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

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. They are much appreciated! I've passed along all of them to Katie, and she thanks you also.

In happier news, my daughter, Julia Randall, turns two months old today! It's been an amazingly fast time (and I was awake for most of it), that's turned my whole life upside down, and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat!

Here she is, looking rather pleased about something...
IMG_3372_zps1b9dec31.jpg


She'll be attending her first knife show on Sunday, the Dale Warther Memorial show in Dover, Ohio. You have to start them young, right? ;)
 
Saw six kits at the club today. They were waiting on momma fox, but I didn't see her. They're living in a stack of old telephone poles we have on the property. Glad my son brought a binocular.
 
It's that time of year again. I have been posted to the Isle of Barra for the week to cover for a cop on annual leave. I'm afraid the internet here is woeful so I won't be able to post pictures or anything extravagant (I think you know the feeling Jack). When I get back to Lewis next week I will be continuing Sam's rolling giveaway. :)
 
pmew said:
It's that time of year again. I have been posted to the Isle of Barra for the week to cover for a cop on annual leave. I'm afraid the internet here is woeful so I won't be able to post pictures or anything extravagant (I think you know the feeling Jack). When I get back to Lewis next week I will be continuing Sam's rolling giveaway. :)
Click to expand...

Isn't Barra that island where the folks speak nothing but Gaelic?

oy vey that could be a long week. Or a short one depending on your interest in Gaelic.
 
English speaking. Some of the locals speak Gaelic but everyone speaks English. In the islands sunny Barra is known as Barrabados ;)
 
pmew said:
It's that time of year again. I have been posted to the Isle of Barra for the week to cover for a cop on annual leave. I'm afraid the internet here is woeful so I won't be able to post pictures or anything extravagant (I think you know the feeling Jack). When I get back to Lewis next week I will be continuing Sam's rolling giveaway. :)
Click to expand...

Good luck Paul :) :thumbup:
 
Barra-is where the character Fraser of Dads Army hailed from played by the great Scottish actor John Laurie. Take care....

We'rr'e doomed! .Doomed I tell ye!

Also with twist top beer Twisties as they are affectionaltly known here the trick is to fool people(your MRS) into thinking you can open them with your eye socket. Its the ultimate he man act of machismo.
We all had a mate who could open the crown caps with his his teeth right? Well this tops it. First surreptitiously open your twisty without anyone seeing.Replace the cap to appear unopened. Offer one to the other party then place yours carefully into your closed eye socket. Blink or squint hard and twist very gently but with the appearance of force to remove cap. At the same time make a TSSST noise which approximates the sound of the gas escaping from the freshly opened beer. Done correctly this will amaze/astound and or disgust most people.Let me know how you go.
CHEERS..TSST.
 
Last edited:
I'm home! A colleague of mine came and relieved me so that I could see my wife before she goes away. She's going back to Ulster to see her family, so I came home early.

Carl, here's your proof.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1399064502.389152.jpg
This is the Atlantic from the Sound of Harris this morning, totally flat.
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1399064536.194824.jpg
This pic was taken from the western side (the Atlantic side) of Barra looking south at the island of Vatersay.

Barra is a lovely place :)
 
Today I brought home from the office an avocado tree I planted from a pit I caused to germinate about two months ago. It was getting too tall and I feared it would get too tall to fit in the car. It was close to being too tall. This tree will have to stay in a pot because it'll not survive winters outside here. It'll be a few years before it produces fruit.
 
pmew said:
I'm home! A colleague of mine came and relieved me so that I could see my wife before she goes away. She's going back to Ulster to see her family, so I came home early.

Carl, here's your proof.
View attachment 436590
This is the Atlantic from the Sound of Harris this morning, totally flat.
View attachment 436591
This pic was taken from the western side (the Atlantic side) of Barra looking south at the island of Vatersay.

Barra is a lovely place :)
Click to expand...

My gosh, a Calm sea of the coast of Scotland. Amazing!
 
Here is something I´m almost wondering for some time now.

I got several new (brandnew) knives in last few months/years. It doesn´t matter which manufacturer. Be it CASE or GEC or Eye Brand or Böker etc etc etc... but each time I put a traditional knife out of the box, it smells somehow strange. Not bad - I somehow like this "mechanic" smell. But the smell disappears after some time in the pocket. Is this some kind of oil that causes the smell? Or anything other what-ever?

I´m just curious. Each time I use to put on my blades or the joints any mineral oil, there´s no smell. Somewhere it might come from ... so I´m asking :)

(I didn´t want to open an extra thread for this question, because it´s somehow stupid - though I´m very interessted in...
 
Interesting point Andi. Could be the oil they use, the dye colours on the bone? I've noticed it too.

Maybe it's like that great smell you find in a brand-new car?? Soon vanishes, though I hear there are companies who make New Car smell in aerosol to re-capture it...odd:D:D
 
Humppa said:
Here is something I´m almost wondering for some time now.

I got several new (brandnew) knives in last few months/years. It doesn´t matter which manufacturer. Be it CASE or GEC or Eye Brand or Böker etc etc etc... but each time I put a traditional knife out of the box, it smells somehow strange. Not bad - I somehow like this "mechanic" smell. But the smell disappears after some time in the pocket. Is this some kind of oil that causes the smell? Or anything other what-ever?

I´m just curious. Each time I use to put on my blades or the joints any mineral oil, there´s no smell. Somewhere it might come from ... so I´m asking :)

(I didn´t want to open an extra thread for this question, because it´s somehow stupid - though I´m very interessted in...
Click to expand...

I know what you mean Andi, I find it is especially true when you unwrap one that comes in waxed paper. A moment to savour every time.
 
The smell instantly transports me back to my childhood, and the smell of my father's overalls when he came home from work (and later of my own). There seems to be the same kind of smell in old factories, and ones that are still working, sometimes I smell it in the backstreets of Sheffield. I wonder if the oil is applied to the knives while the blades are still warm, and if that causes the smell?
 
I'd say it's likely just the light oil that is used everywhere in the shop. Most machine shops have this smell, I find, a combination of "hot metal" smell and petroleum-based oils and solvents.
I, too, enjoy that smell. :D
 
Poooh... I´m glad there are several other fellows here that acutally like that smell. I thought to be a little abnormal because of this ;) :)

But I´ve also thought that this could be from an oil used in the factory/shop. I´ve never been at any, but I could imagine.
 
I don't think anything will match the smell of tiger hair for me. Just reminded of sitting with my father in the body shop next door to his automotive upholstery shop with the guys. They sat telling jokes and stories, and drank beer, after hours. It was awesome to a kid.

Those jokes got some mileage on the school bus!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top