I want to thank Jake (JITDC) once more for his generous, inspired, and inspiring GAW, and I want to officially acknowledge receipt of the incredible Northfield 77 Barlow! :thumbup::thumbup: Jake, at my request, shipped the knife to the college at which I work; the college was officially closed the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, so mail delivery on campus didn't start up until January 3. That's the day I found the knife in my mailbox!
That's also almost 2 weeks ago, but it's been two weeks of 10-12 hour work days and almost no sunshine, so getting good pictures to post has been a challenge for me. I finally took some indoor pics about 4:30am one morning, and they'll have to do.
The knife is absolutely gorgeous! It's my first African blackwood knife (and I don't have any ebony knives either, not that I could tell the difference between the two woods
) I've always considered the knives I've seen with black wood covers and silver bolsters to be the epitome of elegance and distinction, and this knife confirms my impressions. (It also makes clear why folks like Wurrwulf and r8shell have a "thang" for barehead ebony jacks!) My indoor pics don't give a very good sense of the grand grain in the AB, but this shot shows a little of what I admire:
I don't have a lot of experience with Barlows, but the couple I have are clip/pen versions, and I have a strong preference for a 2-blade model over a 1-blade Barlow. Having said that, this Northfield will take a little getting used to, since its 2 blades are essentially the same size: the clip is designated as the main blade in GEC's model number (I think), but the wharncliffe is full size too IMHO.
My mind is not at its full power at this time on a Saturday evening, but I'm quite sure this is the first full size wharncliffe blade I've had (except for a Case swayback jack, but that seems a much smaller knife to me). This blade configuration kind of reminds me of an "improved trapper" in a Barlow frame. Here's another pic, featuring that pointy wharncliffe blade! (Man, I hope I can convince myself to carry this knife, and if I do, I hope I don't carelessly snap off that lovely sharp tip!
)
Here's a shot featuring the clip blade:
Thanks again, Jake, for the marvelous GAW, and thanks to everyone who nominated members that had positively influenced them!
One "parting shot" just because I have it!
- GT
