What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

[LastRodeo]

Thanks Paul and Jack. I just remembered I forgot to include my users in the photo. Will have to save that photo for another day.

 

[Campbellclanman]

Great photo's everyone - lr - as others have said- Whew....Thats a REAL nice collection of simply GREAT knives.

Mr Knife my friend - obtaining just one from charlie - is one very special knife.

 

[mrknife]

Great photo's everyone - lr - as others have said- Whew....Thats a REAL nice collection of simply GREAT knives.

Mr Knife my friend - obtaining just one from charlie - is one very special knife.

Definitely, from Charlie's own collection to mine, makes it a special barlow in its own right. doesnt even matter that I dont have the tube at the moment. Easily the best pick up for me from the rendezvous and favorite souvenir. Its actually featured in theapostlep's video interview with charlie as well.

 

[Cambertree]

Beautiful knives everyone.

This post references a chat about colonial Australian Barlow 'Bunny knife' history (which has some posts running from about 14236-14272-14290, for anyone who is interested).

One of the reasons that hand forging lasted so late in Sheffield is because of the Little Mester system (and the unwillingness of the factory owners to invest), since labour was much cheaper than paying for new tooling, particularly when you were using cutlers all over the town to make knives for you, all of whom would require tooling, which might not always be returned afterwards, or used exclusively for your knives. Hand-forging was also considered to be far superior by the Sheffield cutlers though, and was the rule rather than the exception into modern times.

Yes, there are accepted Sheffield 'town patterns', which were produced by a great many individual cutlers, and to a lesser extent that is still the case.

Right, that's quite incredible to think of the consistency and uniformity of patterns and blade styles that was achieved then, with so many different Littlemesters operating for the various major cutlers.

Hand forged blades with experienced heat treatments goes a long way to explaining the legendary status Sheffield cutlery had throughout the colonies and in the New World.

I saw a similar system operating with the small forges attached to the houses of traditional knifemakers in Seki, Sanjo and Sakai in Japan, although there was much more individual variation in the standard patterns there.

Jack, excuse my ignorance, but does 'Town-pattern' refer to a style that would have been recorded in a standard Sheffield pattern book?

I know you have said before that old Barlows are rare as hens teeth around Sheffield, and that most of them were likely exported.

Here is a photo of some antipodean Barlow Bunny knives which I am reposting from Australian Blade Forums. (Thanks to International for permission to use this photo.) The Barlow on the left would have probably been referred to as a 'Stock Knife', however.

 

[Jack Black]

Hand forged blades with experienced heat treatments goes a long way to explaining the legendary status Sheffield cutlery had throughout the colonies and in the New World.

Yes, I really think it does, it was the great cutting ability of Sheffield blades, which came first, and indeed, which first made Sheffield renowned for its knives. Even going back several hundred years though, there were forgeries, makers using sub-standard steel (or even iron) or claiming their knives were hand-forged when they weren't, but thankfully they were in a small minority, with the Company of Cutler's having powers of investigation, inspection, and penalty.

Stan Shaw was still hand-forging his blades until just a few years ago, and in fact still retains some of his old hand-forged stock.

I saw a similar system operating with the small forges attached to the houses of traditional knifemakers in Seki, Sanjo and Sakai in Japan, although there was much more individual variation in the standard patterns there.

That must have been absolutely fascinating to see.

Jack, excuse my ignorance, but does 'Town-pattern' refer to a style that would have been recorded in a standard Sheffield pattern book?

You are very far from that my friend 'Town pattern' is a cutler's term, still very much in use in Sheffield today. It refers simply to the knives which were commonly produced by many different cutlers. If you look at the knives produced by the remaining Sheffield companies, you will see that some of them are essentially the same. However, I don't think they have ever been recorded in any pattern book.

I know you have said before that old Barlows are rare as hens teeth around Sheffield, and that most of them were likely exported.

Here is a photo of some antipodean Barlow Bunny knives which I am reposting from Australian Blade Forums. (Thanks to International for permission to use this photo.) The Barlow on the left would have probably been referred to as a 'Stock Knife', however.

Thank you very much for that, very interesting to see :thumbup:

 

[dispatch184]

Thank you for the kind words regarding my 14 all!

LR, man what a sweet collection and I thought the picture was just fine myself :thumbup:

 

[Jack Black]

Sorry, I'm rushing a bit today, but just wanted to say a bit more about the Sheffield 'Town patterns', the knives/blades produced 'all over the town'. Today, and for many years past, tooling would have been commonly available for these patterns to allow the blades to be blanked out with a press, and perhaps even to machine-grind them. In 2016, blades are commonly produced by the larger Sheffield cutlery firms (not that they are very large at all, just all that are left) for the smaller cutlers, for example Trevor Ablett obtained his pocket knife blades from Arthur Wright & Son, while Reg Cooper obtained his Bowie knife blanks from Jack Adams.

The consistency of patterns in the days of hand-forging is indeed remarkable, but then the forging of blades, particularly for the big firms, was generally a specialised job, with the men who did it just working on a relatively small number of patterns, and doing nothing further in terms of the production of the knives. In the the days of the great innovators, it was obviously very different, but in my own experience, most Sheffield cutlers think very little about the design of the blades, and simply produce what they are taught to, a blade (and a knife) that looks a certain way, and to them, has always looked like that. I imagine that is also one of the reasons that the town patterns have stayed the same way so long. It's not just about conservatism, they are simply men filling an order, and aiming to produce what their customer (an individual, a factor, or one of the big firms) expects.

