eBay frustration.

[William Bloke]

We all know that eBay can be a great place to find old tools, but I have a particular frustration with it at the moment...

I'm looking for a nice strap pricker for part of a gift to a kid who did work experience with me and is about go down to Walsall to start her apprenticeship.

However all to ones the come up are bought for far too much money by people thinking they are getting pricking irons. 

To be clear, I don't mind being outbid, but it seems a shame to be outbid by someone who is going to be disappointed when it arrives.

 

Ok rant over! Any of you have anything similar?

[Aven]

Have you looked at G&M Tools or with Bruce Johnson?

[William Bloke]

23 minutes ago, Aven said:

Have you looked at G&M Tools or with Bruce Johnson?

I can't imagine Bruce has strap prickers I don't think they're an American thing, but I've not heard of g&m. Do you have a link?

I'm really looking for old tools though. Barnsley or Adams or such. Nice things for a girl starting out in her career. Nothing too flash.

Edited March 9, 2021 by William Bloke

[jcuk]

Have to check every now and then.

https://gandmtools.co.uk

Also try here

https://www.georgebarnsleyandsons.co.uk/leather-working-tools

JCUK

P.S. And yes people who don't know what they are buying inflates the price but sometimes on the flip side people who don't know what their selling. Good place to look in better times are Antiques fairs.

 

 

Edited March 9, 2021 by jcuk

[William Bloke]

Thanks for the links. The new Barnsley don't list a strap pricker but I'm sure they'd make one if you have them a ring and asked.

 

 

[jcuk]

I am taking it you do know Abbey stock them.

[Matt S]

You could try giving Graham Williams at G&G Leather Tools a call. He worked for Dixon for 18 years and then set up on his own hook. No catalogue or website, just give him a bell and say what you're after. He says he can make basically anything in the old Dixon catalogue except things that need castings, like gauges and splitting/skiving machines.

[Aven]

Forgive my ignorance, what's the difference between a strap pricker and a pricking iron?  Abbey's description wasn't very helpful, except that it seems that the strap pricker is available in one size/spacing. Is it the spacing? 5.8mm is a bit wider than most iron configurations I've come across.  But wouldn't 5.4mm be close enough?  I'm just curious.

[William Bloke]

1 hour ago, Aven said:

Forgive my ignorance, what's the difference between a strap pricker and a pricking iron?  Abbey's description wasn't very helpful, except that it seems that the strap pricker is available in one size/spacing. Is it the spacing? 5.8mm is a bit wider than most iron configurations I've come across.  But wouldn't 5.4mm be close enough?  I'm just curious.

A strap pricker makes square holes and is driven right through the leather. It's used to make the holes in girth billets before backstitching them onto the saddle webs of an English saddle. This is done with a sharp needle and no awl to avoid damaging the webbing.

A pricking iron makes diagonal marks in the leather to guide the placement of the awl.

You'd have a hard time making nice saddle stitches with a pricking iron because it gives no help with the slant of the awl.

Hope that makes sense.

[William Bloke]

5 hours ago, jcuk said:

I am taking it you do know Abbey stock them.

Yes but I'd like to get he an old one. She likes the old tools.

 

(Also god knows how long it would take to arrive from Abbey. There's always a good chance it'll be back ordered and turn up out of the blue in six months time.)

[Aven]

Thanks, it does help. Interesting tool.  The square hole surprises me a bit.  I would have expected round, to put less stress on the leather, but I'm sure there's a reason.  And I will admit to not paying that much attention to the tack when I was riding, all those years ago.

The only thing I will add is that stitching irons are available in different configurations, slant, reverse slant, straight as well as those that punch round holes.

I hope you find an old one.  Old tools have a certain something about them.  I'd say over half of my tool collection is about as old as I am, if not older.

[William Bloke]

18 minutes ago, Aven said:

 

I hope you find an old one.  Old tools have a certain something about them.  I'd say over half of my tool collection is about as old as I am, if not older.

It's one of the nice things about the saddle trade. I have this picture hanging in my workshop. It's an original woodcut from "The Book of English Trades and Useful Crafts." Printed in 1818. I know exactly what he's doing in that picture, and I reckon he could step out of the frame and get straight to work with my tools. He'd probably be impressed by my sewing machine, but even that is 80 odd years old.

[Aven]

Nice print.  I get that feeling.  For me, it's kinda comforting knowing you have a direct link to the past.

[jcuk]

1 hour ago, William Bloke said:

Yes but I'd like to get he an old one. She likes the old tools.

I'm with her on that one too.

Never had a problem with slow orders from Abbey but have not ordered  much of late is this a new thing.

1 hour ago, Aven said:

I hope you find an old one.  Old tools have a certain something about them.  I'd say over half of my tool collection is about as old as I am, if not older.

I am always on the look out for old tools just prefer them. 

JCUK

 

[William Bloke]

41 minutes ago, jcuk said:

I'm with her on that one too.

Never had a problem with slow orders from Abbey but have not ordered  much of late is this a new thing.

I am always on the look out for old tools just prefer them. 

JCUK

 

I don't want to badmouth them too much, they are important in the trade and are probably the only ones who had the wherewithal to save Sedgwick when Clayton went bust.

However it's a rare order when I don't have something back ordered. I think it causes me problems because I'm just a small firm, (only me and the dog are full time, and he's started taking belong lunch breaks.) So I don't hold masses of lorinery in stock. Normal bridle, saddle and rug stuff sure, but I order unusual stuff on a job by job basis.

 

As an example, a couple of weeks ago a chap came in with a little job on Wednesday afternoon. Thursday morning, I phone abbey and order the bits for it assuming it will arrive Monday or Tuesday.  Finally on Wednesday they take payment and I get a DPD notification that it will be the next day. The package arrives 5pm Thursday without the stuff for the job. Friday morning I call to find out an ETA on the missing gear and am told Richard will ring me back. Friday I hear nothing. Monday I ring back to chase and am told it'll be at least a month.

So nearly a fortnight after taking the job I have to ring the customer to tell him I can't get the buckles for the job and is he willing to wait until spring.

It's irritating because the ladies on the phones are so good, but the processes in the it and warehouse let the company down.

I've had expensive returns, a pair of Sedgwick harness backs sit in goods in un-opened until I chased them up. That's the best part of £400 of leather that was nearly lost.

Ok rant over. I feel better for getting that off my chest.

 

[jcuk]

Yes think that would p... me off as well but i have only ever returned one thing in all the years i have used them.

I am lucky enough to be around a hour from Metropolitan leather so i get most of my leather from them in normal times i take the afternoon off and go and select it for myself. Although i still get Sedgwick's butts/backs from Abbey when i need to. 

Many moons ago i used Sharps when they were based in Stoney Strafford near Milton Keynes really liked there leather still have a bridle i made from it 25 + years still looks great, they were also a part of Clayton.

Edited March 10, 2021 by jcuk

[William Bloke]

33 minutes ago, jcuk said:

Yes think that would p... me off as well but i have only ever returned one thing in all the years i have used them.

I am lucky enough to be around a hour from Metropolitan leather so i get most of my leather from them in normal times i take the afternoon off and go and select it for myself. Although i still get Sedgwick's butts/backs from Abbey when i need to. 

Many moons ago i used Sharps when they were based in Stoney Strafford near Milton Keynes really liked there leather still have a bridle i made from it 25 + years still looks great, they were also a part of Clayton.

I haven't bought much from Metropolitan, but Andrew has always really gone the extra mile for me.

I'd also recommend Julian at J White's if you want proper equestrian leathers in old fashioned colours. 90% of what I make is in their leather.