1st Knife, 2nd Anniversary, 3456th Post, 7th Day GAW!! WINNERS Post 31

[5K Qs]

WINNERS ANNOUNCED IN POST # 31

WHY: According to my profile page, today is my 2nd anniversary of becoming a member of BladeForums. It has been a rewarding two years in so many ways! :thumbup: I am also approaching the milestone of 3456 posts. So it seems like a good time for me to host a give-away to mark the occasion!


WHO: To be eligible to enter, you must have joined the forums at least 78 days ago, or have at least 78 posts in the traditional subforum. The number of winners is dependent, to some extent, on the number of entrants. There will be at least one winner, of course. If there are at least 23 entrants, at least 2 winners will be chosen; if there are at least 34 entrants, there will be at least 3 winners; and if there are at least 45 entrants, there will be 4 winners selected.


WHEN: This GAW will run for 7 days, starting today and ending on the 7th day, next Tuesday, July 26. I plan to randomly select the winner(s) about 5pm EDT next Tuesday and notify them that evening. I can then mail the prize(s) next Wednesday or Thursday.


WHERE: Right here on The Porch, of course! :thumbup:


HOW: To actually enter the GAW, you must submit a post that
1) describes the first traditional knife you ever owned, and includes a photo of either your first knife or one that you think closely resembles your first knife, and
2) list at least two ways that your first traditional knife influences your current knife preferences.
One entry per person, please.


WHAT: What might you win? Who knows??? There is a 10-knife prize pool shown below, but nobody knows “what they’re playing for” until the end. I will randomly draw the prescribed number of winners, and as each winner is selected, I will also randomly draw a knife from the prize pool to be awarded to that winner. (After winners are notified of their prizes, they will have an opportunity to exchange their prize knife for one of the remaining knives in the pool. So it’s ALMOST “pick your favorite” for the winner(s).)


Here’s the prize pool.
1) Camillus muskrat, unused

2) Canyon Creek sunfish, occasionally carried and used

3) Remington Peanut, essentially NIB (except I don’t remember if it came with a box)

4) Rough Rider scout/camp knife, NIB

5) RR 1-arm trapper, occasionally carried and used

6) RR Whittler, occasionally carried but rarely used

7) Sarge carver, occasionally carried but rarely used

8) Taylor-Schrade 44OT, occasionally carried and used

9) Victorinox Camper, I bought it used but it seems in great shape

10) Vic Pocket Pal, occasionally carried but rarely used

So there you have it. The thread title recaps the main principles of the GAW: show and tell your 1st traditional knife and its influence on current preferences to help me celebrate my 2nd anniversary and 3456th post at BF; on the 7th day winner(s) will be randomly chosen and matched with prize(s).


I’m looking forward to what you have to say about the influence of your first knife; in fact, I think I’ll submit my own (non-entry) post describing my first knife’s continuing power over my tastes. Good luck to all who enter here!

 

[5K Qs]

Not an entry.

My first knife was a Colonial Forest-Master that I got around 1960. Here’s a relatively recent pic:

I’ve thought a lot about how my current tastes can often be traced back to features of that first love, I mean, first knife. Besides the obvious pattern-specific influence (I’m STILL a sucker for scout knives, including SAKs), here are some other influential features.
1) Shape: a nice symmetric equal-end pattern ALWAYS catches my eye. I have many other kinds of patterns, but an equal-end just looks “right”.

2) Bolsters: I’m a rounded bolsters kind of guy without question, I don’t like them too fancy, and an even number (2 or 0) is much better than an odd number (1).

3) Blade shape: when I became re-interested in pocket knives about 2.5 years ago, I was fascinated by new-to-me blade shapes like sheepsfoot and wharncliffe. But at the end of the day, I feel more comfortable with, and am more adept at using, a good old spearpoint (or its little brother, the pen).

4) Number (and type) of blades: I have and enjoy several single-bladed knives (including most of my European knives), but I always think, “Hey, this single blade is better than I thought it would be.” My default position is that a knife should have more than one “blade”. And if some of those “blades” are tools with a different purpose than cutting, that’s even better.

