Tools Of A Swiss Sattler

[Trox]

Thanks for prompting me Tor, I have been meaning to do that for some weeks now….. I did take them out of the cabinet…. but that is as far as I got. As for a picture resizer etc. I will do my best, I am no Einstein when it comes to computers, stay tuned they might bob up tomorrow.

I do have an excuse though……. I have been making my "Swiss Stitching Horse" and taking copious pictures to post on this site…… it's nearly finished!

Best Regards

Alan

Hi Alan, I saw a copy of that Swiss stitching horse sold in a Spanish leather tool site. http://www.curtidoscabezas.com/en/home/826-wooden-pony.html I does not look as good as the original. looks like it's been made of solid wood and not laminated as the original. The quality depends of the locking mechanism and the type of wood used of course. It's a nice tool that Swiss horse. I use an old French sewing clamp for my hand stitching. I do not sew much by hand ( I have enough of sewing machines) However, I am often using it tying off the machine seams. When I get the time and hold of some good thick birch finer (or some other nice materials) I will make one my self. What patent did you use on the locking mechanism.

By the way, I look forward to see your plough gauges and other leather tools.

The pictures do not have to be perfect, you can also use less pixels in your camera settings to make the pics smaller (pic size 300 to 500 kb is perfect for this site)

Thanks

Tor

[Alan RUNDELL]

[G'day Tor,

I will post these photo's of my plough gauges, 30 in number.

Some are branded:- Blanchard, George Barnesly, Fox, Various models of Dixon, Brindley, Mayer & Flamery, etc.

The last two photo's are of a clamp for stitching gloves or as Walter has suggested it could also be used for saddlery.

Regards

Alan

attachment=113537:Image 17.jpg]

[Trox]

Hello Alan!
Wow, I'm with out words! That's a great collection of plough gauges! I wonder where they all had gone, now I know I recognize most of the makes. There is at least one or two I have never seen before. The last pic before the gloves clam, what does it read? " PARISOTF.LS PARIS" Thats what it looks like to me? The "Portrait Paris" I have seen once before. Nevertheless, it's unusual too.

(Mayer Flamery (Fernand Mayer) was copies of the Blanchard tools. He was an old master employed in Simonin Blanchards workshop. He left and took their tool catalog with him. He started his own production copying their tools. Blanchard used the law against him and shut him down. He was allowed to continued produce his splitting machine, who was unique and very popular.)

In your picture # 3, I see a plough who is very unusual too. It looks very much like S. Blanchards # 602 in their old catalog. It's an early version of today's Vergez Blanchard model perhaps. I cannot see the maker on in (left in your pic #3)

In your pic #5 (image4.jpg) it's an German plough from what Walter describes as the "Horse man" or perhaps "Langenhans". I belive Walter has that same tool, it's missing it's top adj.screw.

That glove clam is beautiful, I've seen a drawing of it in the tool dictionary (Dic. of Leather working tools, R.A. Salaman). Perhaps seen one for sale on Ebay a long time ago. You can use it for other leather work too jaws are made of brass and will not stain. You can use some leather around the jaws to eliminate markings.

I see you have have several German Pfaffrath plough too (Three of them, bottom your pic # 1) I got one new one too. Mine is made in such way that the knife is pointing to the left, pushing the leather away from the guide. It makes it impossible cut trailer straps with it. I think that is a production error. It also have a little removable peg (guide) on the right side of the knife for cutting in circles. I wonder are yours made like that too. You see the piece that the knife is bolted on to is 2,5 mm thicker in the front that the back; making the knife pointing against the material guide. If it was constructed exactly opposite, it would have preformed well and pressed the material against the guide (not from it like now). I have to put some shims between the blade and the frame to correct this error. Looks like it been made in a hurry.

My latest plough is a a J. Dixon screw plough who is a bit different from yours, I wonder how many different models he made.

I sorry for the long post, it's such an interesting subject these tools.
Thank you for posting! any other tools you would like to share?

[Trox]

I guess I wasn't without words after all Your plough in pic # 3 is also the same as the # 368 in George Lutz´s catalog (last of my pics) Their catalog was identical to S. Blanchards. Keep them coming.

Thank you

Tor

[Trox]

Alan, are you using these tools or just collecting them? Myself I started collecting them because current tools are not up to the patch. First I started collecting machines, buying and selling to get a proper machine park. First sewing machines, then all kinds that I needed. My latest is a Fortuna band knife splitter coming this week. When I had the machines I wanted I started collecting old good tools, changing out every economical tool that did not perform well . I too do not use every tool I have, but I do use the best performers.

Thanks

Tor

[cjmt]

This thread is interesting as ever! I also have one of those Meyer Flamery plough gauges. Have you one of his splitters Trox? Interesting to see a photo.

[walter roth]

Hello everybody...

I had no time to make something here.

I hope Alan, the images of his sewing pliers here.

He has made super nice.

