Today as I was in town posting goods off for delivery I thought to call into the local saddlers. I had been wondering if they ever had need of hard leather goods (most everything in a lot of places are soft leather goods that a sewing machine can handle easily enough). I make pouches and the like which are classed as hard leather, they are stitched by hand and I was just wondering to be honest if they ever had a requirement for them.

It makes good business sense to speak with them (apart from the fact that they are nice helpful people) they told me pretty much what I expected to hear and that was that people are not willing to pay the price for hard leather goods because they don’t realise the amount of work that goes into them. They did mention that every now and again someone would come in and ask so they took my business card. That was rather cool of them.

Anyhow, whilst showing them what sort of thing that I made I pulled out a BlackJack that I have tried to make in a traditional manner from traditional materials (it had been taken down to the local haberdashery as I had purchased some needles to make it with and said that I would show them what it was for).

I was surprised to find someone that actually new what it was, now I have never seen a true jack in the flesh so I was quite impressed that someone new what it was. It turned out that the lady’s that own / run Leonard Coombe in Newton Abbot are the daughters of the last commercial maker of traditional Jacks in the country. I was asked if I would be interested in seeing pictures of their fathers work, this was exceptionally kind of them and I naturally said yes. They actually topped this a little while later when they retrieved an example of their fathers work (a traditional leather pitcher made in the blackjack style) that had been made for the Queens Coronation. This was a traditionally made item that was 57 years old and it was in very good condition, their father was a true artisan.

I have been researching BlackJacks for a good period of time now and this was just the ticket to let me know that I am on the right track, many thanks to the Ladies of Leonard Coombe for your kindness (they probably won’t read this, but if they do it would be more than churlish not to have given them a mention).

Well I am off to do some more leatherwork catch you later,

Leon.