Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[JTB_5]

Someone was going to have a custom made by Timothy LaCombre of S Africa, I can’t recall whom

That would be me! Tim is making a lambsfoot for me that I designed. It doesn't follow all of the classic aspects of the lambsfoot (lanny-like handle rather than a swayback, for example), but I am hoping for the right blade cant and taper. He's working on it now, but I'm not sure when it will be done.

Here's a picture of the design (I did draw it as a "left handed" knife but that was a mistake)

 

[Prester John]

That would be me! Tim is making a lambsfoot for me that I designed. It doesn't follow all of the classic aspects of the lambsfoot (lanny-like handle rather than a swayback, for example), but I am hoping for the right blade cant and taper. He's working on it now, but I'm not sure when it will be done.

Here's a picture of the design (I did draw it as a "left handed" knife but that was a mistake)

Yeah, I remember that, Joshua. The shield and nail nick are on the wrong side!

 

[cigarrodog]

That would be me! Tim is making a lambsfoot for me that I designed. It doesn't follow all of the classic aspects of the lambsfoot (lanny-like handle rather than a swayback, for example), but I am hoping for the right blade cant and taper. He's working on it now, but I'm not sure when it will be done.

Here's a picture of the design (I did draw it as a "left handed" knife but that was a mistake)

That will be one sweet knife.

 

[JTB_5]

Yeah, I remember that, Joshua. The shield and nail nick are on the wrong side!

Thankfully he will be correcting my mistake!

That will be one sweet knife.

I think so, too. The suspense is real!

 

[tmd_87]

A lil Super Bowl/Monday hangover cure....some Lambsfoot maintenance.

 

[HEMI 49]

A Lambsfoot makes a dandy pill splitter when your pill splitter is at the other end of the house in the medicine cabinet...…...

 

[Pàdruig]

I finally got caught up. 'Twas a pleasure seeing everyone's knives and commentary as usual.

Beautiful Dylan

Thank you, Jack. The AC surely is a treasure.

Nothing like being outside with a good knife and a cup of coffee

I couldn't agree more. Now I just need to mix it up with a fishing pole. I need to be able to say I reeled in dinner from my back yard .

That would be fantastic, Dylan - and likewise, the same invitation applies should you ever make it over to Oz. If you’re here in season, we could get you out on a Sambar deer hunt.

Nothing would please me more. Australia is certainly on my list of places to visit. Hopefully sooner, rather than later.

Yes, it was your sig line from Kephart that led me to rereading Camping and Woodcraft a couple of years back. That was actually one of the books I liked to read while lying under the Douglas Fir trees of the Forest Arboretum.

Never has a quote so simple, yet so poignant, impacted my outlook on life such as the one in my sig. Kephart's woods wisdom is a marvel, his knife design is pretty stellar as well.

Thanks for the info Dylan, I didn’t know that about California. I’d heard about the Florida herd, and is there a small Texas herd as well on private land?

I had not heard of one in Texas but I am sure it is quite possible. The only reason I became aware of the herd in California was due to a hunter posting a blog about his opportunity. He harvested a beautiful animal!

Awe inspiring scenery my friend!

Thank you, Chin. I am rather fortunate to reside in such beautiful country.

Harry and Chin, it is strictly my doing that GEC is making that new Lambfoot at 3 7/8".
Harry it reflects the Joseph Rodgers knives - exactly the same length.
Pretty close to 4 " I'd say!
Sorry it's a little long for you Chin; we can only do one length at a time!
It's over three years since I started nudging Bill to make it. He has promised it before the end of this year - some time in the fall. It may not make it before the Rendezvous, but one can dream!!

Again, this is such terrific news and I am practically going to be on the edge of my seat for a good long while awaiting further developments on this. Very well done, Charlie, I can't wait to see what you and GEC come up with.

I can't reveal the full content of a conversation I had on Friday yet, but we may yet see some 'new' Sheffield jigged bone Yes, a few of them followed things in the US a little, but most didn't even know what was happening over here!

This is most intriguing, Jack. I will look forward to seeing where this leads.

