Interrupting Stan Shaw's Marmalade Sandwich

Nice thread bump Chuko, beautiful examples you showed.

Thanks for the recent additions to this thread Jack! It was nice to get lost for a bit perusing all of the workshop and museum photos.
 
Campbellclanman said:
Thank you Jack my friend.
13 hours flying - we have arrived in Beautiful Vancouver.
Just lying down for a wee while lol. Been awake for 29 hours - but we will have a wonder around before we collapse.

Just about to unpack my TC Clip point - good Ol Flat Belly. The very same knife that Stan was photographed holding. 👍
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That is SOME flight Duncan! :eek: Hope you're soon rested, and able to see the sights. I'm sure that it'll be the trip of a lifetime my friend, and I'm glad that along with Sue, Ol' Flat Belly could accompany you, That's one well-travelled knife! :D :thumbup:

Duncan, I gave Stan your best. I didn't take any photos of him working today, as by the time I arrived at his workshop, he was sitting down to his lunchtime sandwich. He was having a break from his usual marmalade, and had blackcurrant jam (jelly) today. Also, he had another gentleman visiting him.

Stan had been doing some work on his granddaughter's Hallamshire Knife, and he had brought in the original, the knife pictured in some of the photos above, for comparison. It looked pretty fabulous. He was also still working on some Sheepsfoot knives in stag, and also showed me the parts he had cut out for a Whittler he was making to order, which will have tortoise-shell covers, with gold leaf behind, and solid silver bolsters. I'm hoping I get a chance to see that one when it is finished.

I asked Stan about the shells, and he said they were too thin to use, so he had put them there so visitors to the museum could see the sort of materials Sheffield cutlers worked with. The ivory item is actually an antique crocodile, and the part which can be seen in the photograph is the tail. Stan cuts everything, including MOP, with a hacksaw.

We got to talking about tortoise-shell, which of course is actually the shell of the sea-turtle, and I asked Stan about working it. He told me that after boiling, it becomes pliable, "like rubber", so that the scales can then be flattened or shaped. Stan said that ivory is the same when it is boiled. I had a nice thick ivory page-turner for him, and he reckoned that he could cover quite a few knives from it, more than I had expected.
 
sitflyer said:
Thanks for the recent additions to this thread Jack! It was nice to get lost for a bit perusing all of the workshop and museum photos.
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A pleasure my friend, nice to see you here :) :thumbup:
 
Here's a link to a Stan Shaw thread I posted a couple of months back: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1436014-Stan-Shaw-Gets-His-First-Penknife



And a link to some pics of my Stan Shaw Lambsfoot in the Lambsfoot thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...ans-of-The-Lambsfoot!?p=16611533#post16611533

I had lunch with Stan at the beginning of last week, and managed to take a few pics of Stan and his workshop :thumbup:

























Personally, I find the last photo of a selection of Stan's archaic Sheffield tools particularly interesting. The tool at the rear of the photo is Stan's Burnisher, then there are several Two-legged Parser bits. Stan referred to the other tool as a Thread, but I'm not sure if he was talking about the whole tool or just the wheel, which he uses to apply the thread to bolsters, like on my Sheepsfoot below. He also has a similar tool for coining liners, like on my Lambsfoot seen in the link above :thumbup:



The marmalade was an early birthday present. Stan is 90 on December 2nd :)
 
Thanks Jack
Its always interesting to see how other makers work and the tools they use.
Great photos, cheers!

Paul
 
I just LOVE this Jack.
Thank you for sharing these awesome photos mate.

There's those massive parts of Ivory on the Window sill still 👍
 
Great stuff, Jack. Thanks for posting it and an (early) Happy Birthday to Stan!

Andrew
 
Riveting photos, Jack. I thought we might be in for a treat, when you mentioned you were dropping in to see Stan again.

What a pleasure to go through this thread again. Personally, I can never get enough of these photos of Stan at work, and his tools and workspace.

I'm guessing that his heat treating is done at his other workshop? From what I understand, it's an extremely exacting process regarding timing and judgement of temperature holds and soaks, all of which can have an invisible influence on the steels microstructure, that can be the difference between the work of a master and a lesser, but still acceptable piece. I suppose that might be a process best performed without outside interruptions...

The traditional makers I saw in Japan would often knock off early the day before their heat treating day, and go down to the local bathhouse, to have a good soak and relax, and get a good nights sleep to ensure their minds would be focussed for the day ahead.

I can't picture Stan taking too much time off, but I'm fascinated by the knowledge he must have, that puts him in an unbroken line of centuries worth of knife and toolmaking wisdom and experience.

