Current Tool Manufacturers and Suppilers

Since the CraftoolTM Company shut down in June of 1999 there are several companies that provide the leathercraft suppliers with tools. Each distributor offers tools from various companies. At the time of this writing (Oct/2000) the following information was given by each leathercraft supplier. Be sure to check with the leathercraft supplier, if the company that manufactures the tool is critical to you. Suppliers are shown alphabetically:

CLPW Leather Has four (2) suppliers as follows:

  1. MidasTM (Taiwan)
  2. Craftool USATM

Hide Crafter Leathercraft
Has four (4) suppliers as follows:

  1. Craft-JapanTM
  2. Kyoshin Elle-JapanTM
  3. MidasTM (Taiwan)
  4. Craftool USATM
The majority of their line and all our exclusive designs are from Craft-Japan. They also carry a line of GoreTM tools.

Tandy

Is still selling some Craftool USA stamps that were manufactured before the Craftool Manufacturing Company was shut down in June of 1999. A majority of the stamping tools we've ordered from outside vendors come from Japan. A few have come from Taiwan (Midas).

The Leather Factory

They also carry a line of Barry KingTM tools.

The Leather Store

Tool Numbering

The McMillen Tool Company, formerly of Kansas City, Missouri and now of Sunrise Beach, Missouri, used a different numbering system from the other makers. It appears, from their catalog, that each time them made a new tool, the numbers were just progressive. Also, many of the tool makers did not use numbers, letters, or even put their name on the tools. Thus, it is very difficult for the novice to even determine who made many of the high quality stamps from the past. It is only with practice that one starts to recognize who made which particular tool. For example, I have about 9 stamps that have been authenticated as having been made by the Frank Eberle, a great tool maker from the past, operating out of Phoenix, Az. None of his stamps were marked with his name as maker, however, he left his distinctive mark on them. Due to having used many large spike nails as his tools stock, the shafts still bear the three little marks that appear on nails, near the head.I have quite a few Barry King tools, as well as close to 70 which were made by Don King. The only thing that each tool has on it is the name and city. No numbers. I believe that the tools that Barry is now making for the Leather Factory may be the only ones with a number.Bill Woodruff of Sedona, AZ, also an outstanding tool maker, and a former employee of the old Bill Porter Saddle Company of Phoenix, also only stamps his tools with his name as the maker, although, I have just recently received two bargrounder that do had the size stamped on them. However, all of the other tools Bill has made for me only have his name as maker.It would also be very interesting to learn who actually started the numbering system.Another thing, C. S. Osborne also made stamps and swivel knives up until the early 1960's. Have several of their started kits, and no names or numbers. Only the C. S. Osborne name on the leatherette case they are stored in.

I think, McMillen used an entirely different numbering system than did the others. I have several old McMillen catalogs, which show the impressions, however, the image pages are so dark, that they would not reproduce. I do not know if McMillen has a better looking and thus, better viewed page or pages. However, they might. I just got off the phone with them, determining the price on a stamp that they make, and I asked the lady about putting their numbers in your list. She suggested I have you contact them. So, here is the address

McMillen Tool Company
R. R. 2 Box 416
Sunrise Beach, MO 65079
 Most of the old hand made tools, even the ones with knurled shafts, were made from large spike nails. Frank Eberle, the noted toolmaker of the past, from Phoenix, who made many, many tools for the stampers at Porters of Phoenix, used nails, bolts, etc. Very inexpensive materials. Of the current toolmakers, I know for a fact that Barry King buys stainless steel bolts in quantity to make his fine line of tools. One material that I have only seen in use one time, on one set of very beautiful stamps, is hard yellow brass. I seem to recall that Ellis Barnes once told me that the ideal material, one which would give a very nice burnish to the stamping, is copper, however, it is really to soft for the entire tool. Perhaps bronze would be a good substitute, less steel in it than brass.

A word on the material in the older stamps as well as the currently made ones. Since I have been reworking many of them into Sheridan style tools, in preparation for the class I will be teaching at the local college, I can tell you that the material in the newer stamps seems to work as well as that in the older stamps. In fact, I have found that the chrome finish is in fact harder to remove than that on the older tools. These newer tools may in fact be of a little harder steel than the old ones as it takes more time with the hand files to do some of the shaping than it does on the older tools

Ron Ross

Email: rosaddlery@aol.com
RBS Tools

I have related what I have been able to learn over the past 20 or 25 years that I have been trying to research that subject. I had learned from an old friend, who was a personal friend as well as coworker at Porters, when F. O. Baird was employed there, that Baird might have been one of the three. He also told me that Lou Roth, of Craftaid/Craftool was also one of them. The 'S', so he said, was for a gentleman, the last name of Sturdy.

However, I later heard Ellis Barnes relate that he was the 'B', in RBS, that Stohlman was the 'S' and that Lou Roth was the 'R'. This has been somewhat confirmed to be true, by some emails that I have had with Roger Roth, the son of Lou Roth. He did confirm that, in the early 1950s, there was a working relationship between the three, which was prior to Lou Roth acquiring Craftool from Dick Magahen, the founder of Craftool.

