Guardians of The Lambsfoot!

You guys made me look.
But my A Wright's awright.

Jack Black said:

I certainly don't want this thread turning into one of the 'lolly scramble' threads I think we now see too much of here.

Click to expand...

"Is it I, Lord?"

Jolipapa said:

Lots of very interesting things in this thread. I'll start with the off topic (just a word or two). I also have spent delicious hours reading Kipling and Jack London, though never the most famous of the later, White Fang.

I'd love to visit that Republican bar in Madrid. Today we honour José Baroncarino, a Republican refugee who was the first dead of the Paris Liberation, aug '44. They knew what was coming, were great fighters and did more than their share in the ranks of the French Resistance, in spite of the poor welcome they received when they crossed the Pyrénées.

But, revenons à nos moutons - let's go back to the subject .
View attachment 755423
I have made a quick picture to compare how the various makers knives cant.
The first I received was the IXL (a clip) and when he saw her, a retired cutler said the blade was "crying". Not only she was not the knife I ordered (btw this is bone), but the angle is impressive.

Above is the Joseph Rodgers, with much less angle, maybe a bit less than yours mrknife ? Nevertheless, I find it very nifty, (rosewood like mine or delrin like yours) and a pleasure to have in the pocket.
As Jack noted, even the official Eggerton picture show the blade cant.

Under come my Arthur Wright and the one I received from Jack, no problem, same for the Trevor Ablett .


I'm not sure this cant makes the knife more handy when trimming a hoof. Two examples of French shepherd's knife (as used in the Pyrénées), the third is the Hungarian rendition (a very similar pattern exist in France, named Piétin - these are not pruners).

Click to expand...

I'll find out the name of that bar my friend I consider myself fortunate to have met and spent time with some of those great gentlemen, and will never forget the time that the youngest member of The Durruti Column walked over to me and shook my hand



Great comparison pics JP. I may not have time until after the weekend, but I'll try to drag out some of mine for a comparison pic

scrteened porch said:

You guys made me look.
But my A Wright's awright.

Click to expand...

Cool pic Jer

scrteened porch said:

"Is it I, Lord?"

Click to expand...

scrteened porch said:

You guys made me look.
But my A Wright's awright.

Click to expand...

Barrett, you may rest assured, seems AW is not attained by the hunchback syndrom!

Jolipapa said:

Barrett, you may rest assured, seems AW is not attained by the hunchback syndrom!

Click to expand...

I've seen one or two of there's with cant in the past, not for a while though, their QC seems to have got better over the past couple of years, and I guess the younger members of their workforce have increased their skills

Btw, I've been doing some research and found a new cutler, named Oakedge, the traditional folders look nice, and also the fixed blades. Parts are the same as AW at first sight.
No lambsfoot yet. A new land to clear!

Jolipapa said:

I'd love to visit that Republican bar in Madrid. Today we honour José Baroncarino, a Republican refugee who was the first dead of the Paris Liberation, aug '44. They knew what was coming, were great fighters and did more than their share in the ranks of the French Resistance, in spite of the poor welcome they received when they crossed the Pyrénées.

Click to expand...

I admire the way you remember these things, Jolipapa. Most of us like to revise our wars until we're the only heroes.

Jolipapa said:

Btw, I've been doing some research and found a new cutler, named Oakedge, the traditional folders look nice, and also the fixed blades. Parts are the same as AW at first sight.
No lambsfoot yet. A new land to clear!

Click to expand...

Sounds interesting my friend, I'll see if I can find them, thanks for the tip

I note this:

"Every process from the preparation of the Blades and Springs, Hardening and Tempering, Assembly, Grinding and Final Polishing is done in house."

But the photos elsewhere on the site are actually of the Wright's factory

I dare say there'll have a Lambsfoot at some point

scrteened porch said:

I admire the way you remember these things, Jolipapa. Most of us like to revise our wars until we're the only heroes.

Click to expand...

Nicely said Jer

Taking this one out for a hike tomorrow


Hopefully get some new pics!

Well....

I decided to add to my Lambsfoot collection and so I ordered an A. Wright's in Ebony and one in Buffalo, they came in today. I decided to stay with the regular size, or at least the one that Rosie is in. I simply wanted to try out the different cover examples.

Sadly, I am rather disappointed, though....

