My First Knife a Barlow

RR,
Great story. I have a similar memory of my grandfather. Heck, I am a grandfather now and am doing the same with my grandchildren as he did with me. Tradition is important to me.
Nice knife. Congrats on the purchase!

Jim

Nice memories. My grandfather gave each grandson their first pocket knife when he reached seven. I think (OLD memory) it was a standard size barlow. The kind with yellow palstic grips that were held to the cardboard display with elastic in any hardware or general store. Mine is long gone but I have one of the two knives he carried regularly. It's a little Imperial 2 blade with the fake pearl grips he probably bought in a local Five and Dime store. Nothing fancy but the steel is good. Gramps was a master tool maker and machinist for the Navy and would have insisted on a quality carbon blade. I still remember his opinions about stainless steel for knife blades and it wasn't favorable.

It stays in my desk draw and gets used for cutting the odd bit of string or tape. I think of Gramps whenever I use it.

Hmmm! Like the OP, maybe it's time to replicate that first knife. Somebody must make a traditional Barlow with a decent carbon blade.

Jeff

PS: Thinking about it, I can't remember if it was a Barlow style or a smaller Sodbuster, the equivalent of the Sodbuster Jr. I remember it had one blade and yellow grips. Does the Sodbuster Jr. style go back 50+ years?

I like the Barlow pattern also and for the same "memory" type reasons.
A week ago I picked a Schrade/Cutco/Walden at a Flea Market,tightened it up some, sharpened it AND I'm now carrying it daily.Anybody remember the
"baseball" game played on a bench using a Barlow pattern??

I've got my dad's sitting right here, same pattern as yours. He carried it every day, prolly since before I was born. Fifty years of sharpening has changed the blade shapes a bit.

My memory tied to it goes thusly. We were out for a walk when I was, I dunno, maybe 7. He lit up a smoke and I asked if I could have one. Of course he said no, but he'd fix me up something. He walked over to some trees, and in a couple minutes came back with a pipe for me, made from a sassafrass stick and an acorn. And that's why his knife is the only thing I asked for after he passed on.

Barlow knifes aren't what they used to be. You can still find them in country stores for under $5.

My grandfather also gave me my first knife. Also a Barlow. I don't remember how old I was exactly- 6-8. That knife was my most prized posession. It went everywhere with me and cut everything feom hay bales to oranges, etc. sadly that knife was lost but I also recently lost him- this is my first summer without Pappy and I got to missing him and went looking for a Barlow. Got a Queen on the ebay that should be in my mailbox when I get home, I hope.

Grandfathers are great people. Mine taught me how to fish, shoot, treat a woman and a family and how to work. In short, he taught me how to be a man.

When I was young, every boy had a Barlow and a Champ lighter in his pocket.

This is a really nice thread, Rick. My dad always had a barlow in his toolbox and his bluegrass band did a song about a barlow knife. I have a fondness for them as a result.

Here's one that snuck into a photo:

I love Barlows and every summer I haunt the county pawn shops looking for classic brands to rescue and put in rotation.
I have Saber, Cutco, Imperial and 2 new ones which are a red boned Case and Brown Rough Rider.
My first pocket knife was a 3 inch Imperial Stockman with black sides and the Sliver shield. I had it until I planted it on a hunting trip when I was 12. Then I got my first OT 4 inch Stockman.

My first knife was a Barlow, too. Still have it about 35 years later.

Dave Markowitz said:

My first knife was a Barlow, too. Still have it about 35 years later.

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I have a few just like that one ! I love them.