What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

Thanks Lloyd
handshake.gif
 
Nice Wheels of late everyone! - and nice one Philllll, Hey Philllll dont you remember Charlie getting that D/E? I love that knife as well my friend- it's a beauty for sure!!!
 
How many spokes do you need to make a wheel?? ;) :p :D I don't think I have enough barlows but I'm enjoying the few that I managed to find. And I'm enjoying all of the photos in this thread.
 
I like your Spokes, Bob!!

One of the things that make a good traditional Barlow, is a feature or set of features, that raises a question to be answered. I had the Catt (bottom) for many years before I knew it was a Catt, because the marking CCC while attractive was not definitive, and the tang only had a number (model) on it.
I finally discovered that Catt marked many Barlows with just a number.

CCCs%20Two%201_zpsivf5w30x.jpg

CCCs%20Two%203_zpsujkeyymn.jpg


Then along came another CCC-stamped Barlow. I was surprised that it was NOT a Catt. It was not even US made, but was from Sheffield!
Brothers across the sea!

CCCs%20Two%202_zpsh4tnpglg.jpg
 
Thanks Mike and Charlie.
Interesting facts Charlie. What I find fascinating is that many of the old Barlows look like they could have been made yesterday and that many of our current ones look as though they could have been made 100 years ago. A good traditional knife (Barlows in this case), that keeps true to the pattern. I think that's what creates the appeal to the TC designs. Thank you for your part in that Charlie.
 
Nice wheel Phil, some very nice Barlows in there. Nice spokes Bob, sure glad Charlie resurrected the traditional Barlow.

Charlie, love all the old ones you show, fair amount of vintage stag in that picture which did not seem to be all that common for Barlows. You keep showing me more knives I need to keep my eyes out for.
 
Very interesting Charlie! Good observations Bob! This thread just keeps revealing secrets of Barlows bygone and more to come I hope. Best gentlemen, Lloyd
 
waynorth said:
One of the things that make a good traditional Barlow, is a feature or set of features, that raises a question to be answered. I had the Catt (bottom) for many years before I knew it was a Catt, because the marking CCC while attractive was not definitive, and the tang only had a number (model) on it.
I finally discovered that Catt marked many Barlows with just a number.

CCCs%20Two%201_zpsivf5w30x.jpg

CCCs%20Two%203_zpsujkeyymn.jpg


Then along came another CCC-stamped Barlow. I was surprised that it was NOT a Catt. It was not even US made, but was from Sheffield!
Brothers across the sea!

CCCs%20Two%202_zpsh4tnpglg.jpg
Click to expand...

With barlows such as these, it's only fitting that you change your middle name so that your initials match. ;)


More seriously, I like your bolded sentiment above very much-- even though, for some of us, every knife poses a series of questions, with variously obvious answers to those who have applied time and patient thought to the study of traditional knives.

~ P.
 
philllll said:
Decided to try my hand at the Wheel O' Barlows

IMG_6193_zpszcydvegx.jpg
Click to expand...

Some nice variety there, Phil! I especially like that CJ Johnson Sheffield barlow with the flag stamp. Is the IXL directly above it the dog grooming blade? Show off the blade on that one!

I'm diggin' all of these barlow wheels, everyone!

Here is one I made a couple of years back. I call it the wooden wheel:

C22BFB4D-E822-40A6-A27F-A3EFF9CEF924_zpsmhlu4imz.jpg


I'll have to update the wooden wheel one of these days. It has grown quite a bit...
 
Evan, beautiful wooden and metal TC Barlow wheel:thumbup: it is mesmerizing to look at! Lloyd
 
Luger1952 said:
Evan, beautiful wooden and metal TC Barlow wheel:thumbup: it is mesmerizing to look at! Lloyd
Click to expand...

Thanks, Lloyd! It is kind of hypnotizing, isn't it?

Yet again, I think all of Charlie's TCs are hypnotizing.... :hypnotysed::hypnotysed::hypnotysed:
 
Wow !!! Nice knives everyone young and old ( knives that is :))

CCC standing for Charlie Campagna Cutlery? A division of Waynorth Cutlery.
 
Last edited:
esnyx said:
Some nice variety there, Phil! I especially like that CJ Johnson Sheffield barlow with the flag stamp. Is the IXL directly above it the dog grooming blade? Show off the blade on that one!

I'm diggin' all of these barlow wheels, everyone!

Here is one I made a couple of years back. I call it the wooden wheel:

C22BFB4D-E822-40A6-A27F-A3EFF9CEF924_zpsmhlu4imz.jpg


I'll have to update the wooden wheel one of these days. It has grown quite a bit...
Click to expand...

Nice show Evan, that touch of yellow looks familier :)
 
waynorth said:
One of the things that make a good traditional Barlow, is a feature or set of features, that raises a question to be answered. I had the Catt (bottom) for many years before I knew it was a Catt, because the marking CCC while attractive was not definitive, and the tang only had a number (model) on it.
I finally discovered that Catt marked many Barlows with just a number.

CCCs%20Two%201_zpsivf5w30x.jpg

CCCs%20Two%203_zpsujkeyymn.jpg


Then along came another CCC-stamped Barlow. I was surprised that it was NOT a Catt. It was not even US made, but was from Sheffield!
Brothers across the sea!

