Are you ashamed of your hobby?

I treat my gun and knife avocations as just an integral part of who I am. I do not flaunt them, nor do I try to conceal them, I just treat them as being as natural as breathing, because for me they are. The people among whom I move seem to accept that. At age 63 I have nothing to prove and no need to impress. I am pretty much what I am going to be, and I am happy being it.
 
I don't hide, nor am I ashamed of my hobbies, my family and friends know, I think my dad hates it though. If someone asks, I tell them what I can. honestly I don't know why I collect and carry many knives but I do, I also don't do anything that could be seen as troublesome to cause alarm to others.
every now and again I give a knife or multitool as a gift but only to people who I know can and will use one properly.
 
Sounds exactly like my case at work. Those who have knives want me to sharpen them and those that don't know that I typically have the sharpest one in the building.

Bastid said:
Not at all. Anyone that knows me knows about my knife addiction. Gave the woman I am seeing a nice custom (along with some other stuff) on her birthday last month.

People at work make jokes, but they bring their knives to me for sharpening and ask advice when they are buying.
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shecky said:
I don't buy it. Knife nuts are born, not made. For us, the knives sell themselves. You can't talk a non knife nut to go under the spell anymore than I could be talked into playing Dungeons and Dragons, or watching ballet.
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people can be taught to appreciate all sorts of things. ive learned to appreciate different types of music, books, people, and knives, over the course of my life.

when i was young, my parents allowed me to own and use knives, and this nurtured my appretiation for them (the knives).

i don't believe it is an innate quality, any more than liking dungeons and dragons or ballet.

i bought a coworker a zt for christmas. previously he had owned and carried a s&w knockoff (i know, i know) with massive amounts of blade play and loose scales. he carries the zt everywhere, and is always playing with it at work (opening, closing, etc). i know he now appreciates the qualities of such a fine tool, when previously a knife was just a screwdriver/prytool to him.
 
I pulled out a Bear peanut on Wednesday to cut a piece of meat at an office potluck. Nobody around me seemed all that surprised by it, though that probably wouldn't have been the case 4 year ago when I started working there. Almost everybody at work knows my passion for mechanical things, whether they be tools, knives guns or cameras. They know that I own a whole bunch of hardware but they also realize that none of it is a danger to them because I'm not a danger.

I like to think that I've helped some of my more reactionary colleagues rethink some of their more unwarranted media-programmed biases by being just a regular guy who happens to always carry a knife or two. So yes, A.G., I do think I'm helping to spread the word.
 
I think jackknife has got it spot on.

I have waaaaay more knives than I need.

I am not ashamed of my hobby but I am close to the end of it. I'm now just using a select few knives and either giving away the rest or selling them. I Just don't have a want anymore. ;)
 
I'm not ashamed but I am reserved. I have shown my small collection to family and some friends and they just look at me like I killed a kitten.
 
i do not hide it, i lost all my friends at school because they think i stab people if they can not accept my hobby i will not acept them as friends
 
A. G. Russell said:
Then I guess you disagree with Shecky?
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It depends.
Its true that some people have no interest and never will.
But I figure hiding something rather than being open about it makes things worse. If I was ashamed of my knives and hid/kept quiet about them, it might appear that I DO have something to hide.
I'd rather be open about them, try and educate people and win over a few people along the way. If you don't try you'll never succeed.
I'd love to see the day come when people in the UK see a knife and think about it as a tool or collectable rather than as a weapon.
Unfortunatly due to the media, I honestly can't see it happening, which is sad.
We've got to keep trying though.

Ian
 
shecky said:
I don't buy it. Knife nuts are born, not made. For us, the knives sell themselves. You can't talk a non knife nut to go under the spell anymore than I could be talked into playing Dungeons and Dragons, or watching ballet.
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Oh, I beg to differ!
 
Well I guess I'm just a nut. I collect Coleman Lanterns, Firearms and Knives & smoking Pipes.

I grew up in a Holler in the Hills of Old Virginia & that makes me a Hill Billy.

