Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

Jack Black said:
Re: Michael May Ironwood sheepsfoot barlow- How're you finding it? :) :thumbsup:
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It's gone straight to the top of my list of favorites. I have a nice little pile of Sheffield sheepsfoots of various kinds- both older ones and new ones, inexpensive and fancy. This knife strikes the perfect balance for me. The Lee White ones are highly polished and perfect, as well as being very expensive; so, they tend to be collection pieces, not something I would carry in normal use. The standard Arthur Wrights are rugged and would be perfect everyday carries, but it is SO hard to open them. My fingernails get chewed up. I like Taylor Eye Witness's inexpensive knives, but they have a snap that makes my heart skip a beat. I'm a little afraid of them. I have a May ergonomic with a sheepsfoot blade and I like that an awful lot, but it's a little too big.

This one fits into the category of goldilocks and the three bears "just right". It's not perfect. You can see the workmanship in it with a tiny tool mark here or there, and finishes that aren't absolutely mirror perfect. It's designed to be a user. The old school hand forged clay heat treated Damascus is really nice. Again, not fancy. Something designed to be used. I put a little more edge on it and it responds to sharpening perfectly. It was a bit pricey because of the Desert Ironwood, but the wood is so even grained and the finish is so hard, I would have no fear of this getting beat up in my pocket.

I'm in the stage where I want to take it out every couple of hours and feel the snap and wipe it off. Once the honeymoon is over, I'll have a better idea. But so far, this is a 10 out of 10.
 
WhittlinAway said:
Greetings, Guardians! It's been a very busy few weeks, culminating in a presentation at work on Friday. It went well, but preparation ate up a lot of time and energy.

I've been relaxing this weekend, though. Today's project was attempting to recreate Texas-style Smoked Hot Links.

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Didn't quite get the texture right, but still made for a fantastic sausage sandwich!

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I hope that those who observe it are having a meaningful Memorial Day and that everyone has a great week ahead!
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Wow! That's a very impressive-looking sammich Greg! :cool: Great pics my friend, looks delicious :) Nice pic of your Lambsfoot too :thumbsup:
B1GSHOT said:
It's gone straight to the top of my list of favorites. I have a nice little pile of Sheffield sheepsfoots of various kinds- both older ones and new ones, inexpensive and fancy. This knife strikes the perfect balance for me. The Lee White ones are highly polished and perfect, as well as being very expensive; so, they tend to be collection pieces, not something I would carry in normal use. The standard Arthur Wrights are rugged and would be perfect everyday carries, but it is SO hard to open them. My fingernails get chewed up. I like Taylor Eye Witness's inexpensive knives, but they have a snap that makes my heart skip a beat. I'm a little afraid of them. I have a May ergonomic with a sheepsfoot blade and I like that an awful lot, but it's a little too big.

This one fits into the category of goldilocks and the three bears "just right". It's not perfect. You can see the workmanship in it with a tiny tool mark here or there, and finishes that aren't absolutely mirror perfect. It's designed to be a user. The old school hand forged clay heat treated Damascus is really nice. Again, not fancy. Something designed to be used. I put a little more edge on it and it responds to sharpening perfectly. It was a bit pricey because of the Desert Ironwood, but the wood is so even grained and the finish is so hard, I would have no fear of this getting beat up in my pocket.

I'm in the stage where I want to take it out every couple of hours and feel the snap and wipe it off. Once the honeymoon is over, I'll have a better idea. But so far, this is a 10 out of 10.
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Great to have your thoughts, but just to clarify, this is the LAMBSFOOT thread, rather than the Sheepsfoot thread. I think you are probably aware of the distinction, but if not, please read the first couple of pages of this thread, and definitely read post #1 in entirety, as it contains some important information for posters. Just Lambsfoot knives here please :thumbsup:

I know of Russell White, but not Lee White?

