.


Andrew

I use an inexpensive Victorinox Budding & Grafting Knife. Utility or pocket knives can work, but it is harder to make two matching strait clean cuts. The grafting knife is sharpened on one side of the blade only, making it much easier to make matching cuts. The budding knife has a bark lifter that is really handy when doing T-budding and rind (bark) grafts. 
Even with a grafting knife, they are not sharp enough from the factory. A sharpening stone is a very important piece of grafting equipment that is commonly overlooked.

You may think you will only do a little grafting, but it is very addictive. Probably better to set yourself up for success from the get go.

I found this video useful when figuring out what sharpening tools to buy.

Victorinox

I agree with aphahn, get yourself a better tool since you start slow and then the grafting gets out hand really quickly! Like with the figs :)
I have this one
http://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Swiss-Army-Grafter-Garden/dp/B000687AUY/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1366228331&sr=1-1&keywords=Victorinox+Swiss+Army+Grafter+Garden+Tool

it is pretty good, and you have 2 blades.

apahan suggestions for sharpening tool source?

I just ordered the 2 blade knife in the above link last night. $22, unless you lose it you'll have it the rest of your life. I'm looking forward to using it.

I went for a more expensive sharpening option, a continuous fine diamond hone from DMT. But Again, these are tools you will have for a lifetime. I am really happy with it for both my grafting knife kitchen knives.
I also have a 6000 grit waterstone for putting a really nice polish on the blade. If I were to do it again, I would get a fine and a extra fine hone from DMT. The waterstone needs to be flattened from time to time and needs to be soaked before each use, whereas the diamond impregnated steel never needs maintenance and is ready to go at all times.

I have the two-blade Victorinox in Greenfig's link. That's a good price [only 1 left]  with free shipping and it works great! 

Thanks very much for the info and links.

Do you think that Victorinox blade can get by the first grafting season without being sharpened? Or do I have to get a sharpening tool now? It has been said that the knives don't come sharp enough straight from the factory, but I want to limit my $ invest until I get some better idea of things. I do have one of those cheap long cylindrical rod kitchen knife sharpeners. 

Someone once said that "the most dangerous knife you can use is a dull one"...  I use a Victorinox knife that is distributed under licence by Felco, specifically for grafting ( the same people who make the famous F-2 pruners)...the knife is very sharp out of the box, but when you put it through the sharpening procedure shown in the above Video(post #4 by aphahn) it becomes 'scary sharp'...I have been grafting with mine for over a year(and yes it does need periodic sharpening to keep that 'shaving sharp' edge),
but all the grafting cuts are clean and straight, which greatly increases your chances of a successful graft union. 

Do you do a diamond hone or similar procedure to the aforementioned on your Victorinox?

Good topic, I have a Reed avocado grown from seed given to me by friends. I've planted it though I'm not expecting to get avo's. Avo trees from seed rarely fruit and if they do it's 10+ years. I thought to graft a fuerte and a hass onto this tree so I ordered the Victorinox and will play. I also have a Katy Apricot I'd like to graft other varieties to as well. This could get obsessive...not that I know anything about obsessivness.

svanessa, I also have a Reed seedling, about 2 ft hight now. I want to graft it with the Reed though, I think they are the best. I cut the top a few weeks ago so the stem is thicker before I graft. It grows really fast now, after the spring arrived. 

persianmd2orchard,
If you are just grafting pome fruits (pears right?) you can probably use the factory edge without any increase in failure. They are very forgiving, I have even heard some very experienced grafters suggest "You could probably graft apples with your teeth". Though, as Vince pointed out, you are putting yourself at more risk. $50 seems pretty cheap after going in for stitches ;) You also don't need an expensive stone to get started, there are plenty of less expensive options. Pretty much any reasonable fine sharpening stone will allow you to make a large improvement over the factory edge.

The sharpening steel you have for your kitchen knives does not perform the same function as a sharpening stone/hone. The sharpening steel essentially "combs" the kinks out of the edge of a knife that it acquires during use. Where as a hone actually removes metal to create a sharper edge. 

I would strongly discourage you from using the sharpening steel on your grafting knife. To work correctly the steel composition of the steel needs to match that of the knife. A leather strop, like the paddles shown in the video, are what you use with a very fine edge.

The problem with a stone is that some of us don't know how to use it  :)  Also, if the angle of your knife changes as you slide across the stone isn't that bad?  So if your hand twitches you've ruined your edge.  Do any of the tools that hold your knife at the proper angle work?  Can anyone recommend an inexpensive version?  Thanks.

greenfig,
I don't have access to Reed scion or I would use that for sure. I hear Reeds are awesome. I have a Mexicola (thanks to Wildforgerer) and my folks have the fuerte and hass.

Quote:   ________________________________________________
             Do you do a diamond hone or similar procedure to the 
             aformentioned on your Victorinox?

             Calvin (cis4elk)

            ________________________________________________

Calvin...Yes I use both diamond hones shown on the video...the fine hone(red) is first, followed by the
           extra fine hone(green), then the two paddle strops...the first is embeded with fine emery(black)
           , the second is embeded with jewelers rouge(red).
           The whole idea of the diamond hones(especially the red one) is to erase the factory edge, and
           thin out the blade, forming an extremely thin edge which is then polished and finished with the 
           two paddle strops.  The result is an extremely sharp, thin blade(not quite as sharp as a scalpel
           ,but close).
            

Bob,
I didn't know how to use one either when I started grafting a few years ago (and likely I still don't). Perfection is not required to make a big improvement over the factory edge. Even the first time I sharpened my knife, I was able to make it sharp enough to shave the hair off the back of my knuckle. All I did was take it slow (a thing that is very hard for me), and try to emulate what I had seen. The video above is a really good guide to get started.
Changing the angle is not that terrible, even getting tackled w/o warning by my 3 year old only sets me back a couple strokes.

I had the same concern when I was getting set up. None of the inexpensive sharpening guides I could find seemed like they would work well. Either they would not let me sharpen at the shallow angle I would want or would probably get in the way. That said, I have not used one. If someone does, I'd be interested to hear what they think.

In the end I am glad I didn't buy a guide. Slowing down and taking the time to sharpen my knife really helps me get in the groove for grafting.

You guys are right. My new grafting knife showed up the other day. It's sharp, but I expected more. So, I ordered a stone. How high do I jump?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00ISMYA5S/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1419204036&sr=8-1

I got one of these for christmas, has anyone used these for figs or other fruits succesfully?

Travis, Not that one, but have seen/used some others. They have to be very, very sharp and there can be a tendency to damage the bark, so practice on some wood/branches that are "trash" before you move on to stuff you don't want to lose.

On the suggestion of a seasoned GW member I got one of those razor blades with the snap off blades for grafting. Dirt cheap and no sharpening needed. Haven't used it yet, I'll report in spring.