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Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 11:16 am
by old country chemist
I bought my MAL sharpener years ago. I think he only made about 12 or so. Clever chap was Mallinson. I remember once telephoning him to discuss the design for a new type weight adjuster. He was interested in manufacturing it for me, but sadly not long after this conversation, he died. A sad loss.
I still have the box and instructions, and 10 "fat" thorns in their little packet which he supplied with the sharpener. I still use the sharpener, alongside the Davey sharpener with the grindstone wheel.
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2021 2:21 pm
by Steve
old country chemist wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 11:16 am
I bought my MAL sharpener years ago. I think he only made about 12 or so. Clever chap was Mallinson. I remember once telephoning him to discuss the design for a new type weight adjuster. He was interested in manufacturing it for me, but sadly not long after this conversation, he died. A sad loss.
I still have the box and instructions, and 10 "fat" thorns in their little packet which he supplied with the sharpener. I still use the sharpener, alongside the Davey sharpener with the grindstone wheel.
He made a lot more than 12, I can tell you! He was certainly a very skilled and clever chap, as is his (twin?) brother.
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 3:25 am
by Marco Gilardetti
Since it reportedly works so well and since it reportedly sells for over 200£, what if anyone owning the appropriate machinery would craft a new batch of MAL-type sharpeners?
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 4:40 am
by emgcr
Yes indeed ! I have had that project on the back burner for many years but there are so many projects...............
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:06 am
by Marco Gilardetti
Count me among your customers...
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:22 am
by emgcr
Thank you Marco and if many others say the same thing I might be happy to oblige.
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2021 10:42 am
by soundgen
yes a brilliant man , he once had an Edison with a missing ident plate so he photoed one then acid etched a new one ! He repainted a Gem for me which a customer gave me to restore , unfortunately it took 18 months to send back to me and he charged £0
but by then I had lost the paperwork so i still have the Gem base here anyone here sent it to me ?
His answerphone message was very funny with Nipper running amok causing mayhem , I wish I had recorded it , perhaps someone has ?
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 3:10 am
by Paolo_MK68
emgcr wrote: Mon Oct 11, 2021 6:22 am
Thank you Marco and if
many others say the same thing I might be happy to oblige.
I would humbly define me as interested in a MAL sharpener, if and when a new batch will be available.
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2021 2:07 pm
by shoshani
I'm also interested! I actually have a sample packet of BCN, and I haven't purchased any yet because of lack of a suitable sharpener - a problem that's possibly a bit more acute here in the US than the UK where these needles were more popular, and thus potentially have more vintage sharpeners available...
Re: The MAL sharpener
Posted: Thu Oct 14, 2021 9:45 am
by Oedipus
I remember Miles saying that he wasn't making any more sharpeners because he couldn't get the right kind of brass. It would only have affected the colour slightly, but Miles was a perfectionist. He was indeed the twin brother of Roger, and I believe they had had much fun in earlier life pretending to be each other. Another of Miles's jokes was that in his aged but immaculate Volkswagen Golf was a tape which, when the ignition key was turned, produced the sound of a car refusing to start.