What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

The Ebony question; here's what I know, and please feel free to add to the story.
There are usually two or more different types of Ebony used in recent knife production.
Macassar Ebony usually from Southeast Asia is the most often seen. It can be quite black, with growth rings nearly invisible. It most often has those chocolatey streaks you can see, and occassionally has very light sapwwod streaks.
Gaboon Ebony, African, can often have brown and grey streaks, but a lot more of it seems to be very black. It is more expensive, and harder to get. Without any finishing products on it, it can polish up to glisten like it's been buttered!
African Blackwood is thought to be the original Ebony, though a different species. Related to rosewoods, it's usually very black, sometimes showing a little more porosity than the other black woods, in my experience, it polishes well also. You see more of it on older knives.
All of them are harder and harder to get. Instrument makers are now accepting the streaky colored wood instead of insisting on pure black. The reality of an increasing population, and a diminishing resource!
 
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Its extremely interesting - Ebony.

I like ( sorry love )the old Ebony that is very black -such as the Ebony on the older Ulsters etc., I imagine this would be the African Blackwood?..... if I were to have a choice?...on an older knife that proudly shows its use and yet still stands up well next to any other knife- I choose the very dark African Blackwood anyday, but ...... when I have eyed Sarahs photos, I liked very much the bottom knife with the brown streaks and the tighter grain ( as in - no surface pours ), in saying this...Ebony has a wonderful way of playing with my emotive thoughts about the material...and this is why I am such a fan of it, ..every knife is different, and deserves its very own appreciation - sorry if this sounds goofy, but this is how Ebony affects me :o
 
It doesn't sound "goofy" to me at all. That is what I have always like about ebony handled knives, the individualism. Stag too for that matter!

I also was lucky enough to get in on these other beauties , the ebony I received has pronounced brown streaks. It is very :cool:
I wish I had pic capabilities.

Dave
 
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Having owned a number of instruments with ebony fretboards I can tell you the ones with lighter characteristics in the wood darken appreciably with use. Oils in the hands and dressings for fretboards as well as normal oxidation contribute to this. It's possible old ebony handled knives have darkened over the years or have become more uniform in color.
 
waynorth said:
Macassar Ebony usually from Southeast Asia is the most often seen. It can be quite black, with growth rings nearly invisible. It most often has those chocolatey streaks you can see, and occassionally has very light sapwwod streaks.
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The top left and bottom right sticks are macassar ebony. As Charlie mentioned, the pores and growth rings are very difficult to see.

sticksy.jpg


- Christian
 
Christian,

Thanks for the picture. What type of wood is in the bottom middle? Yowzer.

~ P.
 
Sarah,

The bottom middle is bahi, a variety of palm from the Philippines.

- Christian
 
Campbellclanman said:
Its extremely interesting - Ebony.

I like ( sorry love )the old Ebony that is very black -such as the Ebony on the older Ulsters etc., I imagine this would be the African Blackwood?..... if I were to have a choice?...on an older knife that proudly shows its use and yet still stands up well next to any other knife- I choose the very dark African Blackwood anyday, but ...... when I have eyed Sarahs photos, I liked very much the bottom knife with the brown streaks and the tighter grain ( as in - no surface pours ), in saying this...Ebony has a wonderful way of playing with my emotive thoughts about the material...and this is why I am such a fan of it, ..every knife is different, and deserves its very own appreciation - sorry if this sounds goofy, but this is how Ebony affects me :o
Click to expand...

That doesn't sound goofy at all Duncan. If you have a piece of ebony that you just can't live with, put a dab of black stain on the edge of your thumb and rub it in and then oil it. I don't know if you have Min-Wax over there but it is what I use. I don't have a knife handy that I've done this to to take a picture but I'm sure you get the idea. I guess you could use a rag to rub the stain in but it isn't personal if you get my drift!!
 
Charlie,

I have just received my GEC/TC Barlow. I love this knife with its superb F&F (better described above, by more knowledgeable and experienced Forum Members) beautiful slim lines and 3 1/2" closed length.

My sincere and wondrous praise for conceiving your Barlow project and following through on the design and production collaboration with GEC.

Sincere congratulations on another fine conception for modern production of a classic Traditional knife.

I also love the Waynorth/GEC Harness Jack.

Mike H.

I am looking for:
2009 Blade Forum Barlow
2 blade GEC #15 TC Barlow
PM or send Gmail to: helbs1@ gmail.com
 
waynorth said:
The Champlin jigging/ number 3 old school is finer, more random. The jigs or cuts are not as square and tool-like as those on the #74. At least that was true for the one I saw.
Click to expand...

GEC calls this "old school jig bone" on these in-process Canoes:

683.jpg
Click to expand...

It's hard to tell much from this distance and angle, but is this perhaps closer to what you mean?

(Your referencing "number 3 old school" suggests a possible distinction among "old school" jigging patterns, indicated by number...?)

Also: note the color, no Fiebing's required!

~ P.
 
'Tis indeed a nice color!
Maybe we'll get a close up some time . . . . . . anyone?
 
pertinux said:
GEC calls this "old school jig bone" on these in-process Canoes:



It's hard to tell much from this distance and angle, but is this perhaps closer to what you mean?

(Your referencing "number 3 old school" suggests a possible distinction among "old school" jigging patterns, indicated by number...?)

Also: note the color, no Fiebing's required!

~ P.
Click to expand...

Nice! Now that is what I want to see more of from GEC!
 
I just received my single blade ebony barlow Wow, what a nice knife. Just love the way it drops into my pocket. But this knife too pretty to carry. What am I going to do?
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Modoc ED said:
That doesn't sound goofy at all Duncan. If you have a piece of ebony that you just can't live with, put a dab of black stain on the edge of your thumb and rub it in and then oil it. I don't know if you have Min-Wax over there but it is what I use. I don't have a knife handy that I've done this to to take a picture but I'm sure you get the idea. I guess you could use a rag to rub the stain in but it isn't personal if you get my drift!!
Click to expand...
Thank you ED.
 
A bit late to the party........Oh well, here are my Sawyer Barlows. Pic's do not do these knives justice, glad to be able to put this set together. Thanks to Charlie for putting this project together!!

Russell

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You must have been a very good boy this year, Russell!!
:rolleyes:
 
waynorth said:
You must have been a very good boy this year, Russell!!
:rolleyes:
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If I hadn't I don't think I would of been able to put those pictures together. Yes many thanks to my Wife for making Christmas pressies for most of the set.

All the best for the new year Charlie!!

Russell
 
Thanks for all the hard work on this one Charlie.

The postal office gave me quite a big scare when I got the package. It was completely crushed and somehow drenched in a plastic bag. Luckily the knife was not damaged, there was only a bit of surface rust on the liners which (mostly) rubbed off easily.
The execution on this run seems just about as flawless as it can get, there's not a single thing on mine which is not perfect. In fact my last three GEC knives have been like this, their quality really is improving all the time.

Barlow_2_small_zpsfdc0e0e6.jpg


Help me! This insanity has to stop, it is becoming really hard to choose the knife of the day every morning :D
 
This is probably one of the rarest Cripple Creeks that I own. Three blade Barlow.

cc-3-a_zps6bdeb5a4-1_zps749fb70b.jpg
 
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