Personally, I like stiff pulls on a Lambsfoot, having grown up with them, and I usually pinch open the blade, but I agree that Wright's can make them with overly stiff pulls. If you check out the Thread Index linked to in post #1, you'll find some good advice on lightening pulls a little, to make them manageable, if you struggle. I've never found TEW's knives too bad in that respect.

Is that blade Damascus, it doesn't look like it? I see May is selling blades with a 'forced patina' now. Yes, Desert Ironwood is expensive in Sheffield, but as you say, it is tough, and attractive :) I'm glad you like it, and hope you'll keep us posted. Welcome to the Guardians :thumbsup:

herder said:
Jack, great pictures of the Viking festival.

Here is a picture to honor my father who served in the Army during the Korean war era.

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Thanks pal, that's a fantastic pic :) That war was a tough one! :thumbsup:


Good morning Guardians, I hope everyone is doing OK, and that the week is being kind to you so far. June 1st tomorrow, and it's wet and pretty cold here still. Hope it's not going to be another wash-out British summer, particularly as heating costs have doubled (and worse), and it's hard to get overseas for some sun because the airports here (and the passport office) are in such a mess! :rolleyes: At least we don't have to worry about drought, like some folks here. I think I'm going to treat myself to a Double Lambsfoot Day, maybe if I rub these two together, and say "SHAZAM!", the sun will come out! :D Have a good day Guardians :thumbsup:

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Every sheep was once a lamb!

There are two kinds of Damascus. The old school kind like on samurai swords is done the way the Michael May blades are. It’s a heat treating process during forging that uses clay to apply the heat treatment differently in different spots. As I understand it, this affects the crystalline structure of the steel increasing the strength and still allowing the blade to flex. Very few knives are made this way today. Up until recently it was considered a lost art. May knows someone who researched the process and makes the blades for him.

The typical fancy patterned Damascus you see is called pattern welded, which involves bonding layers of different kinds of steel together. This process has been popular since the 1970s and almost all the Damascus you see is this kind.

May does forced patina on his chef’s knives to inhibit rust, since they are intended to get wet.

Lee White runs the custom shop at Taylor’s Eye Witness. He was trained by May.
 
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B1GSHOT said:
Every sheep was once a lamb!
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Perhaps! :D But not here :D :thumbsup:
B1GSHOT said:
There are two kinds of Damascus. The old school kind like on samurai swords is done the way the Michael May blades are. It’s a heat treating process during forging that uses clay to apply the heat treatment differently in different spots. As I understand it, this affects the crystalline structure of the steel increasing the strength and still allowing the blade to flex. Very few knives are made this way today. Up until recently it was considered a lost art. May knows someone who researched the process and makes the blades for him.

The typical fancy patterned Damascus you see is called pattern welded, which involves bonding layers of different kinds of steel together. This process has been popular since the 1970s and almost all the Damascus you see is this kind.

May does forced patina on his chef’s knives to inhibit rust, since they are intended to get wet.

Lee White runs the custom shop at Taylor’s Eye Witness. He was trained by May.
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I know a little bit about about Damascus, but I've seen and read so much BS from Michael May, that I'm frankly very sceptical about any of his claims. I think he still buys most of his blades from A. Wright & Son. Nothing wrong with that, but he makes claims to the contrary. I assume Lee White is related to Russell White, who used to make TEW's high-end folders? I've previously seen a claim, made on May's site that he trained R. White, which seems bizarre since R. White makes/made very good knives, whereas May surfaced a few years ago, when a friend of mine brokered the sale of Trevor Ablett's old stock, and May started cobbling together the parts, before buying new ones from Wright's, something Trevor had done previously. Some members here have had knives from Michael May they've been pleased with, but we've also seen some appalling work, with his name on here, and some pitiful excuses for it. By contrast, the rather expensive knives sold under TEW's premium label have been real prestige products. Sheffield's a murky place sometimes. I'm glad you're pleased with the knife :thumbsup:

