What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

RDaneel said:
Great job, slipcraft! Custom designed for your TC clip. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
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Thank you! It's my Barlow Slip, which I've named 'Blip', both for the obvious name combination and the low likelihood of making another one like it. This one took a while because of some not-so-smart design choices that I made like doing small saddle stitches for the middle strip (10 stitches per inch)... I like how it came out, but I find saddle stitching anything smaller than 9 stitches per inch to be very boring. That probably means absolutely nothing if you've never done leather work before, and it probably doesn't really make that much of a difference in terms of time. I'm sure it's just an oddity of mine (I've got a lot of those)
 
Bugdoc said:
Very nice slipcraft. Good side is, your wife shares your enthusiasm (just not quite the way we do).:cool:
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Thank you, Tom!

My wife's enthusiasm for my knife collecting hobby and leatherwork exists only to the extent that it keeps me occupied and unavailable to annoy her with my need to immerse myself in "projects". Last one was constructing my very own (gigantic) meat smoker because the ability to smoke and preserve large quantity of meat is a must, in case of a zombie apocalypse (this was shortly after I started watching The Walking Dead). Apparently, the smoker itself wasn't the annoying part. It was being forced to eat nothing but smoked brisket for several weeks... even if it was the most delicious brisket that has ever existed in the history of smoked briskets. And, she complained of smelling like meat and smoke all the time. I didn't realize this was a bad thing.
 
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t.willy said:
That's one he'll of a good job slipcraft! :eek: :cool::thumbsup:
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thank you! Still scratching my head on the strap option. I've made five different ones and none seem to be that convenient... and convenience is key (for me, at least). I have several boxes that I haven't unpacked from our last move a few years ago because it was inconveniently placed behind my meat smoker (I forgot to install wheels on the smoker). I'm pretty sure that area was designated for the donate pile when we moved... but why would the movers put it there?
 
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Bugdoc said:
Gigantic smoker, eh? You are a man of many talents!:D:thumbsup:
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Sorry, I didn't mean to mislead you into thinking that this was a good, gigantic smoker. If I didn't tell you that it was a smoker, you might think it was a fiercely unattractive sheet metal art.

Imagine a large meat smoker in the stylings of Picasso's cubism. Take that smoker and look at it through a fishbowl. That's my smoker. I may have taken the whole "its fine as long it works" concept a little too far.

I believe my wife has publicly received condolences from her friends
 
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slipcraft said:
Seeing pictures of these vintage barlows remind me of their intended purpose... work knives. I came into my very first TC Barlow (Clip point/Peach Seed Jig Bone/2016) just last week after years of failed attempts at both the primary and secondary markets. I've tried buying it at the exact minute when they are released from online retailers and it boggles the mind that they sell out within seconds... literally! TC Barlow ownership requires superhuman mouse clicking abilities.

Anyways, one day last week, I clicked on the traditional knife trading thread and saw a posting for a TC Barlow with zero replies. I recall experiencing time slow down to a halt and my body reacting on its own in a sequence of movements that led me to click reply and type the words "I'll take it". It was as if my subconscious programmed this into my cells for this exact moment of confluence between my lunch break and random luck. It took a moment for my mind to catch up to what just occurred, but it was a joyous moment... made complete a few days later upon the most welcome sight of my USPS delivery man (my dogs would disagree).

Now, having met a need that has gone unfulfilled for years, the words "work knife" and my first TC Barlow don't exist together in my world. It's been carried a long distance from inside of my display case to the outside of my display case (distance of about 4 inches x 10,000 times) as I examine it closely in hand to reassure myself that it's still there... to make sure that the raccoons, which there are none in Phoenix, AZ (where I live), didn't scurry off with it in the middle of the night into the woods, which also doesn't exist in Phoenix, AZ.

So my TC Barlow is going through an existential crisis of a work knife whose purpose now is to travel 8 inches roundtrip several times a day to satisfy its owner's paranoia about thieving raccoons. One day, perhaps I'll regain my sanity and actually cut something with it... which would be more likely to happen if I had more than one TC Barlow... which probably won't happen unless I obtain superhuman mouse clicking abilities from being bitten by a radioactive raccoon.
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Ha ha! I felt exactly like this for a long while!! This one here has been stuck in that 4 inch display case distance for many months. I am finally breaking it out for use. I also recently found my old Boy Scout workbook so they are posing together.

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slipcraft said:
Great story!!! Traumatic, but great!

I recently learned a similar lesson that involved a Northfield 83 Tascosa and my wife. I wouldn't characterize myself as a smart guy, but smart enough in that moment to remain silent, walk away quietly, and weep in solitude. Today, I always keep an Opinel #4 in my shirt pocket in case my wife needs a cutting tool. Valuable life lessons.
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lol your posts are cracking me up!
 
slipcraft said:
Sorry, I didn't mean to mislead you into thinking that this was a good, gigantic smoker. If I didn't tell you that it was a smoker, you might think it was a fiercely unattractive sheet metal art.

Imagine a large meat smoker in the stylings of Picasso's cubism. Take that smoker and look at it through a fishbowl. That's my smoker. I may have taken the whole "its fine as long it works" concept a little too far.

I believe my wife has publicly received condolences from her friends
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Well you know, now we need pics fer sure! Frank might move it to the Lounge but it will be with it:eek::cool:
 
The lounge would be a good place to continue the conversation. It is possible to link from a post in one thread to a post in another thread. Post it in the lounge first, then put a link to that post in this thread.
 
Mike must have a limited subscription. I will email it to another friend and see if we can't get it posted.
Sorry PB is messing with you Mike!
 
gunstockjack said:
I gave up on PB. Let's try this:

WDKMfVI.jpg
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Thanks for un-PB'ing this :)

I assume it will be a sheepfoot blade. Very exciting! Or, it could be a new, groundbreaking design with wool handle covers. Kidding ;)

Seriously though, despite the improbable likelihood of a wool-handled barlow, I'd still get in line for one. Even if its dry-clean only.

Actually, I believe there were several wooly-barlows produced back in 1846 by a community of shepherds, but production stopped after a disastrous market response to the ugly Christmas sweater variant. The wooly barlow has since been lost in history, but there is rumor of a plot to revive the wooly-barlows in the modern era... by a small and highly secretive group made up of descendants from the original shepherds. Some are reportedly working in the highest levels of government.

If any of what I just made up (I mean... what I heard from a credible source) is verified by Charlie... I'm buying a lottery ticket.

Long live the Woolow!
(that's what we call it)
 
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