You are probably talking about the lining tool he is using to texture the stems and leaves. As the man said. Hand engravers often made their own tools and the shapes were created for spicific needs. This tool however is just a rendition of the common liner tool, but it is ground on the belly side to make clearance behind the point to clear rope edges and overlays which is common in brightcut engraving techniques since they (rope edges and overlays) are raised above the area that is usually done in scroll designs.
Keep in mind that the occupational engraver must be able to adjust to different situations as he does not always just engrave flat articles. As the work becomes more complicated, tools must be adjusted to suit the job.
What Novices learn in classes are the basic requirements to get you started successfully and quickly. You will find that as you become more competent, the need to know how to alter the tools becomes necessary, and when you think you know something about engraving, you find that it just keeps getting bigger and bigger, requiring more knowledge, so when you call a man a "master", he has not just learned engraving, but many other skills in the process. When you have achieved this same level, it is only then you will understand the struggle of the master, and know him intimately, for his life is in the struggle, not just the product which shows nothing of that struggle by visual appreciation. They aren't aware of the valued experience it takes to make that product. What can you expect from a mass production mentality? You will bump into that ignorance every day of your engraving experience , but taking a little time to educate is well worth while because when the understand your journey to learn this art, they are much more willing to pay your price.
I have had people ask me how long it took me to do a particular job, and my answer would aften be 40 years, but then I would go on to explain what I meant, as they would look at me like I had two noses.
Educate, educate, educate..............That benifits us all in this wonderful art and adds to your own appreciation of it, for it is much better to get a compliment from a knowledgable person than some one who doesn't know what he is looking at. These are the powerful forces that push you onward and inspire you.
Mdengraver;
As Ron said, you can grind a liner to that configuration, or you can save the piece that you would break off on a new graver, to get it to length. You can take that piece and silver solder it on to a piece of drill rod, and wind up with 2 gravers. Just remember to re temper the new graver piece. And if you realy want to do it you could make 5-6 of them out of 1 liner. Food for thought.