The funding campaign is for the Forge......, and the solicitation for the aid that I first saw was from Highland Hardware in Atlanta. They are a reputable establishment.
[OP]
Member
The funding campaign is for the Forge......, and the solicitation for the aid that I first saw was from Highland Hardware in Atlanta. They are a reputable establishment.
Member
I am only interested in supporting a business as a customer, not as a donor, unless that business is a charity entity. If we helped Auriou, should not we do the same to others like Loigier to keep the level playing field?Originally Posted by John C Cox
It is better if Auriou were selling memberships (like Bridge City Tools) to raise funds to address its short-term needs and people could enjoy some discounts from the memberships when they made a future purchase.
I have not gone to the fundrasing site, but please explain to me how this crowdfunding is different from panhandling.
Simon
Contributor
I will gladly send money to buy their excellent product. I won't donate any additional money just to maintain a french business or historical site. I'll leave it at that to comply with TOS here.
Fred
Member
I have one of his fine rasps and I love it... The cheapies are nothing like his. I agree on the sentiment of buying one of his rasps if you are a rasp user. They really are fantastic.
And are they really 4x better than a Nicholson or 8x better than a miscellaneous Chinese import - absolutely...
Member
The Chinese imports I believe are machined, not hand stitched. Gramercy rasps are imported from Pakistan but they are hand cut. I have not tried any Gramercy's.
Simon
Contributor
My Pakistan rasps are all much coarser than my Auriou or Italian rasps.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
Simon, I agree with your concerns. I hope they resolve their issues but I don't feel the approach they've gone for is appropriate for me to support. It's interesting to read the post about them needing support in 2008. Have Loigier had ongoing issues in the same way?
All credit to Lie-Nielsen and all the others who manage to keep on going.
Member
Maybe I'm just not that magnanimous but I won't be donating money to keep the business afloat - I will however consider purchasing their rasps to provide my support, as I have wanted them for a while. I just don't think a business such as this is a donation worthy cause.
Member
My Pechar rasps are far finer than my Auriou.
http://www.pechar-rasps.com/en/
Member
I know very little about rasps. I am more of a gouge and chisel guy. However I have met Michel Auriou and looked at his carving tools, something I know a lot about. I found Auriou to be quite knowledgeable, genuine and helpful. This is in contrast to most of the other vendors I have met. Here is one example: I was once looking at Harrelson Stanley's sharpening jig and stones. He came up to me and told me that I would never be able to get good results with freehand methods. That I needed to buy his side sharpening gizmo. The truth is that I was trained to sharpen freehand before Harrelson was born. I was already an expert before little Harry started kindergarten. I could tell many other stories like this, but it would upset the readers.
As we saw in the Stan Covington situation, this forum is sort of a marketing arm for certain vendors, who support it. The forum is also supported by contributors who also are contributing to the vendor's commercial interests. I also contribute to this marketing when I offer a post worth reading. There is nothing wrong with any of this as long as we have both eyes open.
As I said I have met Michel Auriou and I wish him well. There is nothing dirty about asking for money when in need. And a lot worse stuff goes on in the tool trade.
Member
The Auriou rasps sure are nice, I don't have anything to add to that discussion but Warren, what is the situation with Stan? I haven't had the time to read the forums much over the last few months. Jeff
Contributor
The first question for me is what purpose is served by a one time donation?
Is this a one time expense to get over a bump in the road?
This could be building, equipment or other expense of doing business.
Another thought is will this be an ongoing occurrence?
My first thought is to order a few of the rifflers that have caught my eye in the past and see if there is a way to toss in an extra 10€ or so with the order.
Looking at the site it looks like they have reduced the number of their offerings.
Another thought is to order direct. Ordering through a vendor is not likely to put any extra money into the forge since the vendors likely sell from stock that is already invoiced and paid.
jtk
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."
- Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)
Member
I think that one of the moderators took offense that Stan sold some tools on the side as a hobby.
He insulted Stan for "taking advantage" of stuff. Apparently, there was quite a tiff. I wasn't here.
Stan felt insulted and quit sawmill creek.
Sadly, he's on no other forums...he's very busy with his grandchildren, church, and work.
Contributor
I'm not sure what you mean, Jim. Rasps range in coarseness depending on the grain (e.g., a #6 grain rasp is for coarse rasping, a #15 grain is for finishing). Do you mean that the Pakistan rasps aren't finished to the same degree, or....?
I have a Gramercy rasp (from Pakistan) and a couple from Auriou. Since they're different sizes/grains I can't really compare/contrast them, and all work fine. The quality of the handles do vary; LN added a beautiful handle on my Aurious, whereas the handle on the Gramercy shows some tool marks (which doesn't detract from its use).
I use my rasps all the time.
Mark Maleski
Contributor
I think the issue is that they can't keep up with demand due to outdated machinery, so they can't sell their way out of the problem. Would sure hate to see them go out of business...I don't need any more rasps but their carving tools are fantastic.
Mark Maleski
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