CanuckAmuck Report post Posted June 25, 2018 My grandfather recently moved into an assisted care facility, and my uncle was cleaning out his things when he found some tools in a WW2-Era bag (the pouch is stamped 1945, and a stamp inside the bag itself says 1943) that he thought I might like, so he shipped them over to me. According to my uncle, he believes my grandfather had taken up leatherworking in between his service in WW2 and the Korean War. I've taken some pictures of the tooling tools that have markings on them. I'm hoping we can try and figure out when they actually date from! They're in remarkably good condition, considering their supposed age. My uncle said the tools were rolled up in the tool bag untouched for a few decades. There is also a crumbling yellow envelope (empty, unfortunately) for an invoice from the "Henry Frank Leather Co., Inc." located at 220 East Washington St, Syracuse 2, N.Y. .. A preliminary Googling shows that a Henry Frank Leather Co existed at an address on Walton St in Syracuse from 1960 to 1991, supported by a photograph from 1983 I found on Flickr. This means that the envelope is from either before 1960 or after 1991 (which is unlikely). The tooling tools are marked with a Craftool Co. marking, and they're numbered 104, 198, 352, 433, 704, and 708. In the bag there was also a weird brown block of some kind. Doesn't appear to be metal (or at least doesn't react to a magnet), and has FP13 stamped on the end of it. A little bit rough to the touch, like a fine-grain sandpaper. Anyone know what it could be? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DJole Report post Posted June 25, 2018 Your brown block seems to be a sharpening stone of some sort, for the swivel knife or other sharp tools. I don't recognize the hardness or the grit, but my guess is it seems to be a fine grit Arkansas stone. Is that wooden handled tool an edge creaser? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sheilajeanne Report post Posted June 25, 2018 Craftool is the Tandy brand. The brownish block is a whetstone for sharpening the swivel knife. These six tools are the basic tools needed to start leathercraft as a hobby: a backgrounder (104) beveler (198) camouflage stamp (433) seeder (the small round stamp) veiner (the narrow crescent shaped tool) and pear shader. The tool numbers keep changing, so I can't match the last three up with a stamp number. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
immiketoo Report post Posted June 25, 2018 They are also pre letter craftool, the best of the bunch of what Tandy has produced. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CanuckAmuck Report post Posted June 25, 2018 4 hours ago, DJole said: Your brown block seems to be a sharpening stone of some sort, for the swivel knife or other sharp tools. I don't recognize the hardness or the grit, but my guess is it seems to be a fine grit Arkansas stone. Is that wooden handled tool an edge creaser? Yeah, the wooden handled tool appears to be an edge creaser, but there are no markings to identify it as any particular brand. 6 minutes ago, immiketoo said: They are also pre letter craftool, the best of the bunch of what Tandy has produced. That might explain why they're looking so good for (possibly) 60+ years old! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwican Report post Posted August 25, 2018 I can't help with the history of the tools. I'd say it's priceless though. A piece of family history and heritage. Something to keep in the family and carry it forward ! Well done Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
