Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[Bartleby]

Anyone ordering a knife from that site based on the pics is probably going to be disappointed, unless they opt for one of the basic rosewood models. The pics aren't the only rubbish on that site either A shame Wright's don't take an interest because that website represents their company

I think that Wright's are at a point where they need to grow their on-line presence, but they are not quite big enough to do so comfortably (having a more or less full time web person is now probably a very good idea, but no doubt sounds like a big jump for such a small maker).

The difficulty with the accuracy of the images on their website and the risks of ordering on line from third parties, especially overseas, are the main reasons that I have gravitated to the versions Oakedge has produced for them by Wright's. Accurate photos (of actual knives), easy ordering, fast shipment (with fair shipping costs), always a friendly follow up email from the owner, Brian (who really checks each knife before shipment). I do notice that these SFO versions do tend to go out of stock and it takes a while to get them back in, but each of the four I have purchased have been well made and very fairly priced.

 

[Jack Black]

Reading that I was almost excited as you must of been

Today and tonight.

Good stuff mate

 

[Jack Black]

I think that Wright's are at a point where they need to grow their on-line presence, but they are not quite big enough to do so comfortably (having a more or less full time web person is now probably a very good idea, but no doubt sounds like a big jump for such a small maker).

The difficulty with the accuracy of the images on their website and the risks of ordering on line from third parties, especially overseas, are the main reasons that I have gravitated to the versions Oakedge has produced for them by Wright's. Accurate photos (of actual knives), easy ordering, fast shipment (with fair shipping costs), always a friendly follow up email from the owner, Brian (who really checks each knife before shipment). I do notice that these SFO versions do tend to go out of stock and it takes a while to get them back in, but each of the four I have purchased have been well made and very fairly priced.

I agree absolutely my friend, the problem is that they regard the internet as some monstrous modern stupidity they should actively try to have nothing to do with. They think it's the rest of the world who are being stupid, rather than themselves. It's not just the website, they won't even use email!

I'm sure Oakedge are a tiny company, possibly just one man and his dog, but they use the resources available to them, and from what folks here have said, do a good job of looking after their customers. Whenever I look at their site, they never seem to have much in stock, but that is perhaps a sign of the amount of traffic their site gets. Good luck to them

 

[Bartleby]

I agree absolutely my friend, the problem is that they regard the internet as some monstrous modern stupidity they should actively try to have nothing to do with. They think it's the rest of the world who are being stupid, rather than themselves. It's not just the website, they won't even use email!

Golly! I take pride in being a traditional sort, but that is taking stubborn right up to obstinate! Sorry to use adult language, but geez!

 

[Bartleby]

I'm sure Oakedge are a tiny company, possibly just one man and his dog, but they use the resources available to them

Exactly.

 

[mrknife]

Jack Black you wish to see an ironwood?

 

[Leslie Tomville]

View attachment 917622 View attachment 917623

Jack, the Ebony Lambsfoot Guardian is incredible. Silky, buttery, and very black. The bolsters make it look like a much more expensive knife. Well done!

 

[5K Qs]

Thanks for your kind words my friend, and I very much enjoyed reading your post I hope you get your ebony soon

What's the old saying? "From your lips to God's ears." I had my ebony Guardians lambsfoot in hand within 24 hours of your post, Jack!!

Thanks for all the kind words Gary! I know you’re going to like your 2018 Ebony. They are fine knives and will be an excellent addition to your Lambsfoot collection!

You weren't just whistling "Dixie", Ron! Fine knife, indeed!

Thanks, Gary. It was because of that little line in the bolster that I was able to justify the purchase.

Good morning Guardians! I have a couple more comparison photos this morning. My 2017 Guardians with Horn and my 2018 Guardians with Ebony. Both of these variations have the same style fluted bolsters. I am very fond of these bolsters because I think they have the look that was common on many of our older Sheffield examples.

...

What a fantastic foursome, Ron!! You must be very proud! (Need to start working on the patinas, though. )

Every time you post that one, Steve, I realize what an amazing find your stag lambsfoot is!!!

Jack, we are lucky to have you and there is not a drop of sarcasm in that statement.

