Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

I came across this pic from when my 'old' Barbour was fairly new. I can't remember the purpose of the joke, but 'Ron', of course, was Ron Half/Stop, who was a dear friend to many of us here, but who is sadly no longer with us :( It always makes me smile when I think of Ron :)

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Jack Black said:
Thank you very much Jeremy :) That's a nice story, I'm glad it's going well :) It's good to see Skoll :thumbsup:

+1 :) :thumbsup:

I recently posted about a small bottle of Polish vodka a friend gave me - it tasted absolutely awful! :eek: :D

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Well, I'm glad I didn't tip it down the sink, because it may have come in useful :D I purchased a Barbour jacket about 3 or 4 years ago, thinking I had 'a jacket for life', as they say (and bearing in mind the price). That turned out to be a false promise as these garments are really not what they used to be, with many now being made overseas :( My pal with the tool stall thought that I had been ripped-off, and told me he had a brand new old Barbour in his loft I could have. He had bought it years ago, but had only worn it a couple of times. My friend brought the coat down to the market last week. It's a real old farmer style, with 'poachers pockets' on the inside :D Having been in the loft though, it smelled VERY fusty, as these waxed-cotton garments often do, so much so that I was reluctant to hang it with my other coats! :D Being as the smell is a common problem, I figured there'd be plenty of advice on the internet, and it turns out a commonly-touted solution is spraying with a 50/50 mixture of water and cheap vodka! 🤣 While in town this morning, I bought a plant mister, and we'll see if it works! Certainly a better use for that vodka than drinking it! :eek: 🤣 :thumbsup:
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If you have the freezer space, you might try sticking the jacket in the freezer for a few days. I’ve had good results with that eliminating odor from other garments, don’t know why it wouldn’t work on waxed canvas.
 
Jack Black said:
I came across this pic from when my 'old' Barbour was fairly new. I can't remember the purpose of the joke, but 'Ron', of course, was Ron Half/Stop, who was a dear friend to many of us here, but who is sadly no longer with us :( It always makes me smile when I think of Ron :)

7l9wAFC.jpg
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Ron was special.
JohnDF said:
Beautiful Stag, Harvey. 🤠:thumbsup:
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Thank you John.
 
I am just getting ready to go out to the movies. My pal wants to see the new Nicholas Cage film - I'll let you know :rolleyes: ;) :D We usually call in for the past pint after - non-alcoholic pint in my mate's case :D I've a long day, with an early start tomorrow, but I don't mind having my arm twisted ;) Still carrying my AC, but I'll have my Hartshead Barlow with me again tomorrow, when I head down to the market :) Since I won't get a chance to check in tomorrow morning, have a good Thursday Guardians :) :thumbsup:

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cudgee said:
Do have any thoughts or ideas what caused this. :)
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Jack Black said:
That looks bad Steve, any idea what caused the issue? Usually, shrinking is due to atmospheric issues, (eg hot dry conditions), but as I once found out, after leaving a couple of knives on my coffee-table in the sun, horn can shrink/peel pretty fast. That'll happen even with horn that is a hundred years old. Properly humidified, shrunken horn will usually return to how it was, but cracks are there forever I guess. I think there are a number of posts about this issue in the thread index, linked to in post #1. At one time, cutlery manufacturers seasoned their horn prior to use, and the large manufacturers probably had knowledgeable workers looking after it, but seasoning doesn't routinely happen with small firms like Wright's, who generally buy horn as cheap as possible, and don't keep stocks. I was lucky to get some well-seasoned horn for the 2017 Guardians SFO, but it had been in stock for a while because it was expensive horn, and other customers didn't want to pay for it.

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Yes indeed, that was just my thought at the time! 🤣 Duncan, and his wife Sue, had only been in Sheffield half an hour. I was just telling Duncan about the history of the bridge, and he was taking photos, or possibly even recording video, when this fat drunk strode over the bridge, and into Duncan's shot, and without pausing, lobbed the empty can into the river. Duncan's first thought was that he had done it deliberately, to spoil his shot, but I don't think the drunk had even seen him, he was too busy heading to the next pub or beer shop :rolleyes:

Thanks Harvey, it's rare that I get out for a pint with my mate, he has 3 kids, a demanding wife, and until a couple of weeks ago, worked two jobs, so it was nice to catch up with him :) :thumbsup:

Handsome TEW Harvey :) I'm glad your pic isn't wood 'n' steak, or Lucy would be getting upset! :D ;) :thumbsup:


That must have been quite a dramatic return Jeremy, it's a long time to be away from your place of work, and your co-workers. I don't envy you the commute though, even though it is a relatively short one :) Fine-looking Lambsfoot there buddy :) :thumbsup:

That might be the best-looking Lambsfoot that has ever carried the M. May tang-stamp Pete :thumbsup:

That looks like really interesting stuff Leon, thanks for the tip mate :cool: I usually just use WD40, but I'll see if I can get hold of some of that. Definitely always worth flushing out the joint of a freshly-made Lambsfoot (not that I have any plans to buy any) :thumbsup:

Thanks mate, fortunately it was just a small card wallet, with a bank card, travel pass, and 2 'back-up' £20 notes. I usually just carry notes in a secure pocket, and was only carrying a bank-card because none of the bars where I was going with my mate take cash (as it turned out, he paid on his card, and we split the tab). It was a pain having to go into town, but ordering a new bank card was much easier than replacing the travel pass 😖 I've returned several lost wallets over the years, and since I know where I lost the wallet, and have reported it, I guess there's a slim chance it might yet turn up 🙄

Thanks Bill, good luck at the dentist :thumbsup: I need to go myself :rolleyes: Good-looking choice :thumbsup:

