What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

[waynorth]

You are well equipped for the New Year, p&g.
All the best to you!

 

[markksr]

A "sure-enough" Barlow knife... :thumbup:

 

[Campbellclanman]

Hi Ed, ea42, yes I too have read about the smooth cup over boiling in the instant!.... I had a huge breadboard ready, and when I took out the cup I was wearing a oven oven glove - only because I couldnt see through the glass to see if the contents had started to bubble!
and when I introduced the knife it was done from the very side and popped in and left to its own devices... so I was fairly careful-although it does sound as though I pushed the limits and ( through you guys and Charlie) today have learnt a good lesson, thankfully without pain

Anyway, I musnt detract from this great thread!..
P&G, Thats a very nice handful of knives you have there... nice shots of absolutely nice knives!! Great viewing!

Edit.. Mark, that Ebony looks Fantastic! Charlie and GEC I think hit the nail right on the head with these knives!

 

[waynorth]

Real nice closeup, Mark!!
I like that type of grain in the Ebony!

 

[pertinux]

Thanks for the dyeing information, Charlie. It's very helpful for future reference. :thumbup:

... Wow, those bone barlows look mighty fine. Thanks for the pictures, guys.

Mark, congrats on your first GEC, and a great one at that!

Campbell, you're making me laugh. Such enthusiasm! Do you happen to have any Labrador in your family tree? I hope you can get your paws, I mean, hands on one of these great knives soon.

Meanwhile, what's this?

Siblings! (Cousins?)

Interesting, how you can already tell which one I've had longer and handled more-- by the sheen.

That, and as noted previously there's something about the "sawcut" styling that suits (and shows off) ebony in a different way than rounder covers.

Though exactly the same size, the Boys Knife appears larger at a glance, at least in person-- a visual trick.

A happy pair.

(A happy me.)

~ P.

 

[seadweller]

Nice visual comparison, ~p. I've been wondering about the Boy's knife and you've answered it. Thanks.

 

[pistonsandgears]

Thanks for the dyeing information, Charlie. It's very helpful for future reference. :thumbup:

... Wow, those bone barlows look mighty fine. Thanks for the pictures, guys.

Mark, congrats on your first GEC, and a great one at that!

Campbell, you're making me laugh. Such enthusiasm! Do you happen to have any Labrador in your family tree? I hope you can get your paws, I mean, hands on one of these great knives soon.

Meanwhile, what's this?

Siblings! (Cousins?)

Interesting, how you can already tell which one I've had longer and handled more-- by the sheen.

That, and as noted previously there's something about the "sawcut" styling that suits (and shows off) ebony in a different way than rounder covers.

Though exactly the same size, the Boys Knife appears larger at a glance, at least in person-- a visual trick.

A happy pair.

(A happy me.)

~ P.

Thanks for the pictures P nice to see them together there, nice pair. Any chance we could see a picture with your ebony 25 barlow for comparison?

 

[markksr]

Real nice closeup, Mark!!
I like that type of grain in the Ebony!

Thank you kindly!

That beautiful wood needed to be shown off!

 

[pistonsandgears]

I just wanted to add one feature I appreciated about this knife is that unlike some of my other GECs this Barlow came with a pretty good factory edge on it. I did not have to work on the edge right out of the tube.

 

[waynorth]

Thanks for the dyeing information, Charlie. It's very helpful for future reference. :thumbup:

... Wow, those bone barlows look mighty fine. Thanks for the pictures, guys.

Mark, congrats on your first GEC, and a great one at that!

Campbell, you're making me laugh. Such enthusiasm! Do you happen to have any Labrador in your family tree? I hope you can get your paws, I mean, hands on one of these great knives soon.

Meanwhile, what's this?

Siblings! (Cousins?)

Interesting, how you can already tell which one I've had longer and handled more-- by the sheen.

That, and as noted previously there's something about the "sawcut" styling that suits (and shows off) ebony in a different way than rounder covers.

Though exactly the same size, the Boys Knife appears larger at a glance, at least in person-- a visual trick.

A happy pair.

(A happy me.)

~ P.

I like this type of grain, too! They tell me that there are two different species of black wood in play here!
Nice pics, ~P. I am changing my desktop now!! I was hoping someone would compare the Boys' and Barlows.

 

[quattromori]

P.,
than you for your pictures. My boys knife is just like yours, and it will be in my pocket when I get it (in a few days), so it's great to get a preview

Fausto

 

[Jack Black]

I think I know what's going to be in my letter to Santa NEXT year!

 

[pertinux]

I like this type of grain, too! They tell me that there are two different species of black wood in play here!
Nice pics, ~P. I am changing my desktop now!! I was hoping someone would compare the Boys' and Barlows.

Ah, that makes sense. Do you happen to know the names of each type used on the respective knives? (I apologize if this has been stated before.)

I just wanted to add one feature I appreciated about this knife is that unlike some of my other GECs this Barlow came with a pretty good factory edge on it.

I could (easily!) be mistaken, but the grinds on these blades seem better, or different in a subjectively more pleasing way, than on other GECs I have. Ie, yes, the edges are are good, but the angles leading to those edges are also excellent.

Any chance we could see a picture with your ebony 25 barlow for comparison?

Sure thing! Interestingly, I was pondering comparisons myself before seeing your post. (Upon starting to compose my response, I realized I was keying in on the Boys Knife vs. the #25. If you have any more questions about the respective barlows, ask away.)