The congregation says, "Amen, Brother FBC!"

Riding the rails with my Lambsfoot in Yorkshire today

View attachment 916056

Superb photo, Jack.

Thanks for the compliment on the photos Jack! I believe a lot of the shiny areas in these photos is actually caused by shadowing and natural light. The only thing I use on my knives is highly refined mineral oil. I normally don’t specifically oil the handles on my knives. Just a good wipe down and rubbing with a cotton or micro fiber cloth which usually has some oil residue on it. However, since I have had some issues with warpage and shrinking on my horn handled Lambsfoot knives, as we have discussed before, I do try to keep a light film of oil rubbed into the horn for added protection.

Good hint, Ron. My horn Guardian has exhibited some shrinkage as well. I'm interested to see if it "swells back" to original proportions with summer humidity. No noticeable improvement so far.

They’re here...
View attachment 916142

Outstanding "twin lambs", Mike; congrats!!

That could never happen to me. I check three to five times a day.

Same!

I finally just took some time to take pictures of my 2018 Guardians . Thank you very much for all your work to make this happen Jack . Ebony & Horn
...

...
Those of you who have a Horn know how much they change in appearance in the Sunlight , and this one is no different .

Harry

Congrats, Harry, that's a striking pair, with memorable marking n the horn!!

... However the function was flawless. The blade opened and closed with authority and there was absolutely no blade play in either the open or closed position. I soon began to appreciate the Lambsfoot for what it is. IMO the Lambsfoot is a knife for the everyday life of any hard working person both male and female that with proper care will stand the test of time. ...
Please forgive the rambling and I’ll show you the one that is sharing my pocket today! This one has Pere David Stag and is a medium sized model. While it doesn’t exhibit the beauty of its Sambar brothers I’m happy to have it nonetheless.
Edited to add: “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!”

Well-said, Ron!!

I like the character in the surface of this stag as much as sambar. The scratch pattern reminds me a little bit of Jackson Pollock (not that I'm endorsing his art, just an association that came to mind).
...

I was trying to figure out what the pattern on Ron's stag reminded me of, and I think Joshua nailed it!! The beauty of abstraction!

I agree. In my limited sample of three, each one has been an improvement on the last in terms of fit and finish. They are all good, hard-working knives.
View attachment 916614

Tremendous lambsfoot trio, Rachel!

The Gifting Guardian has struck again!
...
I’ve been enjoying the family pics, so here’s my Trio o’ Wrights:

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Congrats on the very deserved gift, Greg! That trio has perfect 3-part harmony!

I'm glad it landed safely Greg After all your great contributions here, and your work in building the index for this thread, I didn't want you to miss out on this year's knife. I also remembered you saying that bolster was useful ergonomically when you were whittling. I'm glad you like it

...
Thank you so much, Jack! These knives are incredible and the thoughtful additions in the parcel just sweetened the whole thing even more. It has positively marked the much anticipated end to what had become a rather arduous and complicated move to my new house.

I will post better pictures when the light favors me a bit. For now, here are a couple teasers.

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Triple congrats, Dylan!! The actual arrival of the knives probably almost make you forget all the pain/hassle of the process. (Hey, you experienced "childbirth" of lambsfoot triplets! )

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I'm really taken with this new lambsfoot. However, I was a bit surprised by how small it was. I hadn't realized that my rosewood lambsfoot I've been carrying for the past 10 years was a large model Theres quite a (pleasant) difference between the two.

-David.

Congrats, David; both sides of your new horn lambsfoot are quite fetching!!

...
Jack, I'm sorry to hear that Wright's mixed up the bolsters, but I have to say, I like that Ebony 2018 Guardians Lambsfoot has the same bolsters as last year's Horn Guardians Lambsfoot, and that the special Horn knife this year has something different, particularly since the horn came out more similar to last year's than I know you were hoping for. (Also, I really like the threaded bolster!)
...
Great post, GT!

I'm embarrassed to say that I received my Ebony and Horn 2018 Guardians Lambsfoot knives a week ago, and haven't yet had a chance to take or post any pictures of them. We closed on a house last Tuesday, and I've been busy painting and working on a few small projects so we can move in over the next couple weeks. There's still more to do, but I'll try to get some pictures up this weekend.