I did perform some experiments a while ago, in trying out my ebony user Lambsfoot to skin and dress out Sambar deer, and 'Roos (taken on permit). Despite its great performance in many other common usages for todays average punter, it really wasn't ideally suited for loose, sweeping skinning passes. The tip would either bite through the hide or into the meat a little too easily, rather than just separating tissue without marking either side.

I too, experimented a bit a couple of seasons ago on one of my buddy's elk. It certainly does not lend itself well to skinning. A blade with belly is far more suitable. However, I can't think of any other task that a Lambsfoot doesn't simply excel at. A right versatile blade.

I'll admit that here in Central Texas, everything shuts down if there's a dusting of snow. On the other hand, when the temperatures soar to 110+, we just go about our day. I've heard of folks up north dropping dead when it gets into the 90s. I mean, it's uncomfortable, but I think dying is an overreaction.

I'll admit, I certainly am one of those "northern folk" who surely begins to melt once it starts getting close to 80.... Hot weather and I do not get along well. I suppose that I would acclimate in short order should I reside in a climate such as yours but in the meantime, I'll be glad that my heat waves are generally rather short up here.

Doesn't it just?! I've never visited the other place

You are missing nothing, FB has its uses but it does not hold a candle to the benefits of a properly maintained forum.

Hope your weekend was a good one Dylan, hope to see more of you soon

It was indeed, Jack, although quite busy. I hope to be able to chime in a bit more often.

 

[Pàdruig]

Beautiful horn on your new mystery lamb Dylan. She is a real looker.

Very nice, Dylan. Thanks for showing it.

Thank you, fellas, I am quite pleased with her. 'Twas a nice find.

That’s a fine score, Dylan, you must be very pleased. Beautiful horn covers.

Yes it does look very ‘Wright-like’.

But those bolsters and pins are very curious, in that context.

I wonder if there was a light maker etch on the blade tang which was buffed away, or if the blade was supplied as a unmarked blank which the customer would put their own stamp on?

Is it possible it’s reworked from some different parts, I wonder?

In any case, a nice piece, thanks for sharing it, my friend.

Thank you, Chin.

The thought had indeed crossed my mind that perhaps this was a "parts" knife of sorts. It makes little sense to me that a maker would trouble themselves to stamp the blade, yet not the tang. Although you very well may be correct regarding the notion that it was perhaps left intentionally blank to allow for someone to put their own stamp on it.

I do not see it as having any particular value other than the simple fact that it is a Lambsfoot, and a rather well built one at that. It is definitely rough around the edges but I suspect she and I are going to get along quite nicely.

 

[Jack Black]

Yes, she deserves some pampering with just a touch of elegance!

Thanks for all your hard work, Jack.

From your mouth to God’s ear (and those of the Royal Mail and the US Postal Service). ;-)

Sincere thanks for your efforts, Jack.

Yes, I completely agree John. Jack’s done an amazing job of hosting, curating, and fostering this thread. And Gary and Frank too, of course with regard to the wider Porch atmosphere. This is certainly the best community on the net, IMHO.

Thanks a lot guys

Good evening, Guardians.

About a week or so ago, I decided to do some casual knife hunting. It can often be fun seeing where various rabbit holes will take you but to make a long story short, I came across an old Lambsfoot that caught my eye. Now, it can be relatively easy to find old Lambsfoot knives but they generally are in rather poor shape, having blades ground to toothpicks or covers that are either broken or completely missing.

This particular knife had lovely horn covers and a blade that appeared to be relatively full. Sporting what remained of the "Real Lambfoot" etch (later revealed to be a stamp) and rat tail bolsters, I had to pull the trigger. Fast forward a little less than a week, the knife arrived in my mailbox after a brief trip over the pond.

One of the most eye-catching things about this knife is the nicely matched horn covers. Obviously an older knife, the covers are in surprisingly good condition, there are some gaps here and there but overall, I am very pleased. The knife itself appears to be uncannily similar to A. Wright's smaller Lambsfoot knives. Though it is close to an 1/8" longer than my AC and Oxhorn, the shape and curvature are almost identical. However, there is no identifying tang stamp, not even anything that states whether it came from Sheffield or even England, for that matter.

This knife appears to have been rather aggressively cleaned at some point and I can see the evidence on the blade as well as the frame itself. The blade is ground very thin (this will be one heck of a slicer) and the Real Lambfoot stamp is still partially visible. I suspect that whoever cleaned the knife up took away a fair amount of metal up by the nail nick and blade stamp.

