Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[Jack Black]

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Michael

That blade is WAY off-centre isn't it Michael?! I know you've struggled with both the two-bladers you've had, but how do you find the pattern in general? I have a few older ones, generally with a longer Lambsfoot blade, such as this beautiful William Rodgers, which Charlie very kindly gifted me



However, with a shorter Lambsfoot blade, while I absolutely love two-blade Jacks in general, it seems to me that the pen blade doesn't really add a lot. I find (and find increasingly) that the Lambsfoot blade is so versatile, I don't need a pen blade (I'd rather carry a second knife ), and that the two-blade loses out on ergonomics, and certainly on ease of opening! It's also heavier and bulkier of course, so for me, in most circumstances, the disadvantages of the extra blade outweigh the advantages.

The A.Wright two-bladers are notoriously brutal to open, though I have others of the same size that are in the same league. I have asked Wright's about this, but they tell me they really don't sell many of the two-blade models, which means they don't get made very often. I like a stiff pull, but on the Wright's two-blade I bought recently (only because I wanted to understand the issues with it), I've softened the tang corners a bit. I've never had to do that with another knife. John Maleham didn't seem to think the stiffness of the blades was an issue, but I doubt many folks wouldn't prefer a softer pull.

 

[Jack Black]

Duncan @Campbellclanman recently told us about an interesting Sheldon knife he had acquired, with what appeared to be a Lambsfoot blade. The Sheldon Knife was a Sheffield friction-folder, which opened with one hand, and was popular in the past as a working knife. It is more commonly seen with a Pruner blade, and Duncan wasn't sure, initially, if the blade of his knife hadn't been re-ground. I mentioned the knife to Michael Elliott, the Head Cutler at Wright's, and he not only confirmed that Sheldon knives came with a Lambsfoot blade, which I had never seen before, but said they had some blades somewhere. He very kindly sent me the image below a few minutes ago, and I thought you might all like to see it



Here's a reminder of what Duncan's knife, made by Wade & Butcher, looks like

 

[Cutfinger]

I resorted to filing the back spring on the pen, to reduce the force required to open it. I opened the pen half way, exposing the spring and removed material from the 'spine' of the spring by draw filing. The spring sits a bit low now, in opened and closed positions.

I squashed the bolsters together and peined the pivot pin, to get rid of some wobble on the main, which made the pen much harder to open.
I ended up filing away the tang stamp, even extending past the choil and thinning part of the spine of the blade, because the tang was bent and was pressing the middle liner towards the pen, pinching it, and contributing greatly to the difficulty of opening the pen. The tip of the main now rubs on the middle liner.

The knife now functions PERFECTLY! The blades have equivalent pulls, are both smooth with great snap.

The two-blader you picked up for me on your visit to the A Wright shop, has the exact same issues. If I were to get rid of the wobble on its main, I would have more trouble opening the secondary, which is already difficult to open.

My friend ordered a two-blader, the same model. He got a knife that has centered blades, no wobble, and decent pulls on both blades. And to boot, it's a really nice looking knife!

Im a two blade knife guy, I always missed the pen when I carried for years, a single blade knife. I use the main for all sorts of things, and reserve the pen for carving the joints of wood mouldings.

I really dig that William Rodgers knife you have there Jack, I am quite jealous!

I had better get back at it here, have a good day Guardians!

Michael

 

[Pàdruig]

Glad to hear you've finally found somewhere Dylan I always enjoy seeing that knife

Thank you, Jack. The knife is certainly a wee gem.

I'm going to miss the backdrop for many of your great photos, such as this one. I hope you have a cedar deck at the new place as well, or some equally nice outdoor space for you to enjoy. Good luck with the move, and the new place.

Michael

Thank you for the good wishes, much appreciated. I assure you, I hope to take the same care with my pictures at the new place. In fact, I will have a nice creek view as you can see below. I am sure I will come up with some suitable alternatives for knife staging.

That blade is WAY off-centre isn't it Michael?! I know you've struggled with both the two-bladers you've had, but how do you find the pattern in general? I have a few older ones, generally with a longer Lambsfoot blade, such as this beautiful William Rodgers, which Charlie very kindly gifted me

View attachment 869007

However, with a shorter Lambsfoot blade, while I absolutely love two-blade Jacks in general, it seems to me that the pen blade doesn't really add a lot. I find (and find increasingly) that the Lambsfoot blade is so versatile, I don't need a pen blade (I'd rather carry a second knife ), and that the two-blade loses out on ergonomics, and certainly on ease of opening! It's also heavier and bulkier of course, so for me, in most circumstances, the disadvantages of the extra blade outweigh the advantages.