First, here's my previous picture of just the barlows together:

There's no chance of better outside light later today, at least not with even colder temperatures, higher winds, and snow, so I'm making do with frozen-fingered morning efforts and less-satisfying indoor lighting.

I included my Horsecut #25 in this one to show the comparative shape and proportions of GEC's iteration of a spear main on the #25 frame. Use your imagination (cross your eyes?) and you'll have a head-to-head comparison.

Very difficult to capture in pictures, with cover angles and tricks of light creating misleading lines, but instantly evident in hand: the #25 barlow is not only thicker than the Boys Knife, but is an oonch thicker than the Sawyer Barlow as well (the #25 is in the middle).

We're talking the micro-whatevers that people measure, but the difference is there. Here's a stylish picture illustrating roughly nothing that I hoped it might:

And again:

Okay, here we go, #25 on left, #15 Boys Knife on the right:

Some thoughts:

First, the #15s together, barlow and jack:

Next, #25s together, barlows and jack:

Purely as a matter of aesthetics, I prefer the "heavier" top bolster of the #25 Jack to the relatively smaller bolster of the #15 Jack on their respective frames. However, I suddenly realized that the lines of the #15 Jack bear an interesting similarity to those of a Miller Bros. Jack from the 1930s, most especially including the relative size of the top bolster:

I'm sure the Miller Bros Jack is just one of many of the same ilk, and suspect there was some "heritage" involved in the designing of the #15 Jack.

Out of the three knives-- #25 Barlow, #15 Barlow, #15 Jack-- the TC Sawyer Barlow is clearly the show-stopper in just about every way. It demands attention (and receives it, mostly in the form of "Whoa!" or a more subdued "... whoa..." whenever I show it to someone for the first time), and rightly so. Form, function, substance, style: Boom, baby.

The Boys Knife is a wonderful addition on the same frame; GEC got so many details right with this one, especially given its name and intended "place." Look at the pictures; don't you just want to pick it up and use it?

However, the #25's wider covers on a smaller frame give it an in-hand feel that the Boys Knife can't compete with, not to me anyway. I'm very glad I don't have to choose between the two, but as of today I know that parting with the Boys Knife would not haunt me the way that giving up the #25 would.

Of course, all the above is entirely subjective. The #25s captured my heart first and hold it still, and the #25 ebony barlow is all that goodness boiled down to the very essence.

Having to choose Forever between the #25 and the Sawyer Barlow? There would be crying.

... And I'd still love to see a 3.25" ebony Shadow Jack. Incorrigible, I.

(But still very happy.)

~ P.

 

[waynorth]

Great photo essay, Sarah! Interesting comments and observations.
It is amazing how small details affect the appearance of a knife. A few thousandths in bolster length can be the difference between clumsy and satisfying.
A few custom makers understand this, and would rather throw away/recycle steel than use it if it isn't "just right". GEC understands it very well also. It's amazing how much thought/discussion/angst goes into finalizing a knife design for production!

 

[pistonsandgears]

Thanks for all the comparison pictures P, very nice, don't know how I missed that one you had already posted comparing the 15 and 25 Barlows. Wish I could have picked up one of those in ebony to go along with my antique yellow. The boys knife is still tempting me.

 

[pertinux]

Thanks for all the comparison pictures P, very nice, don't know how I missed that one you had already posted comparing the 15 and 25 Barlows. Wish I could have picked up one of those in ebony to go along with my antique yellow. The boys knife is still tempting me.

Ah, so it was a comparison of the two barlows you were primarily after.

As noted above, that's a harder call than choosing between the two #15; the #25 and #15 barlows are very different (to me), for all their common cover material, "genealogy," etc.

Hopefully, GEC isn't done with either.

~ P.

 

[akadave2]

I have the #25 and have never warmed up to it. I think the #15 is superior in every way but thats just my preference. The #25 seems stumpy and carries bigger than it actually is. The pen blade on mine needs a crowbar to open and the spear point is stubby and limited in its use for me

 

[edbeau]

Had a busy week, last week, on the bay. I picked up two Imperial Barlows, one Camco and one Colonial.

Front Imperial Rear Camco and Colonial

 

[Rsmith_77]

~ P.

Hopefully i have isolated the correct picture
but it appears that your ebony barlow 25 main blade has a bit of a curve to the left
and it appears that your ebony barlow 15 main blade has a bit of a curve to the right

not sure if its the picture or if they actually have the slightly offset blades

this is not a criticism, just curious since i've noticed my ebony 85 main blade has a bit of a curve to the left
just wondering if its a fairly common occurrence

 

[pertinux]

Hopefully i have isolated the correct picture
but it appears that your ebony barlow 25 main blade has a bit of a curve to the left
and it appears that your ebony barlow 15 main blade has a bit of a curve to the right

I've read your observations of your #85 with interest, and (while I don't fully understand it!) accept ea42's explanation.

That said, I believe what you're seeing above is the distortion of photography. I've looked again at the knives, and don't see the curves that the above images seem to demonstrate. In fact, I wonder if, were I to switch their positions and photograph them again, the blade on the #15 barlow would seem to curve left, with the #25's to the right? The Boys Knife, for example, would seem to have a slight curve to the right in the picture of it with the #25 only, but looks straight in the image above-- 'cause it's in the middle.

~ P.