Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[Jack Black]

Thank you, Jack, someday we would love to visit your area.

haha

It would be a pleasure to show you around if you're ever able to visit Dave

NIce. What's the little Armistice book?

Thanks Jer, it's a piece of trench art, a match box case, simply made from a piece of brass shell case, says 'France' on one side, and 'Armistice' on the other I'll try and get a couple of more pics later

 

[Jack Black]

Jack, can I ask what a bird's eye pivot is?


...

My pruner lambsfoot is my favourite pocket knife, the one I carry the most and the reason I ended up following this locomotive of a thread so closely. I do though have quite small hands so that could be the reason it fits so well as it's quite a small and narrow knife.

...

Well morning all. I maybe doing some chores today so the Big'un is getting an airing.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

Great to see you here David, hope you have the weekend off

Bird's Eye Pivot:

I take the largest size of glove, and never really took to the small size of Lambsfoot until I got one in stag. I certainly love my AC

Good to see the Big 'Un David, great pic

 

[screened porch]

It would be a pleasure to show you around if you're ever able to visit Dave



Thanks Jer, it's a piece of trench art, a match box case, simply made from a piece of brass shell case, says 'France' on one side, and 'Armistice' on the other I'll try and get a couple of more pics later

Nice the guys had some time to tinker. These are all supposed to be Great Uncle Charlie's. I don't suppose he made the cool lighter in the middle, and I don't know what he was planning to do with the flare shell.

 

[donn]

Great to see you here David, hope you have the weekend off

Bird's Eye Pivot:

I take the largest size of glove, and never really took to the small size of Lambsfoot until I got one in stag. I certainly love my AC

Good to see the Big 'Un David, great pic

Thanks Jack, was actually working yesterday.
Thank you for that, I did not know that pivot was known as a bird's eye, so I've learnt something new today. That would look quite unusual on a twin-blade lambsfoot.
The picture is my Big'un balanced on the strapping on the ancient church door in St' Helen's church, Stillingfleet, North Yorkshire.

 

[dc50]

It's great seeing your sunny shots. Our British summer has turned into, well, a British summer.

Thank you, David, I'm thinking there must be a few folks on here that would love to see it cool down and rain.

 

[donn]

I bet they would. Here in the UK it's actually still quite warm, it is though raining a lot.

 

[Jack Black]

Nice the guys had some time to tinker. These are all supposed to be Great Uncle Charlie's. I don't suppose he made the cool lighter in the middle, and I don't know what he was planning to do with the flare shell.

Yes, often "long periods of boredom punctuated by short moments of excitement." Those are smashing Jer, I saw a couple of trench lighters yesterday. My grandfather made all sorts of things during WW2, but sadly I only have the wee (post war) Penny Spitfire he made me now. Here's some more pics of that simple Match Box Cover

Thanks Jack, was actually working yesterday.
Thank you for that, I did not know that pivot was known as a bird's eye, so I've learnt something new today. That would look quite unusual on a twin-blade lambsfoot.
The picture is my Big'un balanced on the strapping on the ancient church door in St' Helen's church, Stillingfleet, North Yorkshire.

Sorry to hear that mate, hope you've got the chance to put your feet up today I've long fancied doing a (single blade) Shadow pattern Lambsfoot, with Lignum Vitae and a Bird's Eye pivot That door is incredible David, what a work of art

 

[dc50]

I've long fancied doing a (single blade) Shadow pattern Lambsfoot

Jack, Shadow pattern whatsit?

 

[Ramrodmb]

