Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[BBW]

The knife he sharpens is a Spyderco in S30V. Although "Sharpmaker specific", there are also some informative aspects about sharpening in general.
As an aside, he has disappeared from the scene as sadly, he apparently was involved in some shady business practices.
That said, I believe you will find his sharpening skills impressive.
Hope you find it enjoyable, especially in the beginning when he prepares the knife for sharpening and at the end when he demonstrates the result.
OG

I usually share this one with friends, in fact, I was talking about it with a friend 2 days ago. You just reminded me I have to send it to him. Cheers

 

[RayseM]

Yup - I set the angle properly with the KME - ONCE - and then maintain with the Sharpmaker.

Ray

 

[Prester John]

Thank you for the kind words, Jack.
The knife is from Thomas Turner & Co., Sheffield and is a little over 8" long. It lives in the kitchen where it sees frequent use.
View attachment 1088283
cigarrodog Prester John Jack Black and anyone else who might be interested, here is the link I was thinking of when I posted.
Jack, thank you for giving permission to post it.
The knife he sharpens is a Spyderco in S30V. Although "Sharpmaker specific", there are also some informative aspects about sharpening in general.
As an aside, he has disappeared from the scene as sadly, he apparently was involved in some shady business practices.
That said, I believe you will find his sharpening skills impressive.
Hope you find it enjoyable, especially in the beginning when he prepares the knife for sharpening and at the end when he demonstrates the result.
LATER EDIT: I should have mentioned that you can see the result better if you go to "full screen".

OG

Thanks, OG. Great video.

 

[Prester John]

Thanks for the info OG, Thomas Turner were one of Sheffield's earliest cutlery firms It's a great-looking knife

Thanks for posting the video, I think it's quite legitimate Interesting technique

There are a ton of Sharpmaker videos online, but I thought I'd post a link to the one that comes with the device itself

Thanks, Jack.

 

[pjsjr]

One technique that helps me is to put permanent marker on the existing edge before I start to sharpen. After a few stokes you can see where you are taking metal off the edge and adjust from there.

 

[flatblackcapo]

I believe the one with the Golden Arches™ belongs to flatblackcapo .

Thank you my friend

Yes, of course!

Haha, thanks Barrett, that is indeed the one.
Also, thank you Jack for adding my name to the pic.

I always thought the best emergency ration was whisky?!

I'm with ya on that!

Thank you. Just when I think, "I've got a full set, no need to look for more." I see something like Jack's smooth bone version and think, "Well...if the next Guardian's knife is like that..."
I wouldn't blame Jack if he didn't want to go through all the trouble of doing another Guardian's knife, but a year goes by and one forgets the pain. That's why women ever have more than one child.

This made me laugh...and your flock pic made me smile. I love to see well used / loved Lambsfoot knives.

Wow, you Guardians are really posting some amazing pics, well done folks As well as my AC, I ended up taking Lucy to York with me, as she had stowed away in my pocket I think she (or I) may have been cursed by the BFO though! The rain had just dropped to a drizzle, and the sun was starting to poke through the clouds, when I took this pic in front of the ruins of St Mary's Abbey (goes back to about 1974 ). I was just taking a second pic, when a gust of wind, blew Lucy from her four foot high perch onto the stone flags below! But Lucy fell like a cat (or bat!), and survived without so much as a blemish! Phew! Perhaps she's still undead after all!

Just so you all know Lucy wasn't injured in her tumble

Reeeally good to see that Lucy is ok!

This one is from yesterday at work.

Today. Let the Patina begin!

 

[Half/Stop]

Half/Stop Your Ebony Lamb looks great with the polish.

A depiction of Jack Black inducting the newest Members into the Ancient Order of the Guardians of The Lambsfoot. (Jack is the one on the upper left).

Thanks Harvey, but this one is not Ebony! It’s Horn from the 2017 Guardians. It’s what we affectionately refer to as a “Midnight Special”, 1 of 5 produced. That’s a great picture. A unique way to display your beautiful Lambsfoot for sure!