What mostly sets this apart from my other Wrights knives are the rat tail bolsters, steel liners (instead of the typical brass), and either steel pins or nickel silver. I suspect the former due to the nickel silver of the bolsters being a different color altogether.

Sporting the typical rugged construction that I have come to expect and very much appreciate in Sheffield cutlery, this knife has a bear trap pull and it snaps like a hell spawned gator. No play whatsoever in this knife and the blade is very nicely centered and quite straight.

Overall, I am very pleased with this acquisition and even though I do not know much about its provenance, it will have a most welcome place in my collection.

Congratulations Dylan, that's a nice find Thanks for a great write-up, very attractive knife I have had more than a few knives where the tangs have been cleaned so hard, they looked to have never been stamped, and even more, which I don't think had ever been stamped. It's always worth noting how the vast majority of knives were made in Sheffield, by small independent cutlers, known as 'Little Mesters' ('Mester' coming from 'Master' - a 'Master Cutler' is simply a self-employed cutler). There were also lots of small firms, with less than a handful of workers, who did contract work for the large Sheffield cutlery firms, and larger firms, who did the same. Sometimes a tang may not have been stamped by accident, or a factor may have requested that (or just to have Sheffield, England) stamped on the blade. Or the cutler might have decided to make a few knives for himself, and because he didn't have his own stamp, which most didn't, either used un-stamped blades, or ground-off the marks from blades supplied to him by one of the larger cutlery houses. It was only in his latter years that Trevor Ablett, for example, marked his blades, and then only in the form of an etch

The Guardians Express is racing along, and as usual I’m running along after it hobo-style - trying to catch a hold of the back carriage, before it disappears away up the tracks!

Thanks Jack. I enjoyed hearing that comment about Ashley - that must be very gratifying for his dad to see. He’s doing great work, and will only get better from here.

Intriguing comment about the jigged bone, mate, and I look forward to hearing more in due course. This is one of the areas of traditional knifemaking about which there seems to be very little available information - those in the trade play their cards very close to their chest regarding jigging techniques and patterns.

Thanks for the clarification on the bolster types. I love those old Sheffield bolsters - and very much appreciate seeing the classic forms resurrected in these Guardians knives.

Any scent from these knives en masse? I recall you had a strong smell of eau de burning hair from the freshly buffed 2017 horn knives.



Thanks mate, really enjoying your posts.

Yeah, if I had to make a single recommendation for Lambsfoot knife sharpening, it would be for the Sharpmaker, along with either the coarse diamond or CBN rods, or a coarse benchstone for thinning out the initial edge thickness. I think there’s a simpler, cheaper system coming out soon, too - the Gauntlet.



I appreciate that, Preston my friend, I get lucky with my pics sometimes. I’m really looking forward to seeing more of Colorado, and your outdoors adventures in future.



Great pics mate, yeah I’ve seen his work in some of those parks along the River Lagan, yeah? Down towards the Giants Ring? That’s an amazing piece.

I went for a hike down that way, with some Belfast mates. One of them - born and bred in Ballymurphy (about 4 miles/6.5 km away) - was astounded to ‘discover’ that parks and paths like that existed in Belfast, and said so more than a few times!

Ha ha, you beat me to it Rachel! I was going to guess that Jack had a new Tricorne hat!

Or that it was a roundabout way of announcing that he’d been elected Lord Mayor of Sheffield!

“In the UK, a black feathered tricorne hat is part of the ceremonial dress of most Lord Mayors; at the annual Lord Mayor's Show in November, the newly elected Lord Mayor of the City of London can usually be seen enthusiastically waving his tricorne at the crowds.” (Wikipedia)

Very cool piece of kit, Jack!



LOL, I haven’t laughed so hard in a while, Vince. Great stuff, my brainiac friend!

