jcuk

I keep an eye out for Dixons tools and have to say that price unfortunately seems about the going rate this side of the pond for the 8'' splitter. About six weeks ago i saw one which i think was a 6'' marked as some kind of leather cutter they did not realise what they had it was £120 so i kept an eye on thinking no one would see it even told my other half i was interested in this up to £250 - it just needed a bit of a clean up, the blade looked good.But one day before it was due to end someone bid i thought thats ok, then someone else and so on - i think in the end it went for around £480 and it was not in as good nick as the one for sale the moment. Along with the Osborne 86 splitter i also have a 84 which i got from ebay they said it was lightly used which it was, sure i paid £399 which against a new one here it was a steal for me - it was buy now it was its first day on there, so snapped it up but have to say it not as well made as my old 86 but it does the job and to be fair to Osborne stand by their life time guarantee (which they did for a old round knife that got damaged not a fault of the knife contacted the people i got it from here 25 years before they ask what was wrong told i ask if they could get another handle so i could fit it they said send back they will send another one which they did unfortunately not as good of my old one which was a great knife). I know what you mean about getting one from Weaver but the import and customs and vat will make it lot more expensive, i had to order some things from Aaron Martin out of Canada and was i stung with extra payment but had no choice could not source them closer to home, they are a good company to deal with. As for flea markets car boot sales yes sometimes there are bargains to be had but since covid hit there seemed to be a lot of new interest in leather work this side of the pond ( think its on the decline now ) now things have opened up, but it did make people more savvy about the things they were selling. Its not only Dixons there are other old British makes i keep an eye out for even though i don't think i need to much else but i am a sucker for old tools.

One thing i would say ask the seller if he could get a better pic of the blade because if thats gone could be hard to replace and expensive if you can, from the pics already there it looks good and yes as i said if i was in the market for another splitter i would make a offer, even at that price if you are serious about getting into leather work it should be a great buy. My first splitter i got was a Osborne no 86 still have it 25+ years later still works a treat . Hope this helps JCUK

Sorry did not quote in above post so please read above

I believe the quality of Dixon dropped off towards the end, sorry to say, having said that there are good ones out there if you look long and hard enough. The ones i have are older. Here a link to a splitter i would be interested if i did not already have two splitters already ( Osborne ) would maybe swap both for this not sure if this was a older one or a later one, there was another one yesterday that was owned by a retiring saddler which may have been a older version and it was cheaper too, not there anymore. Also George Barnsley are making good no nonsense tools in the UK, but no splitters. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/124958218377?hash=item1d18171889:g:1-YAAOSwNathbAYn https://www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk Not cheap i know but i would take this over any of the newer ones anytime. Hope this helps JCUK

sorry cant resist my vote is for a Fab lolly stick

Sorry cant stop thinking about a Pink Floyd song when i read this post. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9Xc3QR_5UA sorry again but it is Sunday

I think they mean ice lolly sticks, nearly the same as the tongue depressors doctors and vets use.

Yes been on TV here a for a while here, you may want to note how the lady who does leather repairs will reinforce the more delicate repairs manly with pig skin better choice over there maybe Kangaroo leather a very tough and strong leather as you will know.

I think looking at the pics it can be cleaned up and possibly used again but having said that, it's hard to tell without seeing it for real, and i don't know the quality of leather used to make it in the first place. As for cleaning it up - clean with saddle soap and with the neats foot oil, be careful - do not over use it because dry brittle leather will keep soaking up and before you know it will become saturated and then that would be hard to come back from. There are many other leather conditioners that can be used as well. One other suggestion why don't you try and get it on the TV show The Repair Shop. Hope this helps JCUK

I am going to report you to HR

Why is it always me

This might be true at first you get the tools you need to get you started on the your early projects but then you will improve and may want to step out of your comfort zone and make more complex things which may require a different tools to make those new things. When i finished my first piece of training they sent me away with all the tools i needed to make a bridle which i did, but had no splitting machine ie pull through splitter and Plough Gauge i knew i would need these to make things easier and faster. And still have all those tools i started with many moons ago all were no name tools still work as good as they did then maybe even better or maybe the user got improved along the way. Yes i have tools made by Dixons, Blanchard, Barnsley, Adams Osborne which i gathered along the way, one tool i have is over 100 years old work's like a dream, much prefer older tools. Thats not to say all newly made tools are rubbish but give me a set of Blanchard, Barnsley prick irons over anything from the far east. And yes i did say Blanchard even though now we are out of the EU still would rather support economies closer to home. And yes i have brought things from the far east when i could not source them closer to home unfortunately. Hope this helps JCUK

Have a look at this just reverse the curve, i use neoprene for my padded Headpieces. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG-4CQoE2ME Hope this helps JCUK

Yes there are wider logistic issues currently here at the moment affecting lots of areas of business over here at the moment so hopefully things will improve soon.

Yes i agree but i have noticed for a long time things that are a staple in the saddlery trade have been out of stock for a while which is not good for the trade itself and all those that rely on that supply. As what has already been said Abbey have a saved few companies that were staple suppliers in the industry, yes under the umbrella of the brand which is Abbey, so this is why its worry times because if they disappear the said former companies saved by Abbey go too for ever i fear.

Took a quick look to see if there are any other suppliers, went here to check, think it says it all if you are looking for UK made unfortunaly. https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/lorinery/

Yes have noticed certain things have been out of stock for a long time now, worrying times me thinks. Do you have any other suppliers you could use.

Yes how many countries are in the EU and they cant produce something such as a simple Kettle at an affordable price, you would think the size of the EU that would be possible. I started to notice even some really basic things were being shipped in from the Far East had to ask myself want was the point of the EU, in a pact that size we were having to have a lot if not most of there goods shipped in from the Far East. Maybe the EU has to take a cold hard look at itself. JCUK

Does take a bit of practice at first but it does work. https://tandyleather.com/collections/tools/products/craftool-lace-maker https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFfgLqjoRzk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwyOL2YVpwM Hope this helps JCUK

Think it depends of what type of work you want to get into and many people learn from different methods some can learn from videos and books but others may need some hands on tuition. The reason i say it depends on what type of work you may want to do because a lot of leather work ie Saddlery which requires a big safety element of other peoples safety and well being, i think hand ons would work best get to know what type of leather and what type of stitch use for certain jobs and when to refuse work when the item of tack is well past a safe repairing state. Hope this helps JCUK

Yes would not like a good drop of Gold Watch or a fine Cognac go to waste. Nice pieces of work there. Interesting one not sure its for me but who knows, but a great idea cheers for some to get get involved cheers

That good to hear, i suppose it will remain a mystery how the parcel arrived like was it opened or packaged bad in the first place. And have ask how is the postman.

Especially the free weekend colour supplement

Have you thought about contacting the local British Legion.

Unfortunately its already been copied in the far East they can make it a lot cheaper. JCUK