Tools.

On this page you can see a few of the tools I have custom made for myself, some of them are works of art in their own right. you can now also see some of the tools that I have bought or have been given by friends.

Please also scroll down the page to view some of my favourite tools which were hand crafted for me by my friend PJ.

A Selection of Fids and Spikes.

Below: from the top, a 14" Olive Ash fid. A beautiful 10" Box fid made and given to me by Dominic Taylor, and three Lignum Vitae fids 10", 8" & 6" respectively. 

 Below: from the top, narrow and wide 10" Swedish Fids, wide and narrow 6" Swedish fids, a very sharp 8" pricker, an 8" Keystone Marlinspike, and a French style shackle key spike.

3 wood fids made by the late, Bud Brewer, a Beech wood fid made for me by? about 8 years ago, still never got round to covering the handle ;-/ and a Marlinspike shell. 

Below: A nice selection of spikes made for me and given to me by the late Bud Brewer, the first three on the left bud made to my requirements, the next 4 and the last one bud gave to me from his collection, and the second in from the right I won in the raffle at the 2007 IGKT Silver Jubilee in Fareham.

Below: This spike is the one pictured third from the left after I decorated it with some 0.8mm cord,  

Below: This spike is the one pictured fifth from the left, I replaced the original knot work from the top with some of my own, in 0.8mm cord. 


A Drill Powered Cord Maker.

 I made this as an alternative machine to my larger rope making jack also pictured on this page. For the single handed making of small 4 strand cordage which I use for Ply-Split braiding.

The gears are steel, with stainless steel shafts, running on self lubricating Bronze bearings, the hooks are made from stainless steel rod, the shell of the machine is PVC pipe and the face plates are from thick Lexan Polycarbonate


The adaptable out end using recycled hardwoods

Making some 10mm diameter sisal rope to test the hook strength of the machine.

Some linen yarn about to be mad up into cords for Ply-Split Braiding.

Below: The cord maker mounted in the drill which is in turn mounted on a wooden sled.
The recycled mahogany sled.

Below: some of the Paper raffia cords made with the machine; and used for Ply-Split Braiding


A Rope Jack.


This is my rope making jack which is the business end of my rope and twine making set up.

It runs on Steel machine gears with a gear ratio of 4 to 1. All of the axles run on plain bearings. 
There are 4 hooks so 2, 3 and 4 strand rope can be made.


Below: The hand crank is made from one of my spare bike crank sets.


Below: The internal workings.


Grip Fids.
Now available via my Etsy Store
Please Note: I have no stock of GripFids at the moment sorry!
I have not had the time to make more and they go pretty much as soon as I make them, please keep checking back for an update on stock.




Made from Stainless Steel tubing; the end is shaped to grip the cord and pull it though whatever you are working on,
The handles are wooden balls covered with Pineapple knots.
The Grip Fid was originally invented by the late Stuart Grainger; whom was a member of the IGKT.



 Above and Below: This Grip Fid was made for my friend PJ, and has a Pineapple knot variation as the handle covering.



Below: This one was made for the late Bud Brewer, photo by Bud.



Below: The Grip Fid in action. Ideal for Ply-Split Braiding!



A solid Mahogany Sailmakers bench.

 6 feet long, and made from recycled material. A hook on the right of the bench is put in the canvas, and the left hand pulls on the canvas to create tension whilst stitching.


Featured in Knotting Matters # 94




Heaving Mallets.

 Galvanised steel heads, Stainless steel shafts, and fancy rope grips.
Featured in Knotting Matters # 94


Heaving mallets are used as levers to help tighten seizings and heave home strands in a large splice.
Sometimes used with a heaving board similar to the Mahogany one seen in the above pictures.

Below: Detail of the Fid Work and Grafted Grips.


A Sailmakers roping palm.

Made from Raw Hide, leather, and lined with Goats skin.
The dimpled iron is machined from brass. 
this palm is used for stitching the bolt rope around the perimeter of a sail. 


A Fender making needle.


I turned the points from solid Brass and added a removable becket to attach the points to the rope being used for hitching the fender.
The rope passes through the Brass tube and is attached to the point which is then pulled back into the tube.
This tool makes hitching fenders a breeze.



A Large set of threaded Needles. 

All made from Silver Steel and tapped with metric course threads. The one on the far right is made from 19mm diameter stainless tube and is 410mm long, next to it are some unfinished needles.


A Copper Serving Board.

Ideal for serving Chest Becket Bails and countless other things, removable spool to make one man operation easy.


A Stainless Steel Marlinspike.


This was my first attempt at turning a Marlinspike, the material is 304 Stainless Steel, 
I was; and still am really chuffed with how it tuned out. 

Below: a smaller version from the same material, 90mm length with a standing Turk's-Head knot and a small Pineapple knot.


Below: 2 Mahogany Seam Rubbers, a serving board of the same and an antique fid which belonged to my Great Grandmother (Nannan) all around 110mm length.



Below: Cotton hitching covering over a sail needle case. in the finest 12 thread cotton siene twine, over 3000 hitches.



Below: steel spikes covered with Cotton and Flax, Mathew Walker knots, Crowning, walling, complex crown button knot and Turk's-head knobs. 160mm length.


Below: Loop tools, various wire gauges, one flat stainless steel blade loop, Turk's-Head knots and a Pineapple knot, longest 180mm.



Here you can see some of the beautiful tools my friend PJ custom made for me in exchange for some of my work, and I am sure you will agree they are truly works of art.

Having the right tool for job makes the task at hand so much more enjoyable, and I think this also shows in the finished product.
If you are interested in rope, canvas and leather craft, and take pride in the work you do; I am sure you will not be disappointed by having PJ make you something that little bit special to work with.

Click on the heading to visit PJ’s online store.

A knot tying spike and a fine Leather braiding fid.


Top: a three sided Stainless blade, Bronze bolster and Alabaster handle.
6” long overall, 
Great for fettling knots and holds a Marlingspike hitch firmly for tightening constrictors, hitching, whippings and the like.

Bottom: a fine Stainless blade for fine leather braiding or intricate knot work, with an Alabaster Handle.
3.5” overall.

A Leather braiding fid.  

A perfectly formed flat blade in Stainless, and an Alabaster handle. Superb shape for fid work and  working Turk’s-Head knots in leather and cord.
5” overall.

A small knot tying spike. 

 
A three sided Stainless blade which becomes six sided part way along, topped of with a gorgeous Myrtle wood handle, the picture does not do the wood justice! It reflects the light like the semi-precious stone Tigers Eye.
4.75” long overall.
This spike is great for fettling and tightening those little knotty concoctions but still has plenty of beef for tightening the odd seizing and constrictor.


A Leather cutter and beveller. 


This has to be the mutt’s nuts in leather braiding paraphernalia.
A custom leather cutter and beveller.
Used for cutting thongs and braiding lace from hides and also bevelling the edges of the thong or lace for a neater smoother braid. 
With an ultra fine adjustment to the width of the cut and two different bevelling angles you can cut your own lace from scratch or you can re-cut and re-dress that machine cut stuff you buy from the leather craft store.
The cutter / beveller uses disposable and easy to get hold of ejector style razor blades, is easy to set up an can be mounted to just about any table top.

Above: Set up for cutting lace to width, and the lace that was cut from a Kangaroo hide.

Below: Set up for bevelling, and the finished lace ready for braiding.