So I got me a splitter

[Chef Niloc]

After keeping my eye on eBay for a year or so and lousing a few bids along the way I finally scored me a splitter. It was in kind of bad shape and pretty rusty so I decided to restore it. I took it apart and cleaned the rust and old paint off using a steel brush and sand paper for the big parts and a vibration media tumbler for the smaller parts. Some of the screws I switch out for brass just because I thought it looked better ( I kept the original hardware, in a safe spot just incase). From what I could find the organelle one was panted green, kind of like a landis. I went with a more modern automotive pearl base coat and candy apple green top coat, body shop close by let me use his stuff. There was some gold residue on the base plate I did not know it it was paint or not? I decided to go all out bling bling and gold leaf it, had some old leaf sitting around from my collage art class days. The body it's self was also painted green in a old photo that I found but when I cleaned the rust off what was left was a nice black oxside patina, so I just clear coated it and left it black.
here are some before and after picks.

Before:

After

AND After Master Smith (MS) Michael Rader new blade made from 52100 steel RC 62

 

[HHH Knives]

:confused2: Chef, I dont know what it splits.. lol But it sure looks great.. nice color choices.. Congrats. :happy:

 

[kidterico]

Randy nice job. KT

 

[BRad704]

:confused2: Chef, I dont know what it splits.. lol But it sure looks great.. nice color choices.. Congrats. :happy:

I'm in the same boat as Randy... It's a beautifully done machine, but what exactly does this do?

 

[Gahagan]

it looks like an old leather spliter for splitting leather in half. But that is just my take on it but it looks good what ever it is.

 

[Chef Niloc]

Yes it's a old (100 ++ year) Chase pattern leather splitter. I don't remember who but some one on this board recommended I keep a eye out for one as it's a lot lighter then a landis and has a 12" cutting blade. I talked Michael Rader into makeing me a new blade for it out of 52100 steel. I'll bet it's the first leather splitter with a "M.S." stamp on it

 

[BRad704]

OOOOHHHHH, ok... It is a beautiful piece, you did a great job on the restore!

 

[BossDog]

I want to see it work!

 

[roughcountry]

Great job on the restoration Chef.
I use one like it daily. Now watch for a pair of snob pliers, they make it easyer to pull the leather thru. ( they use them in the shoe trade)

Keep your blade sharp and never split past half the leather thickness in a single pass. (it will cut your leather clear thru)

 

[Chef Niloc]

Great job on the restoration Chef.
I use one like it daily. Now watch for a pair of snob pliers, they make it easyer to pull the leather thru. ( they use them in the shoe trade)

Keep your blade sharp and never split past half the leather thickness in a single pass. (it will cut your leather clear thru)

Thanks, I think it was you that recommended keeping a eye out for one a few years back?
snob pliers??? Got a pic?

 

[roughcountry]

Sorry Chef, not getting much computer time right now.
Heres the two jaw types I use most. You can drive tacks with these also but I rarely use them that way.
Be sure to leave extra leather to grab with the pliers as you will have to trim the jaw marks off.

 

[Chef Niloc]

Ok so its all torn down and fixed up. I even got a new custom blade made for her. Michael sent it to me with a 5000 grit finish on the edge, this is how that edge cuts. Boy o boy new blade makes a big difference. He did a great job fit and worked first time around (he has never made one before)
Specs: from his mouth

I forged in the bevel on a 52100 bar using low-temp forging cycles and normalized it quite a few times to refine the grain. I triple quenched the blade using the mar-quenching procedure (high-temp salts to austentizing temp. then quenching in low-temp salts to harden.) I then tempered it to 62-63.

 

[Dwane Oliver]

That is cool........but why would you want to split a hide , I just dont understand.

 

[mike miller]

It is a solider piece of leather. A very good sheath maker I know uses saddle leather 13 to 15 ounces and splits it back to 8 or 9. His sheaths are super.

 

[rhinoknives]

Chef,
I think some of your pic's were deleted. It looks like I am only seeing the before pics?
Cool Splitter!

Whoa! That was strange, The after pics just showed. Fantastic. You have captured the look of great machines in our past in America.

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com/

 

[roughcountry]

Great job on restoring a great old splitter Chef. Be thinking who your gonna will it to, it will outlast you by a bunch.