Of the three I now have, Rosie has the best fit and finish. The one in buffalo is the worst of the lot with rust formed in a couple of spots, shrunken covers, and a noticeably weaker pull and snap then the other two. The Ebony, though the finish is nicer, the wood is a muddy brown and the covers have sharp corners, as if they weren't chamfered properly.

I scooped these out of my mailbox on my lunch hour and as the lighting at this time of day is poor for picture taking, I will take some pictures with a bit more details later this evening.

I've never had a new knife day bring such disappointment. However, as these are indeed working man's (and woman's) knives, they are quite affordable and maybe perhaps some spit and polish and a little bit of elbow grease will make them better.

Really sorry to hear you got some sent some rubbish Dylan Have you thought about returning them to the vendor? It sounds like the first one has been in storage, maybe for a while. (I got Rosie fresh from the factory). It really annoys me when knives get shipped out like that, particularly when the customer is on another continent You might also want to consider contacting Wright's themselves, they prefer written correspondence (yeah, I know ), but they do have a Facebook page as well as email.

Jack Black said:

Really sorry to hear you got some sent some rubbish Dylan Have you thought about returning them to the vendor? It sounds like the first one has been in storage, maybe for a while. (I got Rosie fresh from the factory). It really annoys me when knives get shipped out like that, particularly when the customer is on another continent You might also want to consider contacting Wright's themselves, they prefer written correspondence (yeah, I know ), but they do have a Facebook page as well as email.

Click to expand...

I have thought about returning them. Though I am not sure how cost effective it would be, they certainly are not expensive knives. I can actually live with the Ebony covered knife, it has a good stout pull and snap, though it could probably use a good flushing. The fit and finish is not nearly as bad as the Buffalo example, I think I am just mostly turned off by the muddy color of the wood. The sharp edges can be remedied fairly easily with some sandpaper I think.

I have no problem writing a letter to Wright's, especially if that is their preferred method of communication. And perhaps can send pictures to their email if they so desire.

If you have no objections, Jack, I can share some pictures here later on. In light of the recent discussion regarding blade cant, the buffalo covered knife is sporting one itself on top of everything else.

Pàdruig said:

I have thought about returning them. Though I am not sure how cost effective it would be, they certainly are not expensive knives. I can actually live with the Ebony covered knife, it has a good stout pull and snap, though it could probably use a good flushing. The fit and finish is not nearly as bad as the Buffalo example, I think I am just mostly turned off by the muddy color of the wood. The sharp edges can be remedied fairly easily with some sandpaper I think.

I have no problem writing a letter to Wright's, especially if that is their preferred method of communication. And perhaps can send pictures to their email if they so desire.

If you have no objections, Jack, I can share some pictures here later on. In light of the recent discussion regarding blade cant, the buffalo covered knife is sporting one itself on top of everything else.

Click to expand...

Yes, I know what you mean Dylan, I hate returning things, and usually just put it down to experience. Unfortunately, we have a few part-time dealers here who are absolutely clueless, to be charitable to them I don't think it does Wright's reputation any good when stuff like this is sent out, dealers should return seriously flawed knives to the factory, look after their stock, and check products before sending them out. I wrote to Wright's myself about an issue, and got a very satisfactory response. It is late here now, so I may not see the pics until tomorrow Dylan, but please post them if you would be so kind my friend

Cambertree said:

...Fallow deer antlers are also unsuited for high durability handles, for the same reason.

Click to expand...

Forgive my ignorance, but what are 'fallow' deer antlers? Is that the same thing as 'shed' antlers? I like the thought that antlers are shed, since that means the deer needn't be killed to acquire the stag.

Everyone has different pet peeves, and while a canted blade isn't ideal, it's not a deal-breaker for me as long as it doesn't effect the function of the knife. In fact, I've noticed it on many of my Bokers, and I thought perhaps it's more common in German knives. (Is there such thing as a German Lambsfoot?)

I took a closer look at my Wright's Rosewood and I cant find a thing wrong with it.

I thought fallow deer were deer that should be with fawn but are not. So what they'd be doing with antlers I don't know.

r8shell said:

Forgive my ignorance, but what are 'fallow' deer antlers? Is that the same thing as 'shed' antlers? I like the thought that antlers are shed, since that means the deer needn't be killed to acquire the stag.

