Ok, spent 2+ hours this afternoon figuring out how to post photos to our
Oldtools groups-io site so that I could show you some of the tools I purchaed
from Ukrainian manufacturers.
Had to:
1) re-learn how to creat an album on site
2) re-learn how to post photo to album
3) find out that my HEIC photos from my iPhone besides being huge and taking
forever to load are not readable on site
4) figure out how to delete photos already loaded
5) figure out how to convert the photos to Jpgs on Mac and try again - oh, and
they are still huge
5) figure out how to reduce size on Mac and try again
6) finally got reasonably sized photos on site
7) figure out how to edit and add reasonable comments.
8) figure out how to post link to album
Whew, just hope I can remember that all the next time.
So I think this will get you there:
https://groups.io/g/oldtools/album?id=289428
DIscussion
Both this vendor and another I ordered from (maybe more photos later) were eager
to please and were quick to repond to inquires. Etsy makes it reasonable to
communicate with them. The other vendor failed to provide a left handed verion
of a tool that he said he would do. I corresponded and he immediately sent a
replacement and did not ask for a return of the first.
Shipment from Ukraine was slow of course. Some of the tools were probably pre-
made, but maybe not all. Took them up to 2 weeks to get shipment ready, and
then 10-14 days to get posted and out of Ukraine. From there it went to USPS
international depot in NYC and then only a few days to get to me in Missouri.
The workmanship is first class, and the items from StrongWay tools came with
excellent leather sheaths - I was impressed.
The little axe is a smaller version of larger ones I have both from Grandfors
Bruks and a local young up and coming smith in Missouri. It is less than half
the weight of those. I’m getting older and my arm gives out quicker so the
smaller size works very well. Swings great, great balance, and enough heft to
get what I want done done.
And they are wicked sharp and surface polished to almost a miror finish. I am
ticlked to death with them.
YAKUT KNIVES:
As I understand it they are a traditional style from far north Siberia. Flat
side with “hollow” Means that sharpening only requires honing on a flat stone
with mnimal effort. Convex side is not touched in other than original
production. Quick and easy, no bevels to maintain, just flat against a stone or
probably flat rock back in the days. They are not laminated as some have
wondered.
But, I have not decided which is left handed and which is righrt handed. Comes
down to which side one puts agains the material being carved. I suspect that
for tradtional hunting, skinning and survival the convex side goes agains the
animal carcase with the flat side away. But I’m thinking that for carving of
green wood like spoons etc, I will find it much more effective to work with the
flat side against the item from which material is being removed. So I ordered
the set of two - experiments will ensue. I’ll try to post any expeimenal
observations.
CONCLUSION:
With the conflict in Ukraine I was of course worried about getting the product
but decided to try to support them in their efforts. The variety of tools
available was impressive, and the photos were drool worthy. One caveat is with
the language difference there is the potential for confusion whether the listing
was for a single item or a set. They tend to use the word set for items where a
selection of a single size is required. Just read carefully and if the price
seems too good, it is probably a single item price. Prices are amazingly low in
my opion, perhaps due to ongoing conflict.
I do have two more orders on the way, one from Strongway tools including an even
smaller axe. I will post additional photos when they arrive.
For the record the two vendors are:
Strongway Tools
ForgedSteelTools (from whom I orderedd a spoon/bowl carving set with gouges and
hook knives)
Questions are welcome
—Scott
(The one in central Missouri)
---------------------------------------------------
Scott Stager
Columbia MO
573-474-5955 home
573-424-4764 cell
stagers@m...
|