The cool part about this thread growing so fast is I get an eyeful whenever I get to pop back in.

I’m carrying my rosewood today (again) and actually having a day off and getting to look at all these great images inspired me. Here’s some pics of my “collection”.

My ebony isn’t all black, but I think the stripe look is cool. I haven’t been able to sharpen the tip of my ironwood as was discussed 50(!) pages ago. But I love all these knives and, honestly, I’m gonna be getting one for a custom recover soon.

Joe

That’s a great family photo Joe!

Another for the Sharpmaker. It was all I used for a lot of years, not only at home but also on a lot of hunting and fishing trips. Use the flats only as r8shell has explained and you can't go wrong! I found that instead of ending each stroke at the bottom then lifting the blade off the rod to start another and counting that as one stroke, that I got the best results if I kept the blade in constant contact with the stone for both a down and up stroke, not lifting the blade off and counting that cycle as one stroke. If that makes any sense . PM me for a YouTube link if anyone is interested - after all, a sharp Lambsfoot is a happy Lambsfoot

I am aghast! The BFO curse seems to be far reaching! Have you considered carrying a bulb of garlic in your pocket?

"I don't care if it's cold outside! The rain has stopped and everyone is going outside for a picture!" (Sorry for the bad pic)
View attachment 1088156

A great group shot there OG!

 

[r8shell]

Mine sharpen great on an Arkansas stone. But I hear a lot of good things about the Sharpmaker. May have to check it out.

If you already have an Arkansas stone, the Sharpmaker may be superfluous Vince

I sharpen freehand on Arkansas and ceramic stones, but the Sharpmaker is useful for removing the last burr and finishing with a consistent angle. I use it for day to day maintenance, too. A few strokes on the fine rods before gong in the pocket in the morning prevents the knife from getting too dull. It's more of a "sharp keeper" than a "sharp maker"

Thank you for the good suggestion. I do struggle getting the proper angle right. I have a Sharpmaker. I look at it and it looks at me. That’s as far as we’ve gotten. I’m exaggerating, but just a little. I’ve considered getting a KO Work Sharp, because of it guide. I need to practice, I suppose, and not being afraid of damaging the knife.

If you get the KO Work Sharp, I recommend you not use it on your lambsfoot, at least until you've ground up a dozen dollar store kitchen knives first. It's basically a very small belt sander that I use for modifying and re-shaping badly damaged blades when I'm too impatient to do it by hand.

Today. Let the Patina begin!

Mmm...Patina!

 

[WhittlinAway]

I was traveling all last week. The Airbnb place we stayed in had a well stocked kitchen with a terribly dull knife. Fortunately a sharp lambsfoot was packed in my checked luggage. The result, a well-earned patina:

That's from onions, potatoes, sausage, kale, apples, and a lemon. It'll probably fade after oiling and return to normal routine, but wanted to capture and share it while it lasts.

Speaking of sharp lambs foot knives, it looks like there's been some discussion about sharpening going on while I've been away. Looking forward to catching up on that.

 

[Fodderwing]

Have a great Sunday Guardians.

 

[cigarrodog]

Have you watched the DVD which comes with it? The simplicity of use is the key to its success. You'll soon pick it up, try it out on an inexpensive knife as Vince suggests



Yes, I like the fact you can sharpen good carbon steel on just about anything

Thanks to you and to everyone who kindly took the time to encourage me. Thank you for the video.

RayseM I took it the way you meant it and laughed. Thank you for liking Uncle Albert. I’m rather fond of him myself.

OLd_gUY Thank you for the helpful video and for showing your Lamb again. I’m going to start on the cheaper knives as you and the others suggested.

Fodderwing Thank you Dwight.

pjsjr Thank you the great tip.

flatblackcapo I especially like the second image. Very nice.

