Knife culture

[Roger Hicks]

I'm from East Kentucky where they issue pocket knives to each baby boy when freshly born. We grew up whittling and trading knives. The only times I've never had one in my pocket was when on an airplane.
About 12 years ago a dear friend made me a gift of a Benchmade #330S Gentleman's Knife. I carried it every day until last spring when I was in Ireland and needed to fish a hair out of the inside of my wife's camera. After I got it out I laid the knife down to put the camera back together and forgot it. I was really down about this as my friend had passed not long after he gave me the knife. It was, of curse, long discontinued and nearly impossible to find. After several months of searching I was able to buy one and now it's back in my pocket.

Think of the lucky bugger who found the one you lost, though!

Cheers,

R.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

Love knives, have had hundreds of them I guess, and lost all but a few.

A knife would be poor self defense, a stout stick would be tons better.

I have made a few of my own knives, shop bench knives, kitchen slicing knives. I even have a WWII trench knife I use for splitting spruce brace stock.

 

[phofseth]

I got a whittling knife as a child, learned to use it properly by making a few small cuts to my anatomy. I have given my grandchildren knives and taught them to use axes from when they were 5 or so, maybe younger.

In these parts you cannot carry a knife while out on a street, unless for some honourable purpose, such as being on your way out into the forest (and your attire would be sufficient witness to that).

It is interesting thet in the earliest written Icelandic (and in the unwritten Norwegian law at Gulating before year 921) it is specifically stated that although "Thralls" -enslaved workers- cannot hold property, they are entitled to their own knife.

p.

 

[Roger Hicks]

. . . In these parts you cannot carry a knife while out on a street, unless for some honourable purpose, such as being on your way out into the forest (and your attire would be sufficient witness to that). . . .

Not even a Leatherman or a Swiss Army knife?

So far today: repairing a cupboard; making a hole in some dungarees to insert an eyelet. Often: picnics. Sometimes: sharpening pencils. And lots more...

Cheers,

R.

 

[Roger Hicks]

.. . I even have a WWII trench knife I use for splitting spruce brace stock.

If you want proper, big knives a WW2 Martindale machete is hard to beat. I have one that looks like this except that I also have the leather sheath. I bought it for 10/- over 50 years ago and it still beats everything else for splitting kindling.

Cheers,

R.

 

[sepiareverb]

I carry one of two Case knives, a Sod Buster or a Barehead Slimline Trapper, both with a CV blade. I cut my lime with it during cocktail hour, not much else the days. I carry it mostly by habit from when I spent a lot of time working in the woods and a knife came in handier then. I've always liked the yellow Delrin handled Case Knives. Carried a Trapper or a Medium Stockman for years, but prefer the lower profile of the Barehead these days.

 

[creenus]

I always carry the following in my briefcase:

Swiss Army knife (in case I'm ever attacked by said Swiss Army)

X-Acto art knife with spare blades (great for cutting lightproofing materials for cameras, trimming materials, etc.)

and a Boker nonfolding tactical knife with 2" blade - dang sharp

with these and a small screwdriver set, I can fix/cut/slice almost anything.

I also carry two small flashlights, first aid gear including a combat tourniquet and bandages with blood-clotting agents in them (I work in a college - if there's ever a gunshot wound to treat by a shooting incident, I am ready), pens, pencils, mechanical pencil tin, notebooks, reading material, Olympus XA camera and Ilford HP5 film, a ruler, lunch, a water bottle, cell phone charger, signal mirror, signal whistle, Kleenex and a copper bracelet I wear from time to time.

My wife is a nurse and an Intermediate emergency medical technician, hence the gunshot wound kit - her idea, not mine, but I have to keep her happy, so I carry it. Be Prepared, as the Boy Scouts say - or as Allison says in The Breakfast Club "You never know when you gotta jam"

I live out in the boonies, so I always carry food, water and a sleeping bag in the car

 

[FrankS]

Cameras, light meters, and pocket knives: these are my kryptonite.

