Your favourite tools

[William Bloke]

I was wondering about your favourite tools.

Not really your most used, and certainly not necessarily you most expensive. Just that one tool that you really like, and has that little Je ne sais quoi that you'd miss if you had to replace it.

 

As an example, here are two of mine.

First is an ancient No2 edge strip. It was given to me by a retiring friend after I had a load of my tools stolen. I use it every day, it stays sharp and feels nice In my hand. But more than that, it reminds me of a man who knew me 25 years ago and the bloke who bought the tool 100 before that. All three of us doing the same job and probably saying the same bad words at the same irritations.

 

The other tool is this little stubby knife. I don't know where it came from, don't think I bought it, but it's wicked sharp and whenever I have to cut stitches on a repair, or the tape on a delivery, its what I reach for.  It's not fancy or desirable, but it's just the knife I reach for when I want a knife.

Edited June 23, 2020 by William Bloke

[battlemunky]

Mine would have to be my round awl. I got it in a lot several years ago. It's sharp as hell and I use it probably more than any other tool in my shop. I poke holes with it, trace with it, score with it, prick with it, stir paint with it, apply paint with it...I just like it and use it way more than I ever expected. Just a lowly round awl.

Edited June 23, 2020 by battlemunky
added a pic

[William Bloke]

7 minutes ago, battlemunky said:

Mine would have to be my round awl. I got it in a lot several years ago. It's sharp as hell and I use it probably more than any other tool in my shop. I poke holes with it, trace with it, score with it, prick with it, stir paint with it, apply paint with it...I just like it and use it way more than I ever expected. Just a lowly round awl.

I know what you mean. I've got a big seat awl that I do the same with.

[jcuk]

Mine is a old H Brindley martingale groover which i mostly use for my rolled work, its a lovely Tool to use or even just pick up and waste  a bit of scrap leather.

 

 

[jcuk]

This should  get a mention too, brought it in a tool souq in the middle east many years ago it is what all my strap widths buckle turns hole spacing are measured with and any other measurements under 6''

Edited June 25, 2020 by jcuk

[Spyros]

^^^ this is a machinist square, I have 2-3 of them for woodworking but I couldn't use them on leather because they won't lay flat. 

I ended up getting a simple steel square from the hardware store, put some anti-slip tape on the back instead of cork, works great.

 

My favourite tool by far is an OLFA 60mm rotary cutter, I don't know for some reason it really suits my hand and gives me confidence I can cut anything with it.   I even use it for curves although I know I shouldn't.

I have some KS blades arriving any day now, I'm hoping they will become my new favourite.   Well they better anyway considering how much they cost.

 

 

[jcuk]

6 hours ago, Spyros said:

^^^ this is a machinist square, I have 2-3 of them for woodworking but I couldn't use them on leather because they won't lay flat. 

I ended up getting a simple steel square from the hardware store, put some anti-slip tape on the back instead of cork, works great.

 

My favourite tool by far is an OLFA 60mm rotary cutter, I don't know for some reason it really suits my hand and gives me confidence I can cut anything with it.   I even use it for curves although I know I shouldn't.

I have some KS blades arriving any day now, I'm hoping they will become my new favourite.   Well they better anyway considering how much they cost.

 

 

I have been using it 25 + years no problems but the weight of leather i work with in the main it does lie flat on, with  lighter leathers i use the edge of my bench to make it lie flat mainly though its mainly used for setting my Plough Gauge and Strap Cutter widths don't trust the gauges on them if you use the same tool for all your measurements it helps to keep all your work in unison as far as the measurements are concerned.By the way i also use a engineers scribe for a lot of my marking.  

 

Hope this helps

JCUK

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by jcuk

[YinTx]

On 6/23/2020 at 2:31 PM, William Bloke said:

Je ne sais quoi

I was sitting there stitching and really thinking about this question.  There are a lot of tools I really like, some I really really like, some I use a lot, but how to choose that one with the "Je ne sais quoi" the others don't have?  Then it dawned on me.  I was sitting on it.  Using it to stitch!  Thats right, my stitching horse.  It has been through a lot.  Was in some saddler's shop in Tyler, rescued and renovated, moved half a dozen times since I've had it, been through a fire since I've had it, now it is 3 different kinds of wood, requires a cushion on top so you don't get an uncomfortable sensation in the derrière, is pretty finicky and once you get to know how to use it, works  flawlessly and holds pretty much everything I have to stitch.  It's pretty much become a partner in the process for me with some history, and if it was gone, I'd be unable to find an adequate replacement.  Sure, I'd find a new stitching horse, but it just wouldn't be the same.

