Today I acquired...........

[DAPPH]

Nothing quite like a good made to measure suit, Ive had a couple in the past, and my uniform when I was at sea. Shame its another dying trade. Biggest issue ones body and fashions change. Dread to think what a decent made to measure suit costs now.

I was given an estimate of around £1400 , shirts & 1 pair of extra trousers about £350 more from an Indian guy advertising bespoke tailoring in the Times a couple of years ago , where I would have had to travel to Birmingham or London three times to get measured first fit then final fit .

Luckily Covid came along and stopped me ..

 

[Brad93]

My niece is getting wed this year and I've been told I'm wearing a suit. I'm refusing as the next time I wear a suit I'll be in a wooden box heading into a bonfire and chances are it won't fit by then. So buying a suit to wear for 1 day is a waste of ££ that could be spent on something more useful like tools!

It will be a dig through my limited collection of good trousers and picking a pair that still fit. Then select a shirt that fits and thats it. There has been another discussion about a tie, it will be on during the short civil ceremony and photos then be removed and never seen again!

A nice waistcoat has been mentioned as a compromise. Apparently a leather or denim one are not suitable for a wedding! I'll see what I can find in a charity shop but I'm not too worried.

My dad bought a tailored suit from the charity shop for £40, im sure he found an old £20 note in the pocket too!

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Arrived Yesterday.

A decent SEL double Steam Engine.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

On the way home , from a medical check up, we stopped in Salisbury for a coffee and a visit to a good shop.

 

[bricol]

What I understand you call a breaker barView attachment 490639
is what I know as a swingle to be used for running up free moving nuts .

Notice there is a small pin holding the shaft to pivot the square drive , the pins have a nasty habit of shearing or wrenching free as the jaws of the handle come apart when you put a bit of pressure on them .

I'd rather use a simple hex impact socket and 1/2 or 3/4" short tee and decent Tommy bar to crack off such nuts when ever possible .
Mind you, I have bent several 1/2" Tommy bars with my bare hands, no extender tubes on them & sheered off a few short Tees in my time Old school 1960's & 70's Britool & Elora stuff at that
Never managed it with a two foot long 3/4 tommy bar or 3/4 short though

I've got a Halfords one that was well used by the time it came into my possession when the last place of work closed down - 20 yrs later, I'm still waiting for that pin to break. Admittedly either the pin, or the holes, or both are worn, but it' just keep on going.

As does the Kamasa ratchet I bought from BAPP in Brighouse aged 17 . . I'm 55 this year. I think mainly because the aforementioned breaker bar is used first.

 

[sako243]

Needed a suit for three weddings this summer, was appalled at the price of suits these days (which didn't fit me very well either), so I WhatsApped the tailor and was surprised to be quoted £207 delivered, barely more than the cheapest 2 piece suit you can get from M&S.

At least having some Scottish heritage I get to have a kilt. They are certainly not cheap things but at least they pretty much work in any scenario so they're nice and multi-purpose.

 

[Blobber]

ditch finders

Shrinkflation innit! bit like Toblerone's with every other piece missing

 

[Brad93]

You have just described exactly why I couldn't get anything to fit off the peg.

From what I can tell UK shops work on the assumption if you're a 50" chest you must also have no shoulders to speak of, a belly like a space hopper and stubby little arms.

(Don't get me wrong I have a fair bit of gut on me, but it's still smaller than my pecs)

Trousers I find I need a longer rise, and more room in the thigh and calf than is standard for my waist size, otherwise I find a "standard" cut pair of suit trousers fits like skinny jeans.



I was quoted "at least £2,200 depending on options, perhaps a little more to account for the extra fabric a gentleman of your stature requires" for a bespoke suit from my local tailor.

If I had that kind of money to spend, I would happily pay that as the bloke is a proper craftsman... But I don't, so I didn't.




I was thinking about this in the context of how tailoring in Singapore is very cheap, when so many other things there are eye wateringly expensive.

And I can't help thinking that it's all a bit chicken and egg.

If more people still went to a tailor rather than M&S or some out of town store, then there would be more tailors about, and they'd have enough trade to offer much more competitive prices... Which would make it more viable for people to go to a tailor.

As it is, the guy I spoke to here in the UK has to pay for his premises, business rates and pay himself a wage on about one purchase every two to three weeks, repairing robes for local barristers and judges, and offering an ironing service as a sideline... It's honestly a wonder he can make ends meet!

It kinda dovetails into something I noticed when I was in Spain and Italy recently... In the UK we seem to have optimised our society for convenience, speed, and cost; at the expense of quality (of life, food, and goods).

