Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[cigarrodog]

Sorry for the confusing start. I composed this during a chemo session and was kind of not all there.

Any advice on Wright lamb foot variations will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Hello. I can only imagine how challenging those sessions must be.. I hope it went well for you.

I would be happy to assist, but through PM, only, because we don’t discuss the procuring process in the thread. Message me at your convenience. Take care.

 

[kamagong]

Breaking off the tip is a common enough occurrence.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads...ers-real-lamb-foot-warning-big-photo.1595254/

 

[5K Qs]

Hope your Friday is going well, Guardians.

...
Dave, love the Eagles and their new(1994) rendition of Hotel California, on the
Hell Freezes Over release.

...

Great photo, Preston, and thanks for that splendid Eagles video!

I forgot to post pics of our backyard yucca for you. Here's a shot of both clumps including the big stems that are just starting to flower, followed by a closer shot of the spear-like leaves. Our smallest dog loves to run into those clumps and then leap up and down until he gets out the other side. I'm afraid his soft underbelly will get sliced to ribbons, but he always goes back for more!





- GT

 

[tmd_87]

I'm heading out for a hike tomorrow with the Barlow Brothers Hoping everyone has a fantastic weekend

Great pair Jack! Having a blast sir!

 

[tmd_87]

Pre cocktail before the Boardwalk!

 

[Modoc ED]

Use that knife, ED!! Spread marmalade and/or Marmite and peanut butter!!
Cut a nice steak and kidney pie!! Carve a gnome for your garden!!! Trim hooves!!
You will find that the Sheffield cutlers were great designers, and the Americans fitted the crowning touch (if a little late!!). Then open your mail!!!

Thanks for your enthusiastic reply Charlie. I'll use it alright. I just may try the marmalade and peanut butter. Great knife!! Nothing negative about the build at all. Wonderful ebony on this one.

 

[Half/Stop]

Today my wife and I took the day off and headed up to Sebastopol, which is one of our favorite towns to visit within a couple of hours' drive from our house. Located in Sonoma County, it's part of Wine Country, and is a small, unpretentious town with good people and an agrarian feel. Having grown up in Oklahoma and Texas, it reminds me of what I liked about those areas combined with what I like about coastal-adjacent Northern California.

We started with a stroll down Florence Avenue to view its "Junk Art" installations. They are all the work of a local artist who lives on the street. The Avenue runs three blocks, and, every few houses, there is another fun sculpture made from found parts. Here are a few examples, along with a sign from an adjacent street that gave me a good chuckle:

Afterwards, we headed to an area called....

Yup! The Barlow. That's me standing in the middle of the (thankfully not busy) street holding my Rosewood Hartshead Barlow in my hand. At my feet is Tucker, our ~1 y.o. Border Collie mix who came along on our adventure.

The Barlow describes itself as "a 12-acre Bay Area outdoor market district in Sebastopol, California featuring local food, wine, beer, spirits and crafts made onsite by Sonoma County artisans" and that's pretty accurate. We grabbed tacos from one vendor and headed to the Crooked Goat Brewery tap room to eat and enjoy a pint at one of their outdoor picnic tables:

That ginormous taco featured a single, handmade black tortilla and was just too unwieldy to eat with my hands. So, the Hartshead was pressed into its first field service:

Aside: it hadn't occurred to me before, but another benefit of having a very sharp knife is that it makes it easy to slice through food without having to put a lot of downward pressure that could cut through a compostable food container and into the lovely wooden picnic table below.

After lunch, we visited a cheese maker that specialized in making English-style cheddar in California. I thought y'all might enjoy the logo:

The cheese was quite good, so we brought a wedge home with us. I'm sure you can guess what I used to cut off a sample as soon as we got home:

Afterwards, we made one more stop at another brewery to fill a growler. I'll show a shot of the trappings in the Beverages and Blades thread later.

All in all, we had a great time and it was fun to take my Hartshead Barlow to see The (Sebastopol) Barlow.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Great post Greg! Looks like a great place to spend the day!

