- Joined
- Jan 15, 2016
- Messages
- 2,554
Good to see you here, Chin, and excellent post (as always)! Looks like you’ve been eating well! (We’ve gotten plenty of take out this past year, but I haven’t sat down and eaten at a restaurant since early March. )
Fantastic to see you here Chin, I hope you're keeping well my friend
You should write up your notes on our trip to see Stan sometime Chin
Ah mate, what a feast! You must have enjoyed that Great pics. I am so missing eating out
I’m not sure if this ever got posted here, but this is John Lloyd’s version of a lambsfoot. View attachment 1489387
I also, now, realize I’ve interrupted much more interesting conversation. Apologies.
Cambertree, great to see you here my friend and thanks for that picture of the swell center Rodgers lamb foot knife.
And of course, nice to see your other wonderful pictures as well.
Hey there Chin, nice to see your post my friend! The food photos look amazing. What a meal I also treasure my Ironwood Guardians knife (gifted to me).
Great pic Dylan, I hope Dry January is going OK for you pal. I always drink a lot of teas when I am on the waggon. Nice to see the pile side of your Hartshead Barlow
While we mostly see the classic swayback handle lamb foot models, older lamb Foot knives were actually offered in a wide array of shapes and sizes.
Lamb foot blades were also offered in a number of different multi-blade sportsman's knives.
Enclosed is a different handle shape (straight swell center) next to a "standard" model as seen in a post WWII Joseph Rodgers catalog.
View attachment 1488806
Sorry to be an errant Guardian, but I thought I’d drop by to say hello. I hope you’re all well.
Herder, my friend, that catalogue image you found is fascinating, as always.
I actually recollect posting about one of those late period swell centre Rodgers Lambsfoots from a friend’s collection a few years ago here (with his prior blessing, of course).
(I think clicking the arrow at the top of the quote will lead back to the original post and discussion.)
Anyway, among all the fine Lambsfoot knives in that collection, I remember it was poorly fitted and had a rough action and weak snap to it. If you saw it in person, Jack’s guess at the time, that it might have been assembled at a late stage of JR’s existence from disparate parts, would seem to be a likely possibility.
So it’s very interesting that it was actually a full catalogue line model.
Thanks very much Brewbear, I appreciate the time you took to read those old posts.
Congratulations on your first Lambsfoot knife!
To answer your questions -
I believe I used 3μm and then 1μm DMT diamond paste. Stan Shaw mentioned that he uses emery powder for lapping in actions.
I just use a non toxic, food safe oil and an old toothbrush and some cotton buds/Q-tips to flush and clean the knife. Mineral oil or camellia oil are what I would normally use. I also often use Ballistol for non food contact knives and areas.
I generally give all new traditional knives a quick wash in warm soapy water when I first get them, working the action a few times underwater. It’s amazing the debris that’s left at the bottom of the basin sometimes!
I dry the knife thoroughly afterwards for a while with low heat, and apply oil.
I generally grind back my edges to about 9 or 10 degrees per side.
I recently acquired a laser goniometer - a sure sign of the confirmed sharpening nerd , so those are actual measured angles.
Then I resharpen with the Sharpmaker at 15 dps.
Eventually the edge area thickens up with repeated sharpenings, and it’s back to the benchstones for some thinning out.
I prefer all my Lambsfoot knives to have a razorlike edge on them.
The steel is tough enough that it rarely gets problems with the edge in fairly thin cross sections, and in the event it does, it’s a cinch to repair and resharpen.
I’m talking about rolling and impaction - I’ve never had chipping occur on a Wright lambsfoot.
Even if you don’t have any dedicated sharpening gear, these knives respond well to all sorts of field expedients, like random kitchen steels, the bottom of coffee mugs, the top of car windows etc.
I like to use a little section of broken Spyderco Ultrafine Sharpmaker rod I carry in a pocket slip, to ‘steel’ my Lambsfoot knives with.
As far as carry, I either carry my ebony ‘Mah Knife’ Lambsfoot loose in my FLP, or if I’m carrying a Guardians knife with nice bolsters, I’ll always carry it in one of Dylan’s excellent slips.
Well, I guess everyone’s probably sick of hearing the C-word, so I’ll just mention we fairly recently came out of a long lockdown in Melbourne. My thoughts are with those who are doing it really tough at the the moment.
In the spirit of this thread about Lambsfoot knives and food though, here’s the photo evidence of the first two meals out, with Lambsfoot knives in tow, of course.
First up was catching up for a Pho with my brother and my HHB.
But this next place is what I daydreamed about during the months of lockdown:
My Desert Ironwood Guardians knife is my usual choice of Lambsfoot ‘for best.’
