Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[herder]

Some beautiful Ironwood models showing up all!!! (he says with an envious sigh...)

Great camping picture, Cambertree. Did you have to shovel much snow away for that shot?

 

[cigarrodog]

Mail Call!

Thanks go to Jack Black for making this happen!

So Nice. Congratulations.

Mine won’t be here for a while, but that’s ok. I’ll feast me eyes on the bounty of others. That, and I came across this one which will arrive also next week. It came about because of the conversation here, regarding the dying art of Sheffield jigging. I never saw what seemed to me a most unusual jigging. It’s marked Albert Oates, a firm I know nothing about. The gentleman who sold it from his collection, said the blade was forged. True or false, I knew I wanted it the moment I saw it.

 

[Cambertree]

I'm not sure how he gets the finish. I'm pretty sure he uses a chemical on some of them, if not all. You can look at some examples on his Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/la.combre.knives.and.pens/

Very nice work there, Joshua. Yes, some of those blades look like they may be acid etched, and some look like they may be carbon steel, with a ‘hammer finish’ followed by an acid etch.
He looks to be a fine maker - you’ve chosen well, my friend.

Thanks, Jack and Chin; green has always been my favorite color.

Thanks Jeff.

Interestingly the human eye has a very sensitive attunement to different shades of green, probably dating back to the need to identify different plants and stages of ripeness etc, from hunter-gatherer, foraging times. We have quite a few plants in Australia which are poisonous when green, but fine when every trace of green is gone. Potatoes are a common example. Also, looking at the shades of green in a field or distant hillside will tell you where water lies underground or a spring or seep will be. In any case, using green in a photo nearly always gives a very pleasing effect to the eye.

Some beautiful Ironwood models showing up all!!! (he says with an envious sigh...)

Great camping picture, Cambertree. Did you have to shovel much snow away for that shot?

Thank you Herder, my friend. But snow? What is this ‘snow’ you speak of?

 

[Fodderwing]

I knew I wanted it the moment I saw it

Very nice Cig. That is sweet.

 

[cigarrodog]

Very nice Cig. That is sweet.

Thank you kindly.

 

[JTB_5]

Very nice work there, Joshua. Yes, some of those blades look like they may be acid etched, and some look like they may be carbon steel, with a ‘hammer finish’ followed by an acid etch.
He looks to be a fine maker - you’ve chosen well, my friend.



Thanks Jeff.

Interestingly the human eye has a very sensitive attunement to different shades of green, probably dating back to the need to identify different plants and stages of ripeness etc, from hunter-gather, foraging times. We have quite a few plants in Australia which are poisonous when green, but fine when every trace of green is gone. Potatoes are a common example. In any case, using green in a photo nearly always gives a very pleasing effect to the eye.



Thank you Herder, my friend. But snow? What is this ‘snow’ you speak of?

Thanks! I think so, too. He contacted me yesterday and I think things are almost finished. Maybe I'll have a picture or two by the weekend?!?

 

[tmd_87]

So Nice. Congratulations.

Mine won’t be here for a while, but that’s ok. I’ll feast me eyes on the bounty of others. That, and I came across this one which will arrive also next week. It came about because of the conversation here, regarding the dying art of Sheffield jigging. I never saw what seemed to me a most unusual jigging. It’s marked Albert Oates, a firm I know nothing about. The gentleman who sold it from his collection, said the blade was forged. True or false, I knew I wanted it the moment I saw it.

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Wow, I really like the dye job on that. The jigging is amazing as well. Great covers!

 

[Cambertree]

So Nice. Congratulations.

Mine won’t be here for a while, but that’s ok. I’ll feast me eyes on the bounty of others. That, and I came across this one which will arrive also next week. It came about because of the conversation here, regarding the dying art of Sheffield jigging. I never saw what seemed to me a most unusual jigging. It’s marked Albert Oates, a firm I know nothing about. The gentleman who sold it from his collection, said the blade was forged. True or false, I knew I wanted it the moment I saw it.

View attachment 1068375

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Beautiful find Cigarro. My understanding is that most Sheffield knives were forged until relatively recently. I believe the famous mountaineer, Mallory’s Lambsfoot knife (referenced in the index) was an Oates, although if memory serves, it was a W. E. Oates.

Thanks! I think so, too. He contacted me yesterday and I think things are almost finished. Maybe I'll have a picture or two by the weekend?!?

Looking forward to it, Joshua.

 

[cigarrodog]

Wow, I really like the dye job on that. The jigging is amazing as well. Great covers!

Thank you.

Cambertree Thank you. I love the education I’m receiving here. The Traditionals Forum is the best. The Guardians are the best of the best.

