George Barnsley Paring Knife

[chrisash]

I have just received my 5 7/8 george Barnsley Paring knife of which their are only a few left for sale at £8.00 each.

On first impression they are good steel and come with a great edge, designed for shoemakers by what was the worlds largest shoemaker.

A few more available in a slightly larger length

George Barnsley & Sons Ltd was founded in 1836 and were originally situated on Wheeldon Street, Sheffield. By 1849 they had moved to the Cornish Works, which were much larger premises. They specialised in the manufacture of files and cutting tools for use in the shoe making industry.  ¹

There are a number of family names that are known to have deep roots in the Sheffield area, and the Barnsley name is undoubtedly one of them. In 1650 George Barnsley became Master Cutler, a role fulfilled by another George Barnsley in 1883. This George Barnsley was of the second generation of the firm of George Barnsley and Sons, toolmakers. ²

The business grew to become the world’s leading producer of tools for shoemakers. The technological revolution of the 20^th century saw a decline in the need for traditional tools. George Barnsley’s survived until 2003 when the premises finally closed.

http://www.gandmtools.co.uk/product-category/saddlers-shoemakers-leatherwork-tools-trade-knives/ 

Good luck

Chris Ashdown

[bootsmt]

Barnsley company is not closed. Tools still available, maybe not all.

[Matt S]

Barnsley knives are very good. No fancy tropical hardwoods or supersteels -- beech handles and Sheffield crucible steel. The sort of tools that don't need a mortgage to buy but will do years of work with a little occasional maintenance.

Geo Barnsley went out of business about 20 years ago but his grandson now produces the main lines under his own company's name, Woodware Repetitions. Abbey England now stock them, along with some Barnsley, at very reasonable prices. About £3.50 for a shoe knife, £5 for a paring knife, £16 for a quarter-round head knife, £18 for a half-round head knife (all plus delivery and VAT).

[zuludog]

That's interesting. A paring knife and a kiridashi appear to be the same sort of thing

A couple of years ago I made something similar from a 25mm wide hacksaw blade. It's the sort of thing that once you have it, you wonder how you managed without it

I followed the link; £ 15 is a very reasonable price for something from a traditional, quality manufacturer. My Dad was a carpenter and he always reckoned that old steel was better than new steel

[Matt S]

4 hours ago, zuludog said:

That's interesting. A paring knife and a kiridashi appear to be the same sort of thing

A couple of years ago I made something similar from a 25mm wide hacksaw blade. It's the sort of thing that once you have it, you wonder how you managed without it

I actually use an equal-grind kiridashi as a paring knife. The very hard core makes the edge last longer I reckon. English paring knives are traditionally longer and wider. This helps getting the knife quite low to the surface for a long, shallow bevel.

I hear those hacksaw blades make good paring/skiving knives, especially if they're made from HSS.

[zuludog]

51 minutes ago, Matt S said:

I actually use an equal-grind kiridashi as a paring knife. The very hard core makes the edge last longer I reckon. English paring knives are traditionally longer and wider. This helps getting the knife quite low to the surface for a long, shallow bevel.

I hear those hacksaw blades make good paring/skiving knives, especially if they're made from HSS.

I'm not an expert on hacksaw blades, but  as I understand it, modern bimetal 12mm wide hacksaw blades are so called because the main part of the blade is made from a flexible steel that will resist snapping; it is only the teeth that are hardened enough to cut other metals. These aren't much use to make knives as this flexible steel cannot be sharpened very well and they cannot be snapped to length

Older blades were all hardened and can be made into knives, and can be snapped roughly to shape. They are difficult to find new, so search car boot sales, junk shops and so on. However, 12mm is a bit small for leather work.

Now we're into the industrial sizes 

25mm can make paring/kiridashi type knives.

40mm is best for skiving knives. I have also made a Japanese style leather knife from them

These two sizes are stiffer, and about 1mm thick, and usually marked 'high speed steel' - or HSS. They are used mostly on automatic saws, like a donkey saw. Unfortunately as the number of traditional engineers and machine shops is diminishing, so too is the supply of used blades. Plus they are much in demand by all sorts of craftsmen for making knives & tools, so you will really have to search for one

You will obviously need to grind off the teeth, cut & shape them, and make the sharp bevel edge. Be careful when you do this as it is easy to burn the steel. You will still need to do a fair amount of work with a stone & strop, but yes, you can get a very sharp edge

I use the 25mm kiridashi style as it is, but for the skiving knives I grind the blunt end to a triangular shape, then fit it into a handle as for a narrow tang blade

I have also made a skiving knife from a decorators filling knife. You need one with a traditional forged carbon steel blade, not the modern stamped stainless sheet. More than likely it will also have a nice wooden handle & a brass ferrule. Again, search junk shops etc; mine cost me 50p If you shorten the blade as you shape it, it will bebome less flexible