Clico - End of an Era

[Vann]

Not wanting to hijack the thread on Clifton block planes (especially as they're no longer part of Clico), I want to lament the end of Clico. I had not realised they went into voluntary liquidation until Sheffield Tony posted this on the other thread:

I think the drills and such remained with Clico, rather than going to Thomas Flinn. Which is bad news, given this, which I somehow missed:

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/2253731/

which has deeper implications.

It seems to me that Clifton was set up, not to be a viable profit-making business, but more as a hobby for director Alan Reid. With his retirement last year, there was no incentive to keep this extremely marginal business going (in fact I suspect it was in serious dept - hence the liquidation). Fortunately, it appears he was able to flick the planemaking division off to Thomas Flinn & Co. before the ship sank.

Several years ago Andy King visited the then Clifton works, the old Morrisons Burton Weir works, and wrote an article titled From Mighty Oaks. http://www.getwoodworking.com/news/arti ... y-oaks/917

In this article, refering to the manufacter of augers, he notes:
Sadly, this hand-forging is an art that’s practised ever less widely. At one time, Alan tells me, factories across Europe employed as many as 3000 people who were capable of turning out hand-forged augers. Today, he maintains, there’re just 28 people with the necessary skill, and one company employing them — Clico. As long as Burton Weir’s working, though, the skill won’t die out.

Well, it looks likes that's over, and with it all those old skills die - no longer viable in this modern world.

One faint glimmer of hope lies in this quote from a British retailer's website:
Made in Sheffield, UK by Clico. (sadly Clico have now closed but production may be taken up by someone else)

But it's now 7 months since Clico went down, I wonder if there's still a chance?

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Biliphuster]

There were 28 people with the skills, I imagine the tooling could be picked up cheap from the ex Clifton works (unless they have been scrapped), so it's possible if the will or demand is there then production could be set up gain, the skill won't be truly lost for another 10-15 years.

The £20-30 retail price is about as much as the market can bear for drill bits I imagine, but the difficulty in buying second hand bits with square taper shanks (ie making sure the leadscrew is good from a dodgy photo) and the dwindling stock of NOS bits might make this a worthwhile enterprise.

 

[thomasflinn]

I do have some oddments of chisels and bits from the liquidation sale and 2 Jennings pattern bits (1 x 3/4" and 1 x 1 1/4"). Any decent stock was sold off a long while ago so it was really only oddments left.

There was only about 6 guys realistically in the auger department by the way. 2 more staff were interchangeable with the planes and the augers.

 

[AndyT]

I suggest that any chairmakers wanting proper spoon bits who have not got round to buying Clico bits do so now, from one of the retailers who still has stock. They are £20 - £30 each but almost unobtainable on the secondhand market, unlike the auger bits, where presumably s/h bits were Clico's main competitor.

 

[Trafalgar]

Are the spoon bits available from Lee Valley by Clico? Judging by the price I don't think so but I'm curious anyway:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.a ... 42337&ap=1

 

[AndyT]

Are the spoon bits available from Lee Valley by Clico? Judging by the price I don't think so but I'm curious anyway:

http://www.leevalley.com/US/Wood/page.a ... 42337&ap=1

They look quite different so I guess not.

 

[Trafalgar]

Interesting:

http://www.fullchisel.com/blog/?p=120

https://books.google.com/books?id=uRXCA ... it&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=HDBRA ... it&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=_uIXP ... it&f=false

 

[RossJarvis]

Having lived in Sheffield I feel very sad that yet more of the past is going.

 

[deema]

There stuff was and is brilliant. All my bits, mortice chisels and sharpeners for the hollow chisels are Clico. I was really depressed to hear of its demise. There service was brilliant, and knowledge superb. Another bit of our once world class woodworking tool history extinct.

 

[Trafalgar]

Essentially the UK version of Lie-Nielsen at a point in time but obviously something went awry in the marketplace, the business model or execution thereof.

It is a shame.

 

[Vann]

Having lived in Sheffield I feel very sad that yet more of the past is going.

Yes. But it's not just another bit going, this was the very last bit. As deema says, the skill of hand making auger bits is now extinct (in the western world at least).

