What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

Campbellclanman said:
Congrats on Finding that Barlow Charlie! Not only did you find a Curved Barlow - but a Mint one at that!!! What a Beauty! What Beautiful Bone on that one as well!
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Wish it was mint, Duncan! It's down a bit, and has been cleaned (sigh), but it's still quite presentable.
 
waynorth said:
Wish it was mint, Duncan! It's down a bit, and has been cleaned (sigh), but it's still quite presentable.
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Always curious about this ... how should one "clean" or make the best of an old knife without ruining the original character of it. Do you leave them exactly as found?
 
Red rust should be removed if possible, with the finest steel wool, or a bamboo chopstick, whittled to a chisel, after applying oil to the oxidized surfaces and letting it soak for a day or two. Too much oil on handles is not good!!
Sometimes the rust will come off with persistent rubbing with a microfiber cloth.
Leave the discoloration/patina alone on a valuable knife. If the above knife hadn't been cleaned I would have gladly added $200 to what I paid!!!!!
 
I hear what you say loud and clear Charlie.
I think though - still - that I would gladly own that Knife than not.
 
Absolutely stunning group of Russell Barlows Charlie, wonderful condition and that curved Russell, stellar!!!! You got to convince Bill to do a large run of those,just like that one.
 
texmex03 said:
Always curious about this ... how should one "clean" or make the best of an old knife without ruining the original character of it. Do you leave them exactly as found?
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Josh, as Charlie stated I would just deal with any active rust and I would only use hand methods to clean, never use a mechanical buffer as it softens edges and you can lose the original finish marks and round edges.
I just use oil and 0000 steel wool, sometimes green buffing compound on a scrap of leather or just rub some oil with a microfiber cloth. You are not trying to make it shiny new.
This Case Tested is an example, found it unused in a box and it had surface rust, using the hand methods I described I removed the active rust, the knife still shows the rust stains but that is part of the history of the knife, all edges are factory crisp with no rounding you might get using a mechanical buffer. You can see some pretty bad examples of buffing on that auction site.

s-l1600.jpg IMG_5203.jpg
 
The more you look at old pocket knives, the more you appreciate the original finishes remaining! Beautiful old Case, John!!
If I wanted a shiny knife, I'd buy a new one. When buying or owning an old knife, I want as much of the old goodness as it is possible to keep. Polish that knife, and you erase the hands of the venerable craftsmen/women who finished it before WWll.
 
Makes sense. I see lots of old knives on the bay that are well worn but the blades polished to a shine with a "minty" description.
 
ecallahan said:
View attachment 742845 View attachment 742842 I was at a traditional archery rendezvous over the weekend and picked this up. It seems solidly built, good snap, a lot of life left. It was cruddy but I cleaned it out. I'm not sure when it might have been manufactured. I will enjoy using it though. For $20 I think it is a good buy. More so because the style reminds me of my youth.
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Nice one EC. I like Boker knives. Yours has some character going.
 
waynorth said:
The more you look at old pocket knives, the more you appreciate the original finishes remaining! Beautiful old Case, John!!
If I wanted a shiny knife, I'd buy a new one. When buying or owning an old knife, I want as much of the old goodness as it is possible to keep. Polish that knife, and you erase the hands of the venerable craftsmen/women who finished it before WWll.
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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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Nice to see you enjoying your TC, slipcraft!!:)
There is more than one way to enjoy a knife!!!
Radioactive raccoons notwithstanding!!
:D:D
 
Thank you, Charlie! I'm convinced that I've explored all the ways to enjoy my TC (there are exactly 127 ways) except for cutting something with it. Running out of ideas, so I'll have no choice but to work it into my EDC rotation soon.

BTW, I've admired your TC Barlow designs since I first saw them several years ago, even before learning of their popularity. This is when I used to make a fool of myself calling online dealers asking whether they have any TC Barlows in stock and when they expect to receive the next shipment. I shudder to think about what was said among the sales staff after the call--

Salesperson: Hey, some noob just called asking about whether we have any TC Barlows in stock
[dramatic pause]
[laughter erupts]
[high fives are exchanged]

Anyways, I know how difficult it can be to create clean designs that are appealing to so many people... at least it is for me (I'm in leather product design). There is a fine line between too simple (boring) and genius. My ogling of the TC Barlow at the moment is studying your design choices on where to round off vs bevel vs keeping a sharper angle and its impact to the overall appeal. It looks simple, but I'm starting to understand more of its complexity.

I think part of the success and appeal of the TC Barlow are the subtle design elements that appear to be unremarkable on their own, but works harmoniously together to create a larger effect. I've counted 127 design elements thus far in my TC Barlow. I have yet to achieve anything similar in my leathercraft work, but I hope to one day.

I could go on and on, but I must stop here. I hear raccoons nearby.
 
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the design has been around a while.. and the popularity also speaks to its design strengths.

Here's a few

QfMli43.jpg
 
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Thanks for the complements, slipcraft! If I didn't have Bill at GEC to work with, there'd be no TCs.
No-one makes a knife like he does.
Nice comparison shot, and collection, Camillus!
 
Camillus said:
the design has been around a while.. and the popularity also speaks to its design strengths.

Here's a few

QfMli43.jpg
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Beautiful! And thanks for providing these historical references. You're absolutely right that the TC Barlow design draws upon a long history. It's amazing that something that has existed for so long is still very appealing. And, it's a welcome oasis in a time where boredom sets it every six months as new smartphone designs are released. I've never found myself holding my old iPhone 3G to just appreciate the design. It's more like-- "man, I can't believe I used to carry around this hunk of brick back in the stone ages". (No offense if anyone out there uses a 3G. Just a commentary on the fickleness of the masses. Or just me. But seriously, it's time for an upgrade... Candy Crush is amazing in HD)

I'm not sure when the second and fourth Barlows in these pictures were manufactured, but it's fascinating to see the little design differences in the bolster.

I see that they have some patina on it. A little Flitz and dremel should take care of it.

TOTALLY KIDDING!
 
waynorth said:
Thanks for the complements, slipcraft! If I didn't have Bill at GEC to work with, there'd be no TCs.
No-one makes a knife like he does.
Nice comparison shot, and collection, Camillus!
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Yes, Bill at GEC... I don't know if I should be thankful or resentful towards him. I would look upon my collection of GECs one day, and with great content, think to myself, "Yes, my collection is now complete." Then, I discover a pattern that I didn't know existed or see a preview of a new release and it becomes: "What have I been doing with my life?"

You put me through a roller coaster of emotions, Bill. THANKS!
 
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