Okay Jack Black - I got one. Now what? Get more I guess. Oh, since this is an American manufactured knife based on a traditional English pattern, I thought it only appropriate to include an English coin in the picture. I have no idea what the coin is but there it is for what it's worth.

Welcome aboard Ed! I’m sure you’re going to love that new Lambsfoot!

 

[pjsjr]

Great photo, Preston, and thanks for that splendid Eagles video!

I forgot to post pics of our backyard yucca for you. Here's a shot of both clumps including the big stems that are just starting to flower, followed by a closer shot of the spear-like leaves. Our smallest dog loves to run into those clumps and then leap up and down until he gets out the other side. I'm afraid his soft underbelly will get sliced to ribbons, but he always goes back for more!
View attachment 1156436
View attachment 1156438

View attachment 1156439

- GT

Gary, thanks, I don't know much about yucca...yours must be a decorative strain...it is very attractive. I say this and can't post a photo of the yucca around here that grows wild, because it's raining with some lightning. I will get pics tomorrow and be able to show you the difference. If an animal were to jump in the middle of the yucca around here they would be cut and punctured, no doubt about it!

 

[paulhilborn]

Sliding into the weekend although it felt like Saturday all day today
A wonderful Summer evening enhanced with a great cigar and jigged bone Lambfoot

 

[waynorth]

Paul's Paradise!!!

 

[Jack Black]

Morning Guardians, I'm up an hour or two earlier than I need to be, so thought I'd check in

Was out for a hike in the woods today.
Red Raspberries, Green Tree Frogs, and Brown Stag Hartshead Barlows were in full bloom.

View attachment 1156268

View attachment 1156272

View attachment 1156273

Cool pics my friend, hope you had a good hike

Thanks for the additional information and the photos, Jack. I found the Tetley's bar towel, BTW. I'll try to get a picture in the next day or so.

...

Jack, I hope you hand the Barlow Brothers have a great hike!

That's cool Greg Bar towels seem to have disappeared here, replaced by plastic drip-mats Most climbers here used to carry one for wiping the soles of their rock-shoes before starting to climb, not sure what they use now

Thanks pal, the weather here has changed for the worse I'm afraid, it's raining currently, and it's cool for July. Hopefully it'll brighten up a little (only just after 6am here)

Today my wife and I took the day off and headed up to Sebastopol, which is one of our favorite towns to visit within a couple of hours' drive from our house. Located in Sonoma County, it's part of Wine Country, and is a small, unpretentious town with good people and an agrarian feel. Having grown up in Oklahoma and Texas, it reminds me of what I liked about those areas combined with what I like about coastal-adjacent Northern California.

We started with a stroll down Florence Avenue to view its "Junk Art" installations. They are all the work of a local artist who lives on the street. The Avenue runs three blocks, and, every few houses, there is another fun sculpture made from found parts. Here are a few examples, along with a sign from an adjacent street that gave me a good chuckle:

Afterwards, we headed to an area called....

Yup! The Barlow. That's me standing in the middle of the (thankfully not busy) street holding my Rosewood Hartshead Barlow in my hand. At my feet is Tucker, our ~1 y.o. Border Collie mix who came along on our adventure.

The Barlow describes itself as "a 12-acre Bay Area outdoor market district in Sebastopol, California featuring local food, wine, beer, spirits and crafts made onsite by Sonoma County artisans" and that's pretty accurate. We grabbed tacos from one vendor and headed to the Crooked Goat Brewery tap room to eat and enjoy a pint at one of their outdoor picnic tables:

That ginormous taco featured a single, handmade black tortilla and was just too unwieldy to eat with my hands. So, the Hartshead was pressed into its first field service:

Aside: it hadn't occurred to me before, but another benefit of having a very sharp knife is that it makes it easy to slice through food without having to put a lot of downward pressure that could cut through a compostable food container and into the lovely wooden picnic table below.

After lunch, we visited a cheese maker that specialized in making English-style cheddar in California. I thought y'all might enjoy the logo:

The cheese was quite good, so we brought a wedge home with us. I'm sure you can guess what I used to cut off a sample as soon as we got home:

Afterwards, we made one more stop at another brewery to fill a growler. I'll show a shot of the trappings in the Beverages and Blades thread later.

