Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[JohnDF]

Does anyone think that the pull is excessively strong?

Pull is a personal like/dislike. I find the pulls stiff but I don't mind it all, and I do enjoy the 'thwack'. I showed my rosewood to my co-worker and he really struggled to open it. I thought for sure there was going to be a BFO moment. But he only opens traditionals occasionally while I open them many times each day. I guess it comes down to what you are used to and how strong your fingers and nails are.

 

[Prester John]

Does anyone think that the pull is excessively strong?

I do not. Stronger than typical American knives, yes, but still relatively easy to open. I was trained by my AC!

 

[pjsjr]

Patina!

View attachment 1086540

Looks like it's coming along. Doesn't take long.

A quick shout to everyone and a deep thank you to Jack Black to say my Ironwood Lambsfoot arrived today in pristine shape.... It is a wonderful knife in so many ways.... Beautiful wood, construction, fit and finish.... When the blade closes it sounds like a .303 Enfield going off..... I'm 69 years old and racked with crippling Psoriatic Arthritis..... But I am able to pull the blade from the well without blowing a cork.... The wood is absolutely stunning, lightly figured with warming striations of honey colored quarter sawn handles...... Perfection is the only way I can describe it..... Here is a quickie snapshot taken in haste this evening.... Tomorrow I will get a couple better shots in subdued natural lighting with a eye catching background to make you ohh and ahh...... Thank you again Jack Black for being a man of vision and action who facilitated this wonderful knife from my ancestral homeland...... View attachment 1086629

Sorry to hear about the arthritis, but, your knife is beautiful and I look forward to your photos.

Thanks, Jack. It would be pretty hard to take a bad photo of these '19's

Thanks fellas. Like I told Jack, it's hard to take a bad pic of these knives, they are just so dang good lookin' !

That van...I just don't have words...I would have like it seen it when you had it
Excellent photo of your wonderful Ironwood, it's so striking.

Speaking of letter Ms, wolves, bears and Easter Island statues: I think I have a yawning crocodile on mine!

Chin, put the plants down and step back! You've watched Crocodile Dundee a few to many times Just teasing, I see it.

Each photo seems to be nicer than the one before. The ironwood has unbelievable character. The grain in the wood just catches the light.View attachment 1086741

Striking pattern in your knife's grain, nicely caught in your photo.

Nice close-up John!

Does anyone think that the pull is excessively strong?

Mine was, as I mentioned before. But I don't have a lot of slip-joints to make a fair comparison. My fingers and hands are arthritic so I like an easier pull.

Tried to catch the morning light...didn't quite come out. I might have waited to long. Have a great day Guardians.

 

[r8shell]

I agree Chin, I think Wright's 'If it ain't broke...' attitude can lead to complacency. The Guardians knives have been a struggle akin to trying to easily open one of their pen blades! I'm always grateful for your perspective my friend

While I wouldn't change the pull on my lambsfoot blades, I do wish they would lighten the pen on the two blade models. Normally, I prefer multi bladed knives but I've been scared off of any Sheffield made because of what I've read about nailbreaking pen blades.

 

[donn]

Does anyone think that the pull is excessively strong?

Nope it's just about perfect. Of course I'm used to my Wright's large rosewood lambsfoot which wild horses couldn't drag open but even that's loosened up over time.

Nice sharpening job too, my friend. It’s a good feeling to have your Lambsfoot knife properly fettled and keen as a straight-razor, eh?

(The ‘stones’ from bottom are the Atoma 140, Venev bonded diamond 400/800, Shapton ceramic 5000, Spyderco Ultrafine, and a homemade, smoothside leather strop charged with 0.5 micron CBN emulsion.)

Jack Black regarding the pull on these knives, the consensus seems to strongly favour leaving them as they are. I agree. As you say, you can tune them to be a bit lighter and smoother, but you can’t really adjust them the other way easily.