.............Just to make it clear, (as I've done many times), somewhat bizarrely, A. Wright & Son do not run their own website, they don't even have anything to do with it. This is mainly because the former owner had an intense dislike of computers, the internet, mobile phones, etc. The site was set up by a Sheffield dealer, and leaves a great deal to be desired, both in terms of the descriptions and photographs of the knives there. He's a nice bloke, but his knowledge of pocket knife patterns and nomenclature is not extensive. This gentleman is in fact now semi-retired, and has sold his Sheffield business, but before he retired, he began using the phrase 'Pruner Handle' on his own site. Wright's themselves only use the term 'Pruner' in relation to the pruning knives they produce. The only name they assign to the Lambsfoot knives they produce with a curved frame is 'Swayback' (even though the smaller size has more sway than the larger two). I did once ask them about the 'Pruner' handles being described on a Sheffield website, and they wondered what I was talking about The full range of Lambsfoot frames used by Wright's is shown here. I hope we're not going to have to become wedded to a term coined by someone who is ill-informed on this subject (just as I now see, elsewhere, new posters banging on about the 'Ramsfoot' as if it was an age-old pattern, rather than a humorous term for a large Sheepsfoot). It's interesting that Wright's smallest Lambsfoot has more sway than the other Swayback models, and I think this certainly changes the ergonomics, presenting the blade slightly differently. Arguably, it is an improvement, but I think that the different handle is more likely to be an accidental adoption, which is more often the way things have worked in Sheffield for many years I'm afraid, with patterns sometimes being created more or less by accident, or coming about because of a request from an individual dealer. It could be that frame was originally wedded to a different blade (it is their Peach Pruner frame), most of Wright's dyes and tools are over a hundred years old, and inherited from other companies or previous owners (the medium Lambsfoot frame is identical to the frame used on their so-called 'Barlow', simply reversed). I mentioned that I had had a long discussion with Michael Elliott about the two-blade Lambsfoot model, and the pen blade, which we both consider somewhat ugly. Wright's produced Penknives in the past, but the dies for those blades must have been lost, damaged, or worn at some point. The pen blade found on the two-blade Lambsfoot (Maybe we could call that a Lambsfoot Jack?) is actually inherited from a different knife, which perhaps explains why it has little in common with a traditional Pen blade. After WW2, the city was awash with blades, springs, and other parts for British Army Clasp Knives. They remained a popular pattern, but there was already a huge quantity of them, so the Sheffield cutlers began adopting the parts to make other patterns. One pattern (well actually three) was sold in British NAAFI shops to serving members of the Armed Forces (including the huge number of post-war National Servicemen - conscripts). It came with the stout blades and springs common to the Army Clasp Knives issued in WW2, and with a shackle and checkered Bexoid scales, but was of a more pocket-friendly design, without a tin-opener/bottle-opener or screwdriver. There were three styles, a single Sheepsfoot, a Spear and Pen, and a Sheepsfoot and Pen. A.Wright & Son produced huge numbers of the Sheepsfoot and Pen pattern, with one cutler assigned to make nothing else. The heavy pen was later married to a Lambsfoot, perhaps simply because the alternative would have been to have a new die made to press out a different (and more regular) Pen blade. I hope that it won't be too long before Wright's can improve on this pattern

The Pen blades on a A.Wright NAAFI knife compared to the one on their two-blade Lambsfoot.

@Crazy Canuck - Mike, the standard double-bolstered Lambsfoot produced by Wright's does indeed use the small Lambsfoot blade



Why would they? They'd then have to replace the stamps for all their patterns every year. Sheffield has never produced blades in this way



It's improved!

Thanks for clearing that up, Jack, as you have done many times in the past. A shame they don't run their own website where they could clear up the misinformation themselves to keep it from being perpetuated.

Hope you and all the Guardians are having a great weekend!

 

[dc50]

Thanks for clearing that up, Jack, as you have done many times in the past. A shame they don't run their own website where they could clear up the misinformation themselves.

Hope you and all the Guardians are having a great weekend!

Another fine photo Mark

 

[Ramrodmb]

Another fine photo Mark

Thanks, Dave! Much appreciated. Hope you're enjoying the weekend, my friend.

I believe "shadow pattern" means= no bolsters.

 

[r8shell]

What a great lighter. I've tried to memorise Morse a number of times with no luck.

Same here. I saved an educational graphic I found a little while back, thinking I could maybe learn Morse this way, since I'm generally visually oriented.

Crikey Rachel! You'd of been rolling round in laughter at the media hysterics we had to suffer in the UK a few weeks ago when we had about 5 days of ~90F weather (that's peak afternoon temp as well, not a daily constant).

Ah well, you would get a chuckle out of seeing folks wearing their parkas when it gets down to ~60F in the Fall.

Thanks for clearing that up, Jack, as you have done many times in the past. A shame they don't run their own website where they could clear up the misinformation themselves.

If they don't want to run a website (I can sympathize) they could at least take a look at that vender's site once or twice and give a little corrective input.

I believe this will be a good day to stay inside. Putter around and maybe make another tomato sauce.

 

[dc50]

I believe "shadow pattern" means= no bolsters.

Perfect! thank you, my friend.

 

[Jack Black]

Jack, Shadow pattern whatsit?

I believe "shadow pattern" means= no bolsters.

Thanks Mark That pattern obviously wasn't named by a Sheffield cutler or it'd have been called 'The Knife Without Bolsters' or something equally uncool! One of my favourite pieces of Sheffield cutlery nomenclature is the name assigned to the cutler who put the knife together - 'The Puttertogetherer'!

Thanks for clearing that up, Jack, as you have done many times in the past. A shame they don't run their own website where they could clear up the misinformation themselves to keep it from being perpetuated.

Hope you and all the Guardians are having a great weekend!

Thank you Mark, it's ridiculous they don't run their own website I think, but hopefully it'll come Hope you're having a good one too my friend, nice pic

Same here. I saved an educational graphic I found a little while back, thinking I could maybe learn Morse this way, since I'm generally visually oriented.

Ah well, you would get a chuckle out of seeing folks wearing their parkas when it gets down to ~60F in the Fall.

If they don't want to run a website (I can sympathize) they could at least take a look at that vender's site once or twice and give a little corrective input.

I believe this will be a good day to stay inside. Putter around and maybe make another tomato sauce.