All in all, we had a great time and it was fun to take my Hartshead Barlow to see The (Sebastopol) Barlow.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

That sounds like a great day out Greg, and what a fantastic tour de force, thank you Cool seeing you and your Hartshead Barlow in The Barlow!

 

[Jack Black]

So, I was cutting up an empty cereal box this morning on the kitchen counter and my Rosewood Lambsfoot slipped and the tip hit the granite counter breaking a wee bit of the tip-off. I'm not really sure how to bring it back pointy again? I looked in our index for a time but most likely didn't look long enough.
Note: I'm only thinking out loud I'm not starting a discussion.

Rats! I'm not sure if there's something in the index or not, though I think there may well be. However, if I recall correctly Cambertree made a good post on this subject fairly recently. As long as the discussion focuses just on Lambsfoot knives, I'd be more than happy to see the discussion here. Let's see a pic Dave, hope it wasn't too bad

Okay Jack Black - I got one. Now what? Get more I guess. Oh, since this is an American manufactured knife based on a traditional English pattern, I thought it only appropriate to include an English coin in the picture. I have no idea what the coin is but there it is for what it's worth.

Fantastic Ed, what do you think? That's a 1977 Crown, minted for the Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. While it is legal tender, such coins are not really for spending, but minted for special occasions. A Crown was worth 5 Shillings, prior to Decimalisation here in 1971, 25p today - a quarter of a British pound. By coincidence, I recently sent one to a member here, maybe @r8shell ? Good to have you here Ed

Sorry for the confusing start. I composed this during a chemo session and was kind of not all there.

Any advice on Wright lamb foot variations will be appreciated.

Thanks.

Sorry to hear about the chemo, hope it's going OK Check out the index linked to in post 1 of the thread, and you'll get plenty of (non-commercial) opinions on A.Wright & Son Lambsfoot knives

I think I remember a product from long ago that was called Manwich. IIRC, their slogan was something like "A sandwich is just a sandwich, but a Manwich is a meal!"

Thanks, Jack, it's at least educational.

Yes indeed my friend

I hope you're fiddle-fit again, Jack. Congrats on the cool collector's cap! Well done, Barry!

Yes thanks GT, just a sleep defecit I think, and maybe a little dehydration

I've been preoccupied with other things and keep forgetting to thank Jack for the marvelous gift he snuck into my Hartshead Lambsfoot Barlow package in addition to the cloth slip and Yorkshire rose. Jack knows that I'm constantly striving to become a better photographer (and I've certainly improved a lot over the past almost 5 years). He sent me a little tripod that I think will be just the thing for some experiments with apertures and shutter speeds and ISOs that I coincidentally had been reading about the day the tripod arrived. Here's a pic for which I used the tripod, but when I showed it to my wife, she declared that I have a lot to learn about the role of tripods in photography! But I'll work on it!
View attachment 1156407

LOL! You're very welcome Gary, I actually bought that inexpensive tripod a couple of years ago when we were having a discussion about them, and have kept forgetting to send it to you I think the legs extend too, though it might not be stable like that

Hope your Friday is going well, Guardians.

Nice photo Preston

I should have known I couldn’t make it all day without a Lambsfoot! Black Tie attire for the evening!

View attachment 1156426

Thank you Gary. Listen...You strive. I strive. We all strive to be better. You’re shooting great. Keep doing what you’re doing. Love what you did with your HHB on the tripod. Also, that tripod looks perfect for table top shooting. If you end up liking using a tripod, then consider getting a cable release for the camera. Of course you might already have one.

Or at least use the timer to set a delay

 

[Jack Black]

Hello. I can only imagine how challenging those sessions must be.. I hope it went well for you.

I would be happy to assist, but through PM, only, because we don’t discuss the procuring process in the thread. Message me at your convenience. Take care.

Very helpful post Harvey, thank you my friend

Great pair Jack! Having a blast sir!

