Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[screened porch]

This was a bit off topic, belonging if anywhere in "Knife Laws".

 

[Bartleby]

I hope that you do order one from Eye Witness . It will take you a while to get it ( 6 to 10 weeks ) and the Ramshorn does not always look like what came on my Lambsfoot . I posted some pictures in the Taylors Eye Witness thread today of my 4 Eye Witness knives . One of them is a Barlow with Ramshorn Covers that will show a different look to them and are not as Translucent .

Harry

Your long wait is the reason I am going to give them a bit to settle in. I must say your knife looks worth the wait!

 

[Old Engineer]

Your long wait is the reason I am going to give them a bit to settle in. I must say your knife looks worth the wait!

That is very nice to hear and thank you very much for the fine compliment . I look forward to you posting pictures when you get it .

Harry

 

[B.Mauser]

Hello everyone.

My name is Brian and I am finally ready to request membership in the Guardians Of The Lambsfoot. :thumbup:


A couple years ago I bought a group of knives on eBay to get a Colonial I wanted. Among them was a Sheffield 2 blade pen knife. My first Sheffield. What a neat old knife.


Looking it up online I found the amazing history of Sheffield knives so interesting. So many different knife makers. I really enjoyed reading about the ones continuing generation after generation like Wostenholm. I bought several more Sheffield pen knives since, my favorite being a James Barber.

A few months ago someones signature with a picture of a lambsfoot in it caught my attention. Lambsfoot? Whats that? I love sheepsfoot knives but have never heard of a lambsfoot.

I notice the Guardians Of The Lambsfoot thread and start reading my way through it. These are cool. And they are Sheffield's? Oh yeah..I need one of these.



Thank you Jack Black for the education and this fun thread!




So the online hunt begins. I find some retailers from the U.K. selling them on eBay but decide to save that for a last resort and be patient.

A few weeks later a USA seller puts an IXL Wostenholm lambsfoot on eBay. The oak and brass look very nice to me and I buy it.



Its a nice knife, feels great in my hand and I dont regret buying it but I was a bit disappointed. One bolster is bigger than the other, It had a really thin blade and wheres the swage? The blade is also so off center it rubs one side.


Then I learn about Egginton. I dont think will buy any more of those. On the positive side its easy to get sharp and sure does fly through the cardboard.

I wanted my next lambsfoot to be older with more character to it. I find one on etsy this time from a lady in the UK. Its really worn out but very interesting. She listed the materials as metal and hoof. She called it a knife with handles made from lambs foot. Lol she thought it was actually made with real lamb.

But its a very cool old lambsfoot. Real bone handles and rat tail bolsters. Someone clearly used this knife hard for many years but I love it. I wanted character and I got it.

I had to clean the crap out of this knife...Literally. It was full of hay and dung. I'm guessing sheep dung.

Its tang stamp says J.H.SWIFT & SONS SHEFFIELD. When I research this company I find only tools. Lots of trowels, chisels and hammers but I cant find any other knives at all.

I keep hunting online and a few weeks ago I finally find A very nice lambsfoot. One I am excited about.


An older IXL Wostenholm 2 blade lambsfoot with wood handles. Its in excellent condition. This one is bigger than the others I have. Its 4 inches closed and quite a handful of knife.

Does any one know what kind of wood it has or have a guess at when it was made?

 

[Jack Black]

Hey Brian, welcome to the Guardians! Great first post, and thanks for sharing your Lambsfoot knives

I have info on a couple of other Swift cutlers, but not J.H. If I discover anything, I'll let you know.

Do you think that is ebony on your third knife? It could be dyed rosewood. It looks like a relatively 'recent' knife to me, possibly even Eggington. They have always bought in a lot of knives, and in the past, Stan Shaw even made knives for them. It looks like a really nice knife. Sorry to hear about the first one, I guess a lot of people must buy their knives thinking they're getting a genuine Rodgers, Wostenholm, or Ibbersons, which is of course, how they're sold

Looking forward to seeing more of your posts

Jack

 

[screened porch]

Your second and third efforts look great, B.Mauser.
I'm glad you persevered after the first one, which seems to me to have rather extreme tapers, but at least it tapers in the right direction. Of course I'm not the expert.

 

[B.Mauser]

Hey Brian, welcome to the Guardians! Great first post, and thanks for sharing your Lambsfoot knives :thumbup:

I have info on a couple of other Swift cutlers, but not J.H. If I discover anything, I'll let you know.

