Fancy Tools?

[Richard Wasnock]

Hey everyone, I lurk a lot here but don't pop in for many questions.

I'm a YouTuber, I operate the Dark Horse Workshop channel and I would really like to find some quality hand tools to either buy outright or figure out a sponsorship/brand deal with.

I want them to be obviously of high quality, and look slick. I'm a little tired of cutting everything with my olfa knife, though I do love it.

Thoughts?

[chuck123wapati]

what tools ? knives , mauls, stamps? are you going to sell them or just use them for bling on your channel?

[TomE]

Older tools are in many cases the best quality available.  Have a look at @bruce johnson's website and other online sellers of used leathercraft tools.  I recently bought this knife from a saddler who is closing his shop.  I've been looking for several years for one of these, and it was worth the wait.

[Tugadude]

That's a great knife.  Dozier is still in business, but makes hunting and skinning knives along with custom work.  Gorgeous knives, all with D2 steel and lots of experience.

[TomE]

11 minutes ago, Tugadude said:

That's a great knife.  Dozier is still in business, but makes hunting and skinning knives along with custom work.  Gorgeous knives, all with D2 steel and lots of experience.

Several Dozier knives still available at https://www.westernstarleather.com/Leather-Tools-_c_235-4.html. 

[Richard Wasnock]

11 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

what tools ? knives , mauls, stamps? are you going to sell them or just use them for bling on your channel?

I'm looking for New Tools that I can use in my Videos and hopefully connect with someone in a brand deal.

Some people noted older used Tools, I know they're great a lot of the time, but I'm more looking for something that I can advertise while using on my channel.

11 hours ago, chuck123wapati said:

what tools ? knives , mauls, stamps? are you going to sell them or just use them for bling on your channel?

Sorry, pretty much a full line..  I guess there's those Tandy pro tools... better than my olfa knife probably.

[bruce johnson]

If I miss anyone, it is not intentional

New stamping tools - major players are Barry King, Wayne Jueschke, Horse Shoe Brand Tools (Jeremiah Watt), Clay Miller, Gomph-Hackbarth, David Mabe, Sergey Neskromony, or Tandy

New Hand Tools - Barry King, Ron's Tools, Horse Shoe Brand Tools, Tandy. 

There are a few top end knife makers but they are pretty much limited to knives so really don't fit your deal. 

[Tugadude]

16 hours ago, TomE said:

Several Dozier knives still available at https://www.westernstarleather.com/Leather-Tools-_c_235-4.html. 

Good to know!  Anyone interested in a premium head knife should snap them up while they can.

[chuck123wapati]

13 hours ago, Richard Wasnock said:

I'm looking for New Tools that I can use in my Videos and hopefully connect with someone in a brand deal.

Some people noted older used Tools, I know they're great a lot of the time, but I'm more looking for something that I can advertise while using on my channel.

Sorry, pretty much a full line..  I guess there's those Tandy pro tools... better than my olfa knife probably.

oh ok  i get it thanks. 

[gtwister09]

On 4/15/2023 at 6:59 PM, bruce johnson said:

If I miss anyone, it is not intentional

  Pro Series Tools - Bob Beard.

 

[chrisash]

I am the odd one out, I have never believed that old steel is better than new steel and top brands are far more expensive than they should be, just a case of great marketing just like top end Ladies handbags

Show me the proof scientifically i am wrong

[chuck123wapati]

3 hours ago, chrisash said:

I am the odd one out, I have never believed that old steel is better than new steel and top brands are far more expensive than they should be, just a case of great marketing just like top end Ladies handbags

Show me the proof scientifically i am wrong

does science tell you your right? First off what is "old steel"  Stainless steel for example was invented in the 30's. D2 first used in the 60's. The cost of a modern knife compared to an old knife has to be calculated to adjust for inflation of the dollar before worrying about buying a "brand" doesn't it?

Acording to the us inflation calculator( https://www.in2013dollars.com/us/inflation/1975?amount=1  ) the average is 3.62% per year since 1946. lets look at a knife from 1975 avg inflation of 3.67%  or 1$ = $5.64  so a 20 dollar knife in 75 would cost in todays world $112.80. So how much did round knives cost in 1975? 

Ultimately the important part about knives is the hardness and tempering process not the steel or when it was made. There were old knives that sucked and there are new knives that suck due to that fact, and all made from the same steel formulas. On the flip side are old and new tools that are good also.

Scientifically there is no difference in the steels, nor the hardening nor the tempering. Time or age has nothing to do with that.  But there is a difference in how it was done and by whom it was done. Stricter manufacturing tolerances for example and more human interface in older tool work led to better overall tool quality than modern standards in most cases. Today you can buy a knife from several different companies all with the made in china stamp right on the side, if they are bad they will gladly send you another, why because times are different and a product line doesn't reflect the company in the same way. Folks have learned to settle for a replacement so construction standards have changed, make bazillions of product then replace the bad ones as they are found by the consumer is the new process. Selling higher quality tools that pass stricter standards so they aren't sent back is the old process.

Science and technology in itself has changed drastically in the last few decades from producing a higher quality product for the consumer to producing a higher bottom line for the companies that fund the research, which means quality is simply not always the target point.