YinTx

 

[Hardrada]

Half-moon (round) knife. They were right: once you use it you won't want to use anything else.

My Barry King mallet.

My Kyoshin Elle skiving knife.

My Kyoshin Elle #1 edger.

My ProEdge cocobolo burnisher.

Last, but not least, my Schärf-Fix paring machine.

 

[Hardrada]

8 hours ago, Spyros said:

I have some KS blades arriving any day now, I'm hoping they will become my new favourite.   Well they better anyway considering how much they cost.

Ditto here.

[William Bloke]

On 6/24/2020 at 6:52 PM, jcuk said:

Mine is a old H Brindley martingale groover which i mostly use for my rolled work, its a lovely Tool to use or even just pick up and waste  a bit of scrap leather.

 

 

That is a lovely thing, I have a Dixit one od probably a similar vintage. That I didn't choose it as a favourite probably says more about my feelings about rolled work than it does about the tool.

 

My square doesn't have quite the same romantic story, but it is from the famous old English maker "Wickes"

 

Edited June 25, 2020 by William Bloke

[William Bloke]

3 hours ago, YinTx said:

I was sitting there stitching and really thinking about this question.  There are a lot of tools I really like, some I really really like, some I use a lot, but how to choose that one with the "Je ne sais quoi" the others don't have?  Then it dawned on me.  I was sitting on it.  Using it to stitch!  Thats right, my stitching horse.  It has been through a lot.  Was in some saddler's shop in Tyler, rescued and renovated, moved half a dozen times since I've had it, been through a fire since I've had it, now it is 3 different kinds of wood, requires a cushion on top so you don't get an uncomfortable sensation in the derrière, is pretty finicky and once you get to know how to use it, works  flawlessly and holds pretty much everything I have to stitch.  It's pretty much become a partner in the process for me with some history, and if it was gone, I'd be unable to find an adequate replacement.  Sure, I'd find a new stitching horse, but it just wouldn't be the same.

YinTx

 

Wow, thats a cool wee thing.

 

We don't really have stitching horses like that over here, but I can see how you get very attached to yours. After a while anything else must feel really wrong. 

I just use a clam, and am really finnicky about the hight of my stool.

Edited June 25, 2020 by William Bloke

[Spyros]

4 hours ago, Hardrada said:

Half-moon (round) knife. They were right: once you use it you won't want to use anything else.

Yeah I heard that too and it got me a little worried to be honest because i really dont want to add one of those.  Not so much because of the cost but because I know very well from years of woodworking what a pain in the butt it is to sharpen a round blade.  I'm talking really sharpen it, not just strop it a little bit when it's already sharp.  I permanently have a long queue of things waiting to be sharpened and it would really take a lot to persuade me to add round knife in there.

Thankfully I now have some experience with the projects I'll be doing which is just your typical bags/wallets/pouches etc, and so far I haven't really found anything i will not happily cut with disposable blades.  Give me a Rotary/Utility/Exacto trio of knives and I'm good.  Actually I'm not sure what the half moon knife was designed for, surely there must be something it's indispensable for, maybe it's for the things I don't do like shoes and saddles?  Or maybe it's simply because back then they didn't have rotary cutters and disposable blades, who knows.

By the way I really like traditional tools and i want to do adopt as many as I can, if only just to do my part in keeping the craft and the tools alive, and also because they look really cool

But giant round edges that need sharpening?  nah that's where I draw the line LOL

Edited June 26, 2020 by Spyros

[Hardrada]

9 minutes ago, Spyros said:

Yeah I heard that too and it got me a little worried to be honest because i really dont want to add one of those.  Not so much because of the cost but because I know very well from years of woodworking what a pain in the butt it is to sharpen a round blade.  I'm talking really sharpen it, not just strop it a little bit when it's already sharp.  I permanently have a long queue of things waiting to be sharpened and it would really take a lot to persuade me to add round knife in there.