Anyway, I'm very satisfied when I saw them.

Yes Alan is probably now the No. 1 in Plough Gouge collecting ..... ((((-.

There sure 20 models of the plough gouge from the workshop of Blanchard.

He has made nearly 200 years for a lot of companies and tool dealer in his ...Modelle after their request.

That's why you will find many models and also many non-branded by Blanchard.

Here in St. Gallen there 35 years ago still 3-4 blade forged the saddlery tools sold.

The Cutlers had their own brands, and their tools were stamped with its own brand.

The last here is also already an elderly man and wants to quit, he is 85 now, I've known him for 40 years when I bought my first knife as a schoolboy.

Flessati is his name, he still exists, but he has open only on Saturday.

http://www.tagblatt.ch/ostschweiz/stgallen/stadtstgallen/tb-st/Der-letzte-Messerschmied-schliesst;art186,3979304

For me a great loss, just personally, knows it is so long already.

Greeting

Walter

Edited March 18, 2016 by walter roth

[Alan RUNDELL]

G'day to Everybody,

Where do I start?……. well thank you for your interest & comments.

I started collecting Plough Gauges after I sold my animal trap collection, a nice gentleman came to my house one day and offered me a sum of money for my

animal trap (Tier-Falle) collection that I couldn't refuse! So I then decided to collect plough gauges instead.

I buy these gauges and put them in my locked display cabinet in my vault, I just leave them in their "work clothes" as they were purchased.

The "Glove Cam" Tor is the one you saw on eBay, I saw it to & said to myself "that is mine" & kept bidding until it was…… mine.

I occasionally use one of the plough gauges Tor…. and as it turns out it is the one with THE HORSES on it Walter, I have used or tried the others and they are not in the same league as the HORSE gauge.

I will have a look at the gauges you mentioned Tor, (but not tonight to many alarms & locks to open) and let you know what markings are on them.

I am not a saddler, but I occasionally make a belt or two, I bought an old First World War Pack saddle & hope to completely restore it one day. The only other major work I have done, was to

re-upholster my brothers 1925 Dodge Car seats……but not to the same finish as Walter Roth's work!

Walter, does Flessati make leather tools still?

I apologise for the way the photo's were posted,…. my first attempt.

Best Regards.

Alan

Edited March 18, 2016 by Alan RUNDELL

[walter roth]

Hello Allan

No, Flessati made no tools for a long time.

Sattler sure 40 years anymore, but he has it still traded for when I went into teaching for Saddler.

Something still found himself when he started to rooms.

He simply used "Flessati" as her brand.

There were earlier still a Flessati, St.Gallen, from the same family.

( Flessati - Krontal )

Once again, they were Italians.

The craft was traditionally widely used for Italians.

Greetings

Walter

[Trox]

Thank you Allen! Your pictures were just perfect, but you have to post more later

The Germans and Swiss are of course great craftsmen. Just to bad they was to "disciplined" to put their name on the tools they made. I too have some German made tools and they are very well made (however, made of French pattern).

I saw your wooden Swiss saddlers clam on the picture gallery, looks good.

How a plough gauges cut is mostly depended of the knife position and how it's set up. The distance to the roller and the angle of the knife tip. It has to have a bevel on one side only, to push the material against the guide. And of course the steel quality and it's polish. I like the French ploughs better than the UK made ones, because the knife edge are closer to the roller. The knife on my Blanchard here is very close to the roller and have a slicing angle (pic #1).

The UK ones normally came with round knife tips (the old French ones too, according to the catalog pics). This knife is grounded different of the user before me. Still a longer distance from the roller (pic #2). When I'm back on + $ after just buying a new (old) Fortuna band splitter. I will order a new plough blade for the Dixons (fit UK made ploughs) from Knipscield http://www.knipknives.com/leather.php

I got one of his draw gauges blades and I am really impressed with it. (I have waited a long time with this order now, just waiting for the Norwegian currency to normalize against the $; to expensive as is)

No Cjmt, I am not blessed with owning such Mayer Flamery splitting machine. I believe that Walter have one of them. I think it's based on the one here (pic #3), Spittlers patent from 1888. My version is made by HF. Osborne. In CS. Osbornes old tool catalog, this splitter has the # 83. If you look true Walter's splitter pics posted earlier in this topic, you will perhaps find it. It very nicely made.

Walter, it's alway sad to here about another cuttler that is retiring. If you know of more "secret" tool maker who do not live in our time of internet. Please speak up before they close down caused of missing customers or old age. Trends are changing and people are looking for unique old school tools again. Perhaps we can rescue some of them still

I know you are a busy man Walter, and time is our worst enemy when we pass the 50´s year of age. It will only fly faster and never the other way around.

Did you find time to visit that German old tool maker "the Rossler" to order new puches? If so, did he except your order? It's hard to find good puches today, I'm in the marked for good oval hand punches. Any good tips to me?

Thanks Tor