Factory Vs. Custom/handmade Tools

[Johanna]

Our friend Barry King generously allowed us to share his explanation of factory vs. handmade tools.

Brian asked me to talk a little about "Custom/Handmade" tools vs "Factory" tools. I can go on and on with comments and reasons, so I may add a lot after initially typing this. Here goes:

1. The biggest difference is the impression you will end up with. Most handmade tools are finished by hand. Meaning: contoured, polished and filed, by hand. The key being the filing by hand. This leaves the tool with sharp lines and ridges as opposed to a Factory tool.

Factory tool: Usually stamped out from a master die. This can be done cold or under heat. The disadvantage is the lines in the die are then rounded, not sharp. This is just one of the reasons for a poor impression.

2. Steeper angles and sharper tools are possible cutting by hand. No need for the tool base to be fat to handle the stress of the die strike(Factory). This is on the face I am talking about, not the actual tool shaft itself. A Veiner is a perfect example I am thinking of.

3. Finer detail by hand. This goes back to the hand filing. The Factory tools normally won't have fine lines because the die strike process distorts them.

4. Plating. MOST Handmade tools do nat have a plating process applied to them. If a tool has a chrome plating(Factory) it will usually start to flake after a period of time/usage. Some Handmade tools have a plating, but usually it is not a true "chrome" plating, therefore won't flake.

5. Material. Most factory tools are made from mild steel, except for the new Tandy Pro Line. Most of the Handmade tool makers are using stainless or tool steel. Wayne uses stress proof and has his reasons for that too. NO one material is perfect for all, but we all have our reasons for using what we do. I made my first tools out of nails, still use a few of them once in a while. Now, all stainless for stamps.

6. Different angles available by making tools by hand. Bevelers are the 1st thing to come to mind, followed by Basket stamps. Those that have use both, Factory and Handmade know what I am talking about. You don't have to hit the good tools nearly as hard because the angles are steeper and the tool is sharper.

When seeing someone's work the is very intricate, just bet they are using a handmade tool. Tandy is great to get a person started, to see if he/she likes the craft, but don't seem to work well enough to get a fine, detailed look.

These are just a few reasons, I know I am missing a bunch, but I will add more after awhile, as I am sure others will too.

Barry King

[Cyberthrasher]

Very good information. It's all stuff we mention a lot, but having it all in one spot from a trusted source is bound to be helpful to many starting out.

[Chief31794]

Great synopsis, I'm a little more direct, I would have said, factory made - Bad, hand made - Goood! LOL

Chief

[dirtclod]

Their is a difference and it's a BIG ONE ! A person comes into the light and out of the darkness when they use a handmade tool.

[TwinOaks]

While the first post covers a lot of the issues, I feel that the single most important factor was left out....perhaps out of modesty.

That factor is quality control.

A factory turning out thousands of the same type of stamps in a run, will not have the same level of quality control as tose made by hand. The human element, particularly the experience of one who uses the tools, just can't be matched by a machine.

[Cyberthrasher]

While the first post covers a lot of the issues, I feel that the single most important factor was left out....perhaps out of modesty.

That factor is quality control.

A factory turning out thousands of the same type of stamps in a run, will not have the same level of quality control as tose made by hand. The human element, particularly the experience of one who uses the tools, just can't be matched by a machine.

I think the other thing along those lines is the method of QC. No manufacturing process allows for 100% inspection, but relies on a sampling process. Hopefully that sample will include any bad product that's being produced... But, a 100% handmade product is obviously checked and re-checked for quality from start to finish because a person's hands are on it the hole time.

[Randy Cornelius]

also those dies that are used in the factory made tools wear out, the first tool impressions maybe good but as the production run continues the quality goes down as the die wears. Grap a handfull of the same basket stamp tools at a store and look at each one, you can tell the difference.

[eLw]

All of our stamps are handmade at Welker Handmade Leather Stamps, and I'll agree with the earlier posts, there is a HUGE difference between factory made and handmade, as Barry so well explained in the first post. When leather stamps are handmade one by one the quality shows in the finished product, rather than the assembly line... Anyways, our current offerings can be seen at http://elwelkerleatherstamps.com, all hand tooled and, we feel, superior to the factory made. Handmade tools may cost a little more than the factory made, but I'll agree with the earlier posts that in the long run they're worth the investment. QC makes all the difference.

Andy Hopkins

Welker Handmade leather Stamps.

[bizbeblu]

While the first post covers a lot of the issues, I feel that the single most important factor was left out....perhaps out of modesty.

That factor is quality control.

A factory turning out thousands of the same type of stamps in a run, will not have the same level of quality control as tose made by hand. The human element, particularly the experience of one who uses the tools, just can't be matched by a machine.

OK, I'm going to play devil's advocate here. Please note that I'm not against handmade tools (in fact I love the concept and generally the execution and I've actually made a few simple ones myself). Still to categorically say handmade = good, machine made = bad is really false. The key to quality in both cases is the care taken in the the making. There are many reasons why manufacturing has evolved thru assembly lines, to machine aided - jig based, to CNC laser or other cutter/maker methods. One is obviously greater productivity. The capital investment in tools is generally cheaper than continuing to pay humans to do things by hand. We are also making a false comparison between mass-produced-cheap-as-possible Craptools and carefully made precision tools. I'm sure I'm not alone in noting that I have a rack or two of Craftools (some a couple of decades old), and I'm also sure I'm not alone in that fact that I curse at them with some degree of regularity.

But there is another very important point here: repeatability and the ability to statistically check and control output. I'll state this bluntly: no hand made object can compete with a well designed and executed CNC machined product - say in this case a stamping tool. Assuming the maker maintains similar input material, keeps the equipment in working order, and samples regularly for variation, a CNC product will have minute variability and often much finer detail and also greater complexity. Put in a crude way: do you really want some guy in a shop somewhere hand shaping the pistons for your truck?

I - and I suspect most of us who work with our hands - are predisposed to value hand made things. This makes sense when we are describing intimate objects (things we wear, keep close to us, use by hand) the variability in human making is a valuable thing. In tools I want quality, durability, and repeatability. I'm quite sure that Messrs. Hopkins, King, et. al., make beautiful tools though I've never used them. Will there be a time when CNC controlled machining will come to leather working tools? Don't know. It's a small market and the up front costs are significant.

Food for thought and obviously not the last word on the subject,

Robert

[bruce johnson]

At least one stamp maker is using CNC already, and there are still some grerat stamps being turned out one at time on a mill by others.