Sorry to rush, more later...

 

[RDaneel]

What makes a good, traditional Barlow? When it's a gift from a friend - Thanks Paul H. for the Appaloosa and Dee for the Razor!

 

[Augie]

Dean, both of those are beauties, that Appaloosa has some very nice color to it.

 

[Jack Black]

Those are great gifts Dean :thumbup:

 

[dispatch184]

2 of the nicest looking Case knives I have seen yet Dean :thumbup:

 

[GuestWho101]

What makes a good, traditional Barlow? When it's a gift from a friend - Thanks Paul H. for the Appaloosa and Dee for the Razor!

You're very welcome, Dean! :thumbup:

Every knife deserves a Rdaneel photography session.

Capturing beauty since Apr. 2000.

 

[paulhilborn]

Dean, as Dee mentioned, they look darn good with your photography skills:thumbup:

That RAZOR is a HONEY!!! the covers, blade and stepped bolsters make for a wonderful Barlow:thumbup:

 

[supratentorial]

Very nice, Dean :thumbup:

A few catalog cuts from 1890 to 1913. Dates and sources are in the file names.

 

[toppygray82]

After selling most of my tc's i decided to start collecting them again.

I have a new tc in jigged bone that needs to be carried.

I like a used 1095 steel blade.

From left to right, a tony bose backpocket a2 steel. Tc barlow. In red jigged bone and boys knife in antique yellow bone.

The backpocket and the bous knife is what i have been carrying lately .

 

[Cambertree]

A few catalog cuts from 1890 to 1913.

Great stuff Jake, I really enjoy seeing those old workers' knives.

The text on that first ad from 1890, makes me wonder that even then, there may have been an element of popularity of the Barlow pattern that was due to nostalgia and tradition: young lads may have pored over newspaper ads and wanted and saved up for a knife that was recognisably similar to what they saw their fathers and grandfathers carrying and using.

Do you know anything more about the manufacturer of the NO X-ALL stamped blade? Was that a line that was specifically made for Logan Gregg hardware?

OK, now let's see - I'll take a dozen of the Wostenholm spearpoints and a dozen of the Russell 65 clippoints, please. Where do I send the $7.50? 😋

Thanks for posting that!

 

[supratentorial]

I'm happy that you enjoyed the scans. You may be right. The advertisement does sound nostalgic and barlows have a long history.

NOX-ALL was a trademark used by A Kastor & Bros. Goins' Encyclopedia gives the date 1907. I looked it up and that is the filing date (#25,970 filed Mar 14, 1907). The Logan-Gregg catalog was printed in 1905.

Around 1901, A. Kastor & Bros purchased Camillus. Before then, they mainly imported knives from Germany.

 

[pertinux]

Great stuff Jake, I really enjoy seeing those old workers' knives.

The text on that first ad from 1890, makes me wonder that even then, there may have been an element of popularity of the Barlow pattern that was due to nostalgia and tradition: young lads may have pored over newspaper ads and wanted and saved up for a knife that was recognisably similar to what they saw their fathers and grandfathers carrying and using.

Do you know anything more about the manufacturer of the NO X-ALL stamped blade? Was that a line that was specifically made for Logan Gregg hardware?

OK, now let's see - I'll take a dozen of the Wostenholm spearpoints and a dozen of the Russell 65 clippoints, please. Where do I send the $7.50? 😋

Thanks for posting that!

I'm glad I read your response before finalizing mine, because I can't add to what you just said-- right down to reading "NOX-ALL" as "NO X-ALL".

Thank you, Jake!

... I now would like to see the white bone Russell barlows, listed at a proportionally large upcharge over the price of the 'brown' ones. Although, perhaps I already have seen some, and they're simply no longer white?

Speaking of white bone barlows, my own hope deferred has become longing fulfilled, thanks to the man himself:

2013 #15 sheepsfoot barlow, pictured with the new #14

Thank you so much, Charlie, for making it possible for me to assuage my three-year regret.

TC Barlow, now with a Mini Me:

Lovely little knife, this #14. The pen's location, behind the main, is an especially welcome touch. :thumbup:

Can anyone please post a picture of a #14 barlow with one or more of its even wee-er forebears? The comparisons are instructive, and fun!

~ P.

 

[B.F.U]

Very nice, Dean[emoji106]
A few catalog cuts from 1890 to 1913. Dates and sources are in the file names.

[/URL]

Do I see an upswept tip with curved handle (#74 like) there? If so, I would love to see a modern rendition of that. SFO time!


EDIT: I quoted the wrong picture. The one above this one is what I meant.

 

[Sabercat]

"Do I see an upswept tip with curved handle (#74 like) there? If so, I would love to see a modern rendition of that. SFO time!"

ALLHSS
If it's the 603R you're referring to, I agree that would make a sweet TC. It does somewhat resemble the Madison Barlow to me, but not exact.

sorry, I messed up quoting just a portion of your post.





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