5) Cover materials: although my Colonial has the typical “clamshell” covers with textured black synthetic of some kind, I think my affection for stag covers can be traced back to the “simulated stag” of my first knife. And since I can’t have stag all the time, I prefer textured handles (liked jigged bone or Alox) to smooth handles (like smooth bone, or wood, or celidor, or acrylic). So I think the texture of that old Colonial has “put a spell on me”. HOWEVER, there’s another factor here, namely the color of the covers. I REALLY like black knives, and black knives with silver accents are just the epitome of elegance and class to me; I wonder where that notion came from??

OK, well, I can only plumb the depths of my knife psyche so long before I get plumb worn out, so I’ll stop.

 

[GaiusJulius]

Thanks for your generous offer and your many contributions here. Your posts are definitely among those that make the Porch the great place it is.

My first knife was a Kingston military-type stainless steel utility knife, with four camp-style blades: bottle opener, can opener, awl, and spear blade. I saw it at a garage sale for $0.50 and asked my mom if I could have it, being about 6 years old at the time. This was assented to, and it became my own pocketknife, which I carried around the house, and got confiscated from me several times when I took it to school. My father taught me the basics of sharpening on an old whetstone, but I doubt that thing was ever sharp enough to do any serious damage, because I can't remember ever cutting myself with it. Maybe I was just a careful child. I moved on to other knives over the years, and the Kingston found its way to the junk drawer, until I eventually rescued it and consigned it to my sock drawer sometime in junior high. Sadly, I found it last year when visiting my family, and one of the backsprings has snapped. Not sure what happened there. I guess Missouri humidity is not friendly to carbon steel. Or maybe somebody tried to open it and it was stuck with rust or just lack of oil.

I would say the main enduring contribution this knife made to my knife taste was to instill in me an appreciation for symmetry, because it was an oblong oval with two blades or implements on each end. I still prefer knives to be equal-end and double-end, though they are not as common today as they once were. I'd rather have a pen pattern than a jack, or an equal end stockman vs. serpentine. I also have a soft spot for spears, because I remember learning to whittle, and how much easier it was to make nice centered divots in a stick with my spearpoint blade than with the clip on my dad's stockman.

I don't have a picture of my own knife, but this one is identical:

 

[joeradza]

Thank you for this giveaway and a chance to wander back in time. This isn't so much about a particular knife, but the opportunity to use a knife as a life lesson.

I had been begging my uncle for a knife for my 8th birthday. My dad had been KIA in Korea, so Big Jim was the man. Of course, I wanted a BIG trench knife like I'd seen him carry on occasion. I couldn't tell one way or another how I was doing, so come birthday time I was going crazy. We had a nice celebration and when Big Jim said he had a surprise I almost jumped out of my skin. We were headed to South Dakota for a week, with some of our relatives. "Oh, by the way, you will need this" and with that he handed me my first knife, a brand new peanut. And, being the wisest man I knew he showed me an identical one that he was carrying. Now I knew that MY peanut was all I would ever need. After all, if an Oglala man could survive outdoors for a week with just a peanut what could I say. (Although I'm sure he had that trench knife and his rifle.)

We had the greatest time hunting and fishing and trying to live as best we could in the old ways. Most of the time was taken up with the men and women teaching me in their way that there was nothing wrong with the biggest, the brightest, the fanciest, or the most expensive as long as one knew that it was possible to accomplish everything one needed in life with the most basic of tools. The most important tool of all was what lay between my ears.

I've been very happy with what I've accomplished in my 70 years. And, I can say that I've had many big boy toys, but at this stage of my life the most important thing is to remember where I came from and how to enjoy one's self with the things that matter most. I can't tell you what they are, only you can make that journey for yourself.