The questions of why you would split leather is easy to answer. Rather than order several weights of leather you can order just a few. Then split it to the perfect thickness for each project. Think function first. Why would you use leather thicker than it has to be? You would just add weight and bulk to your project. Once you have a splitter in your shop you can get the perfect thickness for each project, from the minature knife sheaths to the big fighters.

 

[Chef Niloc]

Great job on restoring a great old splitter Chef. Be thinking who your gonna will it to, it will outlast you by a bunch.

The questions of why you would split leather is easy to answer. Rather than order several weights of leather you can order just a few. Then split it to the perfect thickness for each project. Think function first. Why would you use leather thicker than it has to be? You would just add weight and bulk to your project. Once you have a splitter in your shop you can get the perfect thickness for each project, from the minature knife sheaths to the big fighters.

+ working mostly with horsehide if I need say 3oz leather that's not easy to come by. Its also is good for leveling leather when making something like a razor strop or exposing the "split" I.E. removing the grain. Saves money and makes for a better looking piece when doing inlay work (Paul Longs DVD, thanks Paul). Leather splitter is not a "Must Have" tool but does come in handy. I would like a hand crank one like Paul uses and will get one at some point, but right now I don't have a large detracted work shop for my leather work. It being "a hobby" usually means I have to hide in corners light at night so the wife don't yell at me. This type of splitter is nice compared to the crank type as it can handle wider pieces of leather, the 10" blade on this one allows me to split 8" wide piece one handed easily, could likely do 9-9.5 with a set of lasting pliers on pulling on each side. Of all the splitter designs this type (chase pattern) and the Kerbs I think are the best, and they (or parts I.E. new blades) are not made anymore. The thiner blade and top roller keeps the leather from ridding up and lends its self to a more even cut compared to a Osborn. The newer splitters also scare the hell out of me that there exposed top mounted blades. Having to take the blade off and "sheath it" every time so I could store it safely without damaging the blade or unexpected cat passing by was a big P.I.T.A. Nasty nasty cut or to myself from doing so on a smaller Osborn that I had before this one. So the biggest trouble with these old splitters is finding one in good shape and more importantly a blade that has not been worn out or damaged over years of use. I was lucky to pick this one up "on the cheep" for $100.00 on eBay. The carbon steel parts (screws, rollers, ext) were rusted with some pitting, vibration media tumbler and some wet dry sand paper fixed that. Aside from that and the blade the rest of the restoration was purely for fun and cosmetic. The blade on this one was in bad shape, usable, but at the end of its life and the bevels were messed up making for difficult and somewhat uneven cuts (think it was a little bent). The blade being the hart of the splitter I was lucky to have a good friend like Michael (Michael Rader ABS master smith) to make this blade for me. There can be no doubt that advances in the understanding of steel and it's work topped with advancements in heat treating and mettle working tools over the past 100 years makes for a better blade. I doubt the old blade's on these splitters were made by someone with the skill of a american master smith, hell ill go as far to say that one would be hard pressed to get a new factory blade for a modern splitter with a better blade. In my opinion American custom smiths make the best blades in the world, factories can't replace them.

 

[Pelallito]

Roughcountry and ChiefNile,
I just got one that has spent the last three days in my electrolysis tank. Hopefully today I can start taking it apart.
Any and all advice would be appreciated.
What is that spring like piece that bolts to the bed?
Are there any drawings or photos of it.
Well, I started taking it apart and cleaning the parts further.
The blade is 8" long by about 1/8th" by ?. It is wider on one side than the other.
It might have started as 1 3/8 across. 1.259 on one end and 1.3425 on other.
On the blade is the following information.
J W Chase
North Weare NH

PATD Sept 19,186?
PAT'D May 24, 1864

There is a number 7 stamped on both blade and frame.

Did they stamp serial numbers to both when they made them?
Where can I get more information about these machines?
Thanks,
Fred

 

[Chef Niloc]

Sorry I just saw this. been out of commission for a long time, lost my wife in July job in August and the Sandy took my home (the huracane not my wife). If you still need any help with this let me know.

 

[Chef Niloc]

Was asked to fix links by a member, here you go.

BTW just an update. I just realized I've been using this splitter with its new blade for well over a year now without it to be sharpened, I think its do to the steels hardness? My guess is old blades for these were made from simple carbon likely only hardened to somewhere in 50's range?