What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

[Jack Black]

NY Knife - 3 Barlows!
I took these pieces for a knifemaker, and thought they would make a nice inclusion in this thread!!View attachment 1576139View attachment 1576140View attachment 1576141View attachment 1576142View attachment 1576143View attachment 1576145
This one along with the progeny TC is the one used to model the GEC production!! Barlow Brothers!! Of course that's old Boiley in there, further customized with silver ink by yours truly!!
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Very cool Charlie, and it's always great to see OB

 

[bigfish64]

This isn’t the knife I started cutting this apple with this morning, I just thought it would make a nice picture. I did finish the apple with the barlow for authenticity purposes.

 

[JohnDF]

That's a winner with its stamped bolster and yellow Delrin.

 

[bigfish64]

That's a winner with its stamped bolster and yellow Delrin.

It’s the only CV Case Barlow I have. If the opportunity to pick up another comes up I’m going to take it! Assuming, of course, it doesn’t cost an and a !

 

[euroken]

No broken spring....yet...

 

[pmek5]

This one sits in a dark space all the time. Needs more light.

 

[euroken]

This one sits in a dark space all the time. Needs more light.

Yes indeed...

 

[waynorth]

Love those NYK Barlows Charlie!!


Couple of Case Tested.

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Wonderful Case Testeds, John!! I swear, the knife companies swept the floor once a week, and whatever they found, they used for handles on Barlows!!
Yet they are beautiful to my eye!! Real cutlers' Art!!

 

[waynorth]

This one sits in a dark space all the time. Needs more light.

Yes indeed...

Nice Winterbottom handles guys!! There have been some amazing handles from Winterbottom over the years!!

Speaking of handles, I am usually a fan of natural handle material, so when the 2017 BF knife came out with a micarta, I asked Evan to rehandle mine!! I told him I coudn't Bear to have anything synthetic (not always true) on a TC!! He found some Stag that worked really well!! It even has hints of other handles I have!! It alludes to Soup bone somewhat, yet remains beautiful!!

 

[euroken]

Nice Winterbottom handles guys!! There have been some amazing handles from Winterbottom over the years!!

Speaking of handles, I am usually a fan of natural handle material, so when the 2017 BF knife came out with a micarta, I asked Evan to rehandle mine!! I told him I coudn't Bear to have anything synthetic (not always true) on a TC!! He found some Stag that worked really well!! It even has hints of other handles I have!! It alludes to Soup bone somewhat, yet remains beautiful!!View attachment 1576698View attachment 1576699View attachment 1576700

That is beautiful!!!

 

[waynorth]

That is beautiful!!!

Thanks, Ken!!

 

[Âchillepattada]

Nice Winterbottom handles guys!! There have been some amazing handles from Winterbottom over the years!!

Speaking of handles, I am usually a fan of natural handle material, so when the 2017 BF knife came out with a micarta, I asked Evan to rehandle mine!! I told him I coudn't Bear to have anything synthetic (not always true) on a TC!! He found some Stag that worked really well!! It even has hints of other handles I have!! It alludes to Soup bone somewhat, yet remains beautiful!!View attachment 1576698

You're right Charlie your rehandled Barlow is great ! And stag works well with your Barlows

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[waynorth]

You're right Charlie your rehandled Barlow is great ! And stag works well with your Barlows!

Thanks J-M!! Nice one you have also!! Too bad Bill would only do the third-cut version!!
Still, they have their own character!!

 

[euroken]

Thanks J-M!! Nice one you have also!! Too bad Bill would only do the third-cut version!!
Still, they have their own character!!
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waynorth , oh man, those are incredible!!!

 

[waynorth]

waynorth , oh man, those are incredible!!!

Thanks, Ken!! I agree 100%!!

 

[Codger_64]

The mail lady delivered my Kwik Kut Barlow Friday and I have given it a pretty close look. Still dirty, uncleaned and unpolished, mostly looking at construction and fit.

The blades both have sharpening wear, deep scratches but no bad rust. The pen blade has a very definite flat half-stop tang which would work quite well in a game of mumble the peg or tossed in baseball. But the master blade does not, just eccentric rounded until the final flat that meets the spring when fully opened.

Finishing steps were omitted as a cost saving measure. While materials are mostly the same as more expensive Camillus patterns of the era, the KK Barlow does not have sunken joint. Nor is the back finished flush. I don't expect that the mark side of either blade was originally crocus polished. The linings are steel rather than brass. Whether as a cost cutting measure or because of wartime strategic metals restrictions on brass.

One oddity I noticed was that the bolsters are not the same. Mark side is stamped "Kwik Kut" over "Barlow" and the pile side is stamped only "Kwik Kut"; Usually one bolster is produced and used on both sides of a Barlow.

Interesting to see how they met the low price point (.25 cents at a time when .30 cents was an hour's wage), and still produce a usable knife.





Now where is that Fulton Barlow?

 

[Markeologist]

 

[tmd_87]

 

[Pt-Luso]

 

[mrknife]

View attachment 1577641

custom bolster or ... ?