Thankfully I now have some experience with the projects I'll be doing which is just your typical bags/wallets/pouches etc, and so far I haven't really found anything i will not happily cut with disposable blades.  Give me a Rotary/Utility/Exacto trio of knives and I'm good.  Actually I'm not sure what the half moon knife was designed for, surely there must be something it's indispensable for, maybe it's for the things I don't do like shoes and saddles?  Or maybe it's simply because back then they didn't have rotary cutters and disposable blades, who knows.

Best tool for cutting curves I've used.

I tried Exactos, clicking knife, steel curve tools, even bought an Olfa circle cutter (worst tool for circles, actually) and none of those cut smooth curves. Enter the Don Carlos half-moon knife and the curves just practically cut themselves.

[Spyros]

1 minute ago, Hardrada said:

Best tool for cutting curves I've used.

I tried Exactos, clicking knife, steel curve tools, even bought an Olfa circle cutter (worst tool for circles, actually) and none of those cut smooth curves. Enter the Don Carlos half-moon knife and the curves just practically cut themselves.

Ahhh gotcha.  Yes curves are challenging.  I bought a range of half circle punches and I try to use those whenever I can, but if I cant I use this and an exacto.  Works for me 

I might add a steel french curve ruler at some point for those odd shapes.

 

 

 

[Hardrada]

9 minutes ago, Spyros said:

Ahhh gotcha.  Yes curves are challenging.  I bought a range of half circle punches and I try to use those whenever I can, but if I cant I use this and an exacto.  Works for me 

I might add a steel french curve ruler at some point for those odd shapes.

 

 

 

Yup, that last tool is what I bought for curves! Except that I got mine from WindFire Designs.

For perfect circles, though, I still think the hole punches are the way to go. I ordered a couple from Abbey England. Ditto for the billet ends.

[Retswerb]

6 hours ago, Hardrada said:

Yup, that last tool is what I bought for curves! Except that I got mine from WindFire Designs.

Aww, now you’ve done it. Just looked at their site and now I have a favorite tool that I don’t even own yet. 

[Spyros]

1 hour ago, Retswerb said:

Aww, now you’ve done it. Just looked at their site and now I have a favorite tool that I don’t even own yet. 

Whatever it is, wait until some talented dude with a forge in ukraine makes it for half the cost  

[Spyros]

Man, I really need to make a proper stitching horse.  I made a couple of "ponies" for myself while I was still researching leatherworking and waiting for my first tools to arrive, without actually having stitched anything in my life.  So I went ahead and made a couple of tabletop versions because that's what I could see everywhere on Etsy etc so I thought ok that's what what everybody uses.  Didn't even know stitching horses exist.  But those little things that clamp on the edge of table are only really good for wallets IMO.  They're just too high when I sit and too low when I stand, the actual clamp is small and I don't like the screw knob, it's unnecessarily slow, I should have made a quick release. 

So now I'm looking at stitching horses and trying to imagine some sort of a design that will work for me.  I don't want to create another furniture though, my house is full.

Any ideas are welcome

[jcuk]

12 hours ago, William Bloke said:

That is a lovely thing, I have a Dixit one od probably a similar vintage. That I didn't choose it as a favourite probably says more about my feelings about rolled work than it does about the tool.

 

My square doesn't have quite the same romantic story, but it is from the famous old English maker "Wickes"

 

Yes rolled work is a acquired taste (time is money) don't get a lot of it but do some for myself just to keep my eye in.

Oh the square el cheapo Chinese made would not buy it today kind of think that's why Dixons and other Leather tool makers went to the wall cheap imports from the far far east glad to see Blanchard still going strong i hope.    

[zuludog]

2 hours ago, Spyros said:

Man, I really need to make a proper stitching horse.  I made a couple of "ponies" for myself while I was still researching leatherworking and waiting for my first tools to arrive, without actually having stitched anything in my life.  So I went ahead and made a couple of tabletop versions because that's what I could see everywhere on Etsy etc so I thought ok that's what what everybody uses.  Didn't even know stitching horses exist.  But those little things that clamp on the edge of table are only really good for wallets IMO.  They're just too high when I sit and too low when I stand, the actual clamp is small and I don't like the screw knob, it's unnecessarily slow, I should have made a quick release. 