Thanks Taylor

Sliding into the weekend although it felt like Saturday all day today
A wonderful Summer evening enhanced with a great cigar and jigged bone Lambfoot

Fantastic stuff Paul

See you later Guardians, have a great day

 

[Cambertree]

Another fantastic tool and Lamb shot, Chin! looks like all three have served you well!

Thanks Dennis! Yes, for sure, my friend. The Defiance hammer was my dad’s. The Sheffield hand saw was bought new from Robert Sorby; and I did certainly (gently) sharpen and use the Unity for a little while, to get a feel for the steel, edge geometry and design of those classic, Golden era Lambsfoots.

Here’s an old pic of it after scoring X's into chestnuts before roasting.

Extremely helpful post Chin Nice pair of straight punches there. I was only thinking the other day, that it's been ages since I last peened a knife. I used to do it all the time, mainly because of the old knives I used to pick up from the markets a few years back

It is excellent my friend, I really recommend it, and think you would thoroughly enjoy it. It's so exhaustively researched, it almost reads like a contemporary account, but is also extremely readable. Inexpensive on the big river site too

They are cutters in a tuna canning factory Chin, in 1911. Yes, extremely hard times to grow up in, for those that survived childhood at all - not that 'childhood' was even a concept for poor folks back then, as Sante discusses at length. The grinders lived notoriously short lives, even by the standards of the day

Thanks mate, it's a good old-fashioned place, apart from the creeping prices That's a great pic, and some useful-looking tools there

Thanks Jack. Yes, repeening and blending back the pivot pins is a handy trick for those old user knives, which have loosened a little with time and wear.

That Unity you gifted me is still tight as a drum in that area.

Thanks for the recommendation on Luc Sante - I see he’s a prolific author with some very interesting titles.

Sounds like you had a good catch up pint and lunch with your mate.

Splendid stag Chin.

Thanks Josè.

Thanks for the elaboration Chin, it must be great to get out on a hunt. Sorry to hear you didn't get anything this time. I'm assuming a hound crew is hunting with dogs? I guess that must of spooked any deer there.

Cheers mate. Yes there’s two types of hunting for deer in Australia: stalking on foot (or 'still hunting' as the Scots call it), and hound hunting, where dogs are used to try to flush deer from an area of a few square kilometres, which has previously been scouted for fresh sign, with hunters positioned at strategic places to try to catch sight of the deer as they sneak out of the patch, ahead of the dogs. The dogs are never used to actually bite or bring down the game - in fact it’s illegal to use a dog which has any history of biting quarry.

When stalking it’s usually best to hunt areas which are not permitted for hound hunting.

Sambar are legendary for their skill at evasion, having adapted over many millennia to elude their three main apex predators: tigers, wild hunting dog packs (Dholes), and humans.

I find, if I don't slip in a razor blade before I peen, I get them too tight. I guess I don't have a very light touch.

Good tip Jer, thanks, I’ll use that.

I think it was Anthony Burgess who said the industrial revolution couldn't have happened without the gin mills and opium dens. Now we're not allowed even that.
Well, I have to admit we're still allowed the gin

Victorian era ‘childminding’ while both parents had to go to work sometimes involved a stiff dose of this:

No prizes for guessing what the active ingredient was!

Finally got a chance to sharpen up the new Lambsfoot this weekend:

Nice job Rachel, you prompted me to finish sharpening mine up.

Setting up personally preferred edge -> more use -> more patina.
All of those things -> more delight.

Absolutely! Wonderful posts you’ve been making lately too, my friend.

Thank you, fellas. Always appreciated.

Thank you, Chin! The Ebony on these Waynorth knives is something special, isn't it? All the ones I have seen so far have been exquisite.

Honestly, I am having a hard time picking a favorite between the jigged bone and the ebony, they are both superb.

Yes I can see how that would be a dilemma, Dylan. The bone version has all the fireworks, but that smoothly elegant, jet black ebony is just as beautiful.

I did a bit of forging with a friend of mine yesterday.

Very cool Kevin!

Thanks for supporting some of my hasty conjectures, Chin.
Compelling triple-tool photo!

Cheers GT!

Cambertree Thank you Chin. Always come out for the better after reading your posts.

Very kind of you, Harvey - I really appreciate that!