I agree 100% with Barrett's take on the bolster fiasco - silk purse out of sow's ear!
Looking forward to seeing your not-quite-new-anymore arrivals when you get an opportunity, Barrett!

Thank you very much for those most extensive and excellent post GT I'm glad the ebony Lambsfoot made it from my kitchen table, across the pond, to your hands The reason for the beer-mat (apart from a certain amount of camouflage at the post office) is that The Blue Bell is the pub I recommended in York, which your wife and daughter didn't like the look of I've had that beer-mat sitting in a drawer for about a year, meaning to send it to you
...

Thanks for jogging my ever-more-faulty memory about The Blue Bell, Jack! I'd forgotten how my family totally rejected your thoughtful recommendations!!

Gotta work on some flock photos!


- GT

 

[r8shell]

Here's another photo of my newly-arrived ebony lambsfoot. I hope this photo will earn me honorary membership in @Gevonovich's and r8shell 's PIECAT club (Photography Involving Entomology & Cutlery - Austin Texas)!
View attachment 917464

- GT

Okay, that's funny!

Good hint, Ron. My horn Guardian has exhibited some shrinkage as well. I'm interested to see if it "swells back" to original proportions with summer humidity. No noticeable improvement so far.

I need to do some more reading about horn, as I don't have much experience with it. I'm under the impression that it shifts depending upon humidity. Will Power has said that he has problems with horn shrinking in the dry winter months. Here in Texas, winter can be humid, and summer is very dry. When I got my horn handled Guardian Lambfoot, I put it to work in the kitchen, and after cutting veggies and rinsing it in the sink a few times, I noticed that I could just barely feel the edge raised up where the horn met the bolster. It was so slight, I wasn't sure if it had been that way before so I took a picture so I could have something to compare. I could slip a thin strip of paper under it.

Now that the weather is turning hot and dry, it seems to have laid back down to flush.

Now I'm putting Renaissance Wax on it from time to time, hoping that will keep it stable, not "breathing" too much moisture in or out. I don't mean this to sound like a complaint, as I don't think the knife's defective, but it's just the nature of certain natural materials.

 

[Jack Black]

Golly! I take pride in being a traditional sort, but that is taking stubborn right up to obstinate! Sorry to use adult language, but geez!

LOL! Yes, it causes a lot of problems unfortunately I've never had a FB account, and am really not interested in acquiring one, but if I had a business to promote, I'd think it rather foolish and self-indulgent not to use every means available to me Ignoring the whole of the internet just seems like madness!

Exactly.

I hope they do a Lambsfoot with the chequered wood they use on one of their other knives, it'd look pretty nice I think

Jack Black you wish to see an ironwood?

Thanks a lot Jack, is that new, I don't think you've shown it before? How do you find the Ironwood, I remember seeing it on a Lambsfoot a couple of years back and thinking it looked pretty spectacular, but some of the examples I was looking at online were badly photographed, and didn't look too different to rosewood? I noticed that it's no longer on the A.Wright website, but that could just mean that the vendor who runs that site has stopped selling it

View attachment 917622 View attachment 917623

Jack, the Ebony Lambsfoot Guardian is incredible. Silky, buttery, and very black. The bolsters make it look like a much more expensive knife. Well done!

You've captured it nicely Leslie, glad you're pleased with it my friend

What's the old saying? "From your lips to God's ears." I had my ebony Guardians lambsfoot in hand within 24 hours of your post, Jack!!

LOL! That's good GT!

Superb photo, Jack.

Good hint, Ron. My horn Guardian has exhibited some shrinkage as well. I'm interested to see if it "swells back" to original proportions with summer humidity. No noticeable improvement so far.

Thanks pal Sorry to hear about the horn shrinkage, there are some useful posts indexed by Greg on the subject

Thanks for jogging my ever-more-faulty memory about The Blue Bell, Jack! I'd forgotten how my family totally rejected your thoughtful recommendations!!