I'll take my share of the blame. I own just one Clico auger bit (bought as that was one size I couldn't find in good condition second hand - and because I wanted to see what a well made new auger looks like :roll: - having also bought a brand new Irwin auger bit #-o )

Cheers, Vann.

* I have two Clifton planes and some spare irons - but that's not the traditional skill loss I'm lamenting here.

 

[Andy Kev.]

This is sad news for all the reasons already mentioned.

On a personal note, I'm hacked off because I'd decided to use the money from my change tin, once it was full, to buy a set of Clico augur bits complete with tool roll and now I've missed the bus (it's a big tin and takes about 18 months to fill up). I think it may have been Toolnut which offered them. Does anybody happen to know if any firm bought up the last stock?

 

[Vann]

On a personal note, I'm hacked off because I'd decided to use the money from my change tin, once it was full, to buy a set of Clico augur bits complete with tool roll and now I've missed the bus...

When I wanted a Clifton cutting iron and 2-piece cap-iron for my Record No.08 I found that UK retailers kept minimal stock got (they could fill their orders direct from Clifton/Clico) and as Clifton No.8 irons had gone out of production several months earlier, I was out of luck. In the end I got the Clifton cutting iron from the USA, and the cap-iron from Germany. Offshore retailers obviously keep more stock due to longer delivery times.

So you might want to surf some overseas websites to see what they have in stock. Good luck.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Sheffield Tony]

I do have some oddments of chisels and bits from the liquidation sale and 2 Jennings pattern bits (1 x 3/4" and 1 x 1 1/4"). Any decent stock was sold off a long while ago so it was really only oddments left.

I hear a rumour (second time today, must stop spreading gossip) that Ray Iles may have bought some of the stock ?

 

[Biliphuster]

If true, that is great news, Ray is certainly doing more than his fair share to keep UK toolmaking going.

I believe he already sells some barrel eye augers, though I don't know if he makes them himself.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Barrel-eye-sc ... 2a2ecf42c8

 

[custard]

Clico made my favourite router tooling for inlaying stringing lines, a 1.6mm bit in HSS, it seems to give a cleaner cut in difficult woods than any of the other brands I've tried. I don't know if these will continue to be produced but just in case I've picked up a few along with some hollow chisel augers.

 

[Vann]

I don't know if these will continue to be produced...

As I understand it Clico is dead. It's now 8 months since they went into liqudation. I would guess that if someone had taken it over as a going concern we'd have heard - but I presume the few remaining staff have now dispersed to other jobs or retirement.

If you like their tooling, buy up what remaining stock you can, while you can.

Cheers, Vann.

 

[Tony Zaffuto]

Here in the US, "The Best Things" still has "chairmaker bits" and spokeshaves.

 

[Chronosoft]

I may have mentioned this before but I went to see Alan Reid with my old business in 2002 to see about getting him on the Internet with a web presence. I tried to explain that people made their buying decisions at all hours not just 9 to 5 Monday to Friday and ring us and we will send you a catalog out was dying. I found him dismissive and arrogant and not the least bit bothered about the plane making side of things. He told me that aircraft tooling was his bread and butter and the plane making was largely irrelevant to the business. I guess he steered the other side of his business into the ditch too.

I don't resonate with the opinion he was retiring so he thought voluntary liquidation, the sensible thing is to sell it on and profit from the last 30 years graft?

 

[Vann]

I may have mentioned this before but I went to see Alan Reid with my old business in 2002 to see about getting him on the Internet with a web presence. I tried to explain that people made their buying decisions at all hours not just 9 to 5 Monday to Friday and ring us and we will send you a catalog out was dying. I found him dismissive and arrogant and not the least bit bothered about the plane making side of things. He told me that aircraft tooling was his bread and butter and the plane making was largely irrelevant to the business. I guess he steered the other side of his business into the ditch too.

I don't resonate with the opinion he was retiring so he thought voluntary liquidation, the sensible thing is to sell it on and profit from the last 30 years graft?

I can't find it in myself to be critical of Alan Reid - if it wasn't for his interest in making handplanes, Clifton might never have existed. It's just a pity he didn't have a similar interest in selling them...

Cheers, Vann.