Sowter seems to be part of Carnhill group now...

[lukas]

...looks like covid start works.

 

[Squeaky]

23 weeks now since xfmr order. After a couple of un-responded emails I finally called Sowter this evening (9:45pm local, 8:45am in UK). I received a very positive response, which is good. Part of the problem might be the one-off nature of my order. Larger orders typically get prioritised.

 

[Kurt potter]

Hello
I was for 30 years the production Technician at sowters up until my redundancy in may 2020. Saddest day of my life so far.
Sowters was ran by brian last and brain sowter who both decided to retire at the same time due to health/old age and the unit we were in was being sold for housing.
Carnhill wanted to employ us but it would have involved a move to st Ives (about 150 miles from were we all lived) and we didnt rate there production standards and work ethics. For the last year of sowters proper, carnhill were winding some of our transformers, they were sent back to us for canning, finishing and testing, I would say around 20% failed, the merged sowter/carnhill transformers were only used in stam audio products because we couldn't keep up with his orders.
I now work in a wood yard as there are no transformer etc places local to me.
Miss it every day

 

[gyraf]

Argh, Kurt - sorry to hear that. I had very much a feeling that it was going that way for a while

..and welcome to GroupDIY, btw..!

/Jakob E.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Sad...

 

[analag]

Wind your own, it's not hard at all.

 

[rackmonkey]

Wind your own, it's not hard at all.

What's the easy trick to interleaving windings? Got any tips for not continually breaking #40 wire on high impedance tube transformers despite careful tensioning?

 

[Kurt potter]

Thank you for your welcome.

We wanted to buy all the hand winding machines and a couple of the old normal winding machines to start winding our own but they wouldnt let us.
They ended up in a skip.

Transformers like 3575, 3705, 9575, 9063 etc(first page on the website).and the neve types that great river/stam audio have, I know of the top of my head but the designs have been sold to carnhill as part of our redundancy/payoff theres probably a clause to stop me winding them

 

[abbey road d enfer]

Transformers like 3575, 3705, 9575, 9063 etc(first page on the website).and the neve types that great river/stam audio have, I know of the top of my head but the designs have been sold to carnhill as part of our redundancy/payoff theres probably a clause to stop me winding them

Well, I think you couldn't use the same names, but I doubt they have exclusive rights to the design.

 

[analag]

What's the easy trick to interleaving windings? Got any tips for not continually breaking #40 wire on high impedance tube transformers despite careful tensioning?

I've been winding them for 45 years. I know a thing or two.

 

[gyraf]

..good for you..

 

[Tubetec]

I happened upon the AML site today seems Sowter are available alongside Carnhill

http://www.audiomaintenance.com/acatalog/Transformers_and_Inductors.html

 

[Tubetec]

Theres something disturbing about all the machines ending up in a skip , they could have easily have been thrown as a lifeline to any staff who wanted them , Its a bit like chopping off the heads of all statues as a new regime emerges ,

Consider grabing a Shenzen CNC winder out of the redundancy Kurt ,
Even if they trashed the original machines , they cant take away the knowledge and contacts you've aquired over a lifetimes work, access to the more exotic materials involved in winding audio transformers , thats the really hard part .

 

[Bobby bot]

Exactly. Just because Carnhill have been doing a lot of the production work doesn't necessarily mean they are willing to do continue doing one off design work. It would be nice to get a statement from them to know what their intentions for Sowter are.

Sowter was shut down workers laid off current work orders took on by carnhill unfortunately they are not skilled enough to do them I know this as I worked for sowter for over 30 years.

 

[warpie]

This sucks.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

I've been winding them for 45 years. I know a thing or two.

Do you think that's what rackmonkey wanted as an answer? I think he knows now that if he needs nothing he can count on you.
I understand you may not want to share your trade secrets, but don't add insult to injury.

 

[analag]

Do you think that's what rackmonkey wanted as an answer? I think he knows now that if he needs nothing he can count on you.
I understand you may not want to share your trade secrets, but don't add insult to injury.

And you crawl out from under a rock to attack a post I made last year to satisfy the grumps of old age? Chill out bud. It's a new year, let's enjoy a peaceful life.

 

[abbey road d enfer]

And you crawl out from under a rock to attack a post I made last year to satisfy the grumps of old age? Chill out bud. It's a new year, let's enjoy a peaceful life.

You'd better watch your language.
Your contributions are close to inexistant and often contentious. Just a little more and I zap you. No one will regret you and your bad manners.

 

[analag]

You'd better watch your language.
Your contributions are close to inexistant and often contentious. Just a little more and I zap you. No one will regret you and your bad manners.

I sincerely hope you're doing OK. I feel no ill will towards you. Zap me if it will make it better for you, good sir.

 

[MediaWorksOKC]

This should be a sticky or something to warn others, I was within days of finalizing a large order (for me) with what I thought was still Sowter, they will definitely still take your money, this is very depressing indeed. No confidence. I happened onto this thread very late doing some unrelated research. Jeez, take nothing at face value. All due respect to the former employees affected and to the knowledge lost forever.

-Chris