Barlow Pocket Knife, Hand Forged 1095 with Ram Horn Handle

A barlow is the pattern with one long bolster. That single piece of brass at the pivot end covers roughly the first third of the handle, and there is nothing at the far end. This one is hand forged 1095, a 3.25 inch drop point blade, 4.25 inches closed and 7.5 inches open, on ram horn scales. It is a slip joint with no lock, opened with a thumbnail in the nail nick.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 1095 high carbon, forged and ground by hand and left dark gray from the forge, with the bevel taken mirror bright. The shape is a drop point, the spine curving down to a tip below the line of the back, and the belly does most of the cutting. The trade with 1095 is plain. It takes a keen edge, comes back on a stone quickly, darkens with use, and rusts if put away wet.

How it opens and closes

This knife has no lock. It is a slip joint, and a flat back spring presses on the back of the blade, holding it open once it swings past the pivot and holding it shut in the handle. Opening takes two hands. You catch the nail nick with a thumbnail and swing the blade out until the spring settles. To close it you push the blade back against that spring, other hand clear of the edge.

The handle

The bolster is one long piece of polished brass at the pivot end, and the other end is bare, the horn running to the butt. Bolsters are the metal caps at the ends of a handle, and a barlow has only the one. It finishes that end and carries the pins. The scales are ram horn in dark gray and black, with natural ridged banding across them.

What it is for

This is an everyday pocket knife for small cutting. It opens boxes and mail, cuts twine and tape, trims a loose thread, takes the skin off an apple and does light whittling in a yard. It does not suit prying, because a slip joint has no lock and the back spring alone holds the blade open.

The leather pouch

Every piece ships in a hand tooled leather slip pouch, vegetable tanned. A pouch is a flat sleeve, so the closed knife drops in and a snap strap goes over the mouth. Cream thread runs down both sides. The face is tooled with a rose and leaf pattern inside a carved rope border.

Who it suits

A barlow is what people reach for when they want a traditional pocket knife with history behind the shape and no clip. It gives well as a present.

• Buyers who want a traditional one bolster pattern
• People who carry a knife loose in a pocket
• Anyone who likes carbon steel and its patina

What comes in the box

• The barlow pocket knife
• The hand tooled leather slip pouch
• A care card
• Engraving quote

Every piece is different

Each knife is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two finish alike. Ram horn varies most, and the banding and color will not match the photographs.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. Carbon steel darkens with use, and that gray patina is normal and protects the steel. Oil the pivot now and then, and the blade before it goes away. Never a dishwasher. Sharpen on a stone following the bevel. More in our knife care page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece, added on this page. Around 30 characters fits on the blade or that long brass bolster. A proof image goes to you before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a barlow? It is the pattern with one long bolster at the pivot end and nothing at the other end.

What is a slip joint? The knife has no lock. A flat back spring holds the blade open and also holds it shut.

What is a nail nick? It is the small crescent cut in the blade near the spine, caught with a thumbnail to open the knife.

Is it legal to carry? Knife carry laws differ by state, city and country, so check the rules where you live before you carry it. We cannot advise on that.

Will 1095 steel rust? It can if left wet. Dry the blade after use and wipe a little oil over it.

Is it spring assisted or automatic? No. It opens by hand.

For the same steel in a plainer pattern try the sodbuster folding knife in walnut, and for horn under Damascus the Damascus folding knife in buffalo horn. More sits in pocket knives, 1095 high carbon and edc knives.