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

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Ah see ye have a monster o' yon loch,laddie.
Oot in th' middle. Ah cn' see its muckle great humpy back as plain as day!
There's nae doot aboot it.
We're doomed!:D

Where do I get my astounding command of accents and dialects of the British isles and outlying colonies? you ask
The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of the English Language by David Crystal. published by Cambridge University Press.

Its a real good read n 'll tell why ya talk like what y do.
 
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[video=youtube;hOSYiT2iG08]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=hOSYiT2iG08[/video]

couldn't resist.:D I love Dr. Johnson's reactions to the stupendously stupid Prince George and the cunning as fox Blackadder.
 
pmew said:
We found the camera, here's my new (well new to me) cottage. The loch has trout in it :)
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How delightful! I'm so happy for you and your growing family.
 
knarfeng said:
How delightful! I'm so happy for you and your growing family.
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Thanks Frank :)

Incidentally, I've recently been reading quite a bit of mod bad-mouthing in a few threads. Our Yorkshire fellow said it and I'll echo him in saying it really is a thankless task so; Frank and Gary, thanks very much for keeping us bickering twits in line.

I wonder why this is, has your workload here increased recently? I've noticed you two have had to trample an awful lot of financial and sales type questions over the last year which I don't recall seeing many of in the past. Our population must be growing.

I am under the impression that the traditional sub forum has seen a vast increase in the volume of post traffic since I started frequenting the porch in 2011. Isn't it great that people are coming back to the idea that a knife doesn't have to have the newest super steel and the latest gizmos. I love innovation, and the technical wizardry that goes into modern folders is amazing to see and although they're just not for me, I do like to look. I think of it like staring at a Ferrari. Not only can I not afford it but having one here on Lewis would be kind of idiotic. Traditional slipjoints are where my heart lies :)

Anyway I'm babbling, I'll come back to my point..

I've been watching YouTube folder reviews for a long time, but aside from a few dedicate channels it's only really been in the last 18 months that I've started seeing a massive surge in videos about traditional slipjoints -I'll make a nod here to Mr Campagna whose creations have been featuring significantly- it's great. The other significant thing I notice is the secondary market value which has recently sky rocketed.

What changed? All of a sudden my knife tastes have become cool again and I'm a little alarmed.

I would particularly like to hear from Gary and Frank but to everyone else as well, what are your thoughts ladies and gentlemen?

Paul
 
Well, how long have the thumb-stud tacticals been around anyway? Not very long compared to traditional patterns. Maybe we're witnessing the beginning of the end? Maybe just a temporary change in fashion? Fashion is a big part of knife collecting just as it is everything else. It seems that the appeal of Charlie's Barlows goes even beyond traditional knife lovers. No doubt there are plenty of folk who've only ever carried 'tacticals', but who remember the knives their fathers and grandfathers carried with nostgalgic affection. Companies like GEC are now making those knives, you can buy them off the peg, you don't have to hunt out old treasures. I reckon we're getting an influx of new folk, and hopefully some of them will stick around, but inevitably some of the influx from General will carry their posting habits with them. They want the latest knife that everyone wants, and they want to get it as inexpensively as possible. Nothing wrong with that. But unless they bother to read the forum guidelines first, or have the patience to see how things go on in The Porch, it's inevitably going to cause more work for Gary and Frank. It doesn't help when more regular posters don't behave any better. This is potentially a difficult time for our part of the forum, as well as for Gary and Frank, so I hope that all our regulars will do their best to try not to get caught up in the commercial feeding-frenzies we've sometimes seen of late, and politely discourage those who haven't bothered to read the forum guidelines not to post in contravention of them. We've got a good place here, the best corner of the internet I think, and it'd be a shame to see it spoiled. Gary and Frank, please stay with it, here's a small bit of thanks for an otherwise thankless job. Well done fellers :thumbup:

Jack
 
I think the emergence of GEC has been a game changer, both for cutlery collecting and here on BF.

GEC has provided a source of semi-custom quality knives in a wide variety of patterns. It is my opinion that this has not existed in the past. Cutlery collectors who, in the past have collected top-of-the-line Spydercos, Benchmades, and others now have a source of traditional patterns made to that level of precision without having to go custom. It's my opinion that this has brought a large number of new folks into the traditional cutlery world.

The arrival of GEC has also had an effect on the Traditional Forum in several ways. I was discussing GEC with another member the other day and did a subject count of the threads that were currently showing in Traditional. Out of 25 threads on the front page, 7 were about GEC. None was about Case, Buck, or Queen. GEC is plainly the hot topic these days in Traditional, to the extent that some of the old timers have complained to Gary and I about GEC threads crowding out other topics. Not much to do about that. As long as the threads stay within the posting guidelines, the membership defines the topics discussed.

The influx of new folks enticed into Traditional by the existence of GEC knives has changed not only the thread topics, but the membership of the Traditional Forum. We have a lot of posters who are unfamiliar with both traditional knives and with the ways of the Traditional Forum. Gus and Elliott started the Traditional Forum with a focus on having a relaxed, friendly atmosphere where folks could share their knives and knife knowledge. Gary and I have worked to continue that. It sometimes takes new folks awhile to acclimate to this environment. Unbeknown to most, Gary and I sometimes coach new folks behind the scenes on friendly posting techniques. The influx of new folks and the increase in daily post count makes this difficult. It's not unusual for Traditional to have more than 300 posts a day, and I have seen days with 450. They all get read, or at least scanned for content.

