What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

WOW!!!, I STILL love my single blade CHARLOWS Barlie :cool: , I don't care what you try and throw at me to try and persuade me!!!

Oh man, they are sweet looking knives aren't they, its funny isn't it?, because this "pen blade on what side" subject has always intrigued me, so here we go, I am going to ask...

Is there _ if it comes to inspecting a knife in front of a very knowledgeable group/person etc - a certain way of opening a knife? is there such existing ( or unspoken ) etiquette?

If you are right handed, do you open the blade with your left hand whilst holding the knife with your right, so there is no swapping of hands, I actually had to go and look as to how exactly I open mine when thinking of this, please forgive me if this sound an extremely dumb question - I haven't grown up with knives, nor in a Country that has.

This all comes back to the discussion about which side pen blades are etc, it doesn't bother me at all - yet it does others..and this is what knife owning is about - a personal thing I guess.
I - using my Spear point single blade ( and being right handed ) hold the knife with my left, open the blade with my right hand, and while my right hand is still on the blade - simply slide my fingers down onto the handle - so there is actually no swapping of the knife hand to hand etc - does this make sense? or am I thinking too much here folks?
 
I don't think you're over-thinking it Duncan (I was tempted to fit another think in there, but couldn't think how to do it).
I'm a strange lefty. I use a fork or a pen with my left hand but bat, golf and kick on my right side. I have always kept my knife in my right front pocket, transferred to the left and pulled the blade with the right, and then usually but not always slice/cut with the left. Just yesterday I thought about just putting the knife in my left pocket, to avoid a 'transfer move'...not sure yet, I will try it and see how uncomfortable it feels.
I have a clip Charlow, and like how the pen and clip are both accessible to my right thumb...I also have a Queen Barlow with the pen on the pile side, I hold the knife in my left hand, turn it over and 'backwards' open the pen, it's become a smooth operation, but not as nice as having the pen on the mark side. It's the same way I open the coping/pen/spey blade on a stockman.
Interesting thoughts...we need an ergonomics expert to chime in,
Russel
 
I'm the opposite, right handed and keep the knife in the left pocket :). Pull up the pocketsheath with the left hand, grab the knife with the right one. Then I pull out the blade with my left thumb (mark side nick) or index finger (pile side nick).
Since it works better with the thumb (especially with strong pulls) I prefer mark side nail nicks.

It's quite interesting that there are so many ways to do this simple thing. I was sure you all do it the way I do until now, never thought there was another way :D.
 
sturzi said:
I'm the opposite, right handed and keep the knife in the left pocket :). Pull up the pocketsheath with the left hand, grab the knife with the right one. Then I pull out the blade with my left thumb (mark side nick) or index finger (pile side nick).
Since it works better with the thumb (especially with strong pulls) I prefer mark side nail nicks.

It's quite interesting that there are so many ways to do this simple thing. I was sure you all do it the way I do until now, never thought there was another way :D.
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Im with sturzi when it comes to opening my knife as well---just thought everyone did the same :D

Paul
 
We need some video demonstrations. :)

Right-handed. My main knife for the day is in my left front pocket. I pull it out with my left hand, place it in my right, open the blade with my left hand and am good to go.

If the nail nick or pull in question is on the mark side, I use my left thumbnail; if it's on the pile side, I use the nail of my left middle finger.

Usually.

(Wait, that's what Sturzi just said, minus the part with the pocket sheath. So let's go with, "Yeah-- what he said!")

(I foresee attempting to 'mindlessly' open many knives later this evening, to confirm that the above is still my default. ;))

Beautiful knives, Charlie.

It seems that creating a beautiful color-- all of which the bone barlows have been, in one way or another-- and repeating a beautiful color from a past run or an earlier era are possibly two different animals? Throw in that each piece or set of bone can absorb dye differently, and ... well, just keep 'em coming. :thumbup:


~ P.
 
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Intersting, I am right handed, and keep my knives in my right front, one in coin pocket, the larger in deep pocket, if wearing my jacket, I insanely admit to carrying two in jacket ( left and right sides, and one in right front pants pocket.
The knife is pulled up - or if in coin, flicked up from outside pants..into r/h -then both hands come together -the left holding the knife while I open the blade..and so on...I must diverge from Charlies topic and that is THOSE NEW KNIVES!!

I see mentioned that Charlie and GEC together were trying for the deeper red, and yet I think deepness comes from the Base Colour to start with _ as I am sure they already know, if you continue to add Red on Red it will get actually dirtier - ( I have spent 34 years Colour-matching ), now if you started from a deep yellow - leading towards an orange let dry and put a stronger strength Red on top you would still have the lovely clean Red but with a transparency through the red, giving a "dye" effect - like the Candy Colours used on Hot-Rods etc, but Bone is a different medium to use, this would work with painting - but with dying it means soakage! with painting its merely coverage - but it would be interesting to see such results, the out come of course depends on how strong the actual Red is, if its weak - as in how many attempts ( or coats ) it takes to cover to acceptable strength.

