Essential Tools: Scratches and a Detail Knife

by Eugene Clark with Jonathon Peterson

Originally published in American Lutherie #80, 2004 and Big Red Book of American lutherie Volume Seven, 2015

What are scratch tools, Eugene?

Scratches are something like one-tooth saws. The square one is like a rip tooth, a paring tool like a small chisel that takes a shaving out; and the pointed one is a parting tool that separates. So, you have a pointed scratch and a chisel-shaped scratch. The latter are really just violin purfling tools. These were hand forged from nails. On some of these German scratches you can pull the blade out of the handle and you will see the unaltered point of a nail — good Swedish nails, probably. Nails made from Swedish steel were very much in demand for tools like this.