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Draw Cut Ink Press

For The Love of Linocut & Relief Printmaking

Linocut JournalTools & Materials

Pfeil Lino Cutting Tools – A guide

written by Draw Cut Ink Press 22nd February 2016
Pfeil Lino cutting tools

I receive a lot of questions from people asking me about the Pfeil lino cutting tools I use, and I’m not surprised. Whilst Pfeil are brilliant at making lino cutting tools, they are pretty rubbish at actually selling them by informing their prospective customers about their product. I would fully recommend these tools, they are a pleasure to work with and appear to be the lino cutter and print makers number one choice.

I’m not an expert, but I’ll share with you my thoughts and any useful info about the tools in this blog. Firstly, Pfeil tools are Swiss made, they have a pear shaped wooden handle made from Ash that sits comfortably in the palm of your hand whilst you work with it. They are 12.5cm in length and the chrome vanadium alloy steel metal parts of the cutting tools are all heat treated and sharpened into great cutting edges (So mind your fingers and don’t slip!).

Pfeil U Shaped Tools

Pfeil U Shaped Tools

The tools are mainly distinguished by the profile of their cutting edge and then the general overall size of the business/cutting end. The sizes scale up from very small, 0.5mm wide up to 10mm in width. The shape of the cutting ends are V-Tool and U Shaped or ‘Gouge’ Tools and Flat Tools.

You can buy the tools individually or in sets of six, eight or twelve. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend buying twelve to start with as they are expensive tools and you will probably find like me that you have some that you use all the time and then others that you use a lot less.

If you buy a set of six like I did there are a few sets to choose from, imaginatively named LS A, LS B, LS C & LS D. I have added a small screenshot from the Pfeil website below that shows you the profiles of the different tools in each set.

Pfeil-lino-cutting-tools

I didn’t completely understand the naming convention, but the number after the forward slash seems to represent the measurement of the width of the cutting edge in millimetres. However, my knowledge here has been expanded by DCIP visitor Jon who wrote in and stated that he believes the number before the slash is the degree of curvature of the tool. A1 is a flat blade, while 5 is a shallow U-shape, 8 and deeper U, 12 a V, and 15 a very sharp V – Nice one Jon!

So apart from sounding like the names of Atlantic convoys, what’s the difference and which one should I buy I hear you ask? Personally I’d recommend tool set – LS C as it has a really nice variety of U-Shaped gouges and V shaped cutting tools. This was the set that I got and I’m very pleased with it. However, I do like to work in fine detail quite a lot and so did end up buying one more V Shaped tool L 12/1 which I absolutely cannot live without.

The other sets seem to have a lot of flatter profile tools and less variety, but this really does come down to personal choice and the style you prefer to work in. I would say that as a person who enjoys fine detail but also needs to quickly clear away areas of lino then LS C is a good choice. I tend not to work larger than A4-A3 in size, but if you were working on a very large scale you might prefer to go for set LS B as that has some good size tools for clearing away excess negative space in your designs but still comes with a few tools (L11/1 and L12/1) which are very well suited to finer details and accurate cuts.

The tools I use all the time are the V-Shaped carving tools L12/1, L 15/2 and the U-Shaped tools L9/2 and L8/3.

I use the V shape tools for all the accurate edges and corners, and I really like the effect you can achieve for areas of shading in your designs by just slightly penetrating the lino and then flicking the tool up and out. The V-Shaped tools also provide nice sharp pointed ends to lines, whilst the U-Shaped tools will naturally give you a much softer and curved end point to a line.

Pfeil LSC U shaped tools

L9/2, L8/3 and L8/7. These U-Shaped tools all come in the pack of six pfeil tools LS C

v-shaped-pfeilTools-cuttingProfiles

L11/0.5, L15/2 and L12/4. These V-Shaped tools all come in the pack of six pfeil tools LS C. L12/1 I bought separately.

