Barlow? Share all your Barlows here.

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Here's my attempt at a Barlow that ended up more like a caricature of one!

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O1 blade, wrought iron integral bolster/liners & Oak scales.
:eek: I Really like that!:cool::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
Hey Chin, great picture of your Hartshead.
Thanks very much Bill. Those are some fine and varied Barlows, my friend. I like that Bulldog Tobacco knife a lot - I understand those knives which were optimised for slicing off a chew from a plug of tobacco were often marketed and sold in the Southern US? Very interesting.

I just got these two last week, so not much time with them yet. But I love 'em!

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First off, I love the reverse frost etches, match strike nicks, and the worked bolsters. I like "bling." The green bone has beautifully rounded pins, gorgeous bone and jigging, and near perfect W&T: 6 pulls with buttery action. Plus a great blade combo, this one I'll carry. The stag is medium thick with massive character, and beautifully toasted. Firmer pulls on this one, about a 7, and not as buttery smooth as the green bone. I suspect it was not used much and just needs some work to smooth up. Maybe not as well made as GEC's best, but very close.

Fine Bulldogs Jeff, with a distinctively different style to them. That 'White Burley' etch is quite intriguing. I recall a conversation with @Jack Black a few years ago, where he explained the etymology of the Barlow name:

Rather than being an occupational name, Barlow, Barley, Barlowe, (and Bierlow, as well as various other related forms) derive from a common place name, with Barlow and Bierlow certainly still being in use here. It was common because people often took the name of the place they lived, particularly as they began to travel, or the name of their lord or master, who may have previously adopted the name. For example, the Norman Albini and D’Abitot families, taking the local name for the hill on which it stood, named their home Barlow Hall, and changed their name to De Barlow (later Barlow) - the Barlows of Barlow Hall.

I wonder if Burley may be another old root word for Barlow?

Here's my attempt at a Barlow that ended up more like a caricature of one!

819KU2U.jpg


k268jlj.jpg


Hc4FWKY.jpg


O1 blade, wrought iron integral bolster/liners & Oak scales.

That looks great! I like your choice of materials and integral bolster , which seem very much in keeping with the spirit of a knife meant for hard work. There are old bunny knives designed for the Australian market which have a very similar full bellied clip blade. Unfortunately, I can't show the only one I have a photo of, as it has a short bolster, so it's not technically a Barlow. You get bonus points from me for the milled, ambidextrous nail nick as well! I wish more knives had them!
 
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Here's my attempt at a Barlow that ended up more like a caricature of one!

819KU2U.jpg


k268jlj.jpg


Hc4FWKY.jpg


O1 blade, wrought iron integral bolster/liners & Oak scales.
It's wonderful. You actually made it? Better watch out, people will want you to do the same for them....me included. That is one great Barlow. Love the full bellied blade. The transition from bolster to scales looks great, blade is well centered, etc. I like it!
 
Thanks very much Bill. Those are some fine and varied Barlows, my friend. I like that Bulldog Tobacco knife a lot - I understand those knives which were optimised for slicing off a chew from a plug of tobacco were often marketed and sold in the Southern US states? Very interesting.



Fine Bulldogs Jeff, with a distinctively different style to them. That 'White Burley' etch is quite intriguing. I recall a conversation with @Jack Black a few years ago, where he explained the etymology of the Barlow name:



I wonder if Burley may be another old root word for Barlow?



That looks great! I like your choice of materials and integral bolster , which seem very much in keeping with the spirit of a knife meant for hard work. There are old bunny knives designed for the Australian market which have a very similar full bellied clip blade. Unfortunately, I can't show the only one I have a photo of, as it has a short bolster, so it's not technically a Barlow. You get bonus points from me for the milled, ambidextrous nail nick as well! I wish more knives had them!

Thanks Chin. There is quite a story behind the Bulldog knives that were considered "1st Generation", "2nd Generation", etc. I own a 1st Generation Barlow made in Solingen, Germany at the Friedrich Olbertz factory. While Charlie Dorton owned the Bulldog Knife Company in the 80's, Dave Scott joined with him to produce knives with the S&D, OUR BEST, blade etch. They felt, and most agree, that they were some of the finest knives being imported from Germany. S&D Enterprises was the sole distributor of these knives and they were in limited quantities. The S&D OUR BEST blade etch is on several different patterns including the one I own. S&D Enterprises had an office in Maysville KY and some of the 1st generation Bulldog knives (my Barlow included) bear this blade etch also and special tang stamp. They are in Manchester Ohio now but it is believed they only produce display cases for knives. All of these Barlows are hand made.
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Thanks Chin. There is quite a story behind the Bulldog knives that were considered "1st Generation", "2nd Generation", etc. I own a 1st Generation Barlow made in Solingen, Germany at the Friedrich Olbertz factory. While Charlie Dorton owned the Bulldog Knife Company in the 80's, Dave Scott joined with him to produce knives with the S&D, OUR BEST, blade etch. They felt, and most agree, that they were some of the finest knives being imported from Germany. S&D Enterprises was the sole distributor of these knives and they were in limited quantities. The S&D OUR BEST blade etch is on several different patterns including the one I own. S&D Enterprises had an office in Maysville KY and some of the 1st generation Bulldog knives (my Barlow included) bear this blade etch also and special tang stamp. They are in Manchester Ohio now but it is believed they only produce display cases for knives. All of these Barlows are hand made.
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Great post Bill, thank you for that information.

Here’s a question for you Barlow experts, which I’ve wondered about before.

Does the Barlow long bolster typically have a second pin securing it to the liner scales, in addition to the pivot pin?

I only have a handful of Barlows, but an older Southern and Richardson bunny knife and my A. Wright Hartshead appear to just have the pivot pin. A GEC 77 and Lionsteel Roundhead have an extra bolster pin.
 
Great post Bill, thank you for that information.

Here’s a question for you Barlow experts, which I’ve wondered about before.

Does the Barlow long bolster typically have a second pin securing it to the liner scales, in addition to the pivot pin?

I only have a handful of Barlows, but an older Southern and Richardson bunny knife and my A. Wright Hartshead appear to just have the pivot pin. A GEC 77 and Lionsteel Roundhead have an extra bolster pin.
You are quite welcome Chin. Hope you had a great weekend.




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You are quite welcome Chin. Hope you had a great weekend.

Thanks Bill, I had a great weekend - I hope you did too. :)

Cambertree Cambertree : The " Burley " is a variety of Tobacco and really has nothing to do with BARLOW . Bulldog made a series of TOBACCO Barlows . This one has " Bright Leaf " on it .

Harry

Ah, thanks for the clarification Harry. I had been puzzling over that one. :thumbsup:

Here’s an old Southern and Richardson barlow bunny knife I found at a place out in the country recently.

They were a Sheffield firm who exported to the Australian market, and used the ‘Nest Knife’ trade mark.

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Unfortunately, some oaf has vandalised the blades with a Dremel.:mad::eek::(

But you can still see the cool blade stamp.

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Cambertree Cambertree : The " Burley " is a variety of Tobacco and really has nothing to do with BARLOW . Bulldog made a series of TOBACCO Barlows . This one has " Bright Leaf " on it .


Harry
Nice German Bulldog. Blades are "Bluesteel". I'de like to see a picture of the backspring side (spine) of your knife at the bolsters. For my own reference on construction quality.
 
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