Chin, a very thoughtful and eloquent expression. I agree and am very happy for all that Jack chooses to put into here, but never want that to be at the expense of other things he holds dear.

Thanks, Chin. That's a wonderful observation, and I'm touched to be counted among the folks with an immediately recognizable knife. That one's in my pocket today in fact. The rosewood has also seen quite a bit of use since I got it, and I know the Harsthead will, too. But, the buffalo lambsfoot will always be my go to, I think.

Incidentally, there are three lambsfoot knives that I associate with you: your ebony user—I remember the heartache when you thought you lost it and the joy when you found it—your Unity, and, of course, the Lambshank. I may not be able to pick out the first two as yours in a lineup, but if you asked me to name Chin's notable knives, it'd be those three.

Thanks Greg, yes as well as Jack’s advocacy of the Lambsfoot, it was your early posts and thoughtful Knife of the Year award (in 2015 or ‘16?) which prompted me to seek out this fine working knife pattern.

In fact, thinking back to those earlier days of this and the other Lambsfoot threads, it’s possible that Jack’s objectives have been realised in ways we could never have imagined!

We have superb quality contemporary Sheffield Lambsfoot knives being made, on par with, or exceeding the Lambsfoots of the past; we have two superlative American made Lambsfoot versions; many traditional knife enthusiasts in the US are now aware of the pattern, and I can’t remember the last time Jack had to patiently explain what the difference between a sheepsfoot and a Lambsfoot was!

Thanks for your thoughts on my signature ovine trio, my friend.

Here’s a quick pic:

Lambsfoot meets lamb kofta kebab. I didn’t have any harissa, so sambal had to do.

Looks delicious! I have an excellent recipe for harissa I’ve adapted and modifed, which I can send you if you like.

Good morning Guardians. The bamboo pot means Pu-erh this morning.

Looks very inviting Jeff. It’s interesting how a single pot of Pu-ehr gets better and better with subsequent brews, unlike most other teas. When we drink it in Malaysia, we’ll drink it over an hour or two, with maybe 5-10 brews from the same lot. And apparently you can go even more.

R.F. Mosley&Co.

Very nice piece Harvey.

Beautiful knife. Now I feel left out I don’t own a cannon.

'Every good fellow should have one!'

(That was what one of the auld boys down at the range said once, when I complimented him on his WWII .455 Webley revolver!)

 

[Pt-Luso]

Beautiful pic, José

Lookin' good, José. Go forth and multiply

Thank you very much OG...

 

[Pt-Luso]

Extraordinary knife, José!

First-rate flock, José!

Thank you very much Gary...

 

[Pt-Luso]

What a great collection you have so far, Jose! That is a wonderful shot, also

Thank you very much Preston...

 

[dc50]

Rats! I'm not sure if there's something in the index or not, though I think there may well be. However, if I recall correctly Cambertree made a good post on this subject fairly recently. As long as the discussion focuses just on Lambsfoot knives, I'd be more than happy to see the discussion here. Let's see a pic Dave, hope it wasn't too bad

Thank you Jack. after some choice words and pacing the floor, I got down to business with a magnifying glass and had a closer look.
It looked like and also felt like a very minuscule part of the tip had bent over. I could hold the knife by the blade with my thumbnail on the tip, so I took an extra fine diamond file very carefully to remove the hangnail like steel. It came off nicely and I'm back in business My biggest concern was will it still score paper?
At first, it only tore paper then I took it to a Spyderco Medium flat stone and then fine, finishing with some very very fine sandpaper its good as new sort of
The main thing its in working order and that's good enough for me, as this is one of my EDC workers and not a Queen.
Thanks for your support and concern, my fellow Guardians. So, all in all, it wasn't as bad as I thought...

 

[Onebigbill]

Maybe some of you can help me. I'm new to this forum so please excuse my ignorance regarding the topic. I have admired the A. Wright and Son Hartshead Barlow. However, I was wondering if someone would direct me to information regarding it? Love to purchase one but I suppose it is out of production or some sort of special order, etc. Thanks in advance.

 

[JohnDF]

Good Morning Guardians