LOL! Yes my friend, this thread is certainly moving fast these days I was only thinking, the other night, how different it was with this year's knives, not to be enveloped in the smell of horn, a nice change for sure

It must be more than 10 years since I was last in Belfast now Chin, the part-time chain-saw artist, was the partner of a friend of my then girlfriend, and he was a thick-as-a-brick mullet-haired Prod, with somewhat dodgy politics, which he managed to half-conceal, so we weren't ever going to get on like wildfire. I think I only spoke to him once, but I was impressed by his talk of chain-saw carving, and hope he's managed to drag himself away from his unpleasant background. There were a few chain-saw artists then, formed around a quite progressive place, where I think he had first given it a go, and he had quite a few carvings dotted around, including at least one in the Botanic gardens, where the Belfast museum is.

Maybe I could wear my canvas stool cover as a Tricorne hat! When I was a very small boy of about three years of age, I got on a bus with my mother, and two old ladies asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I told them I wanted to be the Lord Mayor, "So, I don't have to work."

Superb pic of your well-used ebony '18 Chin

...

 

[Jack Black]

Lambsfoot getting ready to meet an 06 Pemberton....View attachment 1067110

Nice work if you can get it

A joy to carry and use. It will have a companion soon!

Looking good Vince, I hope you take to the new one as much as you have your AC

It's good to see you posting regularly, Chin. I read this thread from the beginning a few months ago, like @Mescladis is doing now, and your posts were very informative and interesting. I looked forward to reading them, and then it seemed like you disappeared for awhile. Or went on a walkabout!

I couldn't agree more Vince, Chin's posts are always a treat to read

That would be me! Tim is making a lambsfoot for me that I designed. It doesn't follow all of the classic aspects of the lambsfoot (lanny-like handle rather than a swayback, for example), but I am hoping for the right blade cant and taper. He's working on it now, but I'm not sure when it will be done.

Here's a picture of the design (I did draw it as a "left handed" knife but that was a mistake)

I'd forgotten about that knife, looking forward to seeing it when it's made The South African-made Lambsfoot knives I've seen were on a large UK dealer's website, and looked to be nicely-made, but expensive, and of a fairly traditional design. I wish I'd downloaded pics now.

A lil Super Bowl/Monday hangover cure....some Lambsfoot maintenance.
View attachment 1067153

Hope you weren't feeling it too badly Taylor, nice pic there

A Lambsfoot makes a dandy pill splitter when your pill splitter is at the other end of the house in the medicine cabinet...…...View attachment 1067166

No end to the usefulness of a Lambsfoot Cool pic

Great to see you all caught up Dylan, and relaxing on your rear porch

Morning Guardians Blimey, I've spent more than an hour making this post (and the previous one - exceeeded the BF character limit)! Hope everyone is having a decent week. I have to stay in for a parcel delivery, so hoping to get some of the packaging material tidied up and out of my kitchen. Then I have a trip to the post office to make, and a trip to the hospital for a CT scan on my stomach Carrying my horn 2018 Guardians Lambsfoot Have a good day Guardians

 

[Fodderwing]

Thanks for all your work Jack and I hope the stomach scan is all good my friend.

 

[donn]

I had to have sausages to keep the pig farmers in business.
Since Jack is on the wagon, I'm sure they have felt the market shrink

Don't you worry John, British pig farmers are in fine fettle....

Good evening, Guardians.

About a week or so ago, I decided to do some casual knife hunting. It can often be fun seeing where various rabbit holes will take you but to make a long story short, I came across an old Lambsfoot that caught my eye. Now, it can be relatively easy to find old Lambsfoot knives but they generally are in rather poor shape, having blades ground to toothpicks or covers that are either broken or completely missing.

This particular knife had lovely horn covers and a blade that appeared to be relatively full. Sporting what remained of the "Real Lambfoot" etch (later revealed to be a stamp) and rat tail bolsters, I had to pull the trigger. Fast forward a little less than a week, the knife arrived in my mailbox after a brief trip over the pond.

One of the most eye-catching things about this knife is the nicely matched horn covers. Obviously an older knife, the covers are in surprisingly good condition, there are some gaps here and there but overall, I am very pleased. The knife itself appears to be uncannily similar to A. Wright's smaller Lambsfoot knives. Though it is close to an 1/8" longer than my AC and Oxhorn, the shape and curvature are almost identical. However, there is no identifying tang stamp, not even anything that states whether it came from Sheffield or even England, for that matter.

