"Carl's Lounge" (Off-Topic Discussion, Traditional Knife "Tales & Vignettes")

Robert.B said:
Buy some diamond pads from course to 5 micron ultra fine and a cheap rough rider knife and practice a lot. You dont need much pressure, let the medium chosen do the work...over time you'll get a muscle memory to what angles you use.
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i have a norton silicon carbide stone and a cheaper set from smiths but have been practicing what you said, just trying to do it the same every time. the crummy kitchen knives dull quickly so theres a lot of opportunity there. lol
 
jack black,
what does 'on the strap' mean? i tried searching for it but only got results for camera straps, wii game consoles and sex toys (lol).
 
wouldestous said:
jack black,
what does 'on the strap' mean? i tried searching for it but only got results for camera straps, wii game consoles and sex toys (lol).
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What is this in reference to? This being the "Blade Forums" I can only imagine it might be a Razor Strap, or Strop? This is usually a strip of leather used in the sharpening process. :)
Edit; OOPS, I seem to have misspoken here. I went back to look at Jet Black's post, and realized that I don't know either.
-Bruce
 
My old memory as a kid in the US in the 1940s "on the pad" meant the neighborhood grocer would mark it down and you would pay when you could.

I have no idea if this is relevant to Mr. Black's Britain.

Nice memory, Jack.

Old and alone at the end is still sad.

Mike H.
 
wouldestous said:
jack black,
what does 'on the strap' mean? i tried searching for it but only got results for camera straps, wii game consoles and sex toys (lol).
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Ballenxj said:
What is this in reference to? This being the "Blade Forums" I can only imagine it might be a Razor Strap, or Strop? This is usually a strip of leather used in the sharpening process. :)
Edit; OOPS, I seem to have misspoken here. I went back to look at Jet Black's post, and realized that I don't know either.
-Bruce
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reader1 said:
My old memory as a kid in the US in the 1940s "on the pad" meant the neighborhood grocer would mark it down and you would pay when you could.

I have no idea if this is relevant to Mr. Black's Britain.

Nice memory, Jack.

Old and alone at the end is still sad.

Mike H.
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You're absolutely right Mike, it means to get credit. I think it's a Yorkshire expression, the more common English expression being "on the tick". Where the 'strap' part comes from, I don't know for certain, but since it was applied to the butcher, it's possible it may have referred to a leather strap on which the debt was recorded. We also have the expression "strapped for cash", meaning broke, and possibly they have the same source. I'll have to look into it. Thanks for your interest gentlemen.

Best wishes

Jack

P.S. Just found this online: "I have read that "strapped for cash" had to do with London publicans extending credit to porters who wanted to drink, but had no cash until payday. So the publican would "run a tab", or strap of leather, with the porter's name off of the wall or back bar and notch it for each drink served. Therefore the terms "strapped for cash" and "running a tab"."
 
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reader1 said:
"run a tab," or "put it on my tab" was used in the US in 1940s and still today.
Mike H.
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Indeed. It's used here, but I'd always thought it was an American expression, rather than one that crossed over the pond. I think it may well have disappeared from use here at one time, before being reintroduced through shows like 'Cheers'. Interesting when things happen like that with language, hundreds of years ago here the English referred to what we now call 'Autumn' as 'Fall' :)
 
Ok, i got a weird story, disturbing even.

First, let me preface this by saying, you have to be careful when your out in the woods by yourself. Accidents happen and so do "other things". Sure we all sorta say "we know, we know". But something VERY strange happened to me today and I am feeling very weirded out it still.

I living in central Mississippi and the famous Natchez Trace runs just around (and through) my city. I often go hiking and test some of my fixed blades out on the trace. Been out there at least a dozen times, both with my wife and by myself. So I have been working very hard, and I just had that urge to get out of the city and get to the woods today. So i did, i only planned on staying for about an hour, just whittle a little, practice chopping big vines with my machete, just dumb guy stuff right.

