What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

[pertinux]

I did the damp cloth with the iron part but still reluctant to use the 1500 grit sandpaper on the blackwood. What the hell let me give it a whirl. I use the knife anyway and not look at it all day.

I don't doubt the others' good advice or your competency, but did dire things to a gabon ebony cover in attempt to ameliorate the hole-ness of a filled pore on what turned out to be a Second (and was more a Third by the time I was done).

Take it slow, and don't become impatient and dip below 1500.... I've, er, read that sometimes it doesn't go too well.

~ P.

 

[jon_slider]

still reluctant to use the 1500 grit sandpaper on the blackwood.

fear not, all these have been kissed by both 600 and 1500 grit, the one on the right is African Blackwood, and I still stare at them all day
left to right, gabon, macassar, AB

left to right
AB, Gabon, Macassar

Its what I did AFTER the 1500 that really brought out the shine, Sunshine Cloth, as recommended by Stich

HEY SUNANDSTEEL, you have new messages

 

[arizonaranchman]

Jonathan,

I was about to ask how you got that fantastic shine on the wood and bolsters - the Sunshine Cloth!

Beautiful!

 

[sunandsteel]

fear not, all these have been kissed by both 600 and 1500 grit, the one on the right is African Blackwood, and I still stare at them all day
left to right, gabon, macassar, AB

left to right
AB, Gabon, Macassar

Its what I did AFTER the 1500 that really brought out the shine, Sunshine Cloth, as recommended by Stich

When I use the 1500 grit, do I sand the whole side very very lightly or just the area that I'm trying to improve? It has a little dink on the end of the handle from being dropped.

 

[sunandsteel]

Also I don't have a buff cloth. Is the buffing step necessary?

 

[sunandsteel]

The handle looks ok but I took the 1500 grit sandpaper to try and get a little nick out of the bolster, and now it looks botched up. Has a scratch appearance:grumpy:

 

[gunstockjack]

The handle looks ok but I took the 1500 grit sandpaper to try and get a little nick out of the bolster, and now it looks botched up. Has a scratch appearance:grumpy:

You will need to buff it somehow. You can use a soft cotton cloth and elbow grease if nothing else, but a wheel with compound is much faster. I use Pink Scratchless, but you could probably use the polishing compound sold at auto stores on a soft rag. Don't give up!

 

[MrVandercar]

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Holy heck! Got home after a double in 2 degree weather, opened the mailbox and boom, there's a package. Thanks a load Charlie, just a beautiful specimen of a knife and my first Barlow to boot! Wasn't expecting the chatoyancy on the blackwood scales, what a great surprise! Of course you can't see it in the picture because my camera is poop and the indoor lighting doesn't help much either.

 

[pertinux]

Just the thing to brighten a gray day:

Trying to catch the dimensionality in the color, and mostly failing:

(Tilt your head or screen at different angles while looking at the picture, and maybe you can see it better...?)

I know in my head that the spey is the "main," but to me this knife's more like getting a single-bladed clip barlow with a full-sized sneaky stealth spey secreted within its handle. Very compelling design.

:thumbup:

~ P.

 

[waynorth]

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Holy heck! Got home after a double in 2 degree weather, opened the mailbox and boom, there's a package. Thanks a load Charlie, just a beautiful specimen of a knife and my first Barlow to boot! Wasn't expecting the chatoyancy on the blackwood scales, what a great surprise! Of course you can't see it in the picture because my camera is poop and the indoor lighting doesn't help much either.

You have some unusual Blackwood, Nick. Most of it is a deep, dense coal-like black. Several look like dark chocolate in certain light.

Just the thing to brighten a gray day:

Trying to catch the dimensionality in the color, and mostly failing:

(Tilt your head or screen at different angles while looking at the picture, and maybe you can see it better...?)

I know in my head that the spey is the "main," but to me this knife's more like getting a single-bladed clip barlow with a full-sized sneaky stealth spey secreted within its handle. Very compelling design.

:thumbup:

~ P.

Have you hidden a light inside that knife, Sarah??
I agree, the two-blade has a great mark side!

 

[MrVandercar]

Ok, maybe you can see it a little better in these. All the lighter areas are absolutely fiery as you swivel the knife around under light.

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[waynorth]

That settles it, Nick! That Blackwood tree grew near a Radioactive spring!!
Better get it checked with a Geiger counter!

 

[pertinux]

Have you hidden a light inside that knife, Sarah??
I agree, the two-blade has a great mark side!

1) Nope, but you wouldn't know that from (most) pictures. Some yellar, this.

2) The one-blade spey, meanwhile, is so sleek it almost feels like I'm carrying an empty knife handle in my pocket:

\

Wow, I really like that. I can only imagine how great it looks in person. Thanks for persevering with the pictures.

~ P.

 

[B.F.U]

Just the thing to brighten a gray day:

Trying to catch the dimensionality in the color, and mostly failing:

(Tilt your head or screen at different angles while looking at the picture, and maybe you can see it better...?)

I know in my head that the spey is the "main," but to me this knife's more like getting a single-bladed clip barlow with a full-sized sneaky stealth spey secreted within its handle. Very compelling design.

:thumbup:

~ P.

You have got to stop posting such AMAZING pictures of this yellow 2 blade, my wallet can't handle the consequences! But in seriousness, they are great pictures. Really show the richness of the color. The only thing keeping me at bay is my hope that there will be a 2 blade Barlow with full size clip and full size wharncliffe blades, with these yellow covers. It would be wondrous.

 

[JSCHENK]

The handle looks ok but I took the 1500 grit sandpaper to try and get a little nick out of the bolster, and now it looks botched up. Has a scratch appearance:grumpy:

I've found "Mother's mag polish" from an auto parts store and an old cotton t-shirt rag works well for blending out scratches, on bolsters, ect . polish long enough and all the scratches will work out. sometimes I think it will never work, but it does. I also have a little dremel with a cotton buffing wheel and some red craftsman polishing compound I had from ??? and that buffs little projects really well. All the buffer does is take the few thousand rubs and speeds it up. All in all the end result is worth it. Just keep rubbing, all sanding and polishing is Is taking big scratches and making them smaller and smaller until you can't see them any more.

 

[JSCHENK]

Good steel makes a good Barlow. Here are some recent pics of my Barlow's

 

[waynorth]

Thanks for the "good steel" pics jschenk. I have a few miles on my spear blade, and it is indeed good steel!

I am "making soup" as we speak!!

 

[waynorth]

As many of you know, Bill saves the bones for me, those that are not quite thick enough to sawcut or jig with full results. These would ordinarily just go into the landfill - just what we need - more garbage!
But following the custom of some old English and American cutleries, the flawed bone pieces, as long as they are structurally sound, can be used on the more humble patterns. :thumbup:
In those days, Barlows and simple Jacks were the recipients of these sometimes interesting bits of ruminant.
We have revived the traditional knives, and brought along some other traditions.
For posterity, I keep an archive of mint examples, but I hope you folks out there use these knives! And I will try to make sure your grandkids can go to a museum somewhere, and check out how that old knife you gave them looked, when it was new!
We were just going to have single Spey-bladed soupies, but Bill is a bit of a wise guy, and assembled a small handful of Clips and 2-blades. Have a look!

 

[MrVandercar]

I like those and the idea of not wasting anything. Don't know if I'd trade my radioactive blackwood for one but they are definitely unique and attractive.

 

[MerryMadMonk]

Those are pretty amazing, Charlie! Wowza!