The A.Wright two-bladers are notoriously brutal to open, though I have others of the same size that are in the same league. I have asked Wright's about this, but they tell me they really don't sell many of the two-blade models, which means they don't get made very often. I like a stiff pull, but on the Wright's two-blade I bought recently (only because I wanted to understand the issues with it), I've softened the tang corners a bit. I've never had to do that with another knife. John Maleham didn't seem to think the stiffness of the blades was an issue, but I doubt many folks wouldn't prefer a softer pull.

I think I've posed a query regarding these very sentiments before, Jack. Though I find the secondary blade useful on some patterns, it is certainly hard for me to fathom a use for one on a Lambsfoot. The taper just allows for such versatility, as you have pointed out. A secondary blade is also not needed for added heft or girth on a Lambsfoot as I find that the regular sized knifes already fill the hand comfortably and provide for a rather solid working experience.

Duncan @Campbellclanman recently told us about an interesting Sheldon knife he had acquired, with what appeared to be a Lambsfoot blade. The Sheldon Knife was a Sheffield friction-folder, which opened with one hand, and was popular in the past as a working knife. It is more commonly seen with a Pruner blade, and Duncan wasn't sure, initially, if the blade of his knife hadn't been re-ground. I mentioned the knife to Michael Elliott, the Head Cutler at Wright's, and he not only confirmed that Sheldon knives came with a Lambsfoot blade, which I had never seen before, but said they had some blades somewhere. He very kindly sent me the image below a few minutes ago, and I thought you might all like to see it

View attachment 869031

Here's a reminder of what Duncan's knife, made by Wade & Butcher, looks like

Wonderful bit of info, Jack. I recall seeing Duncan's Wade & Butcher awhile back and it made me think of a knife I had been eyeballing on a different site. In fact, I wonder if it might be the same one that Duncan acquired. It had made me curious at the time when I first spotted it and I saved a couple pictures to look at for later. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a place at the time to acquire it myself but I might perhaps keep a better eye out for them in the future.

(Not my pictures, but provide good tang stamp details)

 

[Pàdruig]

Some good natural light is filtering into my office on this dreary day so I decided to snap a quick picture. Happy Friday, everyone.

 

[Jack Black]

I resorted to filing the back spring on the pen, to reduce the force required to open it. I opened the pen half way, exposing the spring and removed material from the 'spine' of the spring by draw filing. The spring sits a bit low now, in opened and closed positions.

I squashed the bolsters together and peined the pivot pin, to get rid of some wobble on the main, which made the pen much harder to open.
I ended up filing away the tang stamp, even extending past the choil and thinning part of the spine of the blade, because the tang was bent and was pressing the middle liner towards the pen, pinching it, and contributing greatly to the difficulty of opening the pen. The tip of the main now rubs on the middle liner.

The knife now functions PERFECTLY! The blades have equivalent pulls, are both smooth with great snap.

The two-blader you picked up for me on your visit to the A Wright shop, has the exact same issues. If I were to get rid of the wobble on its main, I would have more trouble opening the secondary, which is already difficult to open.

My friend ordered a two-blader, the same model. He got a knife that has centered blades, no wobble, and decent pulls on both blades. And to boot, it's a really nice looking knife!

Im a two blade knife guy, I always missed the pen when I carried for years, a single blade knife. I use the main for all sorts of things, and reserve the pen for carving the joints of wood mouldings.

I really dig that William Rodgers knife you have there Jack, I am quite jealous!

I had better get back at it here, have a good day Guardians!

Michael

That's a lot more work than most folks would want to put in I think Michael! Well done for persevering The blades on mine are straight, but even after softening the tang corners a little, it is still a beast to open. I won't be picking up anymore

Thanks Michael, Charlie sent me a real beauty in that William Rodgers. I have another couple, but they are not as nice (and both single blade)



This Needham two-blader, a kind gift from Duncan, is similar in size to the Wright knives

 

[Jack Black]

Thank you, Jack. The knife is certainly a wee gem.



Thank you for the good wishes, much appreciated. I assure you, I hope to take the same care with my pictures at the new place. In fact, I will have a nice creek view as you can see below. I am sure I will come up with some suitable alternatives for knife staging.

