"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

Match sticks.

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I saw this Alexander Calder sculpture at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art today and my first thought was "Markesharp Fish Barlow".

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It's quite possible I've been spending too much time here on the porch. ;)

Greg
 
That is really really nice leghog! Duncan showed my a wood working artist in NZ with very unique and similar work:thumbup:
 
Gasman I understand about being in a drought. I not only love knives but also love guitars and found a couple of pretty pricey ones recently that I just had to have. So I made the decision to sell knives and some other things to fund the purchases. I was looking at my knives just this evening and realized I have sold all of my nice knives. Only one GEC left and a few other decent slipjoints and must say I was a little sad by the realization. So I guess I will suck it up and start rebuilding my collection. I truly have champagne taste on a beer budget.

I feel your pain.:blue:
 
Jack Black said:
Hi GM,

Sorry for the slow reply, I was out most of yesterday. Would it be possible for you to take a clearer photo of the handle of your razor, and also of any markings on the box? Also another of the tang? :thumbup:
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No problem buddy. Here ya go.

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Can't make out anything on the box except it looks to have been embossed with a flower(s)?
 
GasMan1 said:
No problem buddy. Here ya go.

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Can't make out anything on the box except it looks to have been embossed with a flower(s)?
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Sheffield knives (and in this case razors) don't give up their secrets easily, and can require a lot of work to determine even an approximate date. The same patterns and tang stamps were used for decades, so unless you simply want the very vaguest of guesses, anything you can find to help with determining a date (almost certainly a very approximate date) should be sought. Establishing whether the handle is baleen or horn might help you, but they're not easy to tell apart, and it's not possible to distinguish from the photos. Here's some baleen on a Wade & Butcher razor, notice the very fine grain (note that this photo was taken to show the tang stamp rather than the baleen).



The same goes for the box, sometimes they contain embossed symbols such as the pipe mark Wostenholm used on their razors, having acquired it from another manufacturer in 1843, or even a label, which may also help you with dating the period the razor was produced. I have a scan of some of the marks Wostenholm registered to the Hallamshire Cutler's Company, but it may not prove helpful.

In terms of the tang-stamp, Wostenholm bought the famous Washington Works in 1848, but it was there until the 1970's, so that does not help us. The small cross next to the I.XL mark is interesting as an earlier version has a Maltese cross above the X. So there's some detective work that can be done, and I'm sure you'll not find it hard to find other examples of this stamp, which would have been used on tens of thousands of razors. Razors are a specialist area, and there are undoubtedly other small clues which someone who collects razors can give you, based upon small design features (way beyond the forging and hollow-grinding) of the razor itself. Obviously take dates given on auction sites and suchlike with a very large pinch of salt, but there are specialist razor forums including a sub-forum here.

Hope that's helpful GM, and apologies to everyone for discussing this in the Lounge :thumbup:

waynorth said:
Is that airplane made from ha'pennies, Jack??
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My grandad used to make them from a single ha'penny Charlie. He made 3 for me and my siblings following the decimalization of British currency in 1971 though, from the decimal 2p pieces of the same size as a ha'penny. It was made with only the most basic of tools.

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As a boy, I used to have a photo frame he made while away in the army in WW2, fashioned from a piece of aircraft aluminium taken from a plane wreck. The frame was in the shape of the crest of the British Royal Artillery regiment (see above), and the wheel of the gun had been fashioned from a silver-coloured coin (I forget exactly what). In between the fighting, I think it was quite common for soldiers to make things. There's no family connection to this brass candle-stick holder, but it was made in a WW1 trench in 1917.





(And typically, 90 minutes after starting out on this, I get a 'database error'! :mad:)
 
GasMan1 said:
Thanks for the lesson Jack. Baleen, who knew? I learn something everyday . :thumbup:
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Makes you wonder who originally came up with the idea of using some of this stuff doesn't it?! ;)
 
Today is my happy day. I just won an auction for that Boker 494 Barlow I've been looking for.:triumphant: It is supposed to be a 30+ year old safe queen and from the pictures it looks to be we will see when it arrives. Don't know why I wanted one of these knives so badly but I did. I guess I can update my signature now. I'll post some pictures when it finds it's way here. So thanks for putting up with an old man's rants and, his happy dance.:D :smiley_simmons:
 
Nice Randy, I saw it on the auction site. I see the seller had a pristine Clip/Pen version as well. CONGRATS Randy, you got a beauty. I look forward to pictures when it arrives:thumbup::cool:
 
Congrats on getting that Böker Barlow you've been after, Randy! :thumbup::thumbup:
Nice way to kind of restart your knife collection again after liquidating most of it. ;):cool:
Looking forward to seeing your pics when it arrives!

- GT
 
Congratulations Randy, those Boker Barlows are special :thumbup:
 
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