Tools of the Trade

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dw
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1176 Post by dw »

Here's a very nice feeling little sewing awl haft I just made. It is a copy of an old awl I picked up somewhere. Both are shown in the photo below. The one I just finished is on the bottom, made of persimmon...sometime called American ebony because it is a member of the ebony family.

These are slim awl hafts and might fit nicely in a woman's hand. I like the feel of them but not as well as the older 17th century style that a few folks have been reproducing from a sketch of an awl haft that came from a dig in Jamestown. It has some nice lines though.
5322.jpg


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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1177 Post by jesselee »

DW

I have some old ones like that. They are nice to hold. Your work is wonderful...
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1178 Post by jake »

Dee-Dub,

Is that "Ozark Persimmon"?

As always....beautifully done!

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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1179 Post by dw »

Jake!!!

Hey, Homes! Great to hear from you! Not only is it Ozark Persimmon, but it's Arkansas Persimmon and not only is it Arkansas persimmon, it's Dobbins Farm Persimmon.

Now, DFP is not only hard, it's rare. And the fruit and tree is so sweet, that it's host to a multitude of voracious Persimmon worms that bore through the wood. Since the wood is so hard they spend their whole lives in exhaustingly hard but estatically sensual labour, never penetrating more than an inch or so. Image

They leave burrows that are filled with DFP dust. I turned away about an inch to eliminate these burrows but one could fill them with CA and leave 'em in there---theoretically, with the DFP worm and all! Image

But then the worm, like DFP itself, is rare too...I've never seen one...just their handiwork. Image

Thanks for the kind words, Jake!
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1180 Post by chuck_deats »

5367.jpg

Hacksaw and file time. We have 3-in-1's and 5-in-1's, so will call this a 7-in-1 collice. Wedge does heel breast, notch does sole edge, upper right does heel seat, lower right does shank, bottom does everything else. 3/4" thick, holds heat real well. Still refining shape with a file. Quick and dirty handle, maybe later.

Chuck
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1181 Post by dw »

Chuck,

That's pretty neat alright. I have made a few tools--with hacksaw and file--and ever now and again, one of them becomes so indispensible I wonder how I ever got along without it.

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marcell

Re: Tools of the Trade

#1182 Post by marcell »

I hope I post to the right forum..
I visited an old shoemaker in the weekend, who was selling his equipment. Unfortunately I didn't fint som many interesting items, but there is one - most probably - crimpng tool, which look quite old and sophisticated.

Here you can take a look:
http://img174.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc0051dp7.jpg

and closer shoot:
http://img453.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc0056dn9.jpg

Any idea how to use it? If someone has something similar, please put some photo on..(the problem is, that his tool has only one "arm", so I can't put it to both sides of the crimping board)

(Message edited by marcell on August 27, 2007)

(Message edited by marcell on August 27, 2007)
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1183 Post by marcell »

And an other one:
http://img263.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc0058gt2.jpg

closer look:
http://img207.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc0059qx8.jpg

What is this?

Maybe it is not even a shoemaker tool, but I am not sure. Anyway I saved this old thing from the trash.
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1184 Post by headelf »

This last one looks like a rivet setting tool to me.
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1185 Post by shoestring »

Marcell,

The one with the pliers handle looks to be a staple gun used to set bows or secure tassles.Just a guess.

Ed
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1186 Post by marcell »

Guesses are appreciated, especially because I don't have any. But a "tassel securer" doesn't sound like a shoemaker tool, doesn't it?
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1187 Post by artzend »

Marcell,

Those tools are for setting buttons for button boots. Not much call for them nowadays, I have tried to use them but the buttons always broke. The buttons are held in place and a pin is then put through the wire loop on the back.

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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1188 Post by romango »

Hi DW,

Here is my first attempt at a home made shank iron. I had to just guess on the dimensions but it seems to conform well to my boots, so it's probably not too far off.
5387.jpg


I wonder if I could impose on you to take a few close ups of your shank iron and heel seat iron with a ruler near by, so I can try to make copies.
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1189 Post by chuck_deats »

Rick,

Neat tool, Thanks. Good ideas on how to refine the shape of the lower right corner of mine.

Chuck
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1190 Post by dw »

Rick,

The first photo is of a shank iron readily available through Goetz. Very similar to yours (a credible and functional tool by the looks of it).

The second is a heelseat iron that I made. It includes a groove that creates "wire" along the top edge of the heelseat.

The third photo is of an old Jupp London shank iron. As you can see it has a "jigger" step that is pressed into the top edge of the shank. This is my shank iron of choice.
5389.jpg

5390.jpg

5391.jpg


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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1191 Post by romango »

Nice pics. Can you tell me how wide and tall each one is right at the working end?
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1192 Post by dw »

Rick,

#1 is 10mm wide x 8mm high

#2 is 13mm wide x 5mm

$3 is 11mm wide x 6 mm

Hope that helps...

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relferink

Re: Tools of the Trade

#1193 Post by relferink »

Marcell,

Here's a wild guess. The first tool posted, I can see that being used to re-last riding boots. When you can't get into the leg to hammer the last down into the boot. I can imagine you "hook" the metal bar around the heel to hold it down and with the screw mechanism you can force the last into the boot. Just a guess I may be way off.

The one thing I am sure about is that piece of string tied to the bottom (or top, depending on your perspective), that's a shoelaceImage

The second tool looks very similar in basic setup to the snap button fastening tool I picked up from a retiring shoe repair.
5393.jpg

I've seen them to set the old fashioned buttons as Tim mentioned. In fact my grandfather used to have one of those. Not sure where that tool went.

Rick, have you had a chance to try your shank iron? Looking at it I'm wondering if you will need to round off the edges slightly so they won't catch and scratch up your leather. Just my Image

Keep them coming.

Rob
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1194 Post by romango »

Have not tried it yet but all the edges are mellowed out so they won't catch. I think it's a bit too big though. My first tool attempt.
marcell

Re: Tools of the Trade

#1195 Post by marcell »

Thanks Rob,

I guess I will bring this tool to an old bootmaker and ask him to show me how to use.. Actually I thought it is a crimping tool.. The other one: I would also think that it is for buttons, but the head is different, Anyway I will clean it, and maybe I can see more.
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1196 Post by marcell »

Hi All,

This weekend I visited a great place called "skanzen" - a kind of open air museum in a quite big field with 3 complete villages. You can enter any house and take look the old tools, furnitures, etc. I found an old shoemaker workshop - unfortunately with not so many tools. I made a panorama picture for you - I hope you appreciate it.. Image

http://img211.imageshack.us/my.php?image=cipeszmuhelywj1.jpg

And two more pictures about this village:

http://img407.imageshack.us/my.php?image=udvarjf2.jpg

http://img112.imageshack.us/my.php?image=utcakepyh4.jpg

Sorry to be a bit off-topic, but rhis belongs also for our past, just like old tools. But any admin should feel free to move this post.
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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1197 Post by dw »

I have another little tool cran for those who like screwy ideas and playing around with them. In fact, I am sort of pleased with myself and tickled to present it.

Now this is not my idea (although the implementation, crude as it is, is mine), and it is not particularly world shaking but it is kind of neat.

We have discussed gimping tools on this forum in the past. Lance mentioned a sewing machine attachment. I am working with a tool maker to have something along those lines manufactured and offered to the Trade. I am paying for a prototype to be made, in fact.

But being an impatient sort and wrestling with a technical aspect of construction (how should it be sharpened) I got a bright idea today and knocked out a couple of rough prototypes to test some theories. To do this is probably too time and tool intensive to be of much use except as a prototype (especially if my tool maker comes through) but it is a "proof of concept" and can be done by nearly anyone.

Photos first, then further explanation:
5412.jpg

5413.jpg

5414.jpg


Needed: A 31 class Singer sewing machine, a set of coarse to fine diamond files, a grinding wheel, some American straight needle needles/hooks.

The American straight needle hook has the point broken off. The shank is then shortened by about half. A 90° angle is ground or filed into the shank area. The rounded portion of the shank opposite the 90° is flattened to create an equilateral triangle. Some care must be devoted to both of these operations. A lesser or greater angle is going to have an effect. As is making one side wider than the other. From the wide edge--the edge connecting the corners of the 90°, a groove is cut with the diamond file and then widened and expanded to create an edge on the inside of each of the side of the 90°.

The resulting needle blade will fit into the needle bar of a 31 class Singer but must be tailored so that it will not hit the needle plate at the lowest point in the machines stroke. But almost.

A component--such as a vamp or collar or quarter--can be cemented or glued (Hirschkleber?) to another piece of leather...scrap...or a piece of thick, but dense cardboard, and the stitch length of the machine is adjusted. Sew right along the edge of the component...and Voila!!

The vamp (or whatever) is adhered to another piece of leather to insure that everything will feed positively and evenly. As well as to provide a cushion and a clean cut for the gimping tool.

Any wayward fibers need to be burnt off.

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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1198 Post by dw »

PS.

The black scrap is done at about eight to the ich and the burgundy piece is nine to the inch, and ten to the inch is possible depending on how you adjust "stitch" length. Ten to the inch is much, much smaller (twice as many points) than can be obtained with a standard pinking shears or one of these quasi-commercial pinking machines that occasionally appear on Ebay.


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Re: Tools of the Trade

#1199 Post by dw »

Geez, I know the tool looks rough but the edge is sharp and the cut is clean. The roughness is from trying to "gouge" out the center after I had already sharpened it...thinking I might want to extend the angle of the sharp edge. The backside (second photo) is the is the cutting side.

After several people posted about gimping tools in another thread, I would have thought there would have been more interest/feedback on this.

Hoo Hum...Image

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relferink

Re: Tools of the Trade

#1200 Post by relferink »

DW,

It's not the lack of interest, it's the time it takes my brain to absorb, process, put in perspective and find something intelligent to say that causes the holdup.Image Did you try to gouge out the interior of the V with the sharpening stone wheel on your machine?
It is certainly a proof of concept. How was the transport on the machine? I'd have to check my machine and see if it will take a shaft as big as 1/16th Inch (that's roughly what it seems to be) but in that way it could be applied to nearly any machine.

I'm not familiar with the American strait needle. What is the size of the needles / hooks? I'll put them on my shopping list and see what I can come up with.
Is the idea the tool maker is working on along the same lines? I can not imagine anything simpler and better.

Rob
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