I'm also curious as to whether Stan did much jigging of bone hafts in the past? The breadth of skills he has is quite amazing. The demand for, and price of his work now seems to mitigate against anything but sambar antler, exotic timbers, and other precious natural substances as cover materials.

Jigging styles and patterns seem to very much be one of the 'dark arts' of traditional knifemaking - at least its one of the areas that GEC seem to guard quite vigilantly.

Thanks for taking the time to bring us with you again.
 
Thanks guys, I must try and restore some of the earlier photographs to this thread :thumbup:

Paul - Glad you like the pics mate, I took the ones of Stan's tools and bench with you, and our other knifemakers, in mind :thumbup:

Duncan - I think Stan avoids cutting the big pieces of ivory oif he can. Customers often supply the cover materials, and I have also slipped him a couple of smaller pieces :)

Chin - Next door to Stan's workshop at the museum is the workshop of Peter Goss, surgical instrument maker. Pete has been down at the museum even longer than Stan, about 30 years I think. These days, Stan usually does his heat-treatment in Pete's workshop. Pete is mentioned in this interesting piece on hand-forging by Geoff Tweedale - http://contrib2.wkfinetools.com/twe...g-pdf/TWEEDALE-SkilsOfSheffieldHandForger.pdf

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(I do have some photos of Pete, but this is taken from the internet)

There's also an interesting section on heat-treatment in Sheffield in one of the books I listed in the Lambsfoot thread the other day, On The Knife Edge: The Inside Story of the Sheffield Cutlery Industry, Clare Jenkins and Stephen McClarence, Sheffield Libraries and Information Service, 1989.

Stan only works two days a week at the museum, but he gets there at 7.00am, so that he "can get some bloody work done" before the museum opens at 10.00am, and soon after he has people 'gawping' at his window! :D I'll have to ask Stan about the jigging, I'm not sure actually.
 
Jack Black said:
Thanks guys, I must try and restore some of the earlier photographs to this thread :thumbup:
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If you had time to do that, these pieces form great reference material.

Chin - Next door to Stan's workshop at the museum is the workshop of Peter Goss, surgical instrument maker. Pete has been down at the museum even longer than Stan, about 30 years I think. These days, Stan usually does his heat-treatment in Pete's workshop. Pete is mentioned in this interesting piece on hand-forging by Geoff Tweedale - http://contrib2.wkfinetools.com/twe...g-pdf/TWEEDALE-SkilsOfSheffieldHandForger.pdf

I'll have to ask Stan about the jigging, I'm not sure actually.
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Thanks, excellent article on Sheffield forgers that, well worth the read - not only for Peter Goss's story but for introducing Ibberson's Master Forger, Ted Swinden to me as well.

I hope you dont mind me reproducing a bit here that references Stan.

The author is talking about a film Billy Ibberson commissioned on the advent of becoming Master Cutler of the Guild, and how it shows Ted Swinden hand forging (apparently he could complete two gross of blades a day - amazing).

 
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I posted this in The Lounge earlier, and thought I'd add the news to this long-running thread :)

Jack Black said:
I've just had a nice phone-call from Stan Shaw. Stan not only celebrated his 90th birthday in December, but he was awarded a prestigious MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Stan must be one of the most down-to-earth gentlemen ever to be awarded the medal, but he certainly deserves it in my book. Stan is chuffed, and what a great end to his 90th year :) :thumbup:

I was hoping to meet him for lunch tomorrow as I am in Sheffield anyway, and had been intending to phone him tonight, but it sounds like his first day back at work after his Christmas break is going to be a busy one, with the press and paparazzi dropping in on him! :)

Congratulations Stan Shaw MBE :) :) :)
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While having a look online to see the reports in the Sheffield newspaper, I came across this interview with Stan, along with four videos :thumbup:

http://www.mylearning.org/metalwork-in-sheffield-/p-833/
 
Awesome, Jack! I watched two videos so far - what a treasure Stan is! It's a shame all that knowledge and skill will be lost
 
Can't wait to be able to watch the videos, Jack! Thank you for posting, and a HUGE congrats to Mr. Stan Shaw!
 
I just showed Sue the photo of Stan holding Jacks great knife, Sue immediately smiled and commented on just how lovely Stan is- and he is.
 
Great thread and pictures, thanks Jack!!!

90 years old, still working, and given a prestigious award. Way to go Stan in setting the bar pretty darn high. :)
 
My newest Stan Shaw. I don't have the knife with me right now, but I think it is marked SS-54. John will bring it to me tomorrow and I will correct if I'm wrong. Beautiful knife!
I have it back now and it is SS-57. Some of his early work.
Charles
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