You can buy Pfeil lino cutting tools from lots of places online. I bought mine from G&S Tools and Timber for £83.71 which was the best price I could find when I looked. You can also buy them from other online retailers like www.greatart.co.uk who sell the tools individually or you can visit Intaglio Printmakers if you are in London and near to Borough. Another new online resource that I was recently contacted by is a website called Handprinted where you can also get Pfeil Tool Sets. I’ve also just found another retailer in London near the British Museum called Cornelisson that also stock the Pfeil tool sets as well as individually selling the tools.

For all you lino cutters in North America I have found an online store called www.woodcraft.com who sell sets of six for $139.99.

Thanks to fellow lino cutter Sarah from Germany who got in touch I can also reveal that you can buy Pfeil carving tools from art suppliers Gerstecker or Boesners. They sell a range of Pfeil tools for 15,12 €  and 13,70 € respectively. This is a great price, and although I am not sure if they ship internationally it’s definitely an option for European lino artists.

Pfeil Lino Cutting Tools – A guide was last modified: August 16th, 2019 by Draw Cut Ink Press
Pfeil Carving Tools
40 comments
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40 comments

Laura 26th August 2016 at 4:55 pm

Thank you so much for this post! I was starting to get desperate on how to decide which Pfeil Tools I should buy and this has helped me a lot.

Reply
Loraine Callow 28th September 2016 at 11:14 am

Super helpful. Just the information I was looking for. Thanks.

Reply
JB 18th October 2016 at 11:12 pm

Thanks, this is really helpful. As you say, info from Pfeil is minimal. Cheers!

Reply
Peter Hinton 12th November 2016 at 9:52 am

Thank you! You have cleared up a great deal for me. Now I can tell people exactly what I want for my upcoming birthday…

Reply
Carolyn Cox 22nd November 2016 at 2:00 pm

What a clear, informative and helpful post- gave me the confidence to buy, and at a very good price. Thank you so much.

Reply
KEREM AKSUN 25th November 2016 at 1:36 pm

Thank you! This post made my mind clear before buying Pfeil sets

Reply
Jacquie Nunn 13th December 2016 at 7:29 am

Pfeil should employ you as their brand ambassador! Really helpful. Thank you.

Reply
Jon 18th December 2016 at 8:10 pm

Very helpful. I believe the number before the slash is the degree of curvature of the tool. A 1 is a flat blade, while 5 is a shallow U-shape, 8 and deeper U, 12 a V, and 15 a very sharp V.

Reply
Anuk Naumann 3rd January 2017 at 5:00 pm

Thanks so much for this really informative piece. You will have saved me a lot of money as I would have probably bought several tools which I would never use.

Reply
Rob 3rd January 2017 at 10:13 pm

This is the best (easy to read and informative) post on lino tools I’ve read, so helpful, and actually encouraged me to take the plunge (feeling far more confident which ones would be useful for me) and buy some! (I opted for the L9/2 and the L15/2/ MANY MANY THANKS for taking the time to write this post!

Reply
Angela 10th January 2017 at 4:29 pm

Thanks so much I will definitely be purchasing these, I am a painter and have gotten into a bit of carving thanks for the info it helped a lot.

Reply
Anne-Lieke 5th February 2017 at 1:32 pm

Thanks so much for this. Very informative!

Reply
md yasin 6th February 2017 at 4:33 pm

Thank you so much for this wonderful article.

Reply
Alice 10th February 2017 at 12:31 pm

Such a helpful post, thank you for taking the time to write it.

Reply
Neil Heidrich 11th February 2017 at 12:48 pm

Hugely helpful info. Thank you so much!

Reply
Ann Murray 1st March 2017 at 9:36 pm

Thanks so much for this explanation which has helped me choose the right size Pfeil tools! Ann

Reply
Linda 6th March 2017 at 9:56 am

Thank you – you’re the only one to give clear advice to a beginner!

Reply
Maureen 19th April 2017 at 10:30 pm

Super helpful. Thank you. I saw them today at Cornelissen’s in London. Sets and individual tools. They also carry the Pfeil sharpening stone set.
https://www.cornelissen.com/

Reply
Alan 27th April 2017 at 6:20 pm

Your link to Woodcraft.com in the USA goes to the set B. Set C is what you suggest and that one is $174.99. Looks less expensive to order from G&S even including VAT and international shipping fee, still less.

