What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

Three recent Barlow finds. The Bridge is interesting. Bridge I believe was a EC Simmons or Shapleigh brand/trademark. The tangs on the primary blade read Utica Cutlery Co Utica N.Y. And the pen blade tang reads Bridge Cutlery Co St. Louis USA. Is this a Utica made Barlow? Thanks, Lloyd


 
Three nice ones, Lloyd.

According to Goins, Bridge was a Shapleigh Hdwe trademark. Utica did contract work for Hardware companies. Maybe it is one that Utica did for Shapleigh?
 
Luger1952 said:
Three recent Barlow finds. The Bridge is interesting. Bridge I believe was a EC Simmons or Shapleigh brand/trademark. The tangs on the primary blade read Utica Cutlery Co Utica N.Y. And the pen blade tang reads Bridge Cutlery Co St. Louis USA. Is this a Utica made Barlow? Thanks, Lloyd
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Maaaaaan. I think I have to move to Vegas. :grumpy: Folks on the porch are finding Barlows that are in a whole different league from the pittance I've been finding...

RDaneel said:
According to Goins, Bridge was a Shapleigh Hdwe trademark. Utica did contract work for Hardware companies. Maybe it is one that Utica did for Shapleigh?
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That's probably the answer, Dean, though the end pin makes my skeptical subconscious mumble about the possibility that it's a reblade using a contemporary Utica blade. Utica knives are ubiquitous, for sure, but I don't think I've seen that slightly-curved, almost 👁 Witness like Barlow frame from them. Then again, I could be completely wrong. :o
 
Luger1952 said:
Three recent Barlow finds. The Bridge is interesting. Bridge I believe was a EC Simmons or Shapleigh brand/trademark. The tangs on the primary blade read Utica Cutlery Co Utica N.Y. And the pen blade tang reads Bridge Cutlery Co St. Louis USA. Is this a Utica made Barlow? Thanks, Lloyd


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I was wondering who got that Bridge. Nice snag Lloyd!
 
Thanks gentlemen for your comments and input--much appreciated! TsarB that is what I thought initially that it was a re-blade and that is how a Utica tang marked blade got in the mix. If it is I can see no real evidence that the folder was cracked open and reassembled post original manufacture. Then again like you said who knows for sure. The primary blade looks contemporary to the other folder components especially in terms of aging. In fact the primary blade looks generally older than the pen blade but that is only a guess on my part. If it was a Shapleigh Hardware procured folder then who made it because Shapleigh didn't. I have read or heard like Dean mentions in his above post, that Utica made knives for Hardware Companies. All highly enjoyable to think and speculate about. Lloyd
 
Thanks BT! My attitude is if I can get a vintage folder (Barlow in this case) like this one with some interesting enigmas or questions and history for what I considered a pretty good price great! I didn't pay as much as most cheaper GEC new production models but to my way of thinking this specimen offers so much intrigue and mystery! Had to have it. Lloyd
 
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This old guy fits the definition of a traditional Barlow. I'm trying to pin down a likely period of manufacture -any of you experts have an idea?
 
Luger1952 said:
Thanks BT! My attitude is if I can get a vintage folder (Barlow in this case) like this one with some interesting enigmas or questions and history for what I considered a pretty good price great! I didn't pay as much as most cheaper GEC new production models but to my way of thinking this specimen offers so much intrigue and mystery! Had to have it. Lloyd
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Exactly my way of thinking, and the reason I gleefully "overpay" at times for old Barlows.

Atiger said:
This old guy fits the definition of a traditional Barlow. I'm trying to pin down a likely period of manufacture -any of you experts have an idea?
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I'd be interested to see if someone can pin down a range of years for that knife. I think its single-blade, significantly less-minty sibling is living in my knife box:



 
Bob, nice Kutmaster, I think your knife is all original, the bone looks identical to a couple Kutmaster's I have in my collection. Kutmaster is the top knife.

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It certainly does look correct when compared to yours Augie. The one thing that led me to believe that it had been restored was that where the bone meets the bolsters, it is undercut very sharply. The two surfaces meet and look good, but from the underside, the bone tapers away from the bolsters. I've only really seen that in restored knives. Of course this one could have been restored using the original bone covers. I don't know. But it is a very nice Barlow regardless.
Thanks Augie. :D
 
Nice Utica/Kutmasters, Bob and Augie!
I think Utica was into subcontracting Barlows for several firms, well before the second World War. You can see their pattern in many examples.
In this group there are Case XXes, and a Schrade Cut.Co, as well as Kutmasters.

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I originally posted this in the "Lets talk GEC" thread but there is a fairly in depth conversation taking place and it is almost definitely lost in the sauce. As it relates directly to some posts which originated here on the #14 Barlow, new wood covers and is a point of interest I figured I'd give it another shot in a related thread. Thanks again-



Quote Originally Posted by waynorth View Post
The yellow heart wood is called Amarello. It is quite yellow, and darkens slightly with age, and is generally lighter than Osage.
The small planks it came from were several years old, and quite pleasingly mellow with interesting grain that resembles some Ivory I have seen.


I'm interested in this Amarello wood Charlie. Can you tell us anything more about the sourcing of these planks or their age? Is there a story behind the choice of Amarello vice any other wood? Looking forward to seeing the finished grain on these. Got a soft spot for the yellows. Thanks for the info-
 
StoneBeard said:
I'm interested in this Amarello wood Charlie. Can you tell us anything more about the sourcing of these planks or their age? Is there a story behind the choice of Amarello vice any other wood? Looking forward to seeing the finished grain on these. Got a soft spot for the yellows. Thanks for the info-
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I'm glad to see you pull this out of the middle of the 'lolly scramble' discusion. I will be eager to hear the answer although not really interested in the 14 at the moment, I am interested to see the amarello wood which - until Charlie mentioned it - I had never heard of :)
 
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