Awl makers

[chuck123wapati]

35 minutes ago, FrenchMich said:

I'm came here to share points of view with craftsmen of country of Cowboys. But if it's too much complicated I'm leaving where I come from. I have a few of very good contact in USAand I can satisfied myself of that.

dont let the comments of one ruffle your feathers friend Sometimes the written word can be mistaken.

[FrenchMich]

Chuck, excuses me but my English is not sufficient to understand your reply

[chuck123wapati]

2 hours ago, FrenchMich said:

Chuck, excuses me but my English is not sufficient to understand your reply

 

3 hours ago, FrenchMich said:

Chuck, excuses me but my English is not sufficient to understand your reply

I meant dont let the comments of some upset you, your experience and love of the craft are needed and wanted on the forum i look forward to seeing you work.

[FrenchMich]

Thank you very much Chuck, now I all understood. So i will stay wise and stoic.

Edited September 1, 2020 by FrenchMich

[Spyros]

14 hours ago, FrenchMich said:

Without being a god of mechanics, the old Blanchard hand forged awls broke, the new Vergez-Blanchard awls bent it proves that the steel is less hard.

If it breaks it means it's more brittle, which means it hasn't been annealed properly after it was hardened (probably intentionally).  Annealing reduces hardness but increases ductility (stretch/bend). For example hand files, they usually don't anneal them because this makes the steel harder, holds an edge better, and a file doesn't need to bend anyway.  But if you drop a file on hard floor once or twice it will likely break.  Knives on the other hand need to be able to bend, so they anneal them.

That's a general observation on heat treatment but the end result (brittle/hard/flexible etc) depends on the type of steel as well.

I would say a woodworking awl needs to have some flexibility, but a leatherworking awl probably doesn't, so in my mind it makes sense not to anneal it and help it hold an edge longer.  But I can also see how this might have caused complaints from users who don't understand this and wanted their broken awl replaced because they dropped it, it broke and they saw this as a sign of bad manufacturing.

[Spyros]

15 hours ago, chrisash said:

Has anyone analyzed the old so called excellent steel used on old leather goods and proven they are better than the 2020 steels, I personally believe its just old wives tales, I cannot think of anything that was better made in say the 1900-2000 than today

There was a lot of early tools that were extremely overengineered, and some people loved it.  Like if you open up an early electric drill chances are it's all metal, weighs a tonne, and feels like it's gonna last for centuries.  In the end most people felt there's really no need for that, and plastic won over for practical and cost reasons.   I sometimes side with A and sometimes with B.  

[Matt S]

On 8/28/2020 at 6:58 PM, jcuk said:

Nice work that.

I do the same always on the look out for old tools, but have to admit would not want a awl with a nice expensive haft/handle was taught to use the handle to push the needle through if its not playing ball,  but most of my work is with heavier leather 3/4mm plus sometimes two/three layers i mainly  only use  two awls both handles are pitted with needle holes. On Vegez Blanchard at least they are still making tools along with George Barnsley in the Uk although Barnsley tools are not as pretty to look at sure they will do the job. I need to get some portmanteau pricking irons ask one of my suppliers where there new line of pricking irons are made sadly they told me they had tried for five years to get tools made closer to home to no avail so they are made in the far east, now may have to bite the bullet and get them, but to give the company some credit they have saved many other companies attached to the saddlery/leather working industry in the UK.

 

Again nice work.

JCUK

Barnsley do their irons left handed. I don't know if that's the same as a portmanteau iron but my impression is that they're the same thing.

[jcuk]

32 minutes ago, Matt S said:

Barnsley do their irons left handed. I don't know if that's the same as a portmanteau iron but my impression is that they're the same thing.

 Cheers yes have seen them but not in SPI i need 

 

JCUK

[FrenchMich]

I master these areas of engineering quite well but the English is not my native language and it's not easy to to me to follow this kind of conversation. I'm afraid to write nonsences whitch will be misinterpreted.

I don't refuse progress when it brings, I'm not reactionary.
In France, we say that Vergez uses ''an iron to shoe a donkey'' It's a French expression to describe the tinplate very slack.I still have some old Balnchard awls that I preciously keep but it was other thing.
What I can say, the Jerome's awls come directly from machining, it is a very high quality steel and they can be used directly without any preparation. That's right, it should not be dropped on hard ground under penalty of break it.
Jerome made me some special longuer awls and sew a cheyenne roll with become a real pleasure.

Everyone does as they like

Mich'

PS : I still have some recent Vergez-Blanchard awls and handles (new and no prepared). I won't use it anymore and if somebody want, I'm ready to send him it free.

Edited September 1, 2020 by FrenchMich
Mistakes again

[Spyros]

Personally I'm very happy with my Chinese steel.  It works for me