Do you think that is ebony on your third knife? It could be dyed rosewood. It looks like a relatively 'recent' knife to me, possibly even Eggington. They have always bought in a lot of knives, and in the past, Stan Shaw even made knives for them. It looks like a really nice knife. Sorry to hear about the first one, I guess a lot of people must buy their knives thinking they're getting a genuine Rodgers, Wostenholm, or Ibbersons, which is of course, how they're sold :thumbdn:

Looking forward to seeing more of your posts :thumbup:

Jack

I am surprised to hear the 3rd one might be Egginton. I didn't think it was too old but it was so well made compared to the first one I just assumed it was before Egginton bought Wostenholm. That's interesting to hear about them buying knives from other company's. Sounds like a good guess on the origins of this one.

It really doesn't matter to me as nice as this knife is. I would buy more from Egginton like this. What I really want to do is use it. And now I will. :thumbup:


My guess on the wood was ebony or rosewood also. Outside it seems a little more brown than in the pictures but I just don't know which it is. Maybe it will become more apparent as I use it.



Thank you Jack.

Your second and third efforts look great, B.Mauser.
I'm glad you persevered after the first one, which seems to me to have rather extreme tapers, but at least it tapers in the right direction. Of course I'm not the expert.

Thank you scrteened porch. I am glad I stuck with it also. I will consider the first one a lesson.

 

[Cambertree]

I enjoyed your story Brian - welcome!:thumbup:

Egginton or not, I really like that last Wostenholm you found.

Does anyone happen to know what year Wostenholm and Rodgers were bought by the Egginton group?

I like the Lambsfoot for breaking down cardboard and plastic recycling too - my ebony Wright feels ideally suited to the task.

I see you've done some excellent hiking and fishing threads over in the Becker subforum. It'd be great to see your Lambsfoots out and about in Colorado too, if you get a chance!:thumbup:

 

[btb01]

I did a little Lambsfoot surgery today. A while back, I posted the following about sharpening my A. Wright Buffalo Lambsfoot for the first time:

Sharpening was interesting, as I found it tough to get the very heel of the blade (if that's the right term) onto the stone because of the way the thickness of the tang sort of slopes down to the blade. I just tried to get as much of it on the stone as I could. You can see in the photo below where I was able to start sharpening from and where I wasn't able to sharpen because the blade starts to get thicker.

I don't really consider this a problem, but I did find it a bit odd that on a knife with a sharpening choil, you can't really sharpen the full length of the edge back to that choil. Anyone else experience this with their A. Wright Lambsfoot?

Well, today I made my first attempt at touching up a sharpening choil, using a technique Charlie C. explained to me a while back. A little work with a couple needle files and now I can easily sharpen the entire edge, all the way back to the new-and-improved choil.

(I also noticed that my Lambsfoot edge isn't quite as straight as most others I've seen pictured here, curving up a bit towards the tip. I went back to the first photo I took when it first arrived to see if it came from the factory that way or if I had somehow managed to do it while sharpening; it was like that when it was new.)

 

[B.Mauser]

I enjoyed your story Brian - welcome!:thumbup:

Egginton or not, I really like that last Wostenholm you found.

Does anyone happen to know what year Wostenholm and Rodgers were bought by the Egginton group?

I like the Lambsfoot for breaking down cardboard and plastic recycling too - my ebony Wright feels ideally suited to the task.

I see you've done some excellent hiking and fishing threads over in the Becker subforum. It'd be great to see your Lambsfoots out and about in Colorado too, if you get a chance!:thumbup:

Thank you Chin. I have enjoyed many of your posts here. Its great to meet you.

I will definitely be taking a lambsfoot on all my outdoor adventures this year and I hope to get some nice pictures to share here.

 

[Cory Hess]

Beauty knives everybody. Barrett, I might have to try that choil mod. Is it as simple as getting in there with a needle file and going at it?

As I mentioned in my thank you Jack thread, I am the proud owner of my first lambsfoot!!

I'll not post too many pictures, as I can't hope to compete with the ones that have already been posted. I will however give a quick review of the knife after one day of ownership. I should start this out by saying that it's not uncommon for my latest acquisition to be my favorite knife, and in a month's time things might have changed. I'm only human and novelty plays a factor in my reactions.

Now that that's out of the way, I love this knife. It might just be my new favorite! In all seriousness, this A. Wright & Son lambsfoot has seriously impressed me.