Looks good to me!Thank you, Jack. So far, so good on Dry January - I am drinking LOTS of tea, so much that I had to order some more tea. I am taking the opportunity to try some new ones out - hopefully, the shipment will get in soon and I can give them a go.
I do certainly prefer the Swayback frame, especially when housing a Lambsfoot but that swell center frame is fascinating. Would be interesting to experience one in the wild.
Very good to see you here, Chin, I hope you are keeping well these days.
Coffee, a couple of Irish cigarillos, and a lovely Lambsfoot during a break in the weather - hard to get much better than this.
DroooollllllI’m not sure if this ever got posted here, but this is John Lloyd’s version of a lambsfoot. View attachment 1489387
I also, now, realize I’ve interrupted much more interesting conversation. Apologies.
Buffalo Trace edition!? Sounds goooood!Still finishing off my Christmas treats
Great looking lamb!Are those splitting wedges in the lower left?
Interesting to see these late model German-made copies of a lamb foot model. When I was searching for the existence German-made lamb foot knives, I didn't look much past the WWI era.
I'll have to go back and dig further for later models, but I doubt any will show up much before these post WWII era examples.
Thank you, I really don't mind the fairly light pull but I wish it had a more traditional/classic carbon blade. It will be my EDC for the next week since the size is much better than the other Lambsfoot (from A. W) which is a large....
Well, I received it today.
It's alright on first appearances however on closer inspection I found issues that echo all through this thread about some of the A Wright knives.
It's a pity.
The blade is uneven, the cutting bevel is shockingly different. Was virtually non existant in one place.
I've sharpened and cleaned it and since found a chip in one of the scales under a bolster.
I think stevie wonder may have QC'd this one.
Now I've sorted the blade, I'm happier with it, but when you think for the same money you can buy an opinal or a victorinox which has none of the above, it does make you wonder why they can't improve their hit rate!!
Anyway, have a great evening everyone
The QC is really laxed with them, my Lambsfoot has scales separation, uneven grind and side-to-side play. I am wondering if a light tap with a leather mallet would correct the wobble or if I should just leave well enough alone and live with it.
Nice day to be out on foot with the lambs.
View attachment 1490063
I agree, that ‘carbine length’ Lambsfoot is a very interesting variant. The 25 GEC pattern is one of my favourites too, and I’d love to see a (Waynorth?) version with a proper lambsfoot blade. It would be a very useful knife, I’m sure.
Yeah, I’ve been doing lots of home cooking and concocting new recipes during lockdown. The upside of having no restaurants or pubs open during lockdown here, is I seem to have lost about 15kg since this time last year!
Thanks for the kind words, as always, Jack.
...
Yes, I was just thinking about Stan the other day. He must be, what, 93, 94 now? I hope he’s going well.
http://www.aroundtownmagazine.co.uk/aroundtown-meets-stan-shaw/
Thanks mate - ah yeah, that first post lockdown Pho was pretty great!
Regarding that list of Lambsfoot knife manufacturers, would W. Jno Baker count? I think Keith Spencer has a reference to the knives with the stamp of that Sydney factor being produced by the Phoenix works.
Thank you, Jack. So far, so good on Dry January - I am drinking LOTS of tea, so much that I had to order some more tea. I am taking the opportunity to try some new ones out - hopefully, the shipment will get in soon and I can give them a go.
Coffee, a couple of Irish cigarillos, and a lovely Lambsfoot during a break in the weather - hard to get much better than this.
Buffalo Trace edition!? Sounds goooood!
Blushing RALF
Thanks, Jack, it does look good. After all, it's RALF's name tag, and he's a proud puppy!
I've just been pit to the post office about a mile away, and it rained all the way there, all the way back, and all the time I stood outside waiting my turn Miserable day here, and I'm glad to be back home
Your Orvis cap may need a touchup of water repellant after your rainy adventure to the Post Office.I've just been pit to the post office about a mile away, and it rained all the way there, all the way back, and all the time I stood outside waiting my turn Miserable day here, and I'm glad to be back home
That’s a good looking hat, Jack, and a handsome customized Lambsfoot, as well. Those covers look a bit like the skin of an apple (specifically a Pink Lady apple, one of my favorites).
Your Orvis cap may need a touchup of water repellant after your rainy adventure to the Post Office.
Today started out foggy but the sun broke through. Warming up to 60 deg F today - yippee! Think I'll recycle a photo.
View attachment 1490306
The covers are stag, I will search the forums and attempt a fix when I have a little time.That's shocking! Side-to-side play is usually pretty easy to sort out, and I've made quite a few how-to posts about it over the years, as have others, so the 'search' function will hopefully turn something up. Can you remind me what the covers are made from?