I guess I should slow down now and let a photo of my latest peanut be a metaphor for life. Thanks again, Alan

 

[irona]

My very first knife - the Swiss Army Minichamp

I got it the day before my first communion as a congratulatory present (after begging for a knife for months). I took it everywhere, including the woods where my friend and I build a tree fort using nothing but what few tools we had and some scrap wood in the woods. I used this knife way harder than it was intended for, but never abused it. Even 7 year old me knew not to use it as a prybar or something (I'm looking at you, most people who sell knives in thrift stores). After a year or so, I became jealous of my friend who had a bigger 91mm SAK. His had a saw and two knife blades that were way bigger than the ones on mine, and I saved up and up and bought a SAK huntsman. I'll not go too deep into detail about my using of this knife, but lets just leave it at we used it to cut 2x6s. Still, never abused it!
Anyway, having a long history of having SAKs a present EDC as a kid lead me to a strong preference to spear point blades and SAKs. Today, one of my rotations is a modest SAK Tinker.

 

[Whetstone39]

Cool GAW GT, and mathematically appropriate for you . Not an entry as I don't have a pic of my first and am unsure of the rules for borrowing one from the internet. My first was a red Coca Cola 2 blade knife my Uncle bought me at a flea market when I was 8 years old. It influenced my preferences in that it eventually folded on my fingers and cut me pretty good, so for a long time I didn't trust folders. My dad then bought me a Buck 110 a few years later, and I thought it was nearly perfect, just a bit heavy. That in turn led me to moderns, and when one of those "uber" locks failed, it led me to small fixed blades. But it also taught me to be less stupid with folding knives, so I do carry a folder every day too .

 

[irona]

Not an entry.

My first knife was a Colonial Forest-Master that I got around 1960. Here’s a relatively recent pic:

I’ve thought a lot about how my current tastes can often be traced back to features of that first love, I mean, first knife. Besides the obvious pattern-specific influence (I’m STILL a sucker for scout knives, including SAKs), here are some other influential features.
1) Shape: a nice symmetric equal-end pattern ALWAYS catches my eye. I have many other kinds of patterns, but an equal-end just looks “right”.

2) Bolsters: I’m a rounded bolsters kind of guy without question, I don’t like them too fancy, and an even number (2 or 0) is much better than an odd number (1).

3) Blade shape: when I became re-interested in pocket knives about 2.5 years ago, I was fascinated by new-to-me blade shapes like sheepsfoot and wharncliffe. But at the end of the day, I feel more comfortable with, and am more adept at using, a good old spearpoint (or its little brother, the pen).

4) Number (and type) of blades: I have and enjoy several single-bladed knives (including most of my European knives), but I always think, “Hey, this single blade is better than I thought it would be.” My default position is that a knife should have more than one “blade”. And if some of those “blades” are tools with a different purpose than cutting, that’s even better.

5) Cover materials: although my Colonial has the typical “clamshell” covers with textured black synthetic of some kind, I think my affection for stag covers can be traced back to the “simulated stag” of my first knife. And since I can’t have stag all the time, I prefer textured handles (liked jigged bone or Alox) to smooth handles (like smooth bone, or wood, or celidor, or acrylic). So I think the texture of that old Colonial has “put a spell on me”. HOWEVER, there’s another factor here, namely the color of the covers. I REALLY like black knives, and black knives with silver accents are just the epitome of elegance and class to me; I wonder where that notion came from??

OK, well, I can only plumb the depths of my knife psyche so long before I get plumb worn out, so I’ll stop.

Oh wow! My great-grandpa carried almost the exact same knife for much of his life, although with different jigging on the handles.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[HOKIE_FAN]

I'm in. Thanks for the chance.
My first was an Uncle Henry...not this one but just like it. This style has stuck with me because 1. it reminds me of being a kid fishing with my dad. 2. I remember my Grand Pa always carrying a slip joint.

 

[LastRodeo]

This is my first traditional knife, a Schrade USA 833uh. It's two influences on my current knife preferences are a love for jacks (and stagalon) and a continued fascination for traditional knives (can't recall the last time I bought a modern folder).

Thanks for the giveaway Gary!

 

[r8shell]

Has it really been two years? I want to tell you how much I appreciate your presence here on "the porch". This is not an entry, but I want to participate by posting my first knives. I also want to mention how I enjoy your little mathematician games. My brother is a mathematician, too, and I remember when I was four years old and he was eight, he told me,"I am twice your age now, and I will never be twice your age again, even though two years ago, I was three times your age."

