I*XL Barlows

btmccutcheon

btmccutcheon

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Jul 10, 2013
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Since I first saw an I*XL Barlow posted here in Charlie's thread on What Makes a Good Barlow, I've wanted one. Recently, I've been fortunate enough to acquire three. However, though they all share an I*XL George Wostenholm Sheffield England tang stamp, an I*XL bolster stamp, and a similar pinning pattern, they each seem "different" from the others. I've been trying to find some good information on them in searches, but the people here on the porch seem to have more insight and knowledge than Mr Levine himself could ever put in another book.

So here's what I'm looking for in hopes that it can help me and some other collectors out there: I know they all say "Sheffield" but were they made there, or were they contracted? If contracted, by who? Possible year made? Materials? Anything you can see really.

I'll refer to them as A, B, and C respectively from left to right in the picture below.

A = Stag with clip main blade
B = Jigged bone (maybe delrin) with spear main blade
C = Wood with single clip blade



"A" seems much newer than the other two with a bolster that is not rounded as the others are. Additionally the bolster has a yellow tint to the metal like what I've seen on RR barlows. It's just not as "white" a metal as I'm used to seeing in American and European made knives. It has a couple of hairline gaps at the springs, pull on main is about a 7 and pen is at least an 8. Not perfectly centered, and no half stops.




"B" seems the oldest, or at least the most carried as the blades though retaining most of of their steel are heavily scarred with scratches and the bolster stamp is almost worn away. I can see scratches in the covers but not pores, however the covers seem to be hard like bone. Gaps abound between liners and springs, but are not much more than hairlines. Pull on main is about a 6, with the pen a 7. Again, no half stops. Blades are carbon with the classic "OIL THE JOINTS" stamped on the pile side.




"C" has been carried, but I don't think for long. Though it has a few minor external scratches, I don't think it has ever seen a stone outside of the factory where it was made. Still sharp, but no scratches and a very uniform edge. I suspect the owner didn't want to fight with an about an 8 pull. This one slams closed like a bear trap. Again, no half stops. No stamp on the pile side of the blade. Gaps like the others, and blade is almost centered. I can't tell what the wood is, but I'm guessing walnut.




There you have it folks. Three I*XL Barlows with gaps, similar pin patterns, and very strong pulls. Very similar, but seemingly very different to me. Let me know what you think or know. And share your own pictures if you have them.



Thank you for your time and please forgive my lack of photography skills.
 
Like you, I too wanted an IXL barlow after seeing one posted here n these forums. Found one just like your stag one. Pulls in the 7 and 8 scale, with a bear trap closing snap.
I do not know anything about the knives though.
 
Morning fellers, I'm out and about with me my wee IPad at the moment, but thought I'd contribute. All the knives were made in Sheffield. A and C I think would have been made after the Wostenholm marks were acquired by the Eggington Group (the pattern is still made by them - they tend to subcontract to self-employed Sheffield cutlers), A is the most recent. Rosewood is commonly used for covers in Sheffield, and I would think that is what C has. I agree C is older, but not of any great age I don't think. Nice knives gents. I'll try to check in later when I can get a better look at the pics on my PC :thumbup:
 
Once again, nice finds :thumbup: Wostenholm Barlows have been produced for a long time, and I think were always primarily intended for export, I never come across old ones here at all. They are still produced by the Eggington Group, who ended up acquiring many of the prestigious old Sheffield trade marks including Rodgers, Wostenholm and Ibberson. They still produce Barlows like A, either with the IXL bolster or with a Joseph Rodgers bolster, the knives being otherwise the same. Sometimes they come in a box with a small sharpening steel. Is C stainless? While it is older than A, I think it is probably still an Eggington knife, though possibly one produced in the Rodgers-Wostenholm days, when these companies were effectively near their end, and were eventually acquired by Imperial-Schrade. If the covers of B are synthetic, my guess would also be that it was from the 70's or early 1980's, and if they are bone, I'd still also be inclined to think it was from that period (70's), but possibly a little earlier. Very interesting to see these :thumbup:
 
Thanks, Jack! I was hoping to get a response from you. I saw where you said in reference to "C" that Sheffield cutlers tent to use rosewood and I was thinking along those lines myself, however the wood is considerably darker than any of the rosewood covered knives I have. It just looked closer to walnut to me, but then again I'm not very wood literate. As for "C"'s blade, I'm thinking it is stainless as I don't see a blemish on it.

I'm assuming "A" has bolsters made of nickel silver which is why the yellow tint. I was just reading where nickel silver is considered as a subset of brass which seems to make sense to me considering the alloy components are similar.
 
