What Makes a Good, Traditional Barlow?

Another one I crossed off my list this week is a Case red bone with a razor blade, Found a 10 dot in close to mint condition to go with the early 60's spear and clip blades.
Love the Case red bones, to me they rank right up there with some of the best Barlow's ever made.

IMG_4025_zpsnhnqslcd.jpg

IMG_4022_zpsyvbo94if.jpg
 
Augie said:
Thanks again Jack!:thumb up:
Gevo, here are some more pics with the other MF&S and a GF&S. The bolster stamps do look a little different, I would imagine they were done by hand and will vary drone one knife to another.
It amazes me that all three of these knives still have no blade play and snap like a new TC.

IMG_4029_zpss48k30v8.jpg

IMG_4030_zps3ql2lyjn.jpg

IMG_4032_zpsdeksk3gu.jpg

IMG_4037_zpsnfxoqq5c.jpg
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for all your work in getting these pictures, Augie!! I so much appreciate it. It is very interesting the subtle differences the stamps have! My goodness they look good together in a group! Again...thank you for the pictures and your time:thumbup::thumbup::D
 
Augie said:
Thanks again Jack!:thumb up:
Click to expand...

I've not been able to find a description of the stamp yet Augie, but will let you know if I come across anything :thumbup: Apparently there were members of the Furness clan still turning out knives by the old methods as late as 1955, and I'm sure that there were other Furness cutlers working for other firms. I am related to the Stannington Furness family by the marriage of my auntie and godmother, and while I've met a few of my uncle's brothers over the years, I don't know if they were cutlers or not. Terry Furness, my uncle, went to work at the Sheffield steel firm of Daniel Doncaster, alongside one my other uncles.
 
Jack, your input and history are what make this forum such a treat!!! Thank you, my friend:thumbup::thumbup::D
 
Augie said:
Another one I crossed off my list this week is a Case red bone with a razor blade, Found a 10 dot in close to mint condition to go with the early 60's spear and clip blades.
Love the Case red bones, to me they rank right up there with some of the best Barlow's ever made.

IMG_4025_zpsnhnqslcd.jpg

IMG_4022_zpsyvbo94if.jpg
Click to expand...

Nice Red Bones Augie! I really like the red/white contrast in them. :thumbup:
 


The 1860 Sheffield Census lists the following members of the Furness family living at Liberty Hill, Stannington (which sits on the hill between the Rivelin and Loxley rivers, about 3 miles from the centre of Sheffield):

Ann Furness 11
Charles Furness 5
Charlotte Furness 20
Edward Furness 24
Eliza Furness 49
George Furness 13
Joseph Furness 9
Matthew Furness 54
Matthew Furness 21
Ralph Furness 16

2369093324.jpg


Like other local cutlers, the Furness family combined making spring knives with farming, and also running public houses from time to time, including The Rivelin Hotel and The Robin Hood (above), both of which I know very well. I imagine their grindstones, at least one of which is apparently still in existence, came from the nearby Rivelin Quarries, one of my old rock-climbing haunts.

post-1-1171734192.jpg


My great grandmother’s sister, my Aunt Nellie, lived at a small cottage at Rivelin, and was married to a grinder, who worked at one of the wheels on the River Rivelin. She lived to be nearly 100, dying around 1980.

Barlow itself is also an old Stannington surname, and it has a Barlow Road, as well as (in more recent times) a Barlow Drive :)

 
Very interesting. I love reading about old cutlery families like this. I would love to see a pic of that existing grindstone though! Very cool.

dave
 
Man, all those old "MF&S" and other barlows are cool. If I collected more seriously I would look for knives just like those.
 
d.weglarz13 said:
Very interesting. I love reading about old cutlery families like this. I would love to see a pic of that existing grindstone though! Very cool.
Click to expand...

I got the info from a local history site Dave, I think a trip to Stannington is long overdue :thumbup:

Was sent to a job on Roscoe Bank in Stannington yesterday and got talking to the lady of the house.

I had spotted a old grinding wheel in the garden and asked where it came from, and the answer she gave was a bit fantastic.

It turns out that the house used to belong to one George Furness('ness not 'niss) who made cutlery. The house was his residence but in the yard where some small workshops.

These had been knocked down years ago but when they where doing some work in the garden they found quite a lot of knife blades which must have been discarded during the manufacturing process.

The wheel itself was huge at least three feet in diameter.

We wondered where it came from because there is no water there it either came from another location or it must have been powered by steam or a horse gin.

The lady of the house told me how she had quite a lot of information about the house and the Furness family, how in one census it was said that George and his eight children where living in the house (It was very small!) and how in the next census he had moved to a pub.

After his death the house was passed on through the family until the nineteen forties when the previous occupant bought it.
Click to expand...

I have read that the last Furness cutler to retire was still using a treddle-powered grindstone as late as 1955, which would answer the query about the lack of water-power (though Roscoe Bank sits just about the River Rivelin) - something like this, but it seems larger (with all the steep hills in Sheffield, those old boys must have had plenty of leg power anyway)! :thumbup:

maxresdefault.jpg
 
Last edited:
Here we go guys! My new "Ancient Barlow"
Comes with pre-broken pen blade, authentic drunken-monkey-on-a-grinder sharpened blade, and I didn't have to pay extra for the paint specks and rusty backsprings!




fixable?
 
That is pretty cool r8shell :cool: :thumbup: Is that a genuine US made Lambsfoot Barlow?! :eek: :) :cool: :thumbup:
 
Jack Black said:
That is pretty cool r8shell :cool: :thumbup: Is that a genuine US made Lambsfoot Barlow?! :eek: :) :cool: :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Well....I don't think the poor thing was born that way. :eek:


I don't know much about Shapleigh. Anyone care to guess the age?
Here's the tang stamp:
 
r8shell said:
... authentic drunken-monkey-on-a-grinder sharpened blade...
Click to expand...

That's it, you've coined a new knife term DruMoaG the Ravager, the drunken monkey on a grinder cousin of Smaug the Terrible and Azog the Defiler.

A few of my knives have passed through Drumoag's treacherous hands before.

20150212_141817 by mrbleh, on Flickr

(not a barlow, but this is my best example of Drumoag's work)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top