I think my fingertips have also gotten a bit more used to the ‘Sheffield pull’ too. But I do wonder what the makers are thinking, with the pull on some pen blades and such. I’d never carry my small golden Ox-horn Lambsfoot - why have a knife where you have to stop what you’re doing and carefully focus on it, when opening and closing, to make sure it doesn’t fly out of your hands BFO style?

My 2019 Desert Ironwood seems to have a slightly snappier and heavier pull than my 2017 and 2018 Guardians knives, but after a little polishing of the tang corners with a scrap of leather with diamond paste on it, it’s smooth and easy to open with a firm pinch.

My standard ebony Lambsfoot has the smoothest pull of all, and still has that satisfying opening and closing CLACK! I barely have to think about opening and closing it and it’s done. But that one was specifically selected from quite a few, as having the best action.

Also, you asked earlier about a Lignum Vitae shadow pattern Lambsfoot knife with a birds-eye pivot pin. I’d absolutely be up for one of them, if Wright’s could pull it off. Ashley might enjoy the new challenge!

@lambertiana , I’m very sorry my friend - you made a comment a while ago about using Verawood as a Lignum Vitae substitute. That sounds like a great option - and with the same self lubricating properties and better figuring, it would probably be ideal for a birds-eye, shadow pivot pattern.

I understand that Lignum Vitae is known as one of the most ‘steel friendly’ materials because of that self-lubricating quality. It’s pretty interesting to see this list of current industrial users of the timber.

The pics in this thread just get better and better! What a treat to scroll through a few pages!

Thanks for the description of your sharpening stones. I thought I'd give a Lansky Turnbox a go which just arrived this morning.

 

[black mamba]

My 2018 RALF is about a 7½ pull, firm but very doable. I would prefer slightly lighter (6-7) but would rather have a little too firm than even a little too light.

 

[dc50]

Does anyone think that the pull is excessively strong?

no different than any of my others.

 

[JohnDF]

Tried to catch the morning light...didn't quite come out. I might have waited to long. Have a great day Guardians.

It may not have been what you were going for, but it turned out really cool!!!

Thanks for the description of your sharpening stones. I thought I'd give a Lansky Turnbox a go which just arrived this morning.

I like my Lansky Turn Box. I free hand on a stone and then fine-tune with the Lansky.

 

[donn]

It may not have been what you were going for, but it turned out really cool!!!

I like my Lansky Turn Box. I free hand on a stone and then fine-tune with the Lansky.

Aye I used to sharpen free hand but have been making more of a hash with it recently, so thought I'd get something to help.

 

[WDJ]

Just letting you know your PM box is full my friend

Thanks Jack.

That's looking good Joshua



Staglicious Vince



I did pal

You have green fingers my friend (green thumbs to our US pals I believe) Looks like you put your new Guardians knife straight to work



Great pic Chin, thanks for talking us through the sharpening media there, nice work on that edge



I agree Chin, I think Wright's 'If it ain't broke...' attitude can lead to complacency. The Guardians knives have been a struggle akin to trying to easily open one of their pen blades! I'm always grateful for your perspective my friend



The AC's I think have a slightly lighter pull. I'm happy with all of them, but from a commercial point of view, you'd think they would at least try to achieve consistency



It was actually one of the first patterns I spoke to them about. Trying to get anything new or different made in Sheffield is always an uphill struggle, but I remain hopeful about this one, and when the 'car-boot' season starts again, I'll be out looking for wooden bowls



Fascinating link Chin, incredible to think of how many companies are still using Lignum Vitae Another fantastic pic there



Thank you, I'm so glad you're pleased with it If that is a quick snap, I can't wait to see more of your pics! Sorry to hear about your arthritis Brent, but good to read your perspective on the pull



Was Ken Kesey the previous owner of that VW Kevin? Lovely pic



Or a hungry Saltie! Great pics pal



Here we go Wayne

Hope everyone is having a good day Carrying my big Ebony and one of the short Rosewood run I had done a while back

 

[Half/Stop]

Does anyone think that the pull is excessively strong?