I'm not great with wood, and you'd be best placed to tell, but I have seen darker rosewood than even that on Sheffield knives :thumbup:

If C is stainless, it would fit with the time period I'd suggested. Of the remaining 'larger' Sheffield cutlers, I think only Arthur Wright are still using carbon steel for most of their blades.

Sorry, I meant to mention the colour. Yes, I don't think nickel silver actually has much silver in it, and has been called various things in the past, such as 'white brass' for example. There is definitely more 'yellow' to the Sheffield bolsters than to US ones I think, probably different grades of nickel silver :thumbup:
 
Jack since we're on the subject I have a couple of questions. As you know I am obsessed with Barlows and in my quest to purchase them I have come across several IXL Wostenholm Barlows that were manufactured in Japan. I have also found several marked Schrade IXL Wostenholm can anyone enlighten me on these. By the way nice knives guy's.
 
r redden said:
Jack since we're on the subject I have a couple of questions. As you know I am obsessed with Barlows and in my quest to purchase them I have come across several IXL Wostenholm Barlows that were manufactured in Japan. I have also found several marked Schrade IXL Wostenholm can anyone enlighten me on these. By the way nice knives guy's.
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I'd forgotten about those Japan-made Barlows Randy, that was before the Eggington Group bought the name (1986), when it was 'rented' by Jim Parker. Quite collectible now I believe, but I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking it absolutely outrageous that 'Wostenholm' knives were ever made in Japan! :mad: Imperial-Schrade had bought the Rodgers-Wostenholm-Richards companies, and produced a number of knives with the Schrade-IXL mark at the beginning of the 1980's (I think my most recent post about them is in the Schrade forum). I don't think a Barlow was produced as part of that range though (but IXL-Wostenholm Barlows continued to be produced during the period Schrade-Imperial owned them, so perhaps like the others, they were intended solely for the US market), so maybe they are from the Jim Parker period.
 
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Great Barlows, btm. And great information, Jack. Here's my contribution which I got from Bob on the exchange.

Any idea on a date range, Jack?


 
That's a nice one Dean, I'd say older than the others, but they made that pattern a long time. The nicely stamped bolster might be comparable to a catalogue pic, but may only pin it to a decade or two (sorry, late here, I'll try and investigate more tomorrow).

Here's mine from Charlie :)

 
That's a very nice compliment Dean, I'd say yours is older. Real nice :) :thumbup:
 
Here's my only one. She ain't much but I love her!


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20160817_200641_zps0tk3hgjb.jpg
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btmccutcheon said:
Since I first saw an I*XL Barlow posted here in Charlie's thread on What Makes a Good Barlow, I've wanted one. Recently, I've been fortunate enough to acquire three. However, though they all share an I*XL George Wostenholm Sheffield England tang stamp, an I*XL bolster stamp, and a similar pinning pattern, they each seem "different" from the others. I've been trying to find some good information on them in searches, but the people here on the porch seem to have more insight and knowledge than Mr Levine himself could ever put in another book.

So here's what I'm looking for in hopes that it can help me and some other collectors out there: I know they all say "Sheffield" but were they made there, or were they contracted? If contracted, by who? Possible year made? Materials? Anything you can see really.

I'll refer to them as A, B, and C respectively from left to right in the picture below.

A = Stag with clip main blade
B = Jigged bone (maybe delrin) with spear main blade
C = Wood with single clip blade
There you have it folks. Three I*XL Barlows with gaps, similar pin patterns, and very strong pulls. Very similar, but seemingly very different to me. Let me know what you think or know. And share your own pictures if you have them.



Thank you for your time and please forgive my lack of photography skills.
Click to expand...

All 3 are very nice looking barrows BTM !!! Similar pin placements but the 2 on the right are different than the one on the left. Thanks for the great posting and comparisons.

Harry
 
RDaneel said:
Great Barlows, btm. And great information, Jack. Here's my contribution which I got from Bob on the exchange.

Any idea on a date range, Jack?


Click to expand...

Certainly one of the nicest looking I*XL Barlows that I can remember Dean !!!! I like them OLD . Curious as to whether it has integral bolsters ????

Harry
 
Nice examples everyone, Wostenholm knives are hard to date, I have read that the "Oil The Joints" stamp was used 1940's and 50's but that may just be a guess. As Jack stated B is the oldest of the 3, hammered pins are a quick give away that the knife has some age. I'm pretty sure the stag knives pictured came from the late 70's early 80's, I have a couple with their original box.
Few I own, the jigged bone example has some of the best bone jigging I have in the collection.

IMG_3433_zpse3qqz5ks.jpg


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IMG_3163_zpsbjtc7l6y.jpg
 
They did John. I bought one new in '79 or '80. As said before it is a bear trap. Strongest knife per size I have ever owned.

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