Hope everyone is having a good day. I'm off out with another friend tonight, and we're going to the cinema. No chance of losing my wallet ;) Hanging onto my AC :thumbsup:

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Jack Black said:
Thank you very much Jeremy :) That's a nice story, I'm glad it's going well :) It's good to see Skoll :thumbsup:

+1 :) :thumbsup:

I recently posted about a small bottle of Polish vodka a friend gave me - it tasted absolutely awful! :eek: :D

24ADEZa.jpg


Well, I'm glad I didn't tip it down the sink, because it may have come in useful :D I purchased a Barbour jacket about 3 or 4 years ago, thinking I had 'a jacket for life', as they say (and bearing in mind the price). That turned out to be a false promise as these garments are really not what they used to be, with many now being made overseas :( My pal with the tool stall thought that I had been ripped-off, and told me he had a brand new old Barbour in his loft I could have. He had bought it years ago, but had only worn it a couple of times. My friend brought the coat down to the market last week. It's a real old farmer style, with 'poachers pockets' on the inside :D Having been in the loft though, it smelled VERY fusty, as these waxed-cotton garments often do, so much so that I was reluctant to hang it with my other coats! :D Being as the smell is a common problem, I figured there'd be plenty of advice on the internet, and it turns out a commonly-touted solution is spraying with a 50/50 mixture of water and cheap vodka! 🤣 While in town this morning, I bought a plant mister, and we'll see if it works! Certainly a better use for that vodka than drinking it! :eek: 🤣 :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
I'm aware that dry air does cause horn to shrink a bit, but none of them quite like this particular one..... I have another knife from Wright's with horn that isn't nearly this bad. I've tried coating all of my horn knives in lanolin, which I read is a good moisturizer for them. Unfortunately, I'm just not able to keep the humidity high enough. This particular knife arrived with a crack, but the second one is new. I've seen horn peel, but never crack, especially when it's not on the pins. Oh well, it wasn't very attractive anyway.

As for deodorizing your coat, I've sprayed my yard hat with rubbing alcohol and it works very well.... Kills the odor causing bacteria. I'm sure that vodka is doing the same thing! :thumbsup:
 
draggat said:
I'm aware that dry air does cause horn to shrink a bit, but none of them quite like this particular one..... I have another knife from Wright's with horn that isn't nearly this bad. I've tried coating all of my horn knives in lanolin, which I read is a good moisturizer for them. Unfortunately, I'm just not able to keep the humidity high enough. This particular knife arrived with a crack, but the second one is new. I've seen horn peel, but never crack, especially when it's not on the pins. Oh well, it wasn't very attractive anyway.
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It is pretty shocking Steve, the cracks especially :( I'm not surprised that folks are wary about ordering from them, particularly overseas customers. Buying a cheapie, and then getting one of our skilled craftsmen here to re-build it right, and re-cover it, is an option, but of course it significantly adds to the expense :( It sounds like you are going to try some of that nice-sounding Ironwood you have :) I'm sure it'll look tip-top :thumbsup:
draggat said:
As for deodorizing your coat, I've sprayed my yard hat with rubbing alcohol and it works very well.... Kills the odor causing bacteria. I'm sure that vodka is doing the same thing! :thumbsup:
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Good tip my friend, though I think the vodka I have may have cost less than rubbing alcohol! :eek: 🤣 :thumbsup:
draggat said:
View attachment 1802991

Forgot to post my fancy pants carry for today!
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That's very handsome :) :thumbsup:
JohnDF said:
Have fun and let me know how you like the movie... My wife wanted to see it, but I had reservations about spending money on it.
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I understand how you feel John 🤣 Thanks buddy, I'll let you know :) :thumbsup:
 
draggat said:
I'm aware that dry air does cause horn to shrink a bit, but none of them quite like this particular one..... I have another knife from Wright's with horn that isn't nearly this bad. I've tried coating all of my horn knives in lanolin, which I read is a good moisturizer for them. Unfortunately, I'm just not able to keep the humidity high enough. This particular knife arrived with a crack, but the second one is new. I've seen horn peel, but never crack, especially when it's not on the pins. Oh well, it wasn't very attractive anyway.
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I have only owned one knife with horn covers and it peeled up and away from the liners at the bolsters. Swore to never buy another.
No doubt that not all the horn handles do that, I am sure.
Gave it to my neighbor as a gift and he brought it over and pointed out the problem ! 😲😢😢😢😇

Sorry about the wallet Mr. Jack. You might get it back after you get everything replaced. 😉☺️
 
Primble said:
I have only owned one knife with horn covers and it peeled up and away from the liners at the bolsters. Swore to never buy another.
No doubt that not all the horn handles do that, I am sure.
Gave it to my neighbor as a gift and he brought it over and pointed out the problem ! 😲😢😢😢😇

Sorry about the wallet Mr. Jack. You might get it back after you get everything replaced. 😉☺️
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That hasn't quite happened to me yet and I hope it never does.... I'm pretty heavily invested in horn these days, but my understanding is that correct preparation and quality affect the end result greatly. Fingers crossed.

I hope he was still a good neighbor after that!

echoscout said:
View attachment 1803106
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That is a nice looking slingshot under that lamb! I remember accidentally breaking a few windows with one of those as a kid. :oops:
 
draggat said:
This particular knife arrived with a crack,
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That to me says there was an issue to begin with. Either a bad piece of horn, or possibly badly attached. Horn can shrink sometimes, but as Jack said usually goes back into place. I personally have never had an issue with horn, but being organic from an animal can be tricky stuff, that is what i have read and been told by knife makers. But horn can be an issue not just with knives, i have a friend who has a very successful antique restoring business, he also told me horn can be difficult to deal with. So you just may have got a bad piece. :oops:
 
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