Half/Stop Thank you. 1 of 5 in horn? Even sweeter.

r8shell Thank you for the good advice regarding the Work Sharp. Aesthetically, I’m drawn to old school stone sharpening. Once I know what I’m doing, the sharpening system that really appeals to me is Japanese Water Stone sharpening. But for now...Sharp Maker and a magic marker makes the most sense.

WhittlinAway That’s a fine looking patina.

Fodderwing Great mood and perfect lighting with all the wet.

 

[btb01]

There’s no way a Lambsfoot can look like !

Wanna bet?

 

[OLd_gUY]

Wanna bet?

That just might be the manifestation of Jack's BFO curse - "IT'S ALIVE!!"

 

[Half/Stop]

Wanna bet?

Barrett for some reason I had totally forgotten about this Bad Boy! Your right!

 

[Cutfinger]

Thanks to you and to everyone who kindly took the time to encourage me. Thank you for the video.

RayseM I took it the way you meant it and laughed. Thank you for liking Uncle Albert. I’m rather fond of him myself.

OLd_gUY Thank you for the helpful video and for showing your Lamb again. I’m going to start on the cheaper knives as you and the others suggested.

Fodderwing Thank you Dwight.

pjsjr Thank you the great tip.

flatblackcapo I especially like the second image. Very nice.

Half/Stop Thank you. 1 of 5 in horn? Even sweeter.

r8shell Thank you for the good advice regarding the Work Sharp. Aesthetically, I’m drawn to old school stone sharpening. Once I know what I’m doing, the sharpening system that really appeals to me is Japanese Water Stone sharpening. But for now...Sharp Maker and a magic marker makes the most sense.

WhittlinAway That’s a fine looking patina.

Fodderwing Great mood and perfect lighting with all the wet.

cigarrodog I love Japanese water stones for chisels and plane bits and many carbon steel pocket knives, but I have had the least success using them to sharpen A Wright blade steel. A good quality medium/fine aluminum oxide oil stone or Arkansas stones work extremely well.

I can't for the life of me, get a lambsfoot blade shaving sharp with my 200 1000 4000 grit water stones, and I'm not sure why. But give me a dull Lambsfoot and a medium/fine Norton India stone, and in a couple of minutes I can get it to shaving sharp.

Why? I'm not exactly sure. I think it's because the steel is 'moderately' soft, and that makes it a bad match for the soft bonded grit in water stones.....

Anybody know for sure?

Michael

 

[Jack Black]

One technique that helps me is to put permanent marker on the existing edge before I start to sharpen. After a few stokes you can see where you are taking metal off the edge and adjust from there.

I also find a strong magnifying glass useful, since (as the above technique also demonstrates) most of us tend to favour one hand. So, just going through a 'sharpen by numbers' process will lead to an uneven edge

Reeeally good to see that Lucy is ok!

This one is from yesterday at work.

Today. Let the Patina begin!

Thanks pal, couple of great pics there, I'm looking forward to seeing how the patina develops

I sharpen freehand on Arkansas and ceramic stones, but the Sharpmaker is useful for removing the last burr and finishing with a consistent angle. I use it for day to day maintenance, too. A few strokes on the fine rods before gong in the pocket in the morning prevents the knife from getting too dull. It's more of a "sharp keeper" than a "sharp maker"

If you get the KO Work Sharp, I recommend you not use it on your lambsfoot, at least until you've ground up a dozen dollar store kitchen knives first. It's basically a very small belt sander that I use for modifying and re-shaping badly damaged blades when I'm too impatient to do it by hand.

Mmm...Patina!

