Just Asking

[Wax]

Hi I'm new here so Hi to All, and thanks in Advance.

I have a few questions about the item Below. Mainly i have just bought it and although the top section of the blade Marked in RED is very sharp the lower section marked in Black is a lot less so. With limited knowledge of sharpening leather tools I thought i would ask are there any particular things I need to know and if necessary a point in the right direction to a good tutorial would be great. Stones and types would be very help full.

I have outlined 2 Different positions i can get the blade fixed into..Marked position 1 and 2 ...My guess was that Position 2 I the Correct one ?  Hence why the blade is dull at the section I want to be Sharp ? Is there any harm in re positioning the knife to suit ? 

Also any advice on the shape that the blade currently has ?

I also guessed this may be a Dixon guide...would i be right in thinking that and is the blade the same ?

 

Im new to Leatherwork and the forum so thank you and look forward to the Exchanges.

[JerryLevine]

Hi Wax,

What you have is called a plough gauge.  It is more popular over here in Europe than in the USA, where a draw knife is more usual.  As the name suggests, you push the blade through the leather, rather than pull, as you do with a draw knife. 

As I'm sure you've figured out, you can slide the fence, to the left of the knife, along a scale, and then tighten it at the appropriate measurement, which gives you the width of the strap you want.  You then raise or lower the brass bail/roller to accommodate the substance of the leather you're cutting. 

I would go with position one, because as you push the plough gauge through the leather, the blade will naturally want to pivot downwards, trying to end up in position one.  This could be a problem, depending on the surface you're working on, but there shouldn't be any functional difference between either position.  As I think you've discovered, the last owner also preferred position 1, which is why the blade is duller below the level of where it is clamped in the frame of the gauge.  As I write this, I'm also thinking that the blade should be as far forward as you can get it, which should fully engage the slot in the knife with the clamp screw on the frame of the plough gauge. 

As to makers, I've got a couple, both Dixon's, but there are other brands out there.  George Barnsley used to make them, and Blanchard's in France still do.  There is a makers mark on the toe of the gauge, which goes under the leather to guide it into the path of the blade, but I can't read it.  My Dixons have  wing nuts on one of them and the other uses locking levers, so I think yours might be a different make.  The knife, though, looks very similar to one of the later patterns that Dixons made before they closed in Jan 2015, or at least it was re-handled then.  If so, it too should have a J Dixon & Son (Or T(homas) Dixon if a re-handled early model) stamp on it.  The shape looks fine; I sharpen mine in the same way I sharpen my other knives, and there's plenty of advice on the forum on that subject!!

As with everything, practice makes perfect, and there are a couple of things that caught me out which may be of help.  First of all, always square off the edge which will travel against your fence or you will end up with a wiggly strap.  Secondly, when you get a couple of inches into your cut, the leather to the right of the knife as you hold it can curl upwards and interfere with the square shoulder of the knife, where the blade meets the handle and ferrule.  You can get round this by anticipating this and pushing the leather down out of the way or adding (sorry!) body filler/araldite and shaping it so that its profile guides the leather away from the shoulder.

Good luck with your new tool: a great find!

 All the best,

Jerry

[Wax]

Thanks very much for the Info and guidance. I can see on the front it says almost worn out ! Dixon and son so I'm guessing this one has had quite a lot of use, although it seems very Tight all over i think its had a replacement  of original rear screw.

[Martyn]

Yeah, it's a Dixon plough gauge, or about 70% of one - it looks like it's had some parts replaced, not sure if the fence is original. This is what mine looks like:

Be careful sharpening the blade. These are valuable tools that are no longer in production and you wont get a replacement blade if you mess it up.

Edited November 18, 2016 by Martyn

[bruce johnson]

I am going to join the parade and say that the beam is original, the blade maybe,  and the fence is probably not true to the time the other parts were made. I have about 20 of the Dixons in the wings and few variations besides what has already been shared. Dixon was proud back in the day -  the blades were variously marked with Dixon names, "Warranted" with a name, etc. According to at least one family member they changed up and recycled markings every so often so you can't trust age by the marking. Also the English made blades were pretty universal. You could have T Dixon frame and a knife by Butler, Adams, Brindley, Barnsley, or Joseph Dixon would go in it. With this blade not having a marking - might be a late version. The fence looks too modern to me compared to all other versions. Does the brass roll or is it fixed? Hard to tell from the picture, but have not seen one that didn't have a loose roller.  

[Wax]

The Brass roller does not turn, when the locking set screws are tightened. Whats interesting is that all these different makes fit other tools ! these days everyone makes there tools so that no other manufacturer will fit.  I did wonder why that roller wouldn't turn, to me the engineering was there, unless there is a washer /spacer missing.  Is there anyone who can give me the heads up on how to sharpen this Nicely. My idea was to get a 1000/6000 king water stone and use a circular motion then simply put strop. I have sharpened chisels etc before but no leather tools...Should I be scared !! Anyone in London that wants to help let me know. Thanks again.

[JerryLevine]

Hi Wax,

Search "sharpening" and similar words on this forum and you could spend all weekend looking through the great advice. There's also loads of stuff on YouTube.

All the best,

Jerry