Gotta work on some flock photos!
View attachment 917631

LOL! Always good to see your flock my friend

I need to do some more reading about horn, as I don't have much experience with it. I'm under the impression that it shifts depending upon humidity. Will Power has said that he has problems with horn shrinking in the dry winter months. Here in Texas, winter can be humid, and summer is very dry. When I got my horn handled Guardian Lambfoot, I put it to work in the kitchen, and after cutting veggies and rinsing it in the sink a few times, I noticed that I could just barely feel the edge raised up where the horn met the bolster. It was so slight, I wasn't sure if it had been that way before so I took a picture so I could have something to compare. I could slip a thin strip of paper under it.
View attachment 917639
Now that the weather is turning hot and dry, it seems to have laid back down to flush.
View attachment 917640
Now I'm putting Renaissance Wax on it from time to time, hoping that will keep it stable, not "breathing" too much moisture in or out. I don't mean this to sound like a complaint, as I don't think the knife's defective, but it's just the nature of certain natural materials.

It's troublesome stuff Rachel, and with the variation in climate in the US, I can understand why companies like GEC don't want to use it. Those are good photos, I wonder if it'll eventually settle down. I have quite a lot of horn, a combination of old stuff and the newer stuff on the A.Wright knives, and I haven't really put anything on it. Until recently, I wasn't able to see the effects of temperature/climate on the horn. However, a few months back, Ron contacted me about a horn Big 'un he had, where the horn was lifting near the bolster. Shortly after, I had a couple of knives of the same pattern for Charlie, and had to tell him I couldn't send them to him because of the same issue. This was the worst of the two:



I contacted Wright's about these knives, and had several lengthy discussions with their Head Cutler, who was shocked to see the photos. I should emphasise that this is the larger Lambsfoot pattern, and they've decided to now add an extra pin nearer the bolster. Wright's said they'd replace the knives, but when I got them out to return a few weeks later, the horn had laid back down again! Since it was the Mark sides of the knives which were most affected, where the horn generally has more character (the Guardians knives are different), we wondered if this was a factor. At the end of the day, we don't really know why the horn has these beautiful swirls and patterns in it, it could be a sign of calcium deficiency, or of anything really These are just theories, but of course horn doesn't come naturally flat. So, look after your horn folks, the previous posts on this subject, which can be found via Greg's thread index, are well worth reading. Hopefully, most folks won't have an issue with it

 

[Jack Black]

I decided to treat myself to another Double Lambsfoot Day! I'm carrying my ebony Guardians Lambsfoot, and this spectacular example in Walnut, gifted to me, a while back, by our friend bonzodog





Have a great Sunday folks

 

[Will Power]

Horn certainly does react to changes in moisture, dry seems a killer by and large. If it can be kept in relatively humid conditions it seems to behave itself but dry or exposure to sunlight in a window will more often than not, cause warp or lift. However, as Jack has noted, it will return to its former fit once the humidity is high enough. Ox/Bovine horn has caused me more concerns than the Ram's Horn on European knives. The reason for this I can't say, but years ago in an exchange with Levine, he stated that the process for curing horn may have changed or have been lost. He pointed out that very old horn knives he owned had shown little shrink or warp whereas it's pretty common in more contemporary examples, suggesting that the curing process may have changed or hat horn should be allowed to 'mature' before working on it.

Handling and using Oxhorn knives gives them oil and moisture and I think that's a good approach to them! Otherwise, wipe down with mineral oil or wax will help and avoiding prolonged sunshine exposure- bone and ivory don't fancy too much UV either.

 

[Jack Black]

Horn certainly does react to changes in moisture, dry seems a killer by and large. If it can be kept in relatively humid conditions it seems to behave itself but dry or exposure to sunlight in a window will more often than not, cause warp or lift. However, as Jack has noted, it will return to its former fit once the humidity is high enough. Ox/Bovine horn has caused me more concerns than the Ram's Horn on European knives. The reason for this I can't say, but years ago in an exchange with Levine, he stated that the process for curing horn may have changed or have been lost. He pointed out that very old horn knives he owned had shown little shrink or warp whereas it's pretty common in more contemporary examples, suggesting that the curing process may have changed or hat horn should be allowed to 'mature' before working on it.

