Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

[black mamba]

Happy New Year, Guardians!!

My resolution for the year is for Jack Black to get his back in order! Shape up, Laddie, life is too short!

 

[Jack Black]

Happy New Year, Guardians!!

My resolution for the year is for Jack Black to get his back in order! Shape up, Laddie, life is too short!

LOL! Thanks Jeff, you're right, less moaning and groaning! Nice Lambsfoot choice for the day my friend, I like your mug mug

 

[Onebigbill]

Thank you very much Bill, that's my new Slingshot World calendar. It has some great pics (though a few mediocre ones too) Thank you very much my friend. I'm happy to report that the trapped nerve has finally freed itself, though I still have some standard lower back pain. I do feel a bit better today, and have even eaten a couple of small meals (a lunchtime sandwich, and a pastie just now) Hot tea with whisky and honey sounds a whole lot better than my grandmother's raspberry vinegar! Sorry to hear about the weather there, I hope it improves soon. Bagpipe ebony seems appropriate for Hogmanay!

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You too Mike Smashing Sheffield combination amigo

Jack Black Glad to hear that things are improving with your back. Hate to see you start off the New Year with pain though. The Ebony Lambsfoot that I now possess is really growing on me. Simple, elegant, and functional. Not bad looking either! However, I'm ushering in the new year with with you know what!



Happy New Year Guardians and all.

 

[Jack Black]

Jack Black Glad to hear that things are improving with your back. Hate to see you start off the New Year with pain though. The Ebony Lambsfoot that I now possess is really growing on me. Simple, elegant, and functional. Not bad looking either! However, I'm ushering in the new year with with you know what!

View attachment 1483298

Happy New Year Guardians and all.

Thank you very much Bill, over the course of the day my back has felt a lot better, which is a big relief Nice start to the year my friend, and a great pic

 

[Pt-Luso]

Happy year 2021, for all Guardians.

 

[donn]

It's a cardinal. A great favorite of mine and Dad's and probably everybody's who knows them. I have an apple tree in the back yard, and when the apples are red the cardinals like to preen among the apples and show us that nothing is as red as a cardinal.

Thanks Jer, a very handsome bird. We don't have them in the UK.

Well, when you're a factory cutler, even in a very small factory, you have to make what the gaffer tells you to make. You might spend your time stamping out blades, or polishing them, for example. If you're lucky, you'll get to learn the whole job of making a knife, but that was extremely rare in the big factories, and some gaffers handicapped their workers by deliberately ensuring they didn't learn all aspects of the trade. That wasn't the case with Ashley fortunately, partly because he has an enthusiasm for the craft. However, simply because of the range of knives that Wright's made, Ashley had never made a knife with a fluted or rat-tail bolster before, nor did he know those terms, not until I finally twisted John Maleham's arm to get them made. Nor had he made a proper Barlow before, let alone an 'all-iron' one. Since he did such a good job of the first knives, I asked that he do all our knives, and they were a very important part of his learning, something both he and his dad appreciated

Thanks Jack, I do recall now you telling us about those old working practices of the cutlers. I hope Wright's aren't still working like that, but I guess they have all the work they need turning out their usual range of goods anyway.

Today.

 

[Jack Black]

Thanks Jack, I do recall now you telling us about those old working practices of the cutlers. I hope Wright's aren't still working like that, but I guess they have all the work they need turning out their usual range of goods anyway.

Today.

Well, that's how the factory system works David, and you can see the Fordist logic behind it. It means that one guy gets really good at making bolsters or shields, or polishing blades, it increases production, and you don't have to pay him much, or worry about him competing with you, or even working for your competition, except doing precisely the same job. Fortunately, the factory system never truly took hold in Sheffield, like it did elsewhere, and most cutlers, while badly paid, were effectively self-employed. This is one of the reasons Sheffield cutlers were so notoriously militant, bad time keepers, and heavy drinkers, because they didn't have 'factory discipline', but were task-orientated, boozing half the week, then working all the hours of the day, in their back-yard workshops, to get their jobs (knives or parts of knives) finished at the end of the working week.

