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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?
- Thread starter waynorth
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- Aug 24, 2010
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Dont shoot the postman. This is the 3rd undelivered knife post Ive read this week. I hope it shows up. Thank god for insurance?
You Sir, have very good taste!:
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- Mar 26, 2013
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Forget the bagel and lox, here's a more flattering pic of my Charlow...
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- Aug 24, 2010
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Hes got Capers!
And it has everything to do with knives, how else did he split the bagel?
Ok, there is no bagel, there is no bagel...
here's a more flattering pic of my Charlow...
Fantastic jig and color, congrats! Best keep that blade out of the Caper jar or youre going to be in the food patina thread next
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- Mar 26, 2013
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Hes got Capers!
And it has everything to do with knives, how else did he split the bagel?
Ok, there is no bagel, there is no bagel...
Fantastic jig and color, congrats! Best keep that blade out of the Caper jar or youre going to be in the food patina thread next
Thank you; as they say, the jig is up for now, no more knife buying...well at least not until the next Charlow with a razor blade comes out.
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- Aug 12, 2013
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I have owned or given away a total of twenty-one GEC folders over the last few years. One had a tip that was borderline proud, and two had tips that remained high enough to be problematic. On those two, I adjusted the kick.
The first was a Farm & Field Bullnose with 01 tool steel. I used a small coarse grit sharpening stone and took about a millimeter off the kick, dropping the point about 6 mm between the liners. Yes, it also dropped the back spring, but it is a user that resides in my tool box, so cosmetics were not so important anyway.
The second was my sheepfoot Charlow, my first ever Barlow, a knife I have become very attached to. I was much more careful, and trimmed probably half-a-millimeter off using my small sharpening stone. This dropped the tip about 4 mm into the knife. Problem solved, with minimal lowering of the back spring. Cosmetically, a good result, more palpable than visible. No need to touch the pen blade kick. Even lowered a little, it is still easy to pinch open the sheepfoot blade.
1095 and 01 tool steel are soft. A small sharpening stone used with care might work better than a file. It does not take many passes to shave off plenty of kick. Check blade position frequently! It is very easy to shave off too much. There is about a 1:6 ratio of kick removed to distance that the tip drops. You will be surprised how little is required to drop the tip a few millimeters.
The first was a Farm & Field Bullnose with 01 tool steel. I used a small coarse grit sharpening stone and took about a millimeter off the kick, dropping the point about 6 mm between the liners. Yes, it also dropped the back spring, but it is a user that resides in my tool box, so cosmetics were not so important anyway.
The second was my sheepfoot Charlow, my first ever Barlow, a knife I have become very attached to. I was much more careful, and trimmed probably half-a-millimeter off using my small sharpening stone. This dropped the tip about 4 mm into the knife. Problem solved, with minimal lowering of the back spring. Cosmetically, a good result, more palpable than visible. No need to touch the pen blade kick. Even lowered a little, it is still easy to pinch open the sheepfoot blade.
1095 and 01 tool steel are soft. A small sharpening stone used with care might work better than a file. It does not take many passes to shave off plenty of kick. Check blade position frequently! It is very easy to shave off too much. There is about a 1:6 ratio of kick removed to distance that the tip drops. You will be surprised how little is required to drop the tip a few millimeters.
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- Jul 16, 2012
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Just added a new one to keep the soup bone company.
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- Aug 24, 2010
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kick is too low, can be remedied by inserting a toothpick into the pocket. Note that blade profile is most likely to have deep pocket issues, since the point of the blade is so high up, practically in line with the spine. Basically the exact opposite of a sheep foot.
Or do what the old pro says:
You can easily add several thou with a punch, or by direct peening.
Here is an example of blade damage to a Sheepfoot tip that can be caused by a kick that is too low. Note the tip of the blade is missing, which can be caused when it hits the head pin. Though that may not be the cause in this case as the blade does not look that low to me.. cant say for sure, not my knife
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Just added a new one to keep the soup bone company.
Those soup bones are something else! great pair you have there :thumbup:
waynorth
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Nov 19, 2005
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Just added a new one to keep the soup bone company.
Nice brace of knives there, Erik. A very complimentary pair.
The jigged bone has exceeded my expectations for appearance!!
waynorth
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Nov 19, 2005
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I will have to say this one makes a great traditional Barlow....you see, I ordered a chestnut version that should have arrived at my home last Saturday, but it didn't, even though the tracking stated it was delivered; apparently it was pinched by who knows...that said, the great folks at KSF made good on the knife, and I got a red bone instead, seeing as the chestnut was out of stock. I am very pleased with this excellent rendition of an old classic that is 344 years old, and families from Sheffield, GB to the US have waged battle as to who in fact are the real Barlow's. To say I am pleased would be too modest, and again I thank KSF for their exceptional customer support which is nothing less than perfect...
...whoops, last night's late evening snack..
The knife goes well with the harp, Al!:thumbup:
Almost as well as Capers go with Lox and Onions!!
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- Mar 1, 2012
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Here are a couple from my collection. The first is a single clip point Bulldog curved barlow. I like the match strike crescent nick and the covers. Oh, did you see the covers? 
Disco!
And a Ka Bar dogs head single clip.
Disco!
And a Ka Bar dogs head single clip.
It's my knife and yes it's probably impossible to say how the damage occurred but not because the kick is too low. The blade actually rests correctly when closed.
waynorth
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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- Nov 19, 2005
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Oh, did you see the covers?
And a Ka Bar dogs head single clip.
Covers?? What covers??
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It is nothing short of amazing how this unfinished new Charlow will eventually become the work of art that all our Barlow's are when we get them....
- Joined
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waynorth
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
- Joined
- Nov 19, 2005
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- 32,675
It is nothing short of amazing how this unfinished new Charlow will eventually become the work of art that all our Barlow's are when we get them....
Not a Barlow, but I came across this unfinished knife at the Oregon Knife show several years ago. I've never seen a finished one!
It is indeed an amazing step from rough to finished!!