No! I’ve got 3 small models, 8 medium models and 3 large models from Wright’s. I also have 1 Senator model, which may have the strongest pull of the lot. The pull varies slightly on all of them but they are close. I know that pull strengths are greatly subjective to individuals and I have a hard time placing a number with a pull. I will say I personally prefer my knives to be on the heavy side. I don’t really like weaker pulls. The main thing to me is the smoothness of the pull. All of my Wright Lambsfoot knives exhibit very smooth pull. I will add this note from my point of view. This is in no way a negative only an observation and it can have an effect on the pull weight. The Wright made knives are always full of some sort of black gunk. I’m sure it’s a by product of their manufacturing process. I always clean my knives immediately upon receiving them. I usually clean the joint and tang before even opening the knife. Then I clean the blade channel and tang area until it is clear. I also open the blade partially exposing the back spring and clean this section of the spring. I will then lube the joint with highly refined mineral oil, working the blade and flushing until everything is clear. Then I lube the joint and lightly wipe the blade. Sometimes this process can take up to an hour, but I feel it is worth the time and effort.

Today I’m totin this wee Sambar.

 

[cigarrodog]

Thank you. It's the wood.

It is the wood...But mostly it’s you.

JohnDF Love this closeup!

Jack Black The nicest collection of Lambsfoot knives. BTW...I just received a copy of Knife Magazine(1/19). Just started to read your article on Richards. Very, nice.

pjsjr I disagree. Great dark against light image.

donn Your lambs look great standing at attention.

black mamba Good morning Ralf.

Half/Stop The Sambar looks awesome against the wood.

 

[Prester John]

Jack Black The nicest collection of Lambsfoot knives. BTW...I just received a copy of Knife Magazine(1/19). Just started to read your article on Richards. Very, nice.

Recently received a sample issue. Going to subscribe. Best knife magazine I've seen yet.

 

[pjsjr]

Hope everyone is having a good day Carrying my big Ebony and one of the short Rosewood run I had done a while back

Nice to have those to chose from, variety is the spice of life!

Nope it's just about perfect. Of course I'm used to my Wright's large rosewood lambsfoot which wild horses couldn't drag open but even that's loosened up over time.



Thanks for the description of your sharpening stones. I thought I'd give a Lansky Turnbox a go which just arrived this morning.

I like the Spyderco Sharpmaker which is like the Lansky...nice family there!

My 2018 RALF is about a 7½ pull, firm but very doable. I would prefer slightly lighter (6-7) but would rather have a little too firm than even a little too light.

I might agree Jeff, if I could figure out the number measuring scale for pull strength...your 6 maybe more or less than mine.

It may not have been what you were going for, but it turned out really cool!!!

I like my Lansky Turn Box. I free hand on a stone and then fine-tune with the Lansky.

Thank you John, you are kind.

No! I’ve got 3 small models, 8 medium models and 3 large models from Wright’s. I also have 1 Senator model, which may have the strongest pull of the lot. The pull varies slightly on all of them but they are close. I know that pull strengths are greatly subjective to individuals and I have a hard time placing a number with a pull. I will say I personally prefer my knives to be on the heavy side. I don’t really like weaker pulls. The main thing to me is the smoothness of the pull. All of my Wright Lambsfoot knives exhibit very smooth pull. I will add this note from my point of view. This is in no way a negative only an observation and it can have an effect on the pull weight. The Wright made knives are always full of some sort of black gunk. I’m sure it’s a by product of their manufacturing process. I always clean my knives immediately upon receiving them. I usually clean the joint and tang before even opening the knife. Then I clean the blade channel and tang area until it is clear. I also open the blade partially exposing the back spring and clean this section of the spring. I will then lube the joint with highly refined mineral oil, working the blade and flushing until everything is clear. Then I lube the joint and lightly wipe the blade. Sometimes this process can take up to an hour, but I feel it is worth the time and effort.