The Traditional Forum has a longstanding tradition of limiting discussion to knives, rather than discussing where and how to buy them. That limitation was started by Gus and Elliott. Gary and I have done our best to continue it. The rules are pretty clear cut when it comes to standard production knives. But, they are less clear on sprint runs limited to a specific dealer.

There are four Dealer Members who post in Traditional who very frequently have SFO's made for them. Often, they accept pre-orders and post preview pictures of the knife on their commercial web sites. Usually GEC makes those knives. GEC posts pictures on their web site of the knives being made in their shop. The dealer and GEC pics often lead to discussion threads about upcoming SFO's. Gary and I have been OK with a discussion of the technical details of the knives themselves. What size, what blade shapes, what handle materials. We believe this is acceptable and that it gives our dealer members an added reason to buy their dealer memberships.

But often, a discussion about an upcoming SFO turns into a commercial discussion. Which dealer is selling it, when will it be there, will the dealer be ordering more, how fast they are selling, how many are left on the site, etc. Both Gary and I think these comments are out of line in a discussion forum, because they are about the buying process instead of being about the knives. We have consulted with other mods, and they agree.

We have had off line comments from both the former moderators and long time members who feel that, even with our efforts, Traditional has taken on a commercial overtone. We are in discussion with other moderators on the forum as to how best to address this. We have no firm answers yet.
 
A good post Frank :thumbup: There is no doubt GEC has been a game changer for production slipjoints. And, I think their quality has improved significantly since I bought my first #25. They listen to their customers :)
 
Excellent post, Frank.

Thank you.

knarfeng said:
But often, a discussion about an upcoming SFO turns into a commercial discussion. Which dealer is selling it, when will it be there, will the dealer be ordering more, how fast they are selling, how many are left on the site, etc.
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Included in the 'commercial' intrusion you detail above (direct how/who/where) is an increase in banter (if not outright boasting) about 'scores' on upcoming or current knives, prices paid, scolding (implied or outright) about if/how owners choose to sell their own knives elsewhere, etc.-- an increasingly distasteful dynamic indeed.

I understand that it can be frustrating to seek out (or simply want) limited knives with less clear distribution lines, but this subforum is simply not the place for such discussions.

Thanks for all you guys have done and are continuing to do in trying to preserve the spirit of this forum, as is maintained and furthered in particulars. I wish you the best.

~ P.
 
Knarfeng, as a relatively new arrival to traditional knives I appreciate your explanation above. After reading it I have a much better understanding of the spirit of this sub forum.
 
Frank, thanks for taking the time to reply with that excellent post. Jack and Sarah too, I really appreciate your input and as always it has been worth reading. Hold on, Jack and Sarah... isn't that a Richard E Grant film??

Certainly I've caught myself needing where before I've only ever just sort of had a notion for, and it has been great eastern cutlery product that I've coveted. I think you've hit the nail on the head, Frank.
 
It's been a bit busy around my casa today, so I'm late to the party. Frank, Thanks for so eloquently putting into words what you and I both understand to be the situation in the Traditional forum. I couldn't have said it better, so I'm not going to try.

I also want to thank the members that have stuck by us. We appreciate your input, your enthusiasm and your goodwill. This forum could not exist without you.

To the newer members I say welcome. We look forward to your participation here. There's a great bunch of people on this forum who share your love of traditional knives. I'd ask that those that haven't done so, please take the time to read the guidelines for this forum. You'll find them among the stickys at the top of the first page. If everyone would read and abide by those guidelines, Frank and I could spend our days sitting on the beach. On different coasts unfortunately...... :D
 
Thanks to you, Frank and Gary, the traditional forum is a darn civilized place to hang out!
I am sorry it is so much work! Just know that your efforts are worthwhile and appreciated!
 
I recently received an email from a member here, asking for information about a quite obscure knife. I didn’t know the member, and was slightly irritated by the fact he hadn’t asked the question on the forum, but went ahead and supplied him with very detailed information about his knife. Without so much as a word of thank you, I then received a kurt request for an estimate of its value. Feeling rather soiled by the encounter, I checked the member’s profile, and found that he had never made a single forum post which was not related to the direct sale of a knife. In other words, he was not a knife enthusiast in the way that we others are here, but simply visited the forum to increase his bank account. I could not help but feel exploited by the encounter, and have since re-set my email settings to hopefully avoid this kind of contact in future. I regret having to do so, but if traditional knives continue to become more popular again, the nature of some of our visitors here may change.
 
waynorth said:
Thanks to you, Frank and Gary, the traditional forum is a darn civilized place to hang out!
I am sorry it is so much work! Just know that your efforts are worthwhile and appreciated!
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Hear Hear.

Some people will never understand anything but their own over bloated and undeserved sense of entitlement.
Perhaps next time Jack you could concoct some massive bull story about knife value.....just a thought.....an evil,despicable thought but a thought nevertheless.

"As a child I used to weep in butchers shops" Uncle Monty ,Withnail & I.

I had to put a quote from the film with R E Grant- thats about the only one that would pass moderation that I can remember.:p
 
r8shell said:
I am amused by accents, as well.
When my family moved from Pennsylvania to Texas, I was 12 years old. My mother would bring me with her to the hardware store, etc. to translate. Just like the immigrants of my grandparents generation, children pick up languages faster than adults. Everyone sounded to her like Boomhower from "King of the Hill".
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My older brother grew up with our maternal grandparents. When he was outside the house he spoke English. Inside with the grandparents, he spoke Slovak. Outside with the grandparents, he spoke the same broken-English they did.

As an adult he doesn’t remember a bit of Slovak.
 
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