I got my Sharpmaker after losing my medium ceramic stone. I tried out a friend's first. I watched the video, but I used to lay the stones flat, and sharpen traditionally - you can do this by turning the whole gizmo over, and fitting two of the 'rods' into the two parallel 'troughs'. I also often just hold them in my hand to touch up an edge. I have the diamond stones too, which can used to re-profile, but I find them too coarse for ordinary use. I've been using strops a lot more recently, both loaded and unloaded, something I'd like to spend more time on. I do find the Sharpmaker very useful though, and once you get used to it (which doesn't take long), it's quick and easy to use. I've even used it for sharpening some surprisingly big blades

I was traveling all last week. The Airbnb place we stayed in had a well stocked kitchen with a terribly dull knife. Fortunately a sharp lambsfoot was packed in my checked luggage. The result, a well-earned patina:

That's from onions, potatoes, sausage, kale, apples, and a lemon. It'll probably fade after oiling and return to normal routine, but wanted to capture and share it while it lasts.

Speaking of sharp lambs foot knives, it looks like there's been some discussion about sharpening going on while I've been away. Looking forward to catching up on that.

Lambsfoot to the rescue! That's a great-looking patina Greg

Have a great Sunday Guardians.
View attachment 1088511

You too Dwight, superb pic, as always, my friend

Thanks to you and to everyone who kindly took the time to encourage me. Thank you for the video.

Good luck with it Harvey, I'm sure you'll soon consider sharpening as a pleasurable thing We are lucky to have some great sharpening experts among our regular posters here I'm certainly not one of them, I'm pretty pedestrian, but I think it's very much part and parcel of our hobby, and a skill we all need to know

Wanna bet?

Arghhhh! My eyes!!!!

That just might be the manifestation of Jack's BFO curse - "IT'S ALIVE!!"

cigarrodog I love Japanese water stones for chisels and plane bits and many carbon steel pocket knives, but I have had the least success using them to sharpen A Wright blade steel. A good quality medium/fine aluminum oxide oil stone or Arkansas stones work extremely well.

I can't for the life of me, get a lambsfoot blade shaving sharp with my 200 1000 4000 grit water stones, and I'm not sure why. But give me a dull Lambsfoot and a medium/fine Norton India stone, and in a couple of minutes I can get it to shaving sharp.

Why? I'm not exactly sure. I think it's because the steel is 'moderately' soft, and that makes it a bad match for the soft bonded grit in water stones.....

Anybody know for sure?

Michael

That's fascinating Michael

Morning Guardians, I hope everyone is having a pleasant weekend Pretty miserable weather here again today, and since I've got plenty to do indoors, ordinarily I'd be more than happy to stay in. I've been walking 5 miles a day though (Day 54 today), so I'm going to have to find somewhere to go to at some point! Going to need a raincoat by the look of it Hope everyone has a lovely Sunday I think I'm going to hang out with Lucy again today

 

[WDJ]

I also find a strong magnifying glass useful, since (as the above technique also demonstrates) most of us tend to favour one hand. So, just going through a 'sharpen by numbers' process will lead to an uneven edge

With the Sharpmaker I find I get better results by clamping it down to the bench and then using two hands to hold the knife.

 

[Jack Black]

With the Sharpmaker I find I get better results by clamping it down to the bench and then using two hands to hold the knife.

Yes, I think it is definitely better to fix the base in place (though I only hold the knife with one hand, myself)

 

[WDJ]

Have been thinking and apologies if this is been discussed before, but do any other makers produce knives with lambsfoot blades? I have a GEC with a sheepfoot blade, but have GEC, Case or Boker ever made a lambsfoot blade?

 

[Jack Black]

Have been thinking and apologies if this is been discussed before, but do any other makers produce knives with lambsfoot blades? I have a GEC with a sheepfoot blade, but have GEC, Case or Boker ever made a lambsfoot blade?

You probably need to have a good read through the thread Wayne (the thread index is very helpful) US companies Schrade and Outdoor Edge have these knives made in China, the former is the Landshark and is referenced in the thread index. The Outdoor Edge knife has parallel edges.

(I have both, but have lazily filched the images )

Charlie @waynorth has been petitioning GEC for some years, to get a Lambsfoot made in the US, and hopefully we may see one later in the year