- Joined
- Jan 27, 2007
- Messages
- 6,518
The title here says it all. :thumbup: This is a little long, but I wanted to share my thoughts about the last few years.
I got started here on BF back in 2007 because every time I googled a knife type or pattern, Bladeforums was within the first few hits on the list. I finally decided to join up, then ante up the $10. to go Gold. In all honesty, I think it's one of the best investments I ever made.
Knives have been a part of my life from early on; especially pocket knives. They're a tangible reminder of those early, clumsy days with my elders learning simple things like cutting notches in soft pine, simple sharpening, and telling stories while the sun sets. You learn things like " . . . when you cut yourself, that's the knife teachin' you respect for it." (Not if, but when.) We traded them in school; we polished them & sharpened them in auto shop, and did things to them no knife deserves; one of the first things we bought with our lawnmowing money was comic books and a pocket knife. A pocket knife & a slingshot & a pocket full of small rocks were standard uniform items during summer. By the age of six, you baited your own hooks. by ten, you cleaned your own fish. According to grandpa, that's one of the reasons you have your own knife.
Later, in Montana, my grandmother let me buy a Buck 119. She liked the brand, and was genuinely happy that I bought it. That one act changed my life: for the first time, someone close to me openly trusted me with such an important tool. I got a boost in self esteem at a time in my life when I needed it most.
* * *
I kept almost all of those knives, from my early teens through adulthood. When I moved to San Francisco, I left them with my Uncle for safekeeping; unfortunately, my knives, and at least $2,000. of my uncles' tools, were stolen. After my parents' divorce, a move to Montana, 4 years in the navy, and a move to SF, my most important possessions, one of my last connections with my childhood . . . well, they were simply gone. My response to the sadness & anger of that loss was simply to give up on ever owning knives again.
* * *
Years later, I'm married, I have a son, and a career of sorts, and life was (and is) good. A curious encounter at a sporting goods store with a rather ugly Smith & Wesson folder set me to reminiscing, and soon I longed for that feeling of having a small piece of steel in my pocket again. That Smith & Wesson, cheap, imported, & ugly as it was, piqued my interest. Later, I started buying various knife magazines, and the hobby was starting to become more enjoyable.
Later, my (maternal) grandmother gave me the old TL-29 that my granddad carried in WWII. He was in the Pacific when Japan surrendered, and was one of the first to go in with the Army Of Occupation. Family tradition holds that my grandfather carried that TL-29 with him. 60 years later, it was ugly, loose, corroded from opening bags of fertilizer, rusted open, and missing the bail, but to me it was gold. It's cleaned up now, and goes with me occasionally, and gets used. After the initial resharpening I gave it, it's held it's edge for 6+ years. Like all knives, it wants work. That nasty little rusted knife was magic - it put me back in touch with those past days, and reminded me of the necessity of good tools. I've passed that belief on to my son, and he has his own pocket knife now too - a Camillus Scout knife. Like my granddad's TL-29 was to me, that Camillus is like gold to my son.
Later, I discovered the forums here, and it's been quite a ride, to say the least. We're a family here, with all the quirky little things that go with it. It's been entertaining, with robot cannons & gecko45; and deeply sad too - vampiregerbil & cockroachfarm & others have 'walked west', as yvsa says. Many members have welcomed children into the world; some of our members have spent years at war in places that have not known peace in centuries; others face daily the struggle to push away from chemical dependency; still others face the daily anxiety of an economy in shambles. My prayers go with all. (My son & I still pray for Carter.
) Jackknife's stories remind many of us of our own past times; and we all share the pleasure of seeing something new, sharp, & shiny shared here. Bernard sets everyone straight, whether they like it or not; and the mods ride herd over this teeming horde with a tact & professionalism that is exemplary. My son loves the 'doggy pics' thread, and I'm not afraid to let him look at it. That says a lot about the integrity here. :thumbup:
I'm proud to be a member here, and to be associated with such a fine crowd. Thanks to all of you, new & old members alike, and I'm looking forward to many more years here.
