Craft Makers

How to make a horn shoehorn

An appreciation of the skill involved in making a shoehorn, by Chris Mason, Factory Manager at Abbeyhorn.

Merchant-and-Makers-Making-a-Shoehorn-by-Abbeyhorn-1-Heating-with-Flame

Shoehorns are an invaluable spoon-shaped tool for putting on leather shoes without eroding the structure of the heel of the shoe as well as fraying the edge, and given the expense of a…

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Abbeyhorn & the craft of horn working

Interview with Paul Cleasby, owner of Abbeyhorn; making and trading horn products since the 18th Century.

Merchant-and-Makers-Interview-with-Abbeyhorn-owner-Paul-Cleasby-1-Polishing-Stage

Working with horn, one of the earliest raw materials crafted by man, is almost as old as Lakeland’s high hills, which are incidentally home to Abbeyhorn, the last remaining horn works in the…

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The craft of Japanese wooden boatbuilding

Continuing the craft of Japanese boatbuilding - Q&A with boatbuilder, writer & researcher, Douglas Brooks.

A very small sabani a type of semi-dugout once used for fishing in Okinawa. Photo by Mr. Hiroyuki Asato.

Boatbuilder first, then writer & researcher is how Douglas Brooks describes himself in a self-effacing modest kind of way, however, his commitment to the curation and continuation of the ancient but fast-disappearing craft…

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How to make a Sussex Trug

An appreciation of the skill involved in making a Sussex Trug, by Robin Tuppen of the Cuckmere Trug Co.

Merchant-and-Makers-How to Make a Sussex Trug-1

The apparent simplicity of a trug is deceptive; although simple in terms of design, name and use, the construction of a traditional Sussex Trug requires much skill in order to transform the humble…

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