Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

Friday is finally here!
Have a great day Guardians! 🐑
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Jack Black said:
Yay! You got anything on this weekend Kevin? Cool pic of your Hartshead Barlow :cool: :thumbsup:
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Right now I am hoping that I don't have to work Saturday. We are pretty caught up so it looks like I will have the weekend off. I adopted a dog last Friday so I will just be hanging out with him. That is as much planning that I have done.
I hope that arthritis eases up for you.
I hear whiskey helps. :D
 
flatblackcapo said:
Right now I am hoping that I don't have to work Saturday. We are pretty caught up so it looks like I will have the weekend off. I adopted a dog last Friday so I will just be hanging out with him. That is as much planning that I have done.
I hope that arthritis eases up for you.
I hear whiskey helps. :D
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I hope you don't have to go in Kevin :) Congratulations on the new pup :thumbsup:

Thanks buddy, I used to know an old feller who rubbed whisky into his joints, as well as drinking it! :D He bought cheap whisky though! :D ;) :thumbsup:
 
JohnDF said:
Good Morning Guardians
Sorry the post is a bit late, I've been working on orders and running virtual meetings with my students.
Hope everybody has a Fantastic Friday and a Wonderful Weekend.

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Sounds like you're busy John, have a great weekend mate 🙂👍
 
I have been wondering of this for some time and I finally took this picture.

I have 4 A. Wright & son lamb foot pocket knives. Great knives no doubt, but the end of the spring looks like it has been snapped of with some pliers or something and not cut properly?

Is there a reason they leave them like that or have I just been extremely unlucky with all 4 of my knives?

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Jack Black said:
I hope you don't have to go in Kevin :) Congratulations on the new pup :thumbsup:

Thanks buddy, I used to know an old feller who rubbed whisky into his joints, as well as drinking it! :D He bought cheap whisky though! :D ;) :thumbsup:
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Eating three golden raisins soaked in gin with every meal is supposed to be good against arthritis. And, of course, carrying a horse chestnut in the pocket nearest the pain, if it's rheumatoid arthritis.
I don't have any golden raisins.
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353 said:
Is there a reason they leave them like that or have I just been extremely unlucky with all 4 of my knives?
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The one in my pocket is relatively square compared to those. Yours might be symptomatic of the new management?
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353 said:
I have been wondering of this for some time and I finally took this picture.

I have 4 A. Wright & son lamb foot pocket knives. Great knives no doubt, but the end of the spring looks like it has been snapped of with some pliers or something and not cut properly?

Is there a reason they leave them like that or have I just been extremely unlucky with all 4 of my knives?

vvOlYvS.jpg
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Three that I’ve gotten recently have the same issue. I just used a small rat tail file to smooth them out a bit.
 
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353 said:
I have been wondering of this for some time and I finally took this picture.

I have 4 A. Wright & son lamb foot pocket knives. Great knives no doubt, but the end of the spring looks like it has been snapped of with some pliers or something and not cut properly?

Is there a reason they leave them like that or have I just been extremely unlucky with all 4 of my knives?

vvOlYvS.jpg
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Interesting question :thumbsup: Here's a pic I just took of my Hartshead Barlow, which I'm carrying today, and a couple of other knives, which were to hand, the 2018 and 2019 Guardians SFOs.

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The springs and blades are actually stamped out, by hand, with a huge old press, before they're ground, and sent off for HT, so it could be that the springs are cut like that by the press, deformed during HT, or more likely, I think, deformed when the springs are polished on a wheel post-HT.

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Getting Wright's to re-examine the way they made their generally quite rough and ready knives was a near Herculean task, because they were used to making simple, functional knives at a particular price point. While I think I made some progress under the previous management, it ultimately proved futile under the new management, and half of the last knives I picked up off them didn't even have centred blades, which is when I threw in the towel. Most of their few cutlers were not up to making the sort of fine pocket jewellery we regularly see on The Porch, and their QC has gone from bad to worse, but then again, the price of their knives is comparatively modest, though of course for some members, those prices are inflated by overseas shipping, exchange rates, PayPal fees, etc.

I once asked John Maleham if they couldn't clean all the gunk out of the joints, which folks regularly complain about. He told me they could, but if a cutler had to spend 10 minutes cleaning the joint, it'd increase the cost. I don't know why the firm haven't taken more care to make the ends of the springs more cosmetically appealing, as I say QC has traditionally been low, and most of their cutlers have picked up bad habits, and are used to turning out cheap knives, at speed. I constantly stressed that I would pay extra for the extra time our knives took to make, and they certainly did take more care of them I think, but how do you get a 60-year old cutler to change the habits of a lifetime, particularly when he might not actually be seeing any extra cash himself? I was on a steep learning curve myself, and what I did eventually was pick their best cutler, and ask that he make the knives in entirety, and I'd slip some extra cash into his pocket, so I knew he was getting some benefit, beyond the pride of doing a good job :thumbsup:
screened porch said:
Eating three golden raisins soaked in gin with every meal is supposed to be good against arthritis. And, of course, carrying a horse chestnut in the pocket nearest the pain, if it's rheumatoid arthritis.I don't have any golden raisins.
dn5JTDb.jpg


The one in my pocket is relatively square compared to those. Yours might be symptomatic of the new management?
NlhakEM.jpg
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I don't have any golden raisins, but I do have a horse chestnut or two lying about! :D :thumbsup:

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No hike tomorrow for me, as I'm going on a good old-fashioned pub-crawl, with some good old-fashioned fellers from the market! :D I've known my pal from the tool-stall for about 12 years I think, and this will be only the second time we've been for a pint together, so I'm looking forward to it :) :thumbsup:

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Jack Black said:
The springs and blades are actually stamped out, by hand, with a huge old press,
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I am not saying this is the problem, but could be, i have seen it with old pressing machines before. As they get old, the actual press wears in high contact areas, so they don't press out perfect to shape, so the piece pressed out has minor defects. But you are correct they should be buffed/polished out. Just my 2 Bobs worth, old machinery, but a lot more knowledgeable people here than me. Have a good weekend everyone.:)
 
cudgee said:
I am not saying this is the problem, but could be, i have seen it with old pressing machines before. As they get old, the actual press wears in high contact areas, so they don't press out perfect to shape, so the piece pressed out has minor defects. But you are correct they should be buffed/polished out. Just my 2 Bobs worth, old machinery, but a lot more knowledgeable people here than me. Have a good weekend everyone.:)
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The stamping tools themselves are over a hundred years old, and often inherited from older firms. A blade from 100 years ago might have exactly the same profile and dimensions as one made last week, but of course all stamps wear, and cut less crisply than they did in the past. Have a good weekend yourself Leon :) :thumbsup:

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