What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

[Jack Black]

 

[Campbellclanman]

Great pics Duncan :thumbup:

Thank you Jack!

Clansman....That pic of Glen Coe,just wreaks!! of the good stuff my friend and im sure you had a quiet moment to contemplate your lineage...Excellent pic bro!............FES

Thanks Cossack - To be honest my friend, I had a few very deep moments in the Highlands, I will be back there for more time.

 

[Hammer67]

This pic cracks me up every time I see it. Well done, Duncan:

Popped into my good mate Robbins place for a cuppa, he's showing me his favourite knife...

 

[Jack Black]

 

[waynorth]

Nice Barlow adverts, Jack!
"Don't Let Your Boy Grow Up All Thumbs" is cool advertising, gets right to the heart of education. Nowadays of course it would be Kids or some other term that would include Girls! If indeed we were enlightened . . .sigh . . . .

 

[Jack Black]

Nice Barlow adverts, Jack!
"Don't Let Your Boy Grow Up All Thumbs" is cool advertising, gets right to the heart of education. Nowadays of course it would be Kids or some other term that would include Girls! If indeed we were enlightened . . .sigh . . . .

Thanks Charlie. A quick image search found plenty of examples of the sort of knife advertising that's aimed at kids today, certainly over here in the UK. I'll not sully this thread by posting examples!

 

[JSCHENK]

I've been looking for something interesting to put on the next batch.[/QUOTE]

Charlie,
Been thinking of this...just some ideas, obviously you'll know more what your looking for. Some of my thoughts were, smooth rams horn, or snake wood. Maybe Canadian moose antler or something stag like, some of GEC's earlier 72's were dyed stag, I believe, and think would look really neat, whether historically accurate, I'm not sure, but then again these Charlow knives are kinda making history.

 

[pertinux]

I've been looking for something interesting to put on the next batch.

Iron!

~ P.

 

[cards94]

is there a projected time frame on a release of the next batch of barlows?

 

[puukkoman]

Holy cow, that's cool! Thanks for digging up those pics, Sarah - and thanks for posting them, Charlie. Don't know how I missed that iron-covered barlow before, but it sure is neat! :thumbup:

 

[pertinux]

Holy cow, that's cool! Thanks for digging up those pics, Sarah - and thanks for posting them, Charlie. Don't know how I missed that iron-covered barlow before, but it sure is neat! :thumbup:

The barlow is a four-piece construction: two sides complete, a spring, and the blade. A model of efficiency.

(Also very cool. )

~ P.

 

[waynorth]

"A model of efficiency.

(Also very cool. )

~ P."

That Iron Barlow is also completely recycleable (sp?).

As Green as it gets!

 

[silenthunterstudios]

Very cool advertisements, thanks for sharing.

I would like to see some barlows with wharncliff secondaries, ala the Queen small Dan Burke. Maybe even coping blades instead of pen blades, if possible (I really like my pen blades though, just something to switch it up).

 

[Jack Black]

Very cool advertisements, thanks for sharing.

My pleasure Dan :thumbup:

 

[arizonaranchman]

For that matter while talking of the next batch of Charlows, can we have a single blade Warnie? I've really grown to like this blade but do not yet have one. Or a two-blade Charlow with a Warnie and a coping blade as secondary??

Oh and in Blood Red bone scales?

 

[cards94]

For that matter while talking of the next batch of Charlows, can we have a single blade Warnie? I've really grown to like this blade but do not yet have one. Or a two-blade Charlow with a Warnie and a coping blade as secondary??

Oh and in Blood Red bone scales?

i wouldn't mind having one of those wharnie/coping blade combos with a sawcut handle.

 

[jon_slider]

A good traditional barlow has flush back springs.

Here are the results of lowering the kick on my Single Sheepfoot Gunstock Charlow, next to an unmodified 2 blade Sheepfoot Charlow. I had discovered that by squeezing the spine of the blade, it could fit lower into the handle pocket. I suspected lowering the kick would also lower the back spring, when closed. This is correct. I was able to lower the main blade by 1/8", measured from the blade spine to the handle at the tallest point on the blade.

I guesstimate the back spring is now 1/32" lower. I am happy with the modification. It proves to me that the Sheepfoot blade can be lowered by 1/8" while still leaving about 3/32" of free pocket, as determined by pressing on the spine of the blade after the kick was lowered. There is also a lot of handle room to drop a spearpoint or clip point lower as well. My guess is there is an unused 1/4" of space below the edge of the blade when a Charlow is closed, regardless which blade type.

comparison of stock Spear and dropkicked Sheep Charlows

In the following photos see an unmodified Sheepfoot with the spine of the blade leaning against the frame of an unmodified Spear point Charlow. And then a dropkicked Sheepfoot against the frame of an unmodified Spear point. afaict the Sheepfoot blades are set higher than the Spearpoints. On the gunstock sheep foot with the dropped kick, the spine of the blade is close to the same height above the frame as the spearpoint.

 

[LEOGREG]

Interesting experiment Jon. I tried this about six months ago on my Otter Anchormesser, the more I filed the kick, the lower the back spring sunk between the bolsters. My thumb and I both agreed on the need for flush springs in the closed position so we terminated the project. It would seem it was ever thus. This old rope knife also has a protruding blade but the back springs are perfectly flush in the closed, open and even half stop! position.

[/IMG]

One would think that in the era of CAD machining there ought to be a better compromise.

 

[Dr. Scott]

I, too, have filed the kick: on my sheepfoot Charlow and my Farm and Field bullnose. In both cases, the point of the blade rested just a hair or two above the handle in the closed position. The blade tips would snag on fabric or skin. Never had any serious injury, it just bothered me.

So now the back springs are not perfectly flush. This might be a problem for me if they were for a collection. But I carry them every day and they are users, not specimens in an exhibit. Honestly, I prefer the uneven springs to the points sticking out above the handles.

 

[Jack Black]

Just found this on the Taylor's Eye Witness site.

[video=youtube;y7HFtDcL4z0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=y7HFtDcL4z0[/video]