I feel that the Red on my Clip point is getting very close to the Case red Bones, I am with Charlie to say that Case Red Bone colouration is one of the best-it stands side by side with Peach-seed bone - and that's saying something!

Here are two examples of Red Bone getting close -in fact very close IMHO to case red Bone
Here is an Old timer that's has lovely Bone..


But I think Charlie bettered the Old timer Bone Colour with this stunner...




Charlie, I feel the work you have done is nothing but Fantastic using the word to its true meaning!! The colour on my Clip point Barlow is to me-perfect
 
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waynorth said:
We were looking for a deeper red, but dye doesn't always do what is expected. Still nice though. We need to pull out the "Wayback" machine, and go spy on Case in the 40s and 50s!:D
Hope you like them!
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Charlie, nowadays you'd be hard pressed to match one of the older dye colors, those rich shades were the result of a lot of "...enes" that were added to enhance absorbtion and color amongst other things, and which are no longer allowed in dyes due to their nasty ingredients.

Those knives are just stunning amigo!!! I don't see anything wrong with that color at all!

Eric
 
Thanks for the mini-course on Dyes and their application, Duncan.
And the reassurance that our current methods are better for us, Eric! It makes the colors look even better to me, knowing people don't have to risk their health to make them!

And many thanks for the flood of nice words folks!

The stars have sure aligned for this project. I just hope we can do it again some day!
Not that it's over by any means - there are a few more to be made.
Sheepfoot, Spey, and Razor/one-armed yet to go! That will cover all the traditional Barlow Blades of the last Century or so.
 
Charlie, my apologies for raving on, its just how I was thinking. I know that's what would work with Automotive paints, but dyes of course is different, I just have to say that the colour on My Clip-point red Bone is just perfect.
 
Duncan, having witnessed my uncle (body shop owner/painter) and a friend of the family (painter) discuss painting cars ad nauseum, your post was not bad, it was informative.
 
ea42 said:
Charlie, nowadays you'd be hard pressed to match one of the older dye colors, those rich shades were the result of a lot of "...enes" that were added to enhance absorbtion and color amongst other things, and which are no longer allowed in dyes due to their nasty ingredients.
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Thanks, once again, for your helpful insight. I never would have thought of that!

I agree, also, that the colors coming out are superb. Different each time from what I expect(ed) to see, but wonderful in their own right.

waynorth said:
Not that it's over by any means - there are a few more to be made.
Sheepfoot, Spey, and Razor/one-armed yet to go!
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Rubbing_Eyes_emoticon.gif:original


Just when I thought these barlow inoculations were actually proving effective....

Oh, my.

(Huzzah!)

~ P.
 
Campbellclanman said:
Charlie, my apologies for raving on, its just how I was thinking. I know that's what would work with Automotive paints, but dyes of course is different, I just have to say that the colour on My Clip-point red Bone is just perfect.
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I don't consider it raving, Duncan! I consider your wonderful posts as floods of experience and information you are willing to share! Keep up the good work!
 
waynorth said:
The stars have sure aligned for this project. I just hope we can do it again some day!
Not that it's over by any means - there are a few more to be made.
Sheepfoot, Spey, and Razor/one-armed yet to go! That will cover all the traditional Barlow Blades of the last Century or so.
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Don't forget easy open versions of all the different blade combos! (I can dream, right?!:D)

Thanks for all your hard work making these Barlows (and the others) happen Charlie.
 
Ordered my Ebony Spear Charlow single blade today. Thanks Barlie!

How I open a knife, main blade, mark side nick. Hold in left hand, point of closed blade pointing up, use thumbnail of right hand to open blade. On my peanut, pen blade nick on pile side, hold knife in left hand, point down, use my right thumbnail to open blade.

Stay tuned for my first Charlow pic, meanwhile, this is the one that started it all for me:
sitflyer said:
IMG_3479_zps32f49651.jpg
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mr_badexample said:
Don't forget easy open versions of all the different blade combos! (I can dream, right?!:D)

Thanks for all your hard work making these Barlows (and the others) happen Charlie.
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I think the EOs will eventually appear on the Boy's knives!!
I can't wait myself!
 
I think GEC did a wonderful job on the antique yellow they have used on Charlie's barlows. I don't know what their process was, but it sure resulting in a pleasing out come.

Ed J
 
So far, for F&F, walk and talk, feel and overall appeal, the Charlows are the best of GEC. I even a J.B.F Champlin Eureka and its not as nice.
 
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