Today I’m totin this wee Sambar.

I worked on my Ironwood quite a bit and it is now where I can manage with out much trouble, except on getting it started out of the handle. Love that stag!

 

[cigarrodog]

Recently received a sample issue. Going to subscribe. Best knife magazine I've seen yet.

Agreed. The nice lady on the phone said they are going to offer a digital version in the near future.

 

[Prester John]

Agreed. The nice lady on the phone said they are going to offer a digital version in the near future.

Hope they'll keep the print, though.

 

[cigarrodog]

Hope they'll keep the print, though.

No worries. They are.

 

[black mamba]

RALF says good morning to you, too, Harvey! So true about Jack's collection, but Ron (Half/Stop) has many stellar examples, as well as many others.

For pjsjr and others, the pull weight scale based on a typical SAK pull as a 5, no tension at all a 0, and unable to open a 10 runs pretty well except at the upper limits, where someone's individual thumb and nail strength can distort the numbers. Unless the blade is welded shut, then someone of great strength might assign an 8 when most would think it a 9 or 10. I personally have never encountered a 10, and only one 9, a Bulldog Wildcat Driller that I could barely open. As is reflected in the pull weight of Sheffield knives, heavier springs were often counted as higher quality "back in the day." Modern tastes seem to prefer lighter pulls than were more common in yesteryear. Early GECs were notoriously heavy, as they were based on old Remington patterns that were quite firm themselves.

 

[btb01]

 

[Jack Black]

Pull is a personal like/dislike. I find the pulls stiff but I don't mind it all, and I do enjoy the 'thwack'. I showed my rosewood to my co-worker and he really struggled to open it. I thought for sure there was going to be a BFO moment. But he only opens traditionals occasionally while I open them many times each day. I guess it comes down to what you are used to and how strong your fingers and nails are.

Yes indeed Really? I guess if you are used to modern locking folders, a slipjoint would come as a bit of a shock. I'm glad it'd didn't go all BFO though!

I do not. Stronger than typical American knives, yes, but still relatively easy to open. I was trained by my AC!

Great stuff John I have a couple of Camillus TL-29s which are beasts to open, and a lovely old Boker, which is a struggle, but it may be the placement of the nail-nicks which makes them so hard to open. On my first GEC, I couldn't open the blade at all, because the nail nick was blocked by the pen blade!

Mine was, as I mentioned before. But I don't have a lot of slip-joints to make a fair comparison. My fingers and hands are arthritic so I like an easier pull.

Tried to catch the morning light...didn't quite come out. I might have waited to long. Have a great day Guardians.

Hope it gets easier for you Preston, arthritis gets most of us unfortunately That pic looks good to me

While I wouldn't change the pull on my lambsfoot blades, I do wish they would lighten the pen on the two blade models. Normally, I prefer multi bladed knives but I've been scared off of any Sheffield made because of what I've read about nailbreaking pen blades.

The pull on the pen blade on my only two-blade model from Wright's I found just plain stupid. I rounded the corners of the tang slightly with a file in the end, but I don't particularly like the two-blade anyway. I spoke to John Maleham about it, but he just said they didn't sell many of them - I'm not surprised! Older Lambsfoot and pen models are better, but I still find, contrary to my initial expectations, that the pen blade is a bit superfluous

Nope it's just about perfect. Of course I'm used to my Wright's large rosewood lambsfoot which wild horses couldn't drag open but even that's loosened up over time.



Thanks for the description of your sharpening stones. I thought I'd give a Lansky Turnbox a go which just arrived this morning.

Nice investment David, and a great pic Looks like your '19 has been getting plenty of use

My 2018 RALF is about a 7½ pull, firm but very doable. I would prefer slightly lighter (6-7) but would rather have a little too firm than even a little too light.

RALF is looking dashing as ever