 

[dc50]

The Guardians are the best of the best

"Simply the Best Better than all the Rest"

 

[Will Power]

So Nice. Congratulations.

Mine won’t be here for a while, but that’s ok. I’ll feast me eyes on the bounty of others. That, and I came across this one which will arrive also next week. It came about because of the conversation here, regarding the dying art of Sheffield jigging. I never saw what seemed to me a most unusual jigging. It’s marked Albert Oates, a firm I know nothing about. The gentleman who sold it from his collection, said the blade was forged. True or false, I knew I wanted it the moment I saw it.

View attachment 1068375

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Extremely interesting all round

The jigging looks like a weave/plait effect and I almost thought it was jigged Stag at first! A real capture

Thanks, Will

 

[Mescladis]

Mail Call!

Thanks go to Jack Black for making this happen!

Congratulations on this beauty! Both sides are amazing!

Loved the pics and description of your Feu Follet, Mescladis.

Hmmm, you need an avatar, my friend.

I generally just let a patina develop through use, like yourself, but sometimes it can be fun to try to induce those beautiful blue-purple and gold colours on a fresh polished blade.

Warming up the blade in hot water first, drying it and then slicing into a hot cut of meat, like a medium rare steak, then letting it sit for a minute before trickling hot water from the kettle over the blade to clean it off, seems to produce some really nice colours.

For those who don’t eat meat, I’ve found Kiwi fruit to produce a really nice colour too, using the same technique.

I know, I'll get an avatar soon, just have to choose a nice pic
Yes, kiwis are incredible too at giving a patina! It's really nice to see it develop through use, and that's another point for carbon steel, but the only thing I don't like is the taste it leaves: I like to wipe my blade with a piece of bread when I'm done eating and then eat the bread, but with carbon I just can't, the taste is awful and never diminishes with time and more patina (although I've always heard that the more patina, the less "steely" taste). Oh well, nothing's perfect, I just leave that poor piece of bread on the side of the plate

Nice horn knives

So Nice. Congratulations.

Mine won’t be here for a while, but that’s ok. I’ll feast me eyes on the bounty of others. That, and I came across this one which will arrive also next week. It came about because of the conversation here, regarding the dying art of Sheffield jigging. I never saw what seemed to me a most unusual jigging. It’s marked Albert Oates, a firm I know nothing about. The gentleman who sold it from his collection, said the blade was forged. True or false, I knew I wanted it the moment I saw it.

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Nice find! I need to get a jigged bone lambsfoot, I never had a nife with that kind of scales... Is it a big lambsfoot? It seems so, but you can't really tell from a picture. I like long lambsfoot knives, they have extra elegance


Frozen garden this morning, it's so peaceful to go outside early and just listen to the silence of winter...

And thank you Jack Black for your explanations about the making of knives in Sheffield. I think it was quite different in France, for example in Thiers (where looots of knives were produced): men and women worked in the factories in large rooms dedicated to every step of the production: making blades, grinding, etc. There are old postcards illustrating this, I need to find them sometimes (I will maybe create a thread for this)...

 

[JohnDF]

Good Morning Guardians

 

[Jack Black]

I checked my tracking this morning! Oh boy! My package was at my local Post Office at 5:29am. I’m not home so I won’t get to see my knives until Saturday. I was going to have Pam take a photo of the package so I could post that here. Well, that ain’t happening! My package arrived in Tallahassee Florida at 12:36pm! Go figure! Now just maybe I’ll get to see the new Ironwood on Saturday!

I checked my tracking again. They updated the tracking! My package made it from Tallahassee at 12:36pm back to my local post office at 12:52pm. Pretty fast trip for 392 miles. Now they say my package is available for pickup? I’m hoping they change their minds tomorrow and decide to deliver it.

USPS have a special procedure for you Ron

Some morning sustenance..... Without my Lambsfoot, breakfast just wouldn't be the same....View attachment 1068223

Very tasty

That's quite interesting, Jack. Very different than the American style of manufacturing.
I have a copy of Goins, and it can be helpful, but I've learned not to depend on it when it comes to English marks.

I guess I should only check the P.O. box every other day, so I don't have to do the empty-box-sad-walk out the door so many times this week.

Yes, definitely Rachel, different in many ways

Mail Call!

Thanks go to Jack Black for making this happen!

I'm glad it arrived my friend

I carry a lambsfoot...

...because 7 is my lucky number.*

How 'bout you?



*Especially if my new knife comes tomorrow!

