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'CAST IN BRASS: The Story of ABS Hand
Tools'
by Trevor Lloyd
• For a pictorial guide to the ABS manufacturing
process, click here
Stewart Field left school
in 1962, aged 16, and went to work for Bristol University as a laboratory
technician, beginning his career by cleaning the blackboards in the lecture
theatres and ending up manufacturing all the instruments and apparatus for
the Low Temperatures Research Group which did fundamental research into solid
state physics. In an apocryphal story, one of the physics lecturers is purported
to have said, "Oh, Stewart, yes - taught me everything I know".
It was because of his ability to solve problems and see solutions for things
that eluded other people, that in 1981 he was recommended to a student of
bookbinding at Brunel Technical College who was looking for someone to reproduce
an old finishing tool. Stewart immediately knew that not only could he make
a reproduction of that tool, which was badly worn, but he could improve on
it greatly, and make the tool as good as new.
Stewart had for some time been manufacturing jewellery using an ultrasonic
drill which he had bought in an auction some time before, and had worked out
a way to use this drill to inlay very complex shapes of different coloured
agate into each other. He knew that by adapting this process, and combining
it with casting using the lost wax technique (which he was already familiar
with) he would have the basis for producing high quality tools. Stewart had
no knowledge of finishing tools, or of their history, so he was not hampered
by knowing the difficulties that tool makers had had in the past when casting
tools. He was, as it were, starting with a clean slate.
His first tool was successful but, he admits, could have been a little more
sophisticated. That said, right from the start the shanks were threaded into
the handles (which means they never come loose!), something that is not seen
on any other tools. Stewart went on to make a few more tools and, later in
1981, he met both Brian Edwards and Alan Armstrong. With Brian’s knowledge
of the binding world, and Alan’s expertise in the book world, they formed
ABS Supplies and, within a short space of time, they had moulds made for about
90 designs. Then in 1982 the first catalogue was produced. This was a great success and, combined with a
trip to a trade fair in Belgium where they made many contacts, ensured that
ABS became very busy.
Many more designs were added over the next year, and a second catalogue was
produced. As well as all that work, Stewart also had to contend with making
a constant supply of 'special' tools; all the initial moulds being cut by
hand on his pantograph.
He also added pallets, and fillet wheels (building a special press tool for
making the forks), to the catalogue.
In 1984 Stewart had full control of ABS and despite being overun with work,
he erred on the side of caution, and remained full time at Bristol University,
producing all the artwork, moulds, tools etc. in his 'spare time'.
Many long hours cutting moulds in the basement spurred Stewart on to think
of a way to automate the first stage of the procedure, so he designed and
built a machine
which would cut moulds by scanning a drawing mounted onto a rotating disc;
inspired by a machine the Royal Mint uses to mill coining
dies. However, this was just at the time computers were coming to the fore,
so before the mark one machine was up and running, Stewart decided to build
another type of engraver
that was computer driven. It was a great success; the time to cut a mould
by hand was around two hours, now Stewart could set the engraver running and
(he says, jokingly, go down the pub) and it would complete it’s task
in around forty-five minutes. This was ready for the release of catalogue
6 in 1995. The next few years were very busy for ABS.
Stewart had a bad year in 1996, his mother became very ill and, as she lived
at home with him, he had the responsibility of looking after her. She died
later in the year, and before Stewart had had a chance to get over her death,
he was diagnosed with a tumour on his tongue. He was told the result of the
biopsy on Tuesday, and by Sunday he was in hospital for what turned out to
be the first of three extensive sessions of surgery, during which time neither
he nor anyone else was very optimistic about his future. However, five years
later Stewart can do virtually everything he wants to.
In 1999 he retired from Bristol University after 36 years, and now concentrates
on ABS, a couple of other related projects and, whenever he can, travelling
in Europe. His eighth catalogue was published in January 2003, and features
some 500 tools, many of which are recent additions.
Stewart is a remarkable man. His ability to anticipate problems, and the apparent
ease with which he solves them, is inspiring. Many years ago when I was discussing
making some large special tools he said to me, "But surely you need these
to be domed, so you can get more pressure in the centre?". He was, of
course, absolutely right, but I had not asked him about doming the tools as
I assumed it would not be possible to cast them in that shape. When I left,
he said he would think about it, and as soon as I had got home he phoned to
say that he had solved the problem and that he could easily dome a tool to
a 148mm radius. When I was talking to him about this article I asked him what
his motivation was; "Easy," he said, "solving problems".
Long may he continue to do that!
© Trevor Lloyd 2002
An edited version of this article was originally published in
Vol. 16 of BOOKBINDER, the Journal of the
Society of Bookbinders
For a pictorial guide to the tool manufacturing
process, click here
Anyone wishing to contact Stewart can do so at:
ABS Supplies
36 Kingsdown Parade
Cotham
Bristol
BS6 5UF
UK
+44 (0)1179 427 456
field56@btinternet.com