Everyone has different pet peeves, and while a canted blade isn't ideal, it's not a deal-breaker for me as long as it doesn't effect the function of the knife. In fact, I've noticed it on many of my Bokers, and I thought perhaps it's more common in German knives. (Is there such thing as a German Lambsfoot?)

I took a closer look at my Wright's Rosewood and I cant find a thing wrong with it.
View attachment 755747

Click to expand...

Fallow deer is a species of deer, typically found, well kind of all over really. They are actually really beautiful animals with some rather striking sets of antlers.

(not my picture)


I think I share the sames thoughts as you, r8shell , in regards to blade cant. However, if it isn't supposed to have cant, then I rather it not... Lovely Rosewood, by the way. I'd be hard pressed to find anything wrong with it as well.

since I was sitting at the bench fixing some rings (dropped a signet ring on the street yesterday, has since been fixed) I thought Id take out the bum Rodgers barlow that I bought to fix. After some examination, I found the tang to be more the issue. I do try to show it in this angle that the tang sort of has a divot in there. its not totally flat.


might be better seen in this angle



or here where I try to point out the issue with the index



the blade was held in place at this angle with an old wooden chopstick from take out meals

where I continued to grind the tang with a flat jeweler's grinding disc until I was satisfied.

after that I decided to tackle the tip. Its like they tried to use this thing as a dart!


then I decided the kick some

until i was satisfied.

here is that tang polished



bit of an improvement but not much



guess ill have to live with it


it can go in the edc box now!



after some sharpening, cant do much about that tip sadly

Ok, after arriving home and doing a couple chores, I took out my new lambsfoot knives and gave them another once over. I also took a few pictures of the issues I found most pressing.

I won't go into as much depth as I did with my Rosie report but I'll try and at least point out the pros and cons. Plus it helps me collect my thoughts in a sense...

I will start with the ebony covered knife. Quite honestly, after handling it throughout the afternoon, it has grown on me somewhat and I think it actually to be a fine knife. There are a couple of F&f issues but nothing so serious that would warrant me rejecting the blade. I think the biggest issue I had was with the covers. Being that I had ordered ebony, I was hoping to get some nice, dark, even black wood covers. Similar to those I've seen in some of our member's pictures. Instead, I received ebony that resembles the color of mud and that was rather disheartening.

The mark side has some varied grain and since it is starting to grow on me a bit I am finding it less and less unattractive. Though I do still find it resembling wet dirt, mud can have a certain charm I suppose... The pile side is darker and more consistent. Though the picture shows it to be rather dark, in hand it is a chocolate brown versus an even black.





Pins are flush and the covers are fitted well aside from the liners sitting a bit proud along the blade well. Except for that issue, I actually think this knife is finished a bit better than Rosie even. However, I find the edges to be a bit abrupt and sharp compared to Rosie's nicely rounded covers. They also seem to be slightly thinner than the rosewood. I'm sure that a bit of fine grit sandpaper can soften those edges wonderfully though.

Some more pics.











Ultimately, this knife is quite fine and I'm glad I examined it further before allowing my initial disappointment to overshadow and taint my objectivity. With a little bit of work, including a bit of stropping (wire edge still on the blade), this is going to be a great knife. I might even find a glorious name to dub it.

Now on to the considerable source of my chagrin. I'm not sure this Buffalo covered knife is able to be saved... I cannot tell you how many places my fingers catch on sharp edges. The pins are even sharp, which is miserable as I've gotten into the habit of using Rosie as a bit of a "worry stone". The liners sit proud of the covers in their entirety so my hands catch on the sharp edges of the brass constantly. The horn seems to have shrunken? This is my first knife covered in horn so I'm not privy to its idiosyncrasies. However, these issues seem to be beyond the bounds of normal. Plus there is rust spots on the blade and spring which, though not a deal breaker, is still just one more thing to add to the growing list...

















I am not sure if the pictures convey the issues very well but my problems are most certainly in the feel of the knife. Sharp edges everywhere! My fingers catch on everything.... It is definitely not the smooth, warm, tactile feel that I was very much looking forward to.

I am not sure what I will do with the knife yet, if anything. Though I will definitely take Jack's advice and probably form a missive to send to Wright's soon.