So now I'm looking at stitching horses and trying to imagine some sort of a design that will work for me.  I don't want to create another furniture though, my house is full.

Any ideas are welcome

Something bigger than a stitching pony, but not as big or bulky as a stitching horse that you sit on?

How about the traditional saddler's clam, aka saddler's clamp? - Search Google and YouTube accordingly

You can sit down to it on a separate chair, or stand up to it; then tuck it away in a corner somewhere , upright or lying down, when you don't want it. Usually you sit down and put it between your knees to give it a bit of support; by varying the angle you can adjust the height

Nigel Armitage, Jo from JH Leather, and many others use a clam

[William Bloke]

3 hours ago, jcuk said:

Yes rolled work is a acquired taste (time is money) don't get a lot of it but do some for myself just to keep my eye in.

Oh the square el cheapo Chinese made would not buy it today kind of think that's why Dixons and other Leather tool makers went to the wall cheap imports from the far far east glad to see Blanchard still going strong i hope.    

Well you'll never guess what just arrived for me to repair/remake! Looks like my martingale groover will be getting an outing after all.

 

I really hope Blanchard carry on, they seem to be the only ones makeing quality working tools, they'll cause problems for the trade if they do go. (And I really like their sewing awl handles.)

[battlemunky]

6 hours ago, Spyros said:

Man, I really need to make a proper stitching horse.  I made a couple of "ponies" for myself while I was still researching leatherworking and waiting for my first tools to arrive, without actually having stitched anything in my life.  So I went ahead and made a couple of tabletop versions because that's what I could see everywhere on Etsy etc so I thought ok that's what what everybody uses.  Didn't even know stitching horses exist.  But those little things that clamp on the edge of table are only really good for wallets IMO.  They're just too high when I sit and too low when I stand, the actual clamp is small and I don't like the screw knob, it's unnecessarily slow, I should have made a quick release. 

So now I'm looking at stitching horses and trying to imagine some sort of a design that will work for me.  I don't want to create another furniture though, my house is full.

Any ideas are welcome

Stohlman's got the design in his "how to handsew leather" book. I don't know if it is still free on Tandy or not but a hint is that those designs are out there on the interwebs if you don't find the book.

2 hours ago, William Bloke said:

I really hope Blanchard carry on, they seem to be the only ones makeing quality working tools, they'll cause problems for the trade if they do go. (And I really like their sewing awl handles.)

 

Vergez Blanchard wind dividers are about as solid of a tool as I've ever used. I have Barry King's sewing awl and it is really well made as well, so there is hope for the future. 

[zuludog]

There is still a Sheffield based maker of leatherworking tools -

https://www.georgebarnsleyand sons.co.uk

I have one of their head knives. As a traditional maker Barnsley only provide a basic cutting edge, which helps to keep the cost down. But once you've done the final sharpening and polishing it's excellent

Edited June 26, 2020 by zuludog

[jcuk]

3 hours ago, William Bloke said:

Well you'll never guess what just arrived for me to repair/remake! Looks like my martingale groover will be getting an outing after all.

 

I really hope Blanchard carry on, they seem to be the only ones makeing quality working tools, they'll cause problems for the trade if they do go. (And I really like their sewing awl handles.)

Yes it is one of those repair or remake.

Just read your first post again sorry about your tools being stolen, bet some of them you could not replace like for like.

In better times like to go to antique fairs sometimes you can pick up some old tools( won't use the term vintage with nice patina ) its a old tool that can and will do the job if was made for, some of the sellers have not got clue what they have so good bargains can be had.

On Blanchard yes expensive but will last you and someone elses lifetime, if i was starting they would be my go to place often people ask which tools for a beginner the way i look at  it if you buy quality tools from the out set you will always have people wanting to buy quality tools if you decide you no longer want to do leather work anymore easier to sell good tools and maybe get a large chunk of your investment back hopefully.Plus the better the tool the easier your life is.

Was lucky enough while on holiday in France last year Normandy, guess where i took my family for lovely a day out they loved it (not) 

Edited June 26, 2020 by jcuk