 

[charjohncarter]

Here is a rare but not valuable pocket knife. This was developed during the VN war for use in the jungle. My neighbor gave it to me as he worked for Tropic Test, I don't know if they ever issued it to soldiers:

Tmax 100 HC-110h by John Carter, on Flickr

 

[mslatfly]

Here is a rare but not valuable pocket knife. This was developed during the VN war for use in the jungle. My neighbor gave it to me as he worked for Tropic Test, I don't know if they ever issued it to soldiers:

Tmax 100 HC-110h by John Carter, on Flickr

Oh yes. They issued those in survival kits, and survival vests while I was in the Army. I still have one I bought at the PX.

 

[mslatfly]

I always carry a pocket knife, except while traveling by air. I have a fairly large collection, but these days I mostly carry a Swiss Army knife, and a leatherman.

Something that I though of, for you Brits. The original version of the leatherman didn't have any locking blades. So, if you could find one, that is another choice. Come to think of it, neither does the SOG or Gerber versions.

I forgot to answer the original question... I've been carrying a pocket knife since grade school, when I was around 9 or 10. I got my first fixed blade knife when I was about 11 or 12. My Grandmother gave me my uncle's old boy scout knife, which was a Swedish Mora scout knife, with the full finger guard. I still have that one, along with most of the knives I've collected and used.

 

[Joao]

Someone here must have one of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Victorinox-...001144?hash=item360d37e5f8:g:I3gAAOSwXeJYDmRi

Joao

 

[coelacanth]

I always carry a pocket knife, except while traveling by air. I have a fairly large collection, but these days I mostly carry a Swiss Army knife, and a leatherman.

Something that I though of, for you Brits. The original version of the leatherman didn't have any locking blades. So, if you could find one, that is another choice. Come to think of it, neither does the SOG or Gerber versions.

Also Spyderco makes several models without locking mechanism. I think they call that Slip Joint and they are designed with the UK market in mind.

 

[Mackinaw]

Sure do carry a pocket knife. A 70mm Old Timer. When I was working, I was something called a “Silviculturist,’ which is a specialty field in Forestry. If you’re going to work in the forest, you have to carry a pocket knife, they’re just such marvelous tools. Adjust the carburetor on your snowmobile? No problem. Blaze a tree so you know where you’ve walked? Easier yet. Adjust the magnetic declination on your compass? Sure. The list of uses goes on and on.

Now that I’m retired I still carry one in my pocket. Old habits die hard.

Jim B.

 

[seany65]

I usually have a multi-purpose pen-knife when I'm out. Not for defence as it'd take me too long to get it out, unfold and then do the 'wavy-about-threaten' thing, the baddy/baddieis would've ripped my head off well before then. If they hadn't, I'd probably make the blade collapse on the fingers of my knife had and chop some off.

 

[burancap]

I have a bunch, but never really gave them too much thought. I have a little Vicky attached to my daily fob, so I always have one with me when on four wheels.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

My trench knife, I split spruce for guitar braces.

My work knife, always on the bench.

 

[kshapero]

I carry a Japanese Spyderco knife with a 4 inch blade and an Emerson clip for fast deploy. This is for self defense. I also carry a small Swiss Army knife that has built in pen and a flashlight, all of which comes in handy. Grrrrrr.

 

[aad]

Old Schrade lockback working around the place, I also just bought a knife from a knifemaker in Nova Scotia while touring on my motorcycle.

Defense with a knife? Hmm. I do have better options..

 

[CMur12]

I have bought a number of pocket knives, over the years, and I have found that I am best served by the smaller models capable of more cutting finesse. I also prefer knife blades made of carbon steel. A single blade is usually adequate, but I also have knives with two and three blades.

I got my first pocket knife when I was seven. My father said I had to wait until I was eight, but my mother allowed a family friend to give me a knife ahead of time.

I must admit that it has never occurred to me to photograph my knives, though I do see some potential in the idea.

- Murray