Old tools are an excellent find and well worth it if they aren't worn out, that's the key to buying old tools especially knives.

 

[Tugadude]

Chuck make some really good points regarding modern day production and its characteristics.  Ever since Henry Ford developed the production line to churn out automobiles faster, manufacturers have been tweaking the process to become more efficient, and yes, to make more profit.  And that isn't a bad thing.  I'm not against profit, it pays my salary.  

But with mass production there are the inevitable trade-offs.  Remember it was Henry Ford who said...

That was a humorous quote, but he also had some inspirational ones as well.

“Don’t find fault, find a remedy: anyone can complain.”

“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”

“Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together a success.”

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. anyone who keeps learning stays young.”

“One of the greatest discoveries a person makes, one of their great surprises, is to find they can do what they were afraid they couldn’t do.”

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”

“Experience is the thing of supreme value.”

“Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes shine to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eyes, the swing in your gait. The grip of your hand, the irresistible surge of will and energy to execute your ideas.”

 

Getting back to the original post, I have to say I probably watch way too many YouTube videos for my own good.  Call it a guilty pleasure I guess.  Many YouTubers try to dress their videos up with unique stuff.  Sometimes it is an interesting backdrop, or just a cool table surface, littered with interesting stuff.  

I like videos where they have vintage stuff.  Vintage is more attractive to me as compared to sleek, modern stuff.  Always been that way.  For others, bring on the newfangled stuff in titanium and ceramic.  

The good news is there's choices for both!

And to all the mothers out there, I hope you have an awesome day!

[fredk]

two points

1. stainless steel was invented in 1913. My paternal grandfather was a sheet metal fabricator and specialised in use of stainless steel in the 1920s & 30s. He made a canopy for the Biograph Theater in Chicago and whilst fitting it up he witnessed the sudden demise of a certain gangster

2. Samuel Colt perfected the assembly line for mass production of goods, in his case for fire-arms. Assembly line manufacturing was done on a small scale by clock makers in New England prior and by gun makers in London & Birmingham, England from 1790s or so. Henry Ford was a late comer

There has always been and will be great differences in qualities of steel and thus tools made of. Price is no guarantee, nor is place of origin of either steel or tool

 

[chuck123wapati]

1 hour ago, fredk said:

two points

1. stainless steel was invented in 1913. My paternal grandfather was a sheet metal fabricator and specialised in use of stainless steel in the 1920s & 30s. He made a canopy for the Biograph Theater in Chicago and whilst fitting it up he witnessed the sudden demise of a certain gangster

2. Samuel Colt perfected the assembly line for mass production of goods, in his case for fire-arms. Assembly line manufacturing was done on a small scale by clock makers in New England prior and by gun makers in London & Birmingham, England from 1790s or so. Henry Ford was a late comer

There has always been and will be great differences in qualities of steel and thus tools made of. Price is no guarantee, nor is place of origin of either steel or tool

 

Very cool story Fred, Stainless has an interesting begining. http://www.estainlesssteel.com/historyofstainlesssteel.shtml

Assembly lines look much different now than in Sam colts time. lol less people more machines, some products built now never get touched by human hands or even seen by human eyes until they are unwrapped by the consumer. Quality control left when the people did. make em, sell em, give them a refund or their money back if it is substandard. 

 

[Tugadude]

3 hours ago, Tugadude said:

Ever since Henry Ford developed the production line to churn out automobiles faster,

So tired of nitpickers, but where does that say Henry Ford invented the concept of mass production?  It doesn't.  What it did say was that he developed the production line to make the manufacturing of automobiles faster.  As far as who gets credit, I found the following:

Ransom Olds created and patented the assembly line in 1901. Switching to this process allowed his car manufacturing company to increase output by 500 percent in one year.

But I also found this:

Forget the Model T—Ford's real innovation was the moving assembly line. It didn't just usher in the age of the car; it changed work forever. He first fully implemented his innovation on December 1, 1913.

I could go on, by why?  This will probably be my last post.  It's been fun!  Mostly.

[chuck123wapati]

7 minutes ago, Tugadude said:

So tired of nitpickers, but where does that say Henry Ford invented the concept of mass production?  It doesn't.  What it did say was that he developed the production line to make the manufacturing of automobiles faster.  As far as who gets credit, I found the following:

Ransom Olds created and patented the assembly line in 1901. Switching to this process allowed his car manufacturing company to increase output by 500 percent in one year.

But I also found this:

Forget the Model T—Ford's real innovation was the moving assembly line. It didn't just usher in the age of the car; it changed work forever. He first fully implemented his innovation on December 1, 1913.

I could go on, by why?  This will probably be my last post.  It's been fun!  Mostly.

Ford was a genius!

What Sam Colt added to the mix was parts that were machined  to exacting standards that could be interchanged between guns, before him guns were primarily made one at at a time by one gunmaker so a hammer, for example,  may or may not fit the next gun another gunmaker built. Sam created parts that needed very little human fitting so many gunmakers could produce the same weapon that could in turn be repaired in the field by less trained people with spare parts.

Anyway i'm with you. Today is a special day for all the mothers in our lives so lets give them some time!! Have a great day my friend!