Very good Vince

That happened to me a while back. There was some sort of delivery exception on the day I was expecting a package, after which the tracking info said "available for pickup." I checked the tracking number again the next day and it still said the same thing, so I went to the post office. As I was standing in line waiting my turn, I got a notification on my phone that it was delivered at the house. In other words, I wouldn't rush to the post office just because the tracking number says you can pick it up there.

From what I have seen, the tracking details should be viewed as "guidelines", but can be inaccurate, misleading, and certainly very frustrating

Err, there must be some mistake...um, I think I meant to post these pics instead... a much more accurate depiction of the situation...

(Mailbox off screen, stage left...)

LOL! Great pics mate

A few stories come to mind about what’s considered a socially acceptable level of ‘language’ in Australia, but they’d probably earn me an instant infraction!



Let’s just say we honour the Anglo-Saxon roots of our language here too, on a very regular basis!

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These two beauties are always my go-to knives when I haven’t seen enough sunshine for a while:

Superb pics my friend

So Nice. Congratulations.

Mine won’t be here for a while, but that’s ok. I’ll feast me eyes on the bounty of others. That, and I came across this one which will arrive also next week. It came about because of the conversation here, regarding the dying art of Sheffield jigging. I never saw what seemed to me a most unusual jigging. It’s marked Albert Oates, a firm I know nothing about. The gentleman who sold it from his collection, said the blade was forged. True or false, I knew I wanted it the moment I saw it.

View attachment 1068375

View attachment 1068376

Congratulations, that's a nice score True on the forged blade

Albert Oates was from Stannington, to the North West of Sheffield, now a suburb of the city, but then, and until relatively recently, not part of Sheffield, and fairly remote, situated on a hill between the rivers Loxley and Rivelin. Stannington had a number of independent cutlers, and was a centre of Barlow knife production by several Stannington families, generally combining farming (and also inn-keeping) with making knives. The Oates family had been cutlers since at least the 18th century, but the firm was established in Sheffield by William Albert Oates in 1855, with the mark 'AOT'. He was first listed as operating in Wentworth Terrace in 1864, but moved to St Philip's Road, in the Netherthorpe district of Sheffield, soon after that. His workshop was located in the Atlantic Works of Brookes & Crookes, so he almost certainly did work for the better known firm. On his own knives, Albert (as he was known) used the AOT mark, later acquiring the 'Current' mark previously used by Alfred Hobson. After his death in 1896, his son, Frederick William Oates (1860-1923), continued the business. It was last listed in 1959.

That is just gorgeous

Beautiful find Cigarro. My understanding is that most Sheffield knives were forged until relatively recently. I believe the famous mountaineer, Mallory’s Lambsfoot knife (referenced in the index) was an Oates, although if memory serves, it was a W. E. Oates.

It was indeed a W.E.Oates Chin, but it also has the 'AOT' mark of Albert Oates, so the family connection is obvious. Definitely some more research needed

Frozen garden this morning, it's so peaceful to go outside early and just listen to the silence of winter...

And thank you Jack Black for your explanations about the making of knives in Sheffield. I think it was quite different in France, for example in Thiers (where looots of knives were produced): men and women worked in the factories in large rooms dedicated to every step of the production: making blades, grinding, etc. There are old postcards illustrating this, I need to find them sometimes (I will maybe create a thread for this)...

Beautiful photo I love to hear about French cutlery production, Thiers must have been an incredible place in the heyday of cutlery production there. I must visit sometime. That type of cutlery production also went on in Sheffield, but by and large it was the Little Mesters who were the backbone of the Sheffield cutlery trade

 

[Jack Black]

It is early afternoon here, and I am hoping that a few more of this year's Guardians knives will arrive at their new homes I am carrying my AC

 

[JohnDF]

It is early afternoon here, and I am hoping that a few more of this year's Guardians knives will arrive at their new homes I am carrying my AC

Nice picture Jack, it looks cold there.

 

[dc50]

It is early afternoon here, and I am hoping that a few more of this year's Guardians knives will arrive at their new homes I am carrying my AC

I'll just sit here and wait....

 

[Half/Stop]

USPS have a special procedure for you Ron

A special procedure for special knives! I think their just messing with me because they know I’m over 500 miles away from home! Pams going to the post office this afternoon and check with them. They usually leave a slip of paper with the pickup instructions but they didn’t do anything like that this time!

 

[JohnDF]

I paid for the cheapest shipping option, so I'm probably a few days away from seeing mine.

 

[r redden]

Well I finally found a new knife I really like it's a new Joseph Rogers Barlow Lambsfoot. I just now requested the amount for shipping fees and hope to have it ordered by the end of the day. The bolster makes me think of a Northfield 77 Barlow.