I think I've posed a query regarding these very sentiments before, Jack. Though I find the secondary blade useful on some patterns, it is certainly hard for me to fathom a use for one on a Lambsfoot. The taper just allows for such versatility, as you have pointed out. A secondary blade is also not needed for added heft or girth on a Lambsfoot as I find that the regular sized knifes already fill the hand comfortably and provide for a rather solid working experience.



Wonderful bit of info, Jack. I recall seeing Duncan's Wade & Butcher awhile back and it made me think of a knife I had been eyeballing on a different site. In fact, I wonder if it might be the same one that Duncan acquired. It had made me curious at the time when I first spotted it and I saved a couple pictures to look at for later. Unfortunately, I wasn't in a place at the time to acquire it myself but I might perhaps keep a better eye out for them in the future.

(Not my pictures, but provide good tang stamp details)

I love the way you capture the semi-translucency of the golden horn my friend

Wow! That is a fantastic location Dylan, you could fish out of the window

I've always liked a secondary pen, and thought I would with the Lambsfoot, but I also find that it is almost entirely redundant alongside the supremely versatile Lambsfoot blade

I used to see Sheldon Knives as a boy, and remember asking about them here. Unfortunately I didn't know the name, and even our Sheffield knife experts didn't know what I was talking about. It took me a few years to even find one. They are not the best-looking knife, but an interesting one I think, and much nicer with a Lambsfoot blade Thank you for posting the pics Dylan

Some good natural light is filtering into my office on this dreary day so I decided to snap a quick picture. Happy Friday, everyone.

Great pic Dylan, you certainly live in a beautiful part of the world

 

[r8shell]

Duncan @Campbellclanman recently told us about an interesting Sheldon knife he had acquired, with what appeared to be a Lambsfoot blade. The Sheldon Knife was a Sheffield friction-folder, which opened with one hand, and was popular in the past as a working knife. It is more commonly seen with a Pruner blade, and Duncan wasn't sure, initially, if the blade of his knife hadn't been re-ground. I mentioned the knife to Michael Elliott, the Head Cutler at Wright's, and he not only confirmed that Sheldon knives came with a Lambsfoot blade, which I had never seen before, but said they had some blades somewhere. He very kindly sent me the image below a few minutes ago, and I thought you might all like to see it

View attachment 869031

Here's a reminder of what Duncan's knife, made by Wade & Butcher, looks like

Oh! Now I understand the double pivot pins, after seeing the bare blade.

I've always liked a secondary pen, and thought I would with the Lambsfoot, but I also find that it is almost entirely redundant alongside the supremely versatile Lambsfoot blade

Same here. I find a single blade lambfoot pairs well with a small penknife.

 

[Jack Black]

Oh! Now I understand the double pivot pins, after seeing the bare blade.
Same here. I find a single blade lambfoot pairs well with a small penknife.

It's very interesting to be able to see the parts of a knife isn't it, something most of us rarely get the opportunity for though? For example, I had always understood that Lobster knives got their name from the position of the blades when open. But I learned from seeing Stan Shaw put them together, and watching him splitting the springs, that they get their name from the appearence of the spring, rather than the blades

Yep, I also prefer my Lambsfoot and Pen separate!

 

[Jack Black]

Heading out with this one in the morning Came with a very decent edge, don't think I've even sharpened it yet



Have a great weekend Guardians

 

[Leslie Tomville]

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Have a great weekend everyone.

Pàdruig What a beautiful setting Dylan. Congratulations!

 

[hughd]

I've just spent 5 minutes with my ebony trying to understand what you mean Hugh The pull decreases very slightly as the blade moves towards 90 degrees, then stiffens a little as the cam tang rolls over. It then snaps open nicely. Is yours the same?

When opening the pull (walk) is nice to about 45 degrees then it goes weak to 90 degrees. The opening and closing snap (talk) is great.

 

[Jack Black]

View attachment 869427 View attachment 869428

Have a great weekend everyone.

Pàdruig What a beautiful setting Dylan. Congratulations!

Fantastic pics Leslie

When opening the pull (walk) is nice to about 45 degrees then it goes weak to 90 degrees. The opening and closing snap (talk) is great.

Like Michael, that sounds normal to me

 

[flatblackcapo]

 

[StoneBeard]

Thanks Jack, it’s good to be back.