At 3.5" it's exactly the wrong size for me. Anything 3.25" and shorter works as a three finger knife, and anything 3.75" and longer works as a four finger knife. 3.5" is awkward because my pinky is half on and half off of the knife. I have never had a 3.5" knife that's been comfortable for me apart from the Case mini sodbuster, until now. The swayback design and bulky wood handle makes this knife oddly comfortable in hand. It's a little disturbing how comfortable this knife is. I've spent a good part of the day playing with the knife and switching between different grips and it's ergonomics are a 10 out of 10 in every single grip that I use regularly. The only other knives that are this comfortable to me are the Lanny's Clip and full sized sodbuster. I was not expecting this knife to be nearly as comfortable as it is.

The walk and talk of this knife also shocked me. It's got a stout pull and if the blade sat any lower or had a mirror finish I don't think I'd be able to pinch it open. As it is, it's got a very satisfying feel and the snap to the full open and closed positions is loud enough to echo in a gymnasium. Using my 23 as a reference, the lambsfoot is about twice as loud! The 23 is no slouch, mind you. The lambsfoot is just authoritative. I like it quite a bit. That strong snap gives the knife an amazingly solid feel in use. There is just no give at all in the blade, which is surprising considering the cam tang. Even my 23 has a little give if I push on the spine of the blade with my thumb while cutting. With the lambsfoot I have to push just about as hard as I can with my thumb to get it to move at all. I don't think I could close it one handed even if I tried. I'm now wondering if this is something that's specific to this knife or if Sheffield slipjoints typically have louder walk and talk than their American counterparts.

This knife has a charm that I've only ever experienced in a sodbuster. It is just a downright honest working knife. There are no frills at all. There is no shield to interrupt the slab of wood on either side of this knife. There is no blade etch to let me know that this is a real lambsfoot. (Does that mean that Jack sent me a knockoff? ) Every aspect of this knife seems very well thought out, and it's perfectly efficient in that there's absolutely no fat in the pattern. I can't think of a single thing I would add to this knife to improve it, and likewise I couldn't take anything away. I keep saying it, but it's very reminiscent of a sodbuster in this regard. I really get a similar feeling from both knives, even though they are very different in appearance.

So far I've only had occasion to use the knife to open some packages and cut up some sausages. However, I'm really looking forward to putting it through it's paces. For the time being it will be riding alongside my Lanny's Clip and getting regular use. I never would have expected this going in. A big thanks to Jack for letting me experience this Sheffield original. I foresee having the need to pick up additional examples.

 

[btb01]

Great write-up, Cory! These knives certainly do have an authoritative snap to them.

The sharpening choil touch-up really is fairly simple. I used a triangular needle file to deepen the choil and bring the heel-end of the edge out away from the taper in the grind near the tang, then used a round needle file just to sort of smooth things out.

 

[Cambertree]

Thank you Chin. I have enjoyed many of your posts here. Its great to meet you.

I will definitely be taking a lambsfoot on all my outdoor adventures this year and I hope to get some nice pictures to share here.

Excellent, Brian - it's a pleasure to meet you too.

I'll be looking forward to seeing some more Lambsfoot action out and about in Colorado!

Great review, Cory, I'll be looking forward to any updates in your thoughts on the pattern after using it for a while. :thumbup:

Regarding the snap on those Wright knives, including the Lambsfoot: I wonder if it might be a product of the original industrial and farm tool design - these knives just needed to have a sturdy, firm action, relatively safe from accidental closure.

They certainly do inspire confidence with that authoritative SNAP! sound on opening!

Yeah, I forgot to mention, Barrett, I noticed that same thickening of the edge near the sharpening notch, too. I ended up using a corner of a Sharpmaker brown rod as a file to clean 'em up, and thinned out the flats on a coarse, 400 grit, Chosera waterstone.

In the pocket today:

 

[Jack Black]

It looks like a relatively 'recent' knife to me, possibly even Eggington. They have always bought in a lot of knives, and in the past, Stan Shaw even made knives for them. It looks like a really nice knife.

I am surprised to hear the 3rd one might be Egginton. I didn't think it was too old but it was so well made compared to the first one I just assumed it was before Egginton bought Wostenholm. That's interesting to hear about them buying knives from other company's. Sounds like a good guess on the origins of this one.