Chris Roles, aka orca8589
thx - cpr
I got started here on BF back in 2007 because every time I googled a knife type or pattern, Bladeforums was within the first few hits on the list. I finally decided to join up, then ante up the $10. to go Gold. In all honesty, I think it's one of the best investments I ever made.
Knives have been a part of my life from early on; especially pocket knives. They're a tangible reminder of those early, clumsy days with my elders learning simple things like cutting notches in soft pine, simple sharpening, and telling stories while the sun sets. You learn things like " . . . when you cut yourself, that's the knife teachin' you respect for it." (Not if, but when.) We traded them in school; we polished them & sharpened them in auto shop, and did things to them no knife deserves; one of the first things we bought with our lawnmowing money was comic books and a pocket knife. A pocket knife & a slingshot & a pocket full of small rocks were standard uniform items during summer. By the age of six, you baited your own hooks. by ten, you cleaned your own fish. According to grandpa, that's one of the reasons you have your own knife.
Later, in Montana, my grandmother let me buy a Buck 119. She liked the brand, and was genuinely happy that I bought it. That one act changed my life: for the first time, someone close to me openly trusted me with such an important tool. I got a boost in self esteem at a time in my life when I needed it most.
* * *
I kept almost all of those knives, from my early teens through adulthood. When I moved to San Francisco, I left them with my Uncle for safekeeping; unfortunately, my knives, and at least $2,000. of my uncles' tools, were stolen. After my parents' divorce, a move to Montana, 4 years in the navy, and a move to SF, my most important possessions, one of my last connections with my childhood . . . well, they were simply gone. My response to the sadness & anger of that loss was simply to give up on ever owning knives again.
* * *
Years later, I'm married, I have a son, and a career of sorts, and life was (and is) good. A curious encounter at a sporting goods store with a rather ugly Smith & Wesson folder set me to reminiscing, and soon I longed for that feeling of having a small piece of steel in my pocket again. That Smith & Wesson, cheap, imported, & ugly as it was, piqued my interest. Later, I started buying various knife magazines, and the hobby was starting to become more enjoyable.
Later, my (maternal) grandmother gave me the old TL-29 that my granddad carried in WWII. He was in the Pacific when Japan surrendered, and was one of the first to go in with the Army Of Occupation. Family tradition holds that my grandfather carried that TL-29 with him. 60 years later, it was ugly, loose, corroded from opening bags of fertilizer, rusted open, and missing the bail, but to me it was gold. It's cleaned up now, and goes with me occasionally, and gets used. After the initial resharpening I gave it, it's held it's edge for 6+ years. Like all knives, it wants work. That nasty little rusted knife was magic - it put me back in touch with those past days, and reminded me of the necessity of good tools. I've passed that belief on to my son, and he has his own pocket knife now too - a Camillus Scout knife. Like my granddad's TL-29 was to me, that Camillus is like gold to my son.
Later, I discovered the forums here, and it's been quite a ride, to say the least. We're a family here, with all the quirky little things that go with it. It's been entertaining, with robot cannons & gecko45; and deeply sad too - vampiregerbil & cockroachfarm & others have 'walked west', as yvsa says. Many members have welcomed children into the world; some of our members have spent years at war in places that have not known peace in centuries; others face daily the struggle to push away from chemical dependency; still others face the daily anxiety of an economy in shambles. My prayers go with all. (My son & I still pray for Carter.
) Jackknife's stories remind many of us of our own past times; and we all share the pleasure of seeing something new, sharp, & shiny shared here. Bernard sets everyone straight, whether they like it or not; and the mods ride herd over this teeming horde with a tact & professionalism that is exemplary. My son loves the 'doggy pics' thread, and I'm not afraid to let him look at it. That says a lot about the integrity here. :thumbup:I'm proud to be a member here, and to be associated with such a fine crowd. Thanks to all of you, new & old members alike, and I'm looking forward to many more years here.
Chris Roles, aka orca8589
thx - cpr
