What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

pertinux said:
I don't expect to see 'blue'-- which is how it should be, unless and until whimsy doth overtake sense.

~ P.
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Whimsical was the second filly to win the Preakness Stakes in 1906. ;):D

I believe she was wearing blue colors. :eek::eek::D

OK - I only guessed blue because of the blue shoes - nobody else guessing? Maybe it has nothing to do with color - just the Elvis era, when a lot of Barlows were in use.

Well - The era probably has nothing to do with it either. :o:o

Interested in seeing the back of the tube, whenever that occurs.

In the mean time, just a few Barlow on ice pics. :)

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There is definitely a whimsical factor in how I label these knives, Rob! Life is too short not to have a little fun! Even though one of my literate friends quoted Oscar Wilde thusly:
"Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.":D
Oscar was a funny guy!:)
I could of course say how great and useful these knives are, quoting scientific data, but I am sure it would be like preaching to the choir!
Please, anyone who reads the stuff on my labels, don't worry if they defy explanation - there may be none!!:D:D

Ahem . . . . enough nonsense!! Here are some down to earth Barlows! First modern TCs:

TCSheepfootLineup1_zps3d5d2c91.jpg


And some nicely aged ones!

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A little help in identifying them:

Barlowlineupagedtangs_zpscadf492e.jpg


I hope you enjoy them!!
 
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waynorth said:
You are a lucky man!!

Do you know if Elvis carried a pocketknife??
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Alas, I never met the man, though I met both his father (Vernon) and his uncle (Vester), and was invited to visit inside the gates on the grounds only at Graceland only a few month's after Elvis' death. Elvis' family were very gracious people and truly loved his fans, and would do anything they could to show appreciation. So no, I don't know if he carried a pocket knife, but I imagine he did. Pretty much every man carried one at that time.

I was serving as pastor of a local United Methodist church at the time. The church was only a couple of blocks from Graceland and my parsonage was next to the church. It was a great appointment for me, because the nearest church to me was pastored by the famous soul singer Al Green. He and I had breakfast together every monday morning. Of course, that was in 1977, and I moved from there a year later. Great memories though!
 
waynorth said:
There is definitely a whimsical factor in how I label these knives, Rob! Life is too short not to have a little fun! Even though one of my literate friends quoted Oscar Wilde thusly:
"Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.":D
Oscar was a funny guy!:)
I could of course say how great and useful these knives are, quoting scientific data, but I am sure it would be like preaching to the choir!
Please, anyone who reads the stuff on my labels, don't worry if they defy explanation - there may be none!!:D:D

Ahem . . . . enough nonsense!! Here are some down to earth Barlows! First modern TCs:

TCSheepfootLineup1_zps3d5d2c91.jpg


And some nicely aged ones!

Barlowlineupaged1_zps008db649.jpg


A little help in identifying them:

Barlowlineupagedtangs_zpscadf492e.jpg


I hope you enjoy them!!
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Oh man...I really did enjoy that! Just loving that Peach-seed Sheeps-foot - Schrade is it Charlie- what a beauty! - hey they all are lets admit it!
 
Thanks for sharing your personal tale, Relee1!

jon_slider sent me a link:
http://www.elvisinfonet.com/index_sep11.html
In it you will find that Elvis owned and gave away a swiss army type knife with a philips screwdriver on it!

Yes Duncan, that peachseed is a Schrade Cut Co, a bit over-patina-ed! Hard one to find.
 
The run up to the next release of TC Barlows is a lot like waiting for Christmas. In my pocket today is my oldest sheepfoot, but not quite as old as Charlie's impressive collection.

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I never owned, or thought I needed to own, a sheepfoot blade. And then a couple of years ago, Charlie began to sing their praises. This Charlow sheepfoot has become my most heavily used knife, and my most abused. Now I don't think I really need anything other than a sheepfoot-pen blade combo. The other knives are just for fun. But this one is all business!
 
That's what a knife should look like right there, nice sharp edge, and lots of character from using it. Beautiful!:thumbup:
 
waynorth said:
Black is always in the future!:D

After all, these are traditional knives. :rolleyes:
On the run after this one, there will be some Blackfoot/ebony handles.
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Any chance the next run will have a pen behind main secondary blade? I think that short pointy pen would be a very nice compliment to the long belly of the spey blade.
 
Dr. Scott said:
Thanks, Brad!

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Nice!

I also find the sheepfoot blade to be perhaps my absolute favorite. It's strong tip is great for draw cuts on paper, cardboard, leather, cutting bread, boxes, packaging, etc. It also holds it's own for food prep and gets the job done cutting meat even if not ideal for it. It's a tough, sturdy blade and very easy to sharpen since it has no belly (for me the belly of a blade is always tricky to get right - I like the straight-edge of a sheepfoot!).
 
arizonaranchman said:
Nice!

I also find the sheepfoot blade to be perhaps my absolute favorite. It's strong tip is great for draw cuts on paper, cardboard, leather, cutting bread, boxes, packaging, etc. It also holds it's own for food prep and gets the job done cutting meat even if not ideal for it. It's a tough, sturdy blade and very easy to sharpen since it has no belly (for me the belly of a blade is always tricky to get right - I like the straight-edge of a sheepfoot!).
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I was sharpening the little pen blade on that knife yesterday, and having to spend much more time on it than the sheepfoot, just to get that little curve of a belly sharp. It is hard to get the belly of a clip or spear blade sharp and even with the rest of the edge. Sometimes I give up and leave that part of the edge a little less sharp. Other times I go crazy getting it just right, and I know I'm removing a little more metal from the blade than I would like. But at least it is sharp.

I think it was Charlie, in this thread when the first run of sheepfoots came out, who said, "All blades want to be a sheepfoot." If you keep sharpening the belly on that spear, after a few years, the sheepfoot starts to come out!
 
Dr. Scott said:
I think it was Charlie, in this thread when the first run of sheepfoots came out, who said, "All blades want to be a sheepfoot." If you keep sharpening the belly on that spear, after a few years, the sheepfoot starts to come out!
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I made this gif not long ago (just to humor myself and...) to show what might have been the stages of life for a Camillus barlow purchased new just after WWII.

In this simulation, before the pen broke it had morphed into a sheepsfoot. The clip resisted the change, but it's definitely headed toward assimilation.... "We are the Sheepsfoot Borg. Resistance is futile!"

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Yes Al, very revealing! Thanks for posting the morph from new to "well loved".
 
I recently picked up this old Camillus Tip Top. I was very surprised and pleased when it arived. It is in excellent condition.
The fit and finish are also excellent. The saw cut handles still look great with the mark side being a shade lighter than the pile side.
It has some blade wear, but it has strong snap both directions on both blades. All in all I am liking it a lot. These are not the best
photos but I thought I would go ahead and post it to see what you all think. This is untouched just as I acquired it.

I almost forgot to say that this was a Valentine Day gift from my wife!

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Half/Stop said:
I recently picked up this old Camillus Tip Top. I was very surprised and pleased when it arived. It is in excellent condition.
The fit and finish are also excellent. The saw cut handles still look great with the mark side being a shade lighter than the pile side.
It has some blade wear, but it has strong snap both directions on both blades. All in all I am liking it a lot. These are not the best
photos but I thought I would go ahead and post it to see what you all think. This is untouched just as I acquired it.
Click to expand...

That's a beauty Ron! :cool:
 
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