This knife appears to have been rather aggressively cleaned at some point and I can see the evidence on the blade as well as the frame itself. The blade is ground very thin (this will be one heck of a slicer) and the Real Lambfoot stamp is still partially visible. I suspect that whoever cleaned the knife up took away a fair amount of metal up by the nail nick and blade stamp.

What mostly sets this apart from my other Wrights knives are the rat tail bolsters, steel liners (instead of the typical brass), and either steel pins or nickel silver. I suspect the former due to the nickel silver of the bolsters being a different color altogether.

Sporting the typical rugged construction that I have come to expect and very much appreciate in Sheffield cutlery, this knife has a bear trap pull and it snaps like a hell spawned gator. No play whatsoever in this knife and the blade is very nicely centered and quite straight.

Overall, I am very pleased with this acquisition and even though I do not know much about its provenance, it will have a most welcome place in my collection.

Thanks for posting that, what an intriguing knife and quite a looker to

Yeah, if I had to make a single recommendation for Lambsfoot knife sharpening, it would be for the Sharpmaker, along with either the coarse diamond or CBN rods, or a coarse benchstone for thinning out the initial edge thickness. I think there’s a simpler, cheaper system coming out soon, too - the Gauntlet.

Thanks Chin, I'll look up that Gauntlet to. Whatever I buy it'll be for my birthday end of the month. Having only ever sharpened freehand the choice of sharpening systems is bewildering...
That's a great working patina you have there.

I didn't watch the Superbowl this year as I had an early night on Sunday for my walk yesterday.
Sadly a rather over-exposed shot.

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks for all your work Jack and I hope the stomach scan is all good my friend.View attachment 1067202

Thanks Dwight, smashing pic my friend

 

[screened porch]

Almost all of the first 50 2019 Guardians Lambsfoot knives are now on their way, just a couple to go in the mail tomorrow. Hope they reach their respective Guardians soon, and I look forward to seeing lots more of them

I can see you cackling madly and running your fingers through your treasure chest of lambsfoots, drizzling them over your head like Daffy Duck with gold coins.
I can see myself doing that, too.

 

[screened porch]

May the ironwoods arrive swiftly.

 

[Jack Black]

I can see you cackling madly and running your fingers through your treasure chest of lambsfoots, drizzling them over your head like Daffy Duck with gold coins.
I can see myself doing that, too.

I would have had a bath in them Jer! As it was though, they were off in the post so fast, that I only got the briefest of looks at them. Our love burned brightly, but fleetingly, then it was time to set them free

May the ironwoods arrive swiftly.

I think you are still the holder of the US record my friend

 

[dc50]

Good Morning Guardians it's showing -31c at the moment.

 

[JohnDF]

Trying to pull off the Jack/GT multi quote...

A lil Super Bowl/Monday hangover cure....some Lambsfoot maintenance.
View attachment 1067153

Lovely pair, wood handles are my favorites.

A Lambsfoot makes a dandy pill splitter when your pill splitter is at the other end of the house in the medicine cabinet...…...View attachment 1067166

This style of stag is my favorite. I'm not as much into the deep grooves or popcorn, this is beautiful to me.

I need to be able to say I reeled in dinner from my back yard

That would be so great and brag-worthy. I have a small stream on my property too, but the fish are way too small to catch. I think they all swim up river as they get bigger.

I have to stay in for a parcel delivery, so hoping to get some of the packaging material tidied up and out of my kitchen. Then I have a trip to the post office to make, and a trip to the hospital for a CT scan on my stomach

Clean up means that you got the job completed? Hope the scan goes the way you hope.

Thanks for all your work Jack and I hope the stomach scan is all good my friend.View attachment 1067202

Lovely knife Dwight.

Don't you worry John, British pig farmers are in fine fettle....

I'm sure the pig farmers thank you for your continued efforts

May the ironwoods arrive swiftly.

Great picture, made me smile

 

[JohnDF]

 

[Jack Black]

Good Morning Guardians it's showing -31c at the moment.
View attachment 1067226

Yikes, that's cold! Nice-looking Lambsfoot though

Trying to pull off the Jack/GT multi quote.
...

Clean up means that you got the job completed? Hope the scan goes the way you hope.

It's easy on a PC or Ipad, but a struggle on a phone

Until the next lot! Shouldn't be long guys

Thanks John