I’ve been traveling sans knife for the past ten days, but I bet you can guess which one went in my pocket when I got home.

Here it is about to cut out a template I’d sketched for the bowl of an asymmetric cooking spoon I’m working on:

Good to see you Greg! I’m looking forward to seeing that finished spoon .

Heading out with this one in the morning Came with a very decent edge, don't think I've even sharpened it yet

View attachment 869272

Have a great weekend Guardians

Jack and Will, the stag on your Lambsfoot knives is truly something special

It’s been a much busier past few days then I’d planned, but I always find time for the Lambsfoot. The beautiful pictures and educational posts made catching up very enjoyable, I really like how much I learn on a weekly basis here with Guardians .







Hope everyone had a Happy St. Patty’s day. The Lambsfoot provided a bit of assistance while making a Guinness chocolate cake with Baileys frosting.





Recipe only called for 1 cup... couldnt let the rest go to waste



Have a great Sunday Guardians-

 

[Jack Black]

Lovely horn there sir

Jack and Will, the stag on your Lambsfoot knives is truly something special

It’s been a much busier past few days then I’d planned, but I always find time for the Lambsfoot. The beautiful pictures and educational posts made catching up very enjoyable, I really like how much I learn on a weekly basis here with Guardians .


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Hope everyone had a Happy St. Patty’s day. The Lambsfoot provided a bit of assistance while making a Guinness chocolate cake with Baileys frosting.

View attachment 870290

View attachment 870289

Recipe only called for 1 cup... couldnt let the rest go to waste

View attachment 870288

Have a great Sunday Guardians-

View attachment 870291

Thank you my friend Those are incredible photos, as always, and both your Lambsfoot and that cake look delicious! I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's Day, lots of beer and whiskey consumed round Chez Black, and in the pub in the afternoon beforehand, but I'm afraid I have no photos

We have a blanket of snow here, but I don't really have a reason to go out. I'll be nursing my Guardians Lambsfoot though Have a great Sunday folks

 

[r8shell]

StoneBeard , I've never heard of a Guinness and Baileys cake before, and now I really, really want a piece! And I haven't even had breakfast yet.

Sorry you still have the cold weather there, Jack Black . Just to rub it in, I'm up early because I'm going to plant the veggie and herb garden before it gets too hot out to dig in the yard today. I'm still doing my week long test of the Italian farm knives (the one they sold as a Lambfoot was not, so I shan't show it here unless I decide to grind the spine to a taper) I'll go back to carrying the big 'un tomorrow.

 

[Jack Black]

StoneBeard , I've never heard of a Guinness and Baileys cake before, and now I really, really want a piece! And I haven't even had breakfast yet.

Sorry you still have the cold weather there, Jack Black . Just to rub it in, I'm up early because I'm going to plant the veggie and herb garden before it gets too hot out to dig in the yard today. I'm still doing my week long test of the Italian farm knives (the one they sold as a Lambfoot was not, so I shan't show it here unless I decide to grind the spine to a taper) I'll go back to carrying the big 'un tomorrow.View attachment 870324

Me too! And I've had breakfast!

Blimey, my garden is under 3 or 4 inches of snow! Enjoy your post-work breakfast Rachel

Feel free to post that Lambsfoot imposter for information purposes

 

[r8shell]

Feel free to post that Lambsfoot imposter for information purposes

Okay, since you don't mind, I'll post it and pose a question.
Here is the sheepish wharncliffe that was labeled lambfoot on the package.

Could it be ground into a Lambsfoot? It doesn't look like I could taper the entire length of the spine without affecting the nail nick.

 

[Jack Black]

Okay, since you don't mind, I'll post it and pose a question.
Here is the sheepish wharncliffe that was labeled lambfoot on the package.
View attachment 870327
Could it be ground into a Lambsfoot? It doesn't look like I could taper the entire length of the spine without affecting the nail nick.
View attachment 870328

Interesting that, so often, (mainland) European knives, particularly Italian, are mislabelled as Lambsfoot knives. I wonder why they even use the name? Impressive Photoshop skills! That would look pretty nice as a Lambsfoot (I'm trying to persuade Wright's to make me a shadow pattern in Lignum Vitae). I'm certainly not the best person to answer this question, but it looks like you might be struggling, and possibly lose some of the nail-nick.. Have you tried marking the blade with a Sharpie?