On the numbering of the tools, I have not, as of yet, been able to determine exactly who started the numbering system currently in use. If you will look at the F. O. Baird book, LeatherArt, you will find a chart of stamping tools, and the tool numbers correspond with current numbers. This book was originally published in 1938, which was prior to the founding of Craftool.

There are also some stamping tools in existence that were stamped as CalCarve and which used the same numbering system. CalCarve also predates Craftool.

I do know that Ray Hackbarth was making tools, from stainless steel, in the early 1940s, from having seen ads for such in the old Western Horseman magazines. Ray did not use the numbering system that was used by Craftool. Likewise, P. B. McMillen, Kansas City, Missouri was making stamping tools prior to any of these other companies, and, their numbering system, likewise, is of their own design, starting with the number 1 and working up to whatever their current high number is. Also, during the early years, C. S. Osborne was making stamping tools and then, apparently later, having them made under contract. None of the Osborne stamps that I have seen or that I own, bear any markings.

Back to the RBS, I have even went as far as contacting the Department of State in California, to inquire if that company had ever been incorporated, which would shed some information, at least as to when formed and the principles involved. They responded that they had no such record.

So, after this lengthy time period of research, I am now more inclined to accept Mr. Roth's explanation.

As an additional note, in my research, I have visited, either in person, or by telephone, with Al Shelton, who told me he was not even aware of tools made by RBS, even though he was carving, in California during the early 1940s; with Fletcher Whitlow and Ray Pohja, both of whom worked at Porters, around the same time that Baird did, and also could offer no information.

Lastly, I recall, from when I was with Tandy Leather, as an assistant store manager, during the period 1962 to 1965, that on more than one occasion, when we would get a new supply of Craftools in, that you might find a RBS tool among them. So, quite possibly, it was in fact Roth, Barnes and Stohlman, and that when Mr. Roth acquired Craftool, the RBS tools in stock were added to that inventory and that there were still some on hand, when Tandy acquired Craftool. If anyone else has any information they would care to share on this, please do so, as it has been one of those unsolved mysteries of leather working.

Ron
rosaddlery@aol.com
Steve, Read your helpful info (10-4), thanks, there were also some tools made that had an S on them, made long before the s used by Tandy for the heavy duty saddle stamps. The S ones were very fine lined and are really great, not too many of them around.

Blanche Byrne

email: blanche@myleathercraft.com
I have looked through my tools and know that the Craftool has marked their tools differently over the years.

Examples:

A104 CRAFTOOL USA (newer)
A104 CRAFTOOL CO USA
A104 CRAFTOOL CO
104 CRAFTOOL CO (older)

Does any one have the years that these different identifications were used? Are there other Craftool markings? This information could help collectors identify the ages of these tools. I also have a Tandy 7 tool starter set with box, from the 50's were none of the tools are numbered. I have some tools with only a number (no "CRAFTOOL" marking) that seem to match the craftool numbering system.

Also, I have identified four additional qualifier's that sometime appear after the tool number on Craftool tools.

Examples:

(L) Left
(R) Right
(-2) An in between size
(-S) This was a designation used in the late 70's early 80's for what Tandy called "Saddle maker / Heavy duty" stamps.

At one time I was going to try and create an MS-Acess database of this. Then I got overwhelmed. Every old Tandy book and every old Craftsman magazine has new numbers and stamp impressions that I didn't know about. Interesting subject.

Steve

email: s.meloling@worldnet.att.net
The biggest tool collector I know if is probably Bill Reis, of the LC&SJ. I'd say he's probably the one who would have the best idea of what tools were made.

I know that some numbers were recycled, or tools with the same number are substantially different when compared. That could be normal variation in tools too. Some have finer lines or checkering than others, some are wider, etc.

I'm as much a tool collector as anyone, and I'd love to see a Complete database of all the different tools.

Dave T.

S TOOLS:
S 4 ARROW HEAD
S 5 ARROW FEATHERS
(S 4 + S 5 = BROKEN ARROW)
S 14 HORSE
S 3 ARROWHEAD
S 12 THUNDERBIRD
S 6 ARROW
S 8 TEEPEE
S 9 WHEEL OF LIFE
S 11 LIGHTNING
S10 RAIN

PICTURES ARE IN HOW TO CARVE BELTS ON A TEEPEE PICTURE CIRA 1980 HAVE CRAFTOOL USA ON SHAFT. LATER THE TEEPEE, THUNDERBIRD AND OTHERS WERE PUT INTO 86OO STAMPS. LATER STILL THE ARROW AND A FEW OTHERS WERE MADE INTO A CAMP CRAFT KIT BUT THEY WERE NOT CHROMED.

Joyce Beaver
Email: ejbeaver@efn.org

I picked up some Cal-Carved literature over the weekend and was looking through the information. It appears as though Cal-Carved tools were given alphanumeric designations as far back as 1948 (copyright dates on a couple of the manuals). Tandy/Craftool didn't start that practice for another 15 years. I had received some Cal-Carved tools in the past and was told that they were bought in 1951 but when I saw the alphanumeric designation, I thought that the lady was mistaken. Now it turns out that she was probably correct and that they were purchased then from Cal-Carved (she was exactly sure of the name, "Cal-something" was all she knew) Regards, Ben Cox