Mine wasnt quite that expensive. £1500 and a shirt was £165. Not had the fitting yet

 

[Pigeon_Droppings2]

Trick I found with tailored suits is to get several pairs of trousers made in different (larger!) sizes while you're at it.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

At least having some Scottish heritage I get to have a kilt. They are certainly not cheap things but at least they pretty much work in any scenario so they're nice and multi-purpose.

Being that one half of the family is Scots, I have debated a kilt and bonny prince charlie/doublet over the years...

But am very conscious of coming across like a prick on account of how terribly English I sound (and never more than when I am speaking Scots or Doric).

Mine wasnt quite that expensive. £1500 and a shirt was £165. Not had the fitting yet

I would say you did pretty well there yourself, that's a very good price for here it the UK!

 

[badabec]

My dad was from Wick, Caithness (site of the first industrial estate). He would not be seen dead in a kilt, nor would any of his family.
As for tartans and clans, all a fiction.

Watch Pauline Calf's wedding video, the best man's suit was an inspiration to us all.

 

[sako243]

Being that one half of the family is Scots, I have debated a kilt and bonny prince charlie/doublet over the years...

But am very conscious of coming across like a prick on account of how terribly English I sound (and never more than when I am speaking Scots or Doric).

Hey - I've got a Welsh accent but at least that's Celtic.

Ironically never had a bad or leery comment, most just ask whether I'm a "true" Scot . Depends on who's asking but the responses are either I ignore them or say "it's for a me to know and you to find out".

 

[MetalMonkey]

A bespoke suit straight from the tailor in Vietnam who made me some inexpensive shirts overnight when china southern lost my baggage last year.

I've still got the card for a custom tailors in Hong Kong - needed a suit while I was out there and they measured me up and knocked three of them out with a selection of shirts in a couple of days.
It was a long time ago, but it wasn't expensive either - comparable to off the shelf over here.

I still have them, optimistically in hope that one day I'll be able to fit back in them.

 

[MetalMonkey]

What I understand you call a breaker bar is what I know as a swingle to be used for running up free moving nuts .

Notice there is a small pin holding the shaft to pivot the square drive , the pins have a nasty habit of shearing or wrenching free as the jaws of the handle come apart when you put a bit of pressure on them .

I'd rather use a simple hex impact socket and 1/2 or 3/4" short tee and decent Tommy bar to crack off such nuts when ever possible .

I've always known them as a breaker bar, and they are designed to break things loose.
There are a couple of head types - the ones with the forked handle and the ones with the forked knuckle (they usually sell replacement knuckle/pins if you break this style).
Quality varies, I know the koken ones have an oval profile in the direction of the force for added strength.

Can't say I've ever broken one (yet), but if it starts getting sketchy I swap to a different tool, as you can really damage yourself if they let go.
Tommy bars I've bent many times, but I think the steel is much softer on those, especially the cheaper ones.

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

My dad was from Wick, Caithness (site of the first industrial estate). He would not be seen dead in a kilt, nor would any of his family.

My family are split, some use a kilt (or trews) as their only formal wear, some absolutely hate it and wouldn't be seen dead in highland dress.

As for tartans and clans, all a fiction.

I always thought they were part of the fine Scots tradition of being just that bit better at profiteering from the colonies than anyone else...

How else do you explain all the tartan "traditions" being perfectly designed to funnel gullible Americans desperate for a sense of history and place, to artisanal weavers and tailors that are only available in Scotland?

Clever fellows those ancient chieftains, foreseeing their kinfolk +600 years in the future would need a catchy marketing gimmick.

 

[cheb]

Kilts: Worn by Scots in America and Americans in Scotland.

 

[Jaeger_S2k]

Kilts: Worn by Scots in America and Americans in Scotland.

... and Scots in Italy

 

[OJCar]

"Ach Aye, The gadgie will be at being a member o' the Professional Highlanders".

 

[Turbo]

I would qualify to wear a kilt as I am of Scottish descent but wearing a kilt in August would be torture!

 

[DAPPH]

I've always known them as a breaker bar, and they are designed to break things loose.
There are a couple of head types - the ones with the forked handle and the ones with the forked knuckle (they usually sell replacement knuckle/pins if you break this style).
Quality varies, I know the koken ones have an oval profile in the direction of the force for added strength.

Can't say I've ever broken one (yet), but if it starts getting sketchy I swap to a different tool, as you can really damage yourself if they let go.
Tommy bars I've bent many times, but I think the steel is much softer on those, especially the cheaper ones.

I've still got some Hazet spanners , sockets & bars etc. from a Crimbo raffle prize win back in 1975 ( that weren't stolen from me ) . The 1/2 inch Harzet bar has has some serious effort applied to it , enough to split /shatter several 1/2 square drive old style Britool & Japanese Elora sockets & sheer a Britool short Tee. at the square drive

Here is a 3/4 " square drive broken breaker bar ( it's in the name ).