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Onebigbill said:
Good morning Guardians. Going to get into the 90's (deg F) today here in NC. However, I am giving the links a go and taking some fluid with me for hydration. I'll be carrying my HHB later on today.
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Yikes! :eek: Yorkshiremen melt at those sort of temperatures Bill! 🤣 😉 Have a great time at the links, and make sure you stay hydrated :thumbsup:
 
I think you’ve got some incorrect info there. Lee White is the current head of the TEW custom shop. I bought a knife by him a couple of months ago. He is the one with the connection to May. Maybe you’ve confused two different people. Ashley Harrison is the person who makes the high end A Wright & Sons knives. May mentions the name of the person who supplies his Damascus on his Instagram site. I think it’s G&T Blacksmiths. I don’t know where he gets his regular steel. Might be A Wright, but May does his own heat treating. He shows that in one of his videos. I find his Instagram and YouTube to be very interesting.

Here’s more info on the two types of Damascus https://blog.knife-depot.com/how-to-tell-real-damascus/

I have four May knives. They are all wonderful. On YouTube Slick Slicers has eight of them and he’s happy with every one. The only person I’ve seen complaining about poor work is one guy on YouTube, and he says he fixed it himself. That guy seems like an unreliable witness to me. I have first hand knowledge of how good May’s work is.

Looking at the past few pages of this thread it appears that being strictly on topic isn’t generally enforced, so I think I’m safe with my overaged lamb. A nod is as good as a wink to a blind lamb!
 
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Onebigbill said:
Going to get into the 90's (deg F) today here in NC.
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We had our coldest day for 11 months here today, with the wind chill straight up from the Southern Ocean was 40 degrees. Because it has hit so suddenly was a shock to the system, we have had a magnificent Autumn so far, but as it is the first day of winter tomorrow seems very fitting. Enjoy your warm weather. Beautiful covers on your Lambsfoot.
 
B1GSHOT said:
I think you’ve got some incorrect info there. Lee White is the current head of the TEW custom shop. I bought a knife by him a couple of months ago. He is the one with the connection to May. Maybe you’ve confused two different people. Ashley Harrison is the person who makes the high end A Wright & Sons knives. May mentions the name of the person who supplies his Damascus on his Instagram site. I think it’s G&T Blacksmiths. Here’s more info on the two types of Damascus https://blog.knife-depot.com/how-to-tell-real-damascus/

I have four May knives. They are all wonderful. On YouTube Slick Slicers has eight of them and he’s happy with every one. The only person I’ve seen complaining about poor work is one guy on YouTube, and he says he fixed it himself. That guy seems like an unreliable witness to me. I have first hand knowledge of how good May’s work is.

Looking at the past few pages of this thread it appears that being strictly on topic isn’t generally enforced, so I think I’m fine with my overaged lamb. A nod is as good as a wink to a blind lamb!
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Russell White used to work at the TEW factory, and later made their 'Prestige' line from home. He had to stop making knives when he became ill a few years ago, but the last I heard, he had recovered, and was back at work. Michael May has previously claimed to have trained Russell White.

I don't know Lee White, but since he is now doing the same thing as Russell White, it would be a coincidence if they were not related, but then life is full of coincidences. I would also think he makes them off-premises, since all TEW have now is a small warehouse, and for a couple of years, they didn't have a premises at all. As I'm sure you know, most of their kitchen knives are made in China, and 3 years ago they were getting knives made for them by Wright's.

I know Ashley Harrison well, and have done since he was an apprentice.

I have an older Wootz knife, but as it's not a Lambsfoot, and indeed not made in Sheffield, I'll not post it here.

I'm glad you're very pleased with your Michael May knives, that's nice to hear, but plenty of posters here have had faulty knives, and bad interactions with him, and have shown photos of the knives in question. If you search this thread using the 'Search' function (the early part of the thread has a Thread Index), you may find examples. There's one below. Others, more recently, have had decent-looking knives. In fact they were so different from some of the earlier work, I wondered if Ashley Harrison had made them, rather than just stamping out May's blades.

