Fantastic stuff Chin!
Thanks for calling in my friend, and as always, for sharing your photographic feast with us!
That's a pretty good impression, had me laughing for the past 5 minutes or more!
It sounds like you are living a great life
I wonder if you could trade sambar with Wright's or any of the other Sheffield cutlers? Nice ferro-rod, and your ebony Lambsfoot is looking well bedded-in
Yeah, a break from modern communication can definitely be a good thing sometimes can't it? What a great-looking bar, and I love the sign!
A mate of mine was in an old Republican bar in Madrid the other week, quite a quirky place, with a short list of Civil War era rules painted on the wall (eg no wearing of hats, so as to be able to identify spies), and I thought you would have loved it
That is some lovely country Chin
Yes, I have been lucky to get out a fair bit myself recently
Your Unity Lambsfoot is looking better than ever
Thanks my friend, I hope I didn't mangle idioms too much! I've read through that Yorkshireman's Dictionary you gave me a few times, and enjoyed learning some new words each time.
That ferro rod was made from an offcut bit of deer antler tip, by one of my hunting mates, knifemaker, Danny Wilson. I traded him a shaker of good chilli powder for it, and coloured it up a bit with a little potassium permanganate. The antler tip end can be used as a
retoucher on flintknapped edges, too.
Sambar antler's thick, heavy and dense, with very little 'pith', or spongy centre. Red Stag antler has a large pithy core, due to genetics, I understand, as the antler structure is the same in hot, dry climates like Australia, as it is in Scotland, England or New Zealand. Fallow deer antlers are also unsuited for high durability handles, for the same reason. You can really feel the difference in weight when lifting a dried set of Sambar antlers compared to those of other deer species of comparable size.
I guess most knifemakers would covet some nice Sambar antler - I think most of the good stuff here is kept intact as full sets, and there is probably some small trade between hunters and custom knifemakers, for the pieces that can be sawn up.
That bar in Madrid sounds fascinating. George Orwell's
Homage to Catalonia, and Hemingway's Spanish Civil War tales made quite an impression on me when I was a teenager. It would be amazing to see those places, steeped in such history.
Wonderful post, Chin! And beautiful pictures! It is always nice to see knives in action, or at least somewhat close to it. May you remain safe in your adventures, it sounds like you have many of them.
Elk and deer archery season starts this coming weekend and I am looking forward to getting back into the woods myself. I will be bringing Rosie with me. Hopefully, she will not only give me a bit of luck, but will look grand in the bunch of pictures I plan on taking.
Thanks Dylan - that sounds like a great weekend coming up. I'm looking forward to seeing how Rosie does out there. Good luck on the hunt.
Chin Voices in the head eh?
Must be the fine Stag example that's encouraged them
Jack I'd prefer Bakewell Tart
then there's Eccles Cake
Whatever, a blade like that is just right for opening them up, provided it hasn't been preparing hooves for the Sheep-dip
I used to hear messages like that from my gold filling
I would guess that that angle on the Rodgers might be an ok cutter with a clip blade and some belly, but not a straight edge. Could something like that really get out of the factory if it was unintentional? Perhaps the cutlerers have been staring at eclipses...
LOL, I'm pleased to report that the pirate radio station style Voice-Of-Yorkshire mental broadcast seems to have been an isolated incident!
My Ablett has a similar cant. I justfigured that was how he liked to make 'em.
Then I thought maybe it has something to do with how it was used. Sheepsfoot blades were designed to trim the hooves of sheep. You do this by having the blade turned towards you with your index finger curled over the back of the blade. Try that with a straight blade and a canted one. The canted one positions the blade in a more comfortable position.
Interesting, Legineng: I guess that intended grip also explains the characteristic forward blade cant that Ettricks tend to have, as well. There's at least a few degrees of forward cant on all my admittedly small sample size of three Lambsfoot knives. (Still haven't found my favourite carry, the ebony handled,
swayback Wright, I 'misplaced' a couple of months ago.
) I think a very slight dropping of the blade tip below horizontal can help with function. For some applications, like cutting material on a benchtop, that excessive looking blade droop in that JR may actually be an advantage. It does look a bit odd to the eye, though.
That long bolster with JR stamp looks pretty neat.
I'll be interested to see if you can improve it, Jack/Mrknife.
mrknife
? Nevertheless, I find it very nifty, (rosewood like mine or delrin like yours) and a pleasure to have in the pocket.