It really doesn't matter to me as nice as this knife is. I would buy more from Egginton like this. What I really want to do is use it. And now I will. :thumbup:

Please don't be discouraged by my opinion as to the age of your knife Brian. First of all, I could be wrong, hard enough to date a Sheffield knife, but considerably harder without having it in hand. In terms of Sheffield cutlery, I regard anything post-WW2 as 'recent'! Eggington acquired the Wostenholm mark in 1986, and at that time there were a lot of skilled Sheffield cutlers looking for work. Most Sheffield knives have always been made by 'outworkers' or 'Little Mesters', so there is nothing that unusual in Egginton using that system. Over the years, the number of Little Mesters has obviously diminished. Your knife looks to be of excellent quality. In the period prior to 1986, there were some very shabby Wostenholm (and Rodgers) knives made, and I don't think your knife is from then. It could be from a slightly earlier period, when Joseph Rodgers took over Wostenholm in 1971, some good quality knives were still produced, and it could be older still. I'm still inclined to think it more recent, but as I say, that is just a guess, and it's certainly a fine-looking knife, which you can carry with pride

I did a little Lambsfoot surgery today. A while back, I posted the following about sharpening my A. Wright Buffalo Lambsfoot for the first time:

Well, today I made my first attempt at touching up a sharpening choil, using a technique Charlie C. explained to me a while back. A little work with a couple needle files and now I can easily sharpen the entire edge, all the way back to the new-and-improved choil.

(I also noticed that my Lambsfoot edge isn't quite as straight as most others I've seen pictured here, curving up a bit towards the tip. I went back to the first photo I took when it first arrived to see if it came from the factory that way or if I had somehow managed to do it while sharpening; it was like that when it was new.)

Nice work Barrett That's a shame about the edge though Clearly, these are factory-made knives, and have their limitations in terms of quality, particularly with knives put out at this price-point (and the cutler's having to earn their pay). I agree with what Chin has previously said, I'd be happy for Wright's to increase prices a little to avoid these sort of issues. That said though, I know that we're just a tiniest percentage of their market. I think that another issue is that generations of Sheffield cutlers have had to work so fast to earn their wages that they probably find it hard to slow down! Trevor Ablett used to buy his blades from Wright's, but still worked at the same break-neck pace! Actually, the guys I saw working in Wright's last week were pretty 'chilled'!

Regarding the snap on those Wright knives, including the Lambsfoot: I wonder if it might be a product of the original industrial and farm tool design - these knives just needed to have a sturdy, firm action, relatively safe from accidental closure.

They certainly do inspire confidence with that authoritative SNAP! sound on opening!

...

In the pocket today:

Sheffield working knives have long had a stiff pull and an 'authoritative' snap Personally, I like a stiff pull on a knife - even more so if it can be pinched open! I have certainly had a chuckle or two with some of our other UK members, when there has been discussion about certain GEC 'nail-breakers'. Some of those old British Army Clasp Knives are certainly not on the 1-10 scale!

Great to see your knife Chin, and I am really looking forward to seeing more of your photos Brian Great discussion gents

 

[Jack Black]

Beauty knives everybody. Barrett, I might have to try that choil mod. Is it as simple as getting in there with a needle file and going at it?

As I mentioned in my thank you Jack thread, I am the proud owner of my first lambsfoot!!

I'll not post too many pictures, as I can't hope to compete with the ones that have already been posted. I will however give a quick review of the knife after one day of ownership. I should start this out by saying that it's not uncommon for my latest acquisition to be my favorite knife, and in a month's time things might have changed. I'm only human and novelty plays a factor in my reactions.

Now that that's out of the way, I love this knife. It might just be my new favorite! In all seriousness, this A. Wright & Son lambsfoot has seriously impressed me.

At 3.5" it's exactly the wrong size for me. Anything 3.25" and shorter works as a three finger knife, and anything 3.75" and longer works as a four finger knife. 3.5" is awkward because my pinky is half on and half off of the knife. I have never had a 3.5" knife that's been comfortable for me apart from the Case mini sodbuster, until now. The swayback design and bulky wood handle makes this knife oddly comfortable in hand. It's a little disturbing how comfortable this knife is. I've spent a good part of the day playing with the knife and switching between different grips and it's ergonomics are a 10 out of 10 in every single grip that I use regularly. The only other knives that are this comfortable to me are the Lanny's Clip and full sized sodbuster. I was not expecting this knife to be nearly as comfortable as it is.

