#77 Barlow 2016 - What configuration would you like?

All steel construction and I would love to see dyed marrow bone covers again. Maybe try a different color than red.

I would also like to see you take another shot at the appaloosa bone. I thought that the red (pink) turned out really well.
 
Ryouchijtx said:
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WOW! This knife is SWEET!
 
My vote is for pinchable or nail nick. Clip sounds great in that case. Intrigued by the one-arm/razor idea as well. Ivory bone and sawcut :thumbup:
 
Pinchable clip single with a swedge and long pull. Classic ebony or rosewood and amber saw cut bone.
 
I like the drop point blade idea. Maybe a maple or box elder burl handle option. Antique ivory micarta would be nice, too. I'm partial to the nickle/ silver bolster and liners.
 
I like the looks of the #77's, and own a good bunch, but they never get carried. The only thing that will make me jump on the next release will be either the addition of a lanyard tube, all stainless construction, or something that really sets it off - like brass or copper bolsters.
 
onespdfrk said:
... like brass or copper bolsters.
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I'm curious what an all brass Barlow would look like. Brass bolsters, liners, and pins with 1095 blades on some red bone or ebony would age beautifully! I love how brass patinas.
I doubt it would be very likely, but I would definitely be in for a few of those.
 
To me, the 77 barlow is an elegant knife. It's beefy enough to handle tough tasks, for sure, but the bolster stamp and overall feel of the knife is very elegant. It's a dressy knife, for a barlow. Things like brass bolsters and scratted bone are cool, but I don't think that they're right for this knife. For covers, the red sawcut, african blackwood, and ivory bone all fit perfectly. Horn like in Harry's barlows would be great as well. Feathered buffalo horn would work. OD micarta or osage orange wood, not so much.

As for blades, I have to agree with Tim in that caplifters have been done to death, and they really don't fit with this knife anyways. A caplifter on a 77 barlow would feel very gimmicky to me. I really like the combination of the spear and coping blades on the last run. My biggest criticism, and it's really a small one, is that I wish the spear was pinchable. It seems like it would have been very easy to take a little bit off of the coping or shorten the swedge on the spear a little, which would have made it very easy to pinch open the spear. To avoid repeats, I'd like to see a reversal of these blades and have a sheepsfoot/wharncliffe main with a pen secondary. Ideally, a wharncliffe like the first run you made, except with the swedge ending before the nail nick instead of after it. This would allow for a nice deep nail nick and would allow the main blade to be pinched open. A healthy pen secondary, about the same length as the coping on the last run, would compliment this blade perfectly.

No matter what you end up going with I'm really glad to hear that you're planning another run of these barlows. They are my favorite line that GEC is putting out, and I'm excited to see what comes next.
 
I think I'll just let my imagination run wild in this thread, especially because 2016 will likely be the year I order a #77 straight from GEC. Can't hurt. :D

I picked up a grandaddy Barlow with a trapper blade configuration, the Case centennial with typical clip and a loooong, broad spey blade in a classical large Barlow frame. The spey's benefits are exaggerated by length and breadth but I was inspired to consider this layout in a 2-blade #77. How about the tall clip that many in this thread are angling for (I'd prefer a long pull clip in this configuration), next to a full-sized spey riding nice and low with nail nick? This should also facilitate a run of 1-blade tall clips with long pulls for those of you who aren't on board the spey-wagon. :p

The drop point in a classical Barlow frame is interesting, too. My other Barlow prefs (1-blade sheep, 1-blade spear, 1-blade Wharnie, 2-blade sheep+Wharnie, 2-blade spear+pen, 2-blade sheep+pen) have all been done, I think, though I am amenable to any one of them making a comeback. :D
 
- Drop point single blade
- Drop point 2-blade with coping secondary
- Drop point 2-blade with pen secondary

Cover's
- Ironwood
- Antique or Paper Ivory Micarta
- Copperhead saw cut bone
- Thunderstorm Micarta
- Coffee bag burlap Micarta
- Tortoise Shell
 
SadSappySucker said:
I like the ideas of smooth yellow bone. A dark red would be pretty neat too.


Whatever primary you go with please don't loose that oh so sweet coping blade. It makes this great knife even greater.
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^ This is my favorite Barlow blade config. ^

Primary - Long pull drop point or spear. Easy pull is cool too.
Secondary - Coping/Sheepsfoot

Covers - Whatever. I think I might like one thing, then see offerings I would have never thought of...and love.

I don't know why, but I absolutely love the look of Copper bolsters on Barlow's. They all take on a fast unique patina that just seems very cool. Plus you can strip the patina and start over if you like.
 
A drop point with a coping secondary would be interesting. It would be nice if it had a eo notch because most drop points are not pinchable.
 
In Tidioute trim, please.
Blades:
Drop-point single blade, with a deep nail nick well forward.
Drop-point main blade, with a California clip secondary.
Drop-point main blade, with a coping secondary.
No branding on the blades!
Bolsters:
Nickel-silver.
Liners & pins:
Stainless Steel
Covers:
Wood: Purpleheart, American Holly, Kingwood, Walnut
Micarta: Green Linen, Black Linen, Antique Paper.
Horn: Polished Water Buffalo
 
Mr. Latham, I really do like the Northfield 77 Barlows. The old red saw cut clip is what sparked my interest in knives in general and largely traditional. Simply gorgeous. I love the way Arizonaranchman's is aging, but I've noticed that that the black seems to leave the bone if carried so I've babied these that I was able to snag.

The clip is my favorite and I love the strong pull, but wish it could be pinched. Here's my 54 mocked up to show a 77 Barlow with a pinchable clip. The existing clip is there for comparison. The differences are subtle but it makes the difference.

Here are other clips that are easily opened. I can pinch the 77 with my left index and thumb, but it's at the boxy part of the long pull and a slow uncertainness one. Perhaps if it extended to the peak of the spine of the blade it would help. The 48 has a weaker pull at 4-5, but the 54 is 7-8.
I like the looks of the clips you have. Perhaps 2016 could be the rise of the Tidioute 77 Barlow. It could have a tall clip and a sheep singles, and low riding drop point and lambs foot. Bellies and straight edges, something for everyone. I got called to work in the middle of the night. I couldn't sleep once home so I drew a sketch of a possible bolster stamp. I think TDU would be appropriate. I couldn't get the u proportioned right below the D so I left it as TD for now. Just for fun here it is.
 
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