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Brian Hart Tools


DarylG

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I just took a look at the photo gallery on the companion tools site you recomended. Reminds me of the apprentice "aptitude" test at the old British bespoke shotgun makers Holland & Holland: They used to give the applicants a chunk of steel, a ruler, and a file and told them to come back with a 1" steel cube.

Hey! This still exists. I had to do something similar with metal blocks and files for the British Horological Institute (clockmakers course).

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Hey! This still exists. I had to do something similar with metal blocks and files for the British Horological Institute (clockmakers course).

I'm glad to hear that people still do this kind of thing. When I first heard of it, I decided to try it myself. There is a lot more satisfaction (and potential tendonitis :) ) in using a file than knocking something out on a vertical mill.

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  • 1 year later...

Does anyone know what is going on with this Companion Tools fellow? His website seems to have gone off-line, and with Brian Hart retiring, I'm not sure what to do!

I have heard that Brian has sold his remaining stock to someone, who is selling it on- any clue who that someone is, and where tools can be had?

Thanks

Laura

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Does anyone know what is going on with this Companion Tools fellow? His website seems to have gone off-line, and with Brian Hart retiring, I'm not sure what to do!

I have heard that Brian has sold his remaining stock to someone, who is selling it on- any clue who that someone is, and where tools can be had?

Thanks

Laura

There was something in a recent BVMA newsletter about this (ie someone buying up B Hart's stock). I can't remember where I put my copy at the moment...

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Hey all,

As far as I am aware from the last time we spoke, Simon T. aka Companion Tools, is rather busy at the moment with life in general and all well but not producing tools. He does have, though, stocks left from the last few batches and is happy to sell those.

Anyone wanting his email I can send it privately!

cheerio!!!

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There was something in a recent BVMA newsletter about this (ie someone buying up B Hart's stock). I can't remember where I put my copy at the moment...

Brian's remaining tools are sold through Hibernian Violins ( http://www.hillsarts.co.uk/hibernianviolins/ ). In particular there are still of his small g-clamps and some of his purfling cutters.

Best,

Philip

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  • 3 years later...

I just took a look at the photo gallery on the companion tools site you recomended. Reminds me of the apprentice "aptitude" test at the old British bespoke shotgun makers Holland & Holland: They used to give the applicants a chunk of steel, a ruler, and a file and told them to come back with a 1" steel cube.

 

Hi Ihny & Dave Lapinel -  thanks for taking me back to 1957.

 

In my case I was given a piece of flat bar 3" x 1 1/2" x 1/4" and a old bastard that had seen better days and told to file the flat bar  "flat and light tight". After two days I achieved that and handed it in to the Workshop Instructor - half hoping to be patted on the back.

 

No such luck - he grunted, flipped it over and handed it back to me with a pithy "now get it parallel to within one thou!"

 

My heart sank - we had been given 5 days to make a depth gauge and 2 of them had passed and all I had produced was one flat surface.

 

Actually the rest of it flowed nicely.

 

Got my pat-on-back when he measured the 4 corners and the centre and found that the max difference was less than 0.0005".

 

Still have it and still use it - once you have learnt how to use a file you never lose the art. I often grab a file rather than fire up the milling machine.

 

cheers edi

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Hello,I'm the Son of Brian Hart ,earlier this year my nephew (Simon Frayne) and myself decided to restart my fathers business and recreate the tools he made.

we both worked with him over the years,although not full time,

But I do want to make one thing clear, we are not just copying my fathers tools, we are bringing something of our own to the table, and at present are developing a few 'new' additions to our ever growing inventory.\

He'd be proud of us for sure.

In fact we are unveiling a limited edition Tool at the VSA to commemorate our twentieth anniversary \

limited to only twenty worldwide.

As for a website,we have recently set one up,although it's a bit "dead in the water" at the moment,but we're going to inject some life in to it after the VSA convention

Here's the address, www.brianhartluthiertools.com

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  • 3 weeks later...

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