The walk and talk of this knife also shocked me. It's got a stout pull and if the blade sat any lower or had a mirror finish I don't think I'd be able to pinch it open. As it is, it's got a very satisfying feel and the snap to the full open and closed positions is loud enough to echo in a gymnasium. Using my 23 as a reference, the lambsfoot is about twice as loud! The 23 is no slouch, mind you. The lambsfoot is just authoritative. I like it quite a bit. That strong snap gives the knife an amazingly solid feel in use. There is just no give at all in the blade, which is surprising considering the cam tang. Even my 23 has a little give if I push on the spine of the blade with my thumb while cutting. With the lambsfoot I have to push just about as hard as I can with my thumb to get it to move at all. I don't think I could close it one handed even if I tried. I'm now wondering if this is something that's specific to this knife or if Sheffield slipjoints typically have louder walk and talk than their American counterparts.

This knife has a charm that I've only ever experienced in a sodbuster. It is just a downright honest working knife. There are no frills at all. There is no shield to interrupt the slab of wood on either side of this knife. There is no blade etch to let me know that this is a real lambsfoot. (Does that mean that Jack sent me a knockoff? ) Every aspect of this knife seems very well thought out, and it's perfectly efficient in that there's absolutely no fat in the pattern. I can't think of a single thing I would add to this knife to improve it, and likewise I couldn't take anything away. I keep saying it, but it's very reminiscent of a sodbuster in this regard. I really get a similar feeling from both knives, even though they are very different in appearance.

So far I've only had occasion to use the knife to open some packages and cut up some sausages. However, I'm really looking forward to putting it through it's paces. For the time being it will be riding alongside my Lanny's Clip and getting regular use. I never would have expected this going in. A big thanks to Jack for letting me experience this Sheffield original. I foresee having the need to pick up additional examples.

I'm glad my package arrived Cory, and even more so that you like your Lambsfoot Yes, I'm often swayed into carrying my latest acquisition all the time too! I do hope that the Lambsfoot has 'legs' though! Thanks so much for sharing your first impressions of the pattern. Of course I agree that the Lambsfoot knives have great ergonomics, and I don't think that is in any way accidental. Patterns like this came about when Sheffield cutlery was at its height, when there were thousands of skilled cutlers working, and when people really used their knives. I reckon some of those old boys knew exactly how to build a great working pattern, and for me, the Lambsfoot is certainly one of them. Be great to hear how you continue to get on with your Lambsfoot Cory

 

[Jack Black]

There is no blade etch to let me know that this is a real lambsfoot. (Does that mean that Jack sent me a knockoff? )

LOL! Sorry about that Cory! Wright's have a great old etching machine, and I wish they'd use it more. I don't understand why they're not putting the etch on the Lambsfoot knives Maybe I should get them to do a proper batch for me?

 

[screened porch]

Maybe I should get them to do a proper batch for me?

Hmm...

 

[Jack Black]

Hmm...

No, I'm not keen either!

 

[btb01]

Nice work Barrett :thumbup: That's a shame about the edge though Clearly, these are factory-made knives, and have their limitations in terms of quality, particularly with knives put out at this price-point (and the cutler's having to earn their pay). I agree with what Chin has previously said, I'd be happy for Wright's to increase prices a little to avoid these sort of issues. That said though, I know that we're just a tiniest percentage of their market. I think that another issue is that generations of Sheffield cutlers have had to work so fast to earn their wages that they probably find it hard to slow down! Trevor Ablett used to buy his blades from Wright's, but still worked at the same break-neck pace! Actually, the guys I saw working in Wright's last week were pretty 'chilled'! :thumbup:

Thanks, Jack. The slight curve doesn't bother me much. There's no real downside to it -- it cuts just the same -- just something I noticed while sharpening it. I've had Sheepsfoot blades from GEC and Case that had a very slight curve to the factory edge, as well. Sometimes its so slight that one quick sharpening on a flat stone straightens it out; other times (like with this Lambsfoot) its easier just to go with it and lift the knife a hair as you sharpen to follow the slight curve. (I've learned my lesson trying straighten some out by sharpening and ended up removing more metal than its worth trying to make them perfectly straight.)

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks, Jack. The slight curve doesn't bother me much. There's no real downside to it -- it cuts just the same -- just something I noticed while sharpening it. I've had Sheepsfoot blades from GEC and Case that had a very slight curve to the factory edge, as well. Sometimes its so slight that one quick sharpening on a flat stone straightens it out; other times (like with this Lambsfoot) its easier just to go with it and lift the knife a hair as you sharpen to follow the slight curve. (I've learned my lesson trying straighten some out by sharpening and ended up removing more metal than its worth trying to make them perfectly straight.)

Yes, I know what you mean Barrett, I sometimes pick up an old knife with a nick out of the edge. Sometimes it's worth sharpening out, other times I wonder if it's worth losing all the steel for the difference it makes