Reply
Heather Cameron 30th April 2017 at 4:43 am

This was super helpful!
Are these able to be sharpened or do they pretty much last forever?! You are right about not having much info on their site!

Reply
Tim 11th May 2017 at 5:23 pm

This is such great advice for a beginner like me – thanks a lot.

Reply
Helen Jones 21st June 2017 at 9:42 pm

Great post! Thanks for the advice. I had not idea what to get.
Helen

Reply
Stefan Popovic 26th June 2017 at 4:57 am

Fantastic stuff thank you so much for taking the time to write this. For people in Canada, there’s a store in Montreal that sell Pfeil tools: http://www.langevinforest.com/en/tools/carving/carving-chisels
I ended up getting the 12/1 to start my kit.

Reply
Melissa 20th August 2017 at 5:46 am

Thank you for demystifying the size options of each set. This post is tremendously helpful! Cheers!

Reply
Kathy 23rd December 2017 at 7:37 pm

This was very helpful, especially the pictures showing the actual cuts and how they match up to the blades. Thanks!

Reply
Doug 8th March 2018 at 11:56 am

Really useful thanks a lot. I realised Pfeil were the best ones but didn’t know the numbering system and the best use in practice.

Reply
Kaylene 16th May 2018 at 8:29 pm

Super helpful. Pfeil should hire you as their spokesperson!

Reply
Bruce Britton 30th May 2018 at 4:32 pm

This is such a useful post. You anticipated all my questions and I agree with the comments that refer to the photos showing the blades and the cuts. Really useful. I’m now planning to upgrade to Pfeil from my rather inferior Essdee starter handle and blades!

Reply
Mary lowe 29th June 2018 at 10:56 am

So good to get some really useful info’. Thanks very much for sharing it.

Reply
Mary Keane 29th July 2018 at 8:20 pm

Thank you for your really helpful advice on tools. I am about to buy new ones and didn’t want to spend a fortune. The ones you suggest sound fine for me. Best wishes.

Reply
Jon 7th February 2019 at 10:25 am

Great advice and blog – many thanks!!

Reply
Elza 11th March 2019 at 8:00 pm

I’ve noticed that people are raving about the L12 tool as the finest and best one for details, but the L11 looks much finer to me. Can you weigh in on that?

Reply
Draw Cut Ink Press 14th April 2019 at 10:32 pm

They are both favourite’s of mine to work on details. The L12 is a very small V shape, whereas the L11 is smaller but more U shaped. I think that the L11 can be let down if the printmaker doesn’t apply enough pressure when using it to cut into the lino (or wood) then the cut can be too shallow and therefore it doesn’t print clearly. The beauty of the L12 is that you can get cleaner and clearer cut marks. It’s all about practice and personal preference I guess… I use them both all the time and would recommend them both equally.

Reply
Teri 22nd April 2019 at 3:39 pm

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this – just what I wanted to know!

Reply
Sarah 13th August 2019 at 12:16 pm

I am so pleased to have come across this article whilst searching for info about Pfeil tools! I have been wanting to get some for ages but couldn’t tell which ones would be most useful and didn’t want to make an expensive mistake. Thank you very much for writing this. Pfeil should be paying you commission for doing what they’ve failed to do themselves!

Reply
George 4th September 2019 at 3:20 pm

Hi thanks for a very informative piece do the handles have flat on them fro stop them from rolling on the bench when laid down?
George

Reply
Draw Cut Ink Press 10th September 2019 at 9:53 pm

Hi George, Yes that’s exactly right! And you can quickly glance at the tool tag that is stamped into the metal stem of the tool

Reply
Bill 19th October 2019 at 3:20 pm

Can I use them on wood ?

Reply
Draw Cut Ink Press 23rd December 2019 at 5:52 pm

Yes you can https://www.drawcutinkpress.com/linocut-vs-woodcut-printmaking-materials/

Reply
Ollie Patricio 5th March 2020 at 4:53 pm

I really struggle with fine detail and this has been extremely helpful! Thank you

Reply

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