So i am walking around a clearing ...its a big circular driveway and I had parked and I was walking around looking for a good branch to whittle on when an older gentleman (probably late 60s) walks up to me. He asks me if i was doing any whittling, and i said Yes, Sir. He then commented on my knife (Becker Bk-11...dont worry my texas jack was in my pocket) and he looks at me and says something. Now I didnt really hear what he said, or perhaps it didnt register, so I said excuse me...

needless to say he was propositioning me. I was just floored and embarrassed. I of course declined and immediately walked back to my truck and drove home, calling my wife just in case. I dont think I was in any physical danger, but *shrugs*. I was 30 years younger and had a knife IN HAND, so i dont know. I saw 2 guys in trucks in the driveway as I was walking back, i made sure there were no children in either vehicle (i would have said something, warn the parents or whatever) and left.

So after talking to my wife and a friend of mine. This is apparently a very common homosexual meetup spot (i am not a local and had NO idea) and they have had some serious trouble with federal arrests for prostitution, rape, public exposure etc etc. Even some normal prostitution.

As I said, very disturbing stuff and I am definitely weirded out.

So the moral of this story. If at all possible, go hiking with someone you trust AND know where your hiking, you never know what secluded areas are being used for illicit meetups.
 
Sorry to hear you had your day spoiled Mr Smith. What a stupid thing for this feller to do. Twenty five years ago I remember having a similar experience at 4am in the city. I nearly beat the hell out of this guy because I actually thought he was trying to rob me. It's a dangerous game to play. Hope it hasn't disturbed you too much.
 
meh, that sort of thing happens sometimes.
used to travel a lot doing seasonal work and have gotten propositioned by men once or twice in highway rest areas. once was in tennessee, traveling alone, when i pulled over late because i thought i was too tired to drive any further. another time i was in maine with what is now my wife and we pulled over for the same reason. both times i decided i could drive a little further after all. lol
 
wouldestous said:
i have a norton silicon carbide stone and a cheaper set from smiths but have been practicing what you said, just trying to do it the same every time. the crummy kitchen knives dull quickly so theres a lot of opportunity there. lol
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There you go lol...yeah the angle thing and pressure while sharpening can make or break your edge, I keep newspaper by to test on because it has erratic grain to it so if its a rolled edge chances are it'll just rip the paper instead of slicing.
 
Jackblack that's a great story. Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of when I was a kid and walking down the block (seemed like a longer trip to a young kid) to the corner fish market with my great grandmother. Life in Baltimore at her house was a lot different than in the rural suburbs where I lived. You could drive for miles, nothing except the little gas station/deli about ten minutes down the road. That old man might've been one of the last great Sheffield cutlers, and it sounds like your grandmother might've known a little of the "blade trade" herself too.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Jackblack that's a great story. Thanks for sharing. Reminds me of when I was a kid and walking down the block (seemed like a longer trip to a young kid) to the corner fish market with my great grandmother. Life in Baltimore at her house was a lot different than in the rural suburbs where I lived. You could drive for miles, nothing except the little gas station/deli about ten minutes down the road. That old man might've been one of the last great Sheffield cutlers, and it sounds like your grandmother might've known a little of the "blade trade" herself too.
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Thanks :) Times have certainly changed a lot. My grandmother was always connected to the cutlery trade in one way or another, she started off as a 'buffer girl', and was a capstan lathe setter/operator during the war. She worked for various Sheffield cutlery firms after that.
 
Hooray
Finally submitted my master thesis today after 6 months of work AND the forum knife is shipping, it has been a wonderful day
Time to celebrate :D

Beer_small_zps8c6d32d5.jpg
 
jackknife said:
Nice wood scales on that SAK!:thumbup:

Your own?

Carl.
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Thanks
It's customized to have the tools I regularly use, and since the plastic scales got a little damaged while taking it apart I made some from a piece of walnut that was lying around.

SAK_small_zps9d8f590c.jpg
 
Hey guys,

Just wanted to let you know knife maker Beryl Driskill here on the forums and a close friend of Todd an me.
Is going to have surgery tomorrow and maybe you could keep him in your thoughts and prayers.
Thanks! - God bless.
 
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