You can count Wright's entire workforce on one hand, and a couple of those couldn't make a decent knife, but they're all 'on wages'. None of their standard knives are made by just one cutler. They've struggled to find employees in the past (both cutlers and apprentices), because most ordinary folk would rather work just about anywhere, (even a call-centre), than in some old, poorly-lit, damp, cold, and draughty building, with no canteen facilities, doing the same dirty work, making the same product, which is rushed-out and mediocre, for little money, in a dying, unprestigious industry

That looks like a tasty snack my friend, you've got me wanting another mince-pie myself I've just had a couple of beers from the Zapato brewery. They were OK, but I think they try to be clever too much with their brews, brewing beers to impress other 'craft-brewers' rather than seasoned beer drinkers. It might be time to mix up a Rusty Nail to go with that mince-pie

Edit - A bit of 'photo-journalism'

 

[5K Qs]

Wishing all the Guardians a healthy and immunity-filled 2021!

Love seeing Cracker Jack again... Great knife with a great name.

Thanks, John.

...
It was Gary, I love to read about the old bums and hobos. As with other books from that period I noticed the use of a lot of English words which since seem to have passed out of use in the US (eg 'settee', a word we were discussing here some months back). Plenty of pocket knife references too, and it seems to be the one object everyone carries.

I'm afraid that I do have some other symptoms - a terrible hacking cough, slightly raised body temperature, reduced appetite, slightly altered sense of taste and smell - but those are also symptoms of colds and flus. I've been very careful throughout the pandemic, but got a chill sat outside the other night, so I'm hoping a cold is all I have. However, I'm going to isolate myself anyway, which doesn't involve a lot, as I'm pretty much isolated anyway.

Certainly a worrying time my friend

Two fantastic pics there GT
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Thanks for the interesting observations about the book, Jack.
You have a worrisome inventory of symptoms, Jack. Keep a close eye on yourself to make sure nothing suddenly gets out of hand!
Thanks for the compliment on my photos.

Fantastic!

Good to hear!

Two beautiful knives, Gary. But this stag is formidable.

You're very kind, José.

Way back in March, @Reaper AL told us about some Lambsfoot knives he had had re-built and re-covered by a talented member here What Al didn't say is that he actually had 6 knives re-covered, 3 of which were for me. Such was the state of our postal service at the time, that I asked Al to put off mailing them, which must have been frustrating (thanks for your patience Al, as well as your kindness). Having updated him recently, the 3 knives arrived just in time for Christmas, a very generous and thoughtful gift, very much in the true spirit of this longstanding thread The covers are African Blackwood, Cinammon Giraffe Bone, and Apaloosa Bone, and the makeover is excellent. Thanks Al, and well done @jsdistin Some great talent here I hope to get some better photos soon
...

Congrats on the modified lambs foots, Jack!
And plaudits to @Reaper AL for his thoughtful generosity!

I talked with Dennis (via message) a couple of days ago and he seems to be doing fine.

Good to hear!

...
Two weeks ago I was exposed to Covid. I started feeling some symptoms (stuffy, sore throat, aches, foggy, loss of smell and taste) it lasted about a week. My wife is now having those symptoms. She's on day 6. She is a nurse and worked the Covid floor on Sunday the 20th. She's off til the 3rd, unless symptoms persist. I'm just glad we haven't had to deal with the high body temps. I took a handful of vitamins everyday and a drank a ton of green tea. Beer tasted like bubble water. It was weird!

Scary news, Taylor! Glad you and your wife are on the mend, and I hope both of you are soon fully recovered!

I'm happy to report that the trapped nerve has finally freed itself, though I still have some standard lower back pain. I do feel a bit better today, and have even eaten a couple of small meals (a lunchtime sandwich, and a pastie just now)

Great to read that you're experiencing some relief, Jack! I hope your back feels better each day as 2021 proceeds, and that your "cold symptoms" clear up ASAP!

Thanks GT! That graveyard is the local church where my dad is buried. Nice to see that blue sky shot of Cracker Jack.

