A tribute to dad

F

fishtale

Joined
Dec 19, 2002
Messages
337
I wanted to pay tribute to my father who carried the same knife for over 20 years. It's an unassuming little Buck lockback that was always in his watch pocket. Over the course of time it performed whatever task he needed it to do and the blade wear shows he used it for just about everything.

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I decided to get the same knife and see why he like it so much. It's a Buck Knight model 505.

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Twirling it around in my fingers I can start to see the attraction...small, light, and classy. The grip is more of a three finger affair than a typical full fist grip. I don't get the chance to wear jeans much anymore but it will find a home in the right front pocket of my dress pants. I plan to give it a workout like he did. Nice knife!
 
That's a great tribute to your dad, fishtale!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:

I think we have to reach a certain stage of life, before we realize there was a very good reason our fathers and grandfathers made the choices they did. Then we often find that most of the time, their choices work out better than ours.

Ps- how many years do you think it will take to wear yours down to match your dad's?
 
JK, I agree. My dad is a "use what you got", "simple is better" guy. I still remember that he built a big addition to our small 50s ranch-style house with nothing but a hammer and skil saw. :) We still laugh about it!

He grew up fast (and poor) and had to make due with what he had. He and my mom were way too young when I came along but they made it work. Fourty three years later...here we are. Our paths differed...I went to college/grad school, took a job in business and got married much later. We still have a lot in common and talk every week or two.
 
JK is right, its a great tribute to your father.

Even though I'm a young guy, I try to approach problems like I seen my grandfather do.
I usually give old tools a try before I buy a new (power)tool. And by old tools I mean spokeshaves, brace and bit, handsaws ...
Same applies to knives, My favorite sheath knife is a BSA little finn, thats is more than twice as old as I am, and my favorite pocketknife pattern is probably the simple TL-29.

Use the knife In good health and may it remind you of the simpler ways.

Peter
 
My Dad carried a Vic Alox Solo for about 30 years it was his go-to tool for everything. He misplaced it about six months before he died and it drove us all crazy looking for the thing everywhere but couldn't find it. He grudgingly switched to another knife and never saw his Victorinox again. I found that Vic the day of his funeral lying in plain sight. It's retired now for fear of losing it but that old blade is as good as ever. Here's to simple tools and good fathers.:thumbup:
 
The nice use and sharpening of the old knife has turned it from Skinner to Spear blade, excellent!

I've got interested in this small Buck myself, anybody able to post dimensions of this Knight please?
 
Pulled from the Buck site...

Knight 505
Blade Length: 1 7/8"
Blade Material: 420HC Stainless Steel
Handle Material: Resin Impregnated Wood and Nickel Silver bolsters
Length Closed: 2 3/4"
Weight: 1.5 oz.

So far, I like it a lot. I plan to get another and send it to my dad.
 
wonderfully well used knife. You should see if there is someone on the tinkering and embellishment forum that could transfer your fathers knifes handle scales onto your new one.
 
RobertJ said:
wonderfully well used knife. You should see if there is someone on the tinkering and embellishment forum that could transfer your fathers knifes handle scales onto your new one.
Click to expand...

I agree with you, that its a great knife, but rather than mess with the old one, I would try to imitate the engraving on the old scales and make the new knife look like a good reproduction.

Peter
 
I agree with Peter. I would leave the original knife as is.
 
speaking of the engraving. is it an astronaut? if so i wonder what the story is behind it.
think you guys are right too. best to leave the original as is. there's lots of history on that knife handle.
.
 
I toyed with the idea of sending it to Buck for a blade replacement (and asking for the old one back!) but decided to keep and use it as is.

I took the kick down a touch so the point of the blade would fall within the handle slabs when closed and also put a working edge on it.

I was giving it the full inspection and cleaning the other day and noticed one side of the handle was "squashed" a little. So, I called my day to ask and he said it had fallen out of his pocket in the parking lot and got run over! :eek:

The little bugger has seen a lot of miles and deserves to display it's wear with respect.
 
Yes, it is an astronaut engraved in the scale. It was given to him when he worked for a major supplier to NASA for 30+ years. He was a machinist in a lab that made and tested components for the shuttle, spacesuits, and space station. He has since retired and lives in Florida.

He said he always kept it in his watch pocket because it was small and easy to get to. It was part of his routine. He said he used it for everything from cutting copper wire to scraping slag! It's still got perfect lockup and zero blade movement in any direction.
 
Well that story and where the knife came from as as well as who owned it make it a priceless little knife.:thumbup:
Thanks for letting us in on it's history.
 
The Buck Knight was my favorite knife as kid. I bought my first one when I was in fifth grade and carried one through high school. I haven't carried on for years, but I might have to grab one again.
 
Nice tribute to your Dad fishtale!. I too was a big fan of the Buck little #500's series. Specifically, the 503 that I use to carry. I sometimes carried it solo, but more often as a back-up to other larger edc's. It went in my watch pocket as well. These little knives fit in the watch pocket of ones jeans so perfectly, that I suspect that the original purpose may have been that very intention.

Here is the little 503 I carried all those years ago. It is well sharpened and the tip got broken off so I re-shaped it and used it like you see it now until the early 1990's..

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Now its retired and I picked up another one not to long ago from a local gun & knife show in excellent condition as a replacement..

BTW, you are dead on about these knives retaining perfect lock-ups and having NO blade wobble whatsoever, even after years of use and in some cases abuse.. Great little knives.:thumbup:
 
Hey there fishtale,

I meant to ask you a question here.. What does your Dad carry now as his EDC as a retiree in Florida now that you have his old knife?.

Also here is a pic of my two identical Buck # 503's side by side, same vintage and materials. My old faithful and the newly acquired one..

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I've had a few 503s for years. I love the stainless bolsters.

I just bought the little brother of the classic 110...the 55.

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The blade shape is exactly like the 110 but just smaller.
 
Fishtale that is a very handsome knife. I must be out of touch a bit because I was not aware of that model. But, very nice indeed..:thumbup:

I hate to be a PITA, but what about your father's current edc?.. Or did you give him one of these?
 
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