Handling and using Oxhorn knives gives them oil and moisture and I think that's a good approach to them! Otherwise, wipe down with mineral oil or wax will help and avoiding prolonged sunshine exposure- bone and ivory don't fancy too much UV either.

Good post Will, that's interesting that you mention sunlight. I have a south-facing house, and the sunlight coming through the windows can sometimes cause problems, I really have to be careful what I leave out because it can be damaged by the hot rays of the sun coming through the first floor windows. With the two knives I mentioned above, I had left them out to remind me to ship them, and I did wonder if they had been subjected to strong sunlight. My place is centrally heated, and generally pretty warm throughout the year, but I've not seen any problems with any of the other horn-handled knives I've had, but they are kept on the cooler northern side of my house. I think Levine is probably right, in the past the horn suppliers and cutlery factories held much bigger stocks of material, and the latter could employ specialists whose sole job was dealing with the hafting materials. They also had a lot more space available! Shipping is also faster. While Wright's 'season' their horn, turnover is undoubtedly quicker than it would have been in the days of the big Sheffield cutlery firms

 

[mrknife]

LOL! .....



Thanks a lot Jack, is that new, I don't think you've shown it before? How do you find the Ironwood, I remember seeing it on a Lambsfoot a couple of years back and thinking it looked pretty spectacular, but some of the examples I was looking at online were badly photographed, and didn't look too different to rosewood? I noticed that it's no longer on the A.Wright website, but that could just mean that the vendor who runs that site has stopped selling it

......

some time ago perhaps my friend. Ages back I had it in my mind to get an example of a lambfoot with all the wood variations from that site we've discussed but it had become a crap shoot since they could not answer me regarding blade shape. im very particular about that blade so i stopped buying from that site.

 

[Jack Black]

some time ago perhaps my friend. Ages back I had it in my mind to get an example of a lambfoot with all the wood variations from that site we've discussed but it had become a crap shoot since they could not answer me regarding blade shape. im very particular about that blade so i stopped buying from that site.

Yes, me too, I only had one purchase from them, and it was a long time ago. Apart from anything else, I really don't like the way they fraudulently present the A.Wright knives as if they have been handmade personally by John Maleham (who doesn't make ANY of them)! Thanks for showing it again my friend I seem to recall that the ironwood models were fairly pricey, do you think it's worth the extra cash?

 

[bonzodog]

I decided to treat myself to another Double Lambsfoot Day! I'm carrying my ebony Guardians Lambsfoot, and this spectacular example in Walnut, gifted to me, a while back, by our friend bonzodog

View attachment 917743

View attachment 917745

Have a great Sunday folks

Glad you like it sir

 

[Jack Black]

Glad you like it sir

I certainly do my friend, very generous of you, it's an outstanding knife, I really like the walnut

 

[Jack Black]

Just having a coffee-break

 

[r8shell]

Good post Will, that's interesting that you mention sunlight. I have a south-facing house, and the sunlight coming through the windows can sometimes cause problems, I really have to be careful what I leave out because it can be damaged by the hot rays of the sun coming through the first floor windows. With the two knives I mentioned above, I had left them out to remind me to ship them, and I did wonder if they had been subjected to strong sunlight. My place is centrally heated, and generally pretty warm throughout the year, but I've not seen any problems with any of the other horn-handled knives I've had, but they are kept on the cooler northern side of my house. I think Levine is probably right, in the past the horn suppliers and cutlery factories held much bigger stocks of material, and the latter could employ specialists whose sole job was dealing with the hafting materials. They also had a lot more space available! Shipping is also faster. While Wright's 'season' their horn, turnover is undoubtedly quicker than it would have been in the days of the big Sheffield cutlery firms

Texans know about the dangers of sunlight!
I'll be sure to keep my Li'l Sambar in the shade, lest it match this knife-stand:

 

[Jack Black]

Texans know about the dangers of sunlight!
I'll be sure to keep my Li'l Sambar in the shade, lest it match this knife-stand:
View attachment 917795

It's a fairly recent phenomenon in Yorkshire! Great pic Rachel