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Post #1 is the important one to read. We generally have pleasant, friendly discussion here, but try to keep the focus on Lambsfoot knives, and they're the only pattern which is covered in this thread :thumbsup:
 
cudgee said:
We had our coldest day for 11 months here today, with the wind chill straight up from the Southern Ocean was 40 degrees. Because it has hit so suddenly was a shock to the system, we have had a magnificent Autumn so far, but as it is the first day of winter tomorrow seems very fitting. Enjoy your warm weather. Beautiful covers on your Lambsfoot.
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Wishing you a mild winter Leon :thumbsup:

Sammich time here ;) :thumbsup:

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cudgee said:
We had our coldest day for 11 months here today, with the wind chill straight up from the Southern Ocean was 40 degrees. Because it has hit so suddenly was a shock to the system, we have had a magnificent Autumn so far, but as it is the first day of winter tomorrow seems very fitting. Enjoy your warm weather. Beautiful covers on your Lambsfoot.
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This had me all disoriented.
But, as Larry Finkelstein said, "You know, the idea that North is Up is a Eurocentric conceit".
I have the windows open here because it's still cooling off over night. I determined yesterday that the AC is working just fine. [castanets].
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screened porch said:
This had me all disoriented.
But, as Larry Finkelstein said, "You know, the idea that North is Up is a Eurocentric conceit".
I have the windows open here because it's still cooling off over night. I determined yesterday that the AC is working just fine. [castanets].
i6nzfc7.jpg
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LOL! :D Nice to see your ebony '18 Jer :) :thumbsup:
 
As far as May goes, it seems his work is improving greatly and I'm glad for that.
But I don't think May has been at it long enough to have mentored a master cutler... and I don't believe any salesmanship that he promotes... nor do I take anything stated on YouTube as fact... I've seen way too much misinformation from reviewers on there that I don't even bother going there any more.
 
JohnDF said:
It's always fun seeing those two historic Lambsfoot knives together in one picture. 🤠 :thumbsup:
I guess having grey skies all the time can get a little old after a while. I think I would enjoy it, but I haven't really experienced long periods of it. Hope your day brightens up for you, my friend.
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Thanks John :) Yeah, after a miserable winter, (not the really cold winters some folks here get, but just months of rain, wind, and grey skies), you feel like you deserve a little sunshine, and sometimes we get summers that just don't happen. I love the light evenings, but you really need sunshine and heat to enjoy them. I can remember when I lived in the Middle East, where, at times, it was so hot you struggled to breathe, and everyday seemed the same, I would have enjoyed a change :D :thumbsup:
 
JohnDF said:
As far as May goes, it seems his work is improving greatly and I'm glad for that.
But I don't think May has been at it long enough to have mentored a master cutler... and I don't believe any salesmanship that he promotes... nor do I take anything stated on YouTube as fact... I've seen way too much misinformation from reviewers on there that I don't even bother going there any more.
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A mine of misinformation unfortunately :( :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
I love the light evenings, but you really need sunshine and heat to enjoy them. I can remember when I lived in the Middle East, where, at times, it was so hot you struggled to breathe, and everyday seemed the same, I would have enjoyed a change
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The grass is always greener and things could always be better... but on the flip side, things could be a lot worse.
 
Jack Black said:
Thanks John :) Yeah, after a miserable winter, (not the really cold winters some folks here get, but just months of rain, wind, and grey skies), you feel like you deserve a little sunshine, and sometimes we get summers that just don't happen. I love the light evenings, but you really need sunshine and heat to enjoy them. I can remember when I lived in the Middle East, where, at times, it was so hot you struggled to breathe, and everyday seemed the same, I would have enjoyed a change :D :thumbsup:
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Dad was entertained by the "occasional outbreaks of sun" that featured so prominently in the English weather forecasts when we were in the caravan.
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And, "How do they grow so much grass with no sun?"
 
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