Catching up again. This post has been sitting as a draft for a few days, so apologies if I’m covering a bit of old ground.
Just regarding the recent ‘recalibration’ of this thread, I also offer my apologies if any of my posts have crossed the mark into unwarranted off-topic chatter. I’m a terrible digressor at the best of times, although I do always try to return to Lambsfoot content, at least by the end of a post - not always successfully, I’m sure.
Thanks for the reminder Jack, and sorry if I’ve added to the grumble quotient at Guardians HQ, my friend.
We used to deer hunt with dogs in heavily timbered country down south...
As always Chin, wonderful post.
View attachment 1156579
Thanks Dwight, I felt like I was there my friend, down to my heart starting to beat faster as I imagined the hounds nearing...
...with my Lambsfoot in pocket, as always!
Wonderful Lambsfoot photo, Dwight.
Good morning, Guardians, and thanks,
Chin, you're certainly right about Pu-erh...
RALF has been cutting some fruit lately and getting some color on his cheeks, so here is a new pic of the li'l darlin'.
Good to see RALF getting some colour, Jeff. I had my ebony 2018 Guardians knife out the other day too, just to let her know I still love her.
What a great knife. A couple of older pics with rather less patina than she sports these days:
Great pic, mi amiga. Hey, how did you sharpen this one up, Rachel?
I started on the Atoma 140 diamond plates to thin it out, then realised taking it too thin behind the edge, would remove some of that great etch.
So I just ended up going with the Sharpmaker diamond rods at 15dps to set the edge, then progressed through the M, F and UF rods, finishing with a few passes of the UF rods at 20dps, and the obligatory strop with 1, 0.5, 0.25 and 0.1 micron diamond and CBN emulsion on balsa and smoothside leather.
It took off a little of the bottom of the Yorkshire White Rose, but that’s an acceptable trade off to have a straight-razor keen knife.
Nice work Dave, well done mate.
Great pic of Manny, Moe and Jack
Thanks for showing off the different styles
GREAT cannon and a wonderful shot of your Barlow
Thank you, my friend.
Nice to hear my friend, I always enjoy seeing your great pics of the Unity Lambsfoot
I saw an interview with Scorsese six months ago, in which he cited Herbert Asbury (obviously) and Luc Sante as the primary sources for his
Gangs of New York film. I read Asbury's excellent tome some years ago, but had not previously heard of Luc Sante. I'd certainly like to read more of his work
...
Despite having known, for many years, just what a useful and versatile pattern the Lambsfoot is, I have still been amazed at the way things have gone these past few years. It's not often (if ever) you hear anyone say, 'Well I tried it, but it's really not for me'. To use the Lambsfoot is to love it!
Superb pic my friend
Feel free to make that public if you want mate
Nice edge on your Hartshead Barlow Chin, I have been carrying mine in a near-identical pocket slip today
Cheers my friend. Asbury also wrote other books on the Gangs of San Francisco, Chicago and New Orleans, IIRC. Although the Chinese tongs and triads were really a closed book to him.
I noticed Dwight picked up a copy of Mayhew’s
Victorian Underworld, which I heartily recommend to any British history buffs. I have the Kindle edition, which allows you to search keywords. Those cracksmen really used their pocketknives for all sorts of tasks, including a whole lotta prying. There’s some great references to some of the master thieves having custom toolkits made on the sly by master cutlers in Sheffield, London and Birmingham. Although I think that (~1850s) period probably predates the Real Lambsfoot pattern, unfortunately.
Yes it’s very interesting what you say about the Lambsfoot being pretty much universally appreciated as a using and working knife.
Thanks for the explanation Chin. The biggest thing I've 'hunted' was foxes years ago.
I reckon we could a learn a lesson about childminding from the Victorians. Looks like they had the right idea.
Thanks David. LOL.
As well as being mostly alcohol, that Mother Baileys Quieting Syrup was comprised of 10% opium!
I'd forgotten that you didn't have a Lambsfoot when this thread started. That KotY would have been 2016, since I wasn't around for the 2015. I'm glad to hear that it played a part in convincing you to give the pattern a try.
And, yes, Jack's steadfast lambsfoot advocacy is certainly paying dividends. Not to mention his tireless effort to have made several very special models available.
Thanks for taking of photo of that trio. It's great to see a patina forming on the Lambshank.
And, yes, please! I'd love to have your recipe for harissa.
Cheers Greg. I’ll post that recipe in a following piece, as I’m always wary of falling afoul of the BF character limit. Cutting up a post on your phone can be quite time consuming.
Nice edge! It's ready for work.
Absolutely. Here’s the first task it had:
Hmmm, what could be in that package? More on that later, my friends....
Thanks GT, yes I’m curious about how that old jigging must have been applied, and haven’t found much information on it.
Victorian morality always cracks me up. Here’s a company selling opiates to babies, children and mothers who feel obliged to include some moral homilies with their wares!
Good morning Guardians. I was searching for something this morning and came across this
excellent post by
Cambertree
speculating on the origins of the Lambsfoot shape and why its popularity did not immediately spread abroad. I thoroughly enjoyed re-reading it and recommend it for your (re)reading pleasure.
Thanks for the reference and kind words, Greg.
A timely link to an excellent post Greg, I doubt that Chin has ever made one here that isn't a thoroughly enjoyable and informative read
I appreciate that, my friend.
Cambertree
Sorry for the late reply.
It took me awhile to find that Minor Threat album. The straight edge relation to that black sheep makes sense, Minor Threat was maybe the first straight edge punk bands to come on the scene. Back in the day ( around here ) the straight edge punks put a "X" on the back of each hand.
Nice one, Kevin.
Really old knives would have had iron bolsters Rachel, and a few would have had iron blades too
I think iron has generally meant steel though, in fact the gaffer at Wright's has referred to the knife as 'All Iron' a few times.
Yes, what was called ‘iron’ then and still is in Sheffield, Solingen and Japanese knifemaking is actually more analogous to what we would call ‘mild steel’ - with about 0.03% carbon. The Japanese have a grade called Gokunantetsu, which is used as a cladding laminate, that has about the same carbon content, but much ‘purer’, in that it has about 10 times lower content of impurities like sulphur, silicon, and phosphorus.
However for the sake of relevance and brevity I think I'll keep the essays on pubs and pies to a minimum from now on anyway.
I thoroughly enjoy all your posts, David. Why not just continue as you were, and ensure you work in Lambsfoot content?
You’ve got a lot to answer for mate!
Goodnight folks
Ha ha, great to see another Nemesis The Warlock fan, mate!
I’ve been enjoying the B&W pics some of the Guardians have been posting.
I always seem to hit the tang with the corners of the stones, but I've decided not to let it bother me. 