CCCs%20Two%202_zpsh4tnpglg.jpg
Click to expand...

Very interesting Charlie, as I was scrolling down, I was just thinking that old Catt looks like one of the old Sheffield Barlows! :D

The good Professor Tweedale tells us that the Continental Cutlery Company was a mark of Alfred Field & Co Ltd. Alfred Field was born in Leamington, England in 1814, the son of a clergyman. After being privately-educated at the school run by his father, he began a hardware business in Birmingham, with his brother Ferdinand, in 1836. Four years later, a branch office - Field, Parker, & Field - was opened in Platt Street, New York City. After Parker left the business a few years later, and Robert Ibbotson joined the firm, it became Field, Ibbotson & Co, and was now at Pearl Street. In 1863, Ibbotson retired, and the company now became Alfred Field & Co.

In 1842, Alfred Field had wed Charlotte Errington, originally from Yarmouth, England, in New York. Their son, Henry Cromwell Field, was born there in 1853, but a year later, Field decided to return to England to manage the business from Birmingham, relying on partners in New York to manage the operation there. By 1872, Alfred Field & Co had a Sheffield address in Headford Street/Milton Street, but almost immediately occupied premises at 23 Westfield Terrace. According to Prof. Tweedale, it is clear from advertisements in the local press, for buffers, whetters, and warehouse workers, that the firm were merchants rather than manufacturers, selling English, French, and German hardware and cutlery, with an office in Solingen managed by Walter Klass. Field's was also the US agent for Joseph Rodgers & Sons, and for Joseph Elliot. By the time of his death in 1884, aged 70, Field had established himself in the US as a major 'foreign merchant', leaving his family an estate of over £90,000.

After Field's death, the firm continued under his son, Alfred Cromwell Field and Alanson Henry Saxton, the manager of the New York office. The Sheffield address of Westfield Terrace remained, but by 1888 Field's had acquired two new trade names - 'Continental Cutlery Co' and 'Alex. Fraser & Co'. the names 'Collins & Wallace' was also listed. Field's chief mark was a heron's neck, but in 1890, it also bought the 'Prototype' and arrow mark of Edward Gem, as well as the marks of Joseph Kirby & Sons. 'Stoner & Compy' was another trade name, and Field's also marketed American pocket knives under their own name, with the trade mark 'Progress'. They also used 'Criterion' and Maple 'Leaf'.

Alfred Field & Co remained at Continental Works, Westfield Terrace, Sheffield until 1913, and still had its Birmingham and New York offices. Field's became a limited company in WW1, moving to a succession of Sheffield addresses, being finally in Eyre Street in 1931, where they apparently ceased trading a couple of years later, Henry C Field having died in 1929. In the US, Field's was incorporated in 1922, and they continued to trade there after the Sheffield office ceased business.

So what do you reckon Charlie, Furness possibly? ;) :thumbup:

Great wheel Evan :thumbup:
 
All the Furness Barlows I have are constructed with integral bolsters, Jack.
For those who don't know the term, the bolsters were forged as one piece with the liners.
The Continental has separate bolsters. The quality is consistent with Furness, however, being somewhat crudely assembled and finished.
Like a lot of contract knives - the investigation continues!!

:D:D:D
 
waynorth said:
One of the things that make a good traditional Barlow, is a feature or set of features, that raises a question to be answered. I had the Catt (bottom) for many years before I knew it was a Catt, because the marking CCC while attractive was not definitive, and the tang only had a number (model) on it.
I finally discovered that Catt marked many Barlows with just a number.

CCCs%20Two%201_zpsivf5w30x.jpg
Click to expand...

Thank you for showing us all of your magical Barlows Charlie ! I see that I have many more to accumulate. :thumbup::)

As far as I can tell, all of the Cattaraugus Barlows were always listed in catalogs as models 1159 (clip only) 2159 (clip and pen) 2139 (spear and pen) and 2149 (sheepfoot and pen).

I believe the first model was the one with no bolster stamping and the normal Cattaraugus Cutlery Co., Little Valley, N.Y. tang stamps. All examples that I have seen of the non-stamped bolster also had hammered pins. This model was pictured in the 1922 and 1930 catalog. The blades were finished with nice swedge work.

The famous Whitt-L-Craft first appears in the 1930 catalog. ;)

One glaring difference between the 1922 and 1930 catalogs was there were some new model Catts in the 1930 catalog (non Barlows) that appear to have spun pins. It is not clear to me if this means that the transition from hammered pins to spun pins occurred between 1922 and 1930 at a slow pace or if Cattaraugus re-used earlier pictures of their former models in the 1930 catalog and the transition might have been made more abruptly. :confused::confused:

I think that your C.C.C. stamped version might have been version number two Barlow for Catt. It appears that yours might have been constructed with the earliest form of spun pins (smaller spun pins). Do you agree? :confused::confused:

The third version might have been the version with a non-stamped bolster, similar to the script stamped version below. That model had the normal tang stamps and the model number stamped on the pile side main blade tang. The blades were finished with nice swedge work.

The fourth version most likely was the script stamped bolster like mine, pictured below. They went to little trouble on the blades, with no swedges on the blades.

Interesting to think about ...................... I would love to know the exact order of the four models which I have seen. :)

Please post your C.C.C. stamped version in the Catt thread when you have time. I do not recall one being posted there. :)

2dif0q1.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top