Seems lie quite a peaceful resting place, David; thanks for sharing it with us.
Thanks also for your positive response to the Cracker Jack pic.

Pics from my walk yesterday. I took my rosewood big 'un as I was planning on pork pie but when I got to the bakers the queue was round the block, so all my rosewood big 'un had to do was act pretty in the snow.
...

...
Happy New Years everyone! I hope you are having and will have a fantastic evening.
All the best everyone!

Outstanding photos from your hike, David, and may 2021 be filled with positive experiences for you!

Cardinals do look a little like Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein, but who doesn't like Peter Boyle in Young Frankenstein? Frahnkensteen.

Great observation! I'd have never noticed the cardinal/Boyle resemblance on my own, but having you point it out makes it so obvious! Good pic!

Happy New Year, Guardians!

An old pic of stellar stag, with a coin I've had for about 50 years.
May 2021 be kinder to us all!

I'll join you in that New Year's wish, Vince!
Nice pic of your AC and UK penny!

Happy New Year (Sheffield time ), Guardians!

I don’t have any new Lambsfoot photos at the moment, so a couple good ‘uns will have to do.
...

Excellent photo retrospective, Barrett!

Good morning Guardians, I imagine a few of you stayed up late to see in the New Year. Being on my own, and feeling tired, I actually retired just after 11.30pm, only to find that I couldn't drop off for a couple of hours Good riddance to 2020, and let's hope that the coming year brings happier days for us all. Happy New Year Guardians

Same to you, Jack! I'm enjoying the recent string of pile side pics of your stag HHB!

Happy New Year, Guardians!!

My resolution for the year is for Jack Black to get his back in order! Shape up, Laddie, life is too short!

Well-said, Jeff!

Cracker Jack wishes us all a peaceful and healthy 2021, too:


- GT

 

[CelloDan]

Happy New Year Guardians !

(recycled pic ... but I can only pull this one out once a year lol)

 

[lambertiana]

As is my tradition, I spent a good part of New Year's Day pruning...plum, peach, apricot, fig, mulberry, and grapes. My ebony Wright joined the tool set for the day.

 

[Pt-Luso]

 

[cudgee]

Hope everyone is well after New Years Eve celebrations, and have a relaxing day today. Seeing as there has been a tool post to start the New Year, thought i would join in, there is a Sheffield connection. Found these being thrown out completely covered in rust and seized up. Bit of loving and they have been given a new lease of life.

 

[tmd_87]

Happy Friday/New Year's Day Guardians!!

 

[screened porch]

All the Christmas stuff is back under the stairs except for this sleigh, and whatever else I missed.

 

[cudgee]

Happy Friday/New Year's Day Guardians!!

A great piece of cutlery to start off the year...

 

[screened porch]

because most ordinary folk would rather work just about anywhere, (even a call-centre), than in some old, poorly-lit, damp, cold, and draughty building, with no canteen facilities, doing the same dirty work, making the same product, which is rushed-out and mediocre, for little money, in a dying, unprestigious industry

Stop sugar-coating it, Jack!

 

[Prester John]

All the Christmas stuff is back under the stairs except for this sleigh, and whatever else I missed.

But there are five days of Christmas left!

 

[akaMatt]

Stop sugar-coating it, Jack!

Lmao, I almost quoted that same part of Jack's post, it made me laugh when I read it!

 

[Prester John]

Jack Black Glad to hear that things are improving with your back. Hate to see you start off the New Year with pain though. The Ebony Lambsfoot that I now possess is really growing on me. Simple, elegant, and functional. Not bad looking either! However, I'm ushering in the new year with with you know what!

View attachment 1483298

Happy New Year Guardians and all.

Had the same myself. Laphroaig is a good whisky to start the year with.

 

[screened porch]

But there are five days of Christmas left!

We always took the decorations down on New Year's Day.
Usually I'm ready to be done with them by NYD. Not so much on this grizzly, drizzly, ice-threatening day.

But Spring is right around the corner!