Everyone I have ever met in my life after a few weeks know I collect knives.

If you did not see the thread I have a full size Marine Ka-bar tattooed inside my left arm. It was done in Hong Kong whlle on R&R from Nam.


Semper Fi.

Oldbriar
 
oldbriar said:
Well I guess I'm just a nut. I collect Coleman Lanterns, Firearms and Knives & smoking Pipes.

I grew up in a Holler in the Hills of Old Virginia & that makes me a Hill Billy.

Everyone I have ever met in my life after a few weeks know I collect knives.

If you did not see the thread I have a full size Marine Ka-bar tattooed inside my left arm. It was done in Hong Kong whlle on R&R from Nam.


Semper Fi.

Oldbriar
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Hopefully you're not collecting meerschaums. It gets expensive fast.

I dabble in a bunch of "weird interests," ranging from writing instruments, lighters, flashlights, knives, shaving supplies, hot sauces, and stationary. People might appreciate a sharp knife, or quality pen that doesn't skip, and perhaps even a bright light that resembles a lightsaber at night. However, it's not very likely that many of these individuals will delve deeper into any one of these categories unless they're truly interested.
 
Sigguy said:
I'm not ashamed but I am reserved. I have shown my small collection to family and some friends and they just look at me like I killed a kitten.
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Same here sigguy. After knowing my interest in knives, some people have the following comments: :foot:

-"So you spend your money on all that?"
-"Ah, terrorist in the making!"
-"Are you planning to kill someone?"

My fav comment of all time:
New colleague (who caught me surfing bladeforums): What's that?
Me: It's a knife forum..
New guy: Oh, so you like knives?
Me: Yeah, kind of, like those military and outdoorsy bowie knives.
... 5 minutes later after talking about how he loves fishing, and some silence...
New guy: Say (my name), do you have any violent tendencies?
Me: :grumpy:

After that incident needless to say I've been more reserved in who I tell this hobby to. Thankfully my family is quite understanding on my collection and hobby.
 
Yep, we all eat kittens for breakfast. And babies for lunch, dontcha know. But I save the Democrats for dinner. :)
 
Could never be ashamed of my interest in knives (my hobby).
People know me and my reputation, by who I am and my actions, not by whether or not I like knives.
 
Well, I am quite reserved. Let me explain, my family and friends know of my interest and I have my nicest 20 or so knives in a compact plexiglass box visible for all. But I have only shown my other box with some 70 more knives (ok but not as nice) to other knife nuts.
At work I only carry an alox SAK.
 
all i gotta say is this hobby/lifestyle is sure expensive! most people don't care about quality knives. i always want the best bang for my $$$. wether it be cars, knives, etc... i carry (legally) proudly. educate people when possible. my only don't is i don't tell them how much i spend!:D

gave my boss (owner) a mcusta basic folder for christmas. he was smiling and opening/closing that badboy all night while we all drank the night away (construction co.):eek:.

if i'm still employed next xmass i'll give him a g10 tyrade.:eek:

i think knife collecting/using is for certain special breed of people, just like guns, hiking/camping, fishing, etc... .to each his own. luckily we put up with the rest of em.;)

as they say in the busse subforum NO REGRETS!

cheers, kimo
 
An appreciation of knives starts with using them. If you use them, gradually you won't want to be without a knife. I started when I in grade school. There is no way I would intentionally take a walk in the woods without a knife on me. I use a knife every single day for something. Collecting knives starts the same way, but you have to have an appreciation for the blade to begin with. I think collecting is a bit of an expensive hobby just like firearms. The good part about knives is they store generally in relatively small places.
 
People who know me; know about my collection. I'm sure they think it is strange, but a few enjoy qaulity knives too... I also have a few expensive Swiss watches that get similar reactions. For example, "it tells time just my Timex, but it's really nice looking." "What makes a knife/watch worth that kind of money?"

My mother was just held up in the Walmart parking lot by a guy with a knife....It is the ass clowns like that the turn everyone agaist knives and may they rot in hell. BTW, she is okay and the guy just wanted her money.
 
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