My first knife was a Kutmaster Girl Scout knife. I was around eight years old, and 'graduated' from the Brownies to being a real Girl Scout, then promptly quit after getting the knife. I was fascinated by the "looking glass" scales, how a scratch on the clear surface made a shadow on the green layer underneath. Unfortunately it was lost not too long after that, but forum member Jsega51 kindly gifted me one just like it.



I also want to mention my second knife, which I got when I was about twelve or thirteen. A Sabre pen knife. I carried it every day all through middle, high school, and college back in the days when a kid could carry a little knife and no one gave it a second thought. I still have it, and you can see it's well worn and clumsily sharpened.



I'm not sure how these knives have shaped my tastes in pocketknives beyond the general feeling that I don't feel right without a knife in my pocket. I am partial to smooth covers, and I tend to prefer at least two blades in a folder.

 

[Zemapeli]

This is my first fixed blade, bought nine years ago. The Buck 119 and the Mossberg lock back where my first knives owned. The dove was my pet - Curra
Please count me in. I love that Sarge carver, would love a chance to EDC that. Thanks for the gesture!

 

[r redden]

Gary thanks for the opportunity. :thumbup: I have enjoyed your posts and glad we have become internet friends.
My very first knife was a sheath knife my dad made for me out of an old file and I have no idea what ever happened to it but sure wish I still had it. Since I have worn out the picture of the Barlow my grandfather gave me here is a picture of a sheath knife my dad gave me when I was a kid before he passed it was the second knife I ever owned. It is marked Solingen Germany on the tang but I have no idea what brand it is and it was old when he gave it to me about 52 years ago I have no idea of it's age either.

 

[onojoe]

Cool GAW Thanks!

This is the first knife my dad gave me. 2 things it taught me. 1- buy quality and it will last and 2- Use the right tool for the right job. You can see the broken awl that I tried to use as a pry bar

 

[5K Qs]

Thanks for the "anniversary well-wishes" and the thoughtful, interesting entries so far! :thumbup:

Oh wow! My great-grandpa carried almost the exact same knife for much of his life, although with different jigging on the handles.

...

Thanks for sharing this, irona! :thumbup: I didn't realize there were both "fake stag" and "fake jigged bone" versions of the Forest-Master. Do you own your great-grandpa's knife now? What a marvelous family heirloom!! :thumbup:

- GT

 

[Jolipapa]

I don't remember exactly which was my first knife, probably that n° 6 opi that I lost several times or maybe that small green cellulo handled navaja my parents bought for me during a visit in Livia...
But the first I did buy me myself I, I'm absolutely sure, is that automatic Bargeon I never used, dull as it was and way too aggressive for me!
But I still like her look.

 

[screened porch]

Unfortunately, my first knife was totally irrelevant to any future knife purchases, so not an entry.

 

[deltaboy]

My first pocket knife was a 3 1/2 inch Colonial/ Imperial 3 blade stock man black plastic scales with a Federal shield. I was 5 and it was given to me by my Grandpa, I lost it when I was,8-9 years old. Ever one in my world carried a various sized stock man so,that what I started with and remained so these past 45 years. This picture the best rep I could find on the WWW.

 

[irona]

Thanks for the "anniversary well-wishes" and the thoughtful, interesting entries so far! :thumbup:


Thanks for sharing this, irona! :thumbup: I didn't realize there were both "fake stag" and "fake jigged bone" versions of the Forest-Master. Do you own your great-grandpa's knife now? What a marvelous family heirloom!! :thumbup:

- GT

I do! When I got it when I was about 10, it was rusted shut. I was able to get it open and working again, and it became my EDC for a while. It's still a solid knife!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[5K Qs]

I do! When I got it when I was about 10, it was rusted shut. I was able to get it open and working again, and it became my EDC for a while. It's still a solid knife!
...

- GT

 

[Coastiekevink]

My first three from the 70's...

My latest as of a week ago...still buying traditionals. I just like the non tactical types every now and then.

I post in all categories and I have no clue as to my number of posts.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk