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Manufacture of Leather Tools

preachinpilot

Aluminum
Joined
Jun 16, 2015
I am looking for guidance as to manufacturers of knives and small edged tols for leather. I am helping a gentleman who has Gomph tools which manufactured leather tools up into the first part ot the 1900's. We want to produce teh blades for thin leather knives and leather edgers which were originally cut with modified woodruff cutters and small millers.
Thank you
David Mabe
Hackbarth Tools
Joda Knife & Tool
307-899-7117
 
Likely that someone here can do it for you. I search Gomph tools and there seem to be an endless variety. It appears that many such tools are unique and likely hand made. Can you give more details on these tools , how they are used etc?
 
We manufacture leather working machinery. If you're making hand tools, I think a lot of it is going to depend on the design the maker wants to produce. It's very reliant on their ergonomical opinions and how they are trying to shape and mold the leather. Some of it is just going to involve taking an informed stand because the industry is very much full of stubborn opinions about which way is the "right" way to do something.

There's also a lot of paranoia involved. My dad got into saddle-making out of high school and found that most of the old-timers were very reluctant to share their wisdom because the "new kid would steel their business." There's still a fair amount of that today unfortunately which means that there's even MORE people doing things their own special way. My dad worked his way up from knife sharpening in the old saddle shops and eventually got into custom harness making and repair. having a broad knowledge of the leather industry will be a big help. You and your customer will need to do your research and determine where you sit.

The metallurgy side of it isn't very complicated. Most blades were originally Case hardened steel and as time went on, some switched to O1 tool steel or High Speed Steel. We've found that A2 and D2 work well for a lot of applications. Like all hardened steels, you'll need to find the balance between wear-resistance, flexibility, and stability.

The actual machining will likely involve lots of hand finishing and polishing. I doubt you'll need the volume necessary to justify automation, and lots of users prefer having tools made the same way they are being used, with care by hand.
 
just lost all that i wrote. We do need to be able to have a cutler produce the blades etc. The edgers were cut with woodruff cutters ground to custom profiles and millers, same. Yes there is hand work but we need the steel parts manned.
 








 
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