What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

[burnside]

I managed to scoop this little gem off the classifieds last week. I like it much more than I expected, and I can see that it will be giving my other Charlows some competition for pocket time.

 

[cards94]

this is my only barlow
but you know what? For the $12 i payed for it i can hardly complain

no gaps, well centered, easy/smooth pull...and matchstrike nail nicks
Heck, i even think the bone handles are pretty sweet.

its a shame, i cant struggle finding buck/case/gec knives as well put together as this little rough rider
3 3/8" and the swell on the end fits my hand perfectly! The only complaint i have is, given a choice i would like a better steel (440A) and i wish it was american made. But i just dont know that i could find an american made knife near as good at 4-5X the price. That makes me both sad and makes me snicker a little at the same time. What are you going to do...

that rr looks great. i wish there was a movement to start up to bring more hands on work back to the States at affordable prices. i'm always in a state of shock if i see anything taken off the shelf these days that are made in the US.

 

[waynorth]

So, Dan!! I am waiting to see that Painting!!
Oh, and your ACV patina!!

Jack, I like your posting of pics without words!! Keeps me in focus!!

 

[shrapne1]

such a beautiful knife burnside, while i admire your knife, i have to be honest and say that i am a bit jealous that i cant seem to get my hands on one :-\

 

[shrapne1]

duplicate post

 

[Jack Black]

Jack, I like your posting of pics without words!! Keeps me in focus!!

Thanks Charlie, I'm sure folks are glad for me to stop my yammerin' once in a while!

That last one is taken in front of the remains of some ancient Sheffield tilt hammers. This is looking down the Porter Valley, which was once lined with water-driven cutlery workshops, with Sheffield in the distance. I'll shut up now!

 

[burnside]

such a beautiful knife burnside, while i admire your knife, i have to be honest and say that i am a bit jealous that i cant seem to get my hands on one :-\

Thanks shrapne1! You just have to be diligent in checking the classifieds as often as you possibly can. They come up for sale once in a while, and they get snatched up immediately. I picked this inside/out 'soup bone' Charlow last week on the classifieds, but I would check periodically throughout the day every day before I scored it. There is another pattern that I'm constantly checking the classifieds for and it is probably even more rare than the spearpoint charlows.

This soup bone single spearpoint is definitely my new favorite Charlow. As soon as it arrived yesterday it went straight into my pocket, and it's probably going to remain there for a while. The straight lines of the frame and single blade, along with the imperfections in the covers, all add up to create character which, in my opinion, makes this knife just about perfect. I find it to have 'Wabi Sabi', or simply put, imperfect perfection.

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Charlie, I'm going to do my best with my iPhone or iPod. Seems all I do in the evenings is walk my youngest pup and watch season 3 of Walking Dead on DVD. I have the Charlow in my pocket most of the time, and the painting close to my charging cord, really no excuse .

 

[johnny twoshoes]

I sat in my truck as the summer's rain fell softly against the windshield.
I took a sigh of relief as I dug into my watch pocket for my newest companion, a red bone charlow.

I only received this new knife a couple of days ago, but there is a connection that was almost immediate. This knife has a classic feel, one that brings back memories to be reminisced and it also invokes the desire to start off on new adventures and to make more of those sacred memories. I pondered the history of the barlow knife and just how it has lived so long with such a strong following. Was it in the hands of a farmer busy toiling in his field, or maybe in the slacks of a well to do office man? I imagine the barlow has found itself in just about every situation.

I can remember walking through the flea market with my Grandfather and as we passed the tables I could always find the same knife. Two carbon blades almost black from use, and a handle made of some kind of plastic. The thin steel bolsters all read "barlow". Those old barlow knives have never escaped my memory, they hold a place for all good memories and that's what a barlow knife is for me.

 

[waynorth]

I hope your adventures bring you delight and happiness, J2S!!

Your story from the seat of your truck brought back a memory for me too:
about how tardy I am in thanking one of our finest denizens here for a knife!!

Mr.bad_example (sp?) has gone and given us a good example of how things work in this folksy place. Feeling that this Barlow needed a home with its bretheren, he gifted it to me, after meeting me at the rendezvous!
It looks surprisingly like the image you created in my mind, J2S, when you and your grandfather were walking through the fleamarket!!
[J2S quote]Two carbon blades almost black from use, and a handle made of some kind of plastic. The thin steel bolsters all read "barlow".[end quote]

A sheepfoot is always welcome in the Barlow Archive - Thanks Brian!!
I owned its clip-bladed brother many years ago, and after putting a razor sharp edge on it, I gave it to a carpenter who was working for me.
The must be my knife-karma!

Thanks for the poetic, inspiring post, J2S!
BTW, a little birdie told me you were at GEC shopping recently! What did you buy?

 

[waynorth]

Cool Wabi Sabi, burnside!! That's a nice subtle one!!

 

[csisland]

i'm just not good at taking pictures but here's my first barlow and first gec. feels great in the hand, looks great to me, and i love the quality all around. i will definitely be doing some more shopping with gec.

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[burnside]

Cool Wabi Sabi, burnside!! That's a nice subtle one!!

Thanks Charlie! These inside/out charlows were a great idea! Thanks for making it happen :thumbup:

The soup bone covers on mine seem to almost glow in certain light. I seem to have more of an affinity for this one out of all the Charlows I've handled so far.

 

[waynorth]

Nice tomato, csisland!!
(the knife is all right, too!)

 

[jon_slider]

Another thing that makes a good traditional Barlow is a ring or a Bar_Low on the bolster. A Bar_Low is also one of the 5 things needed for this picnic pic:

 

[silenthunterstudios]

I won this painting in a contest here some time ago. Bad iPod photo and first time using Tapatalk. Safari wouldn't work on my iPhone when uploading pics .

 

[Jack Black]

Cool painting Dan

 

[waynorth]

Thanks, Dan!! That is a great painting. I wonder if the artist would mind a few prints?? Maybe with a royalty! Hint, hint!!

 

[mr_badexample]

I hope your adventures bring you delight and happiness, J2S!!

Your story from the seat of your truck brought back a memory for me too:
about how tardy I am in thanking one of our finest denizens here for a knife!!

Mr.bad_example (sp?) has gone and given us a good example of how things work in this folksy place. Feeling that this Barlow needed a home with its bretheren, he gifted it to me, after meeting me at the rendezvous!
It looks surprisingly like the image you created in my mind, J2S, when you and your grandfather were walking through the fleamarket!!
[J2S quote]Two carbon blades almost black from use, and a handle made of some kind of plastic. The thin steel bolsters all read "barlow".[end quote]

A sheepfoot is always welcome in the Barlow Archive - Thanks Brian!!
I owned its clip-bladed brother many years ago, and after putting a razor sharp edge on it, I gave it to a carpenter who was working for me.
The must be my knife-karma.

Glad you like it Charlie. The barlow is one that evokes a lot of memories for me too. My father is an electrician and had many of them over the years. When I showed him the one you generously gifted me in return he exclaimed "it even looks like a Barlow!" I tried to give it to him but he refused because it was gifted to me. I hope to give him one of my clip points instead.

So here it is as promised. Thanks Charlie!

 

[waynorth]

It looks great Blued, Brian!!
A step up from Tea or Vinegar, it should perform well.
Nice going!!