Enjoy your putterarounding Rachel! You're making me hungry with that great pic

I used to know a couple of amateur radio enthusiasts - recent times not in the past - even in that sort of strange world, the morse guys are apparently considered the weirdest. One of the guys I knew was into morse, they reckon that morse will be the last form of long distance communication to die! He had to sit morse exams, and would spend his time communicating with other morse guys around the world. I imagine they all wore parkas too - probably all the time! To be fair, it may be a useful skill. Having said that, my dad was a radio operator in the Army, but I'm not sure he ever used morse again!

I think there's been a lot of complacency at Wright's in the past. It would be great to see that come to an end

 

[dc50]

'The Puttertogetherer'!

haha

 

[kamagong]

Same here. I saved an educational graphic I found a little while back, thinking I could maybe learn Morse this way, since I'm generally visually oriented.

Very cool. Thanks for that. I don't know Morse, but I did teach my daughter the code for "SOS" with the idea that it would be a useful thing for a Girl Scout to know. She learned it well too. I forgot how to signal SOS and had to ask her!

 

[Jack Black]

haha

There was also the guy who woke people up for work by knocking on their bedroom window with a long stick! He was called 'The Knockerupper'!

 

[kamagong]

There was also the guy who woke people up for work by knocking on their bedroom window with a long stick! He was called 'The Knockerupper'!

Great handle. Bested only by "The Putter Togetherer"!

 

[Jack Black]

I didn't have enough bread for a Sunday Sausage Sandwich

 

[JohnDF]

Just to make it clear, (as I've done many times), somewhat bizarrely, A. Wright & Son do not run their own website, they don't even have anything to do with it. This is mainly because the former owner had an intense dislike of computers, the internet, mobile phones, etc. The site was set up by a Sheffield dealer, and leaves a great deal to be desired, both in terms of the descriptions and photographs of the knives there. He's a nice bloke, but his knowledge of pocket knife patterns and nomenclature is not extensive. This gentleman is in fact now semi-retired, and has sold his Sheffield business, but before he retired, he began using the phrase 'Pruner Handle' on his own site. Wright's themselves only use the term 'Pruner' in relation to the pruning knives they produce. The only name they assign to the Lambsfoot knives they produce with a curved frame is 'Swayback' (even though the smaller size has more sway than the larger two). I did once ask them about the 'Pruner' handles being described on a Sheffield website, and they wondered what I was talking about The full range of Lambsfoot frames used by Wright's is shown here. I hope we're not going to have to become wedded to a term coined by someone who is ill-informed on this subject (just as I now see, elsewhere, new posters banging on about the 'Ramsfoot' as if it was an age-old pattern, rather than a humorous term for a large Sheepsfoot). It's interesting that Wright's smallest Lambsfoot has more sway than the other Swayback models, and I think this certainly changes the ergonomics, presenting the blade slightly differently. Arguably, it is an improvement, but I think that the different handle is more likely to be an accidental adoption, which is more often the way things have worked in Sheffield for many years I'm afraid, with patterns sometimes being created more or less by accident, or coming about because of a request from an individual dealer. It could be that frame was originally wedded to a different blade (it is their Peach Pruner frame), most of Wright's dyes and tools are over a hundred years old, and inherited from other companies or previous owners (the medium Lambsfoot frame is identical to the frame used on their so-called 'Barlow', simply reversed). I mentioned that I had had a long discussion with Michael Elliott about the two-blade Lambsfoot model, and the pen blade, which we both consider somewhat ugly. Wright's produced Penknives in the past, but the dies for those blades must have been lost, damaged, or worn at some point. The pen blade found on the two-blade Lambsfoot (Maybe we could call that a Lambsfoot Jack?) is actually inherited from a different knife, which perhaps explains why it has little in common with a traditional Pen blade. After WW2, the city was awash with blades, springs, and other parts for British Army Clasp Knives. They remained a popular pattern, but there was already a huge quantity of them, so the Sheffield cutlers began adopting the parts to make other patterns. One pattern (well actually three) was sold in British NAAFI shops to serving members of the Armed Forces (including the huge number of post-war National Servicemen - conscripts). It came with the stout blades and springs common to the Army Clasp Knives issued in WW2, and with a shackle and checkered Bexoid scales, but was of a more pocket-friendly design, without a tin-opener/bottle-opener or screwdriver. There were three styles, a single Sheepsfoot, a Spear and Pen, and a Sheepsfoot and Pen. A.Wright & Son produced huge numbers of the Sheepsfoot and Pen pattern, with one cutler assigned to make nothing else. The heavy pen was later married to a Lambsfoot, perhaps simply because the alternative would have been to have a new die made to press out a different (and more regular) Pen blade. I hope that it won't be too long before Wright's can improve on this pattern

Informative post, Jack. Thanks for taking the time to educate us again.

I generally to rotate my knives, but this stag Hartshead Barlow has really taken over my pocket Shown here with a few things I picked up yesterday

Now I better get on with some chores!

The Hartshead is a hard one to put down. It is a good old fashioned pocket knife and full of historical value.