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

[Jack Black]

Breakfast table you mean.I had buckfast on my weety bix for brekky this morning. As you can see from the above pic taken by my wife with much of the "pitying look" I am completely immune to it.
Ohhh I thought it was sposed to be for bruckfast.

Fantastic pic! Good to see you off the Brasso at least :thumbup:

I have actually visited Buckfast Abbey with my father in law- bit like taking a blowfly to a garbage tip

:thumbup:

 

[meako]

I ran out of brasso early this arvo-now I'm reduced to drinking KIWI beer
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Further to your comment JB about buckfast and fireaxes-once again Australia leads the way!
My good mate marcus has discovered a micro brewery and bar in Sydney,Newtown called Young Henrys-where on selected nights patrons can engage in the noble and ancient sport of axe throwing! I kid you not.
I need to watch the movie Vikings again -the one with Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis-where they throw the axes at the womans pigtails and chop them off after drinking a swimming pool of ale. Hooray.

 

[Jack Black]

I ran out of brasso early this arvo-now I'm reduced to drinking KIWI beer
Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Not sure I've ever tasted Kiwi beer. Their wine is pretty good. But then (cue 'Jaws' theme)...

http://www.thenational.scot/news/bu...ets-the-drinker-pretty-uniquely-trashed.10981

 

[leghog]

Another passion of mine --- land navigation and orienteering. Recently received this toy. A vintage Silva Type 6 I believe to be from the late 1930s or 1940s made for the military market (likely Norwegian). The compass is Swede and the base plate Norwegian. The housing is domed vs. flat and the compass is air filled and induction dampened. The needle housing top is graduated in angular mils (6400 in a complete circle), and the bottom is graduated in gradians (400 in a complete circle) hence my likely correct assumption it was made for the military market. But which military? Would appreciate or Northern European friends here weighing in on my assumptions about year of manufacture and for whom manufactured..

Interesting find Leghog. While Sweden maintained a position of neutrality in WW2, its military spending increased massively from 1936 (going from $37 Million in 1936 to over $527 in 1942). It began drafting conscripts for military service in 1938. Possibly your compass was produced as part of these preparations (or possibly post-WW2)? Norway also had a policy of strict neutrality after Hitler's invasion of Poland in 1939, but was invaded by Germany in 1940.

While researching an older pocket compass some time ago, I found these sites very helpful:

http://trademarklondon.com/The-Compass/index.html

http://www.compassmuseum.com/

Edit - Sorry, having to rush today as I'm supposed to be working! Leghog, have you identified the mark on the right of the base plate?

Silva.se told me it was made in the 1930s by a licensed manufacturer in Norway. Silva started in December 1932, so this compass is an early one. Silva basically only confirmed what I suspected and offered no new info. Was told when Silva moved offices they didn't keep or archive old information on their products. Sad. Even sadder, the Silva rep, after her own research, told me SILVA never made any non-liquid filled/non-liquid damped compass. I had to correct her by providing specific models. Just made me sad to see a company's current spokesman so ignorant of her own company's product/production history.

I believe the mark on the right of the bottom of the base plate was trademarked to WESWITCO A/S, a Norwegian metals manufacturer.

 

[meako]

The last time I went "there" you could take your empty bottles -any size -down to the booze barn and simply fill them up out of a tap with beer. Now that my friends is what I call a civilised way to go.

 

[Jack Black]

Silva.se told me it was made in the 1930s by a licensed manufacturer in Norway. Silva started in December 1932, so this compass is an early one. Silva basically only confirmed what I suspected and offered no renew info. Silva moved offices and lost (didn't keep) old information on their products. Sad.

I believe the mark on the right of the bottom of the base plate was trademarked to WESWITCO A/S, a Norwegian metals manufacturer.

A great find, thanks for the further info :thumbup:

 

[Jack Black]

The last time I went "there" you could take your empty bottles -any size -down to the booze barn and simply fill them up out of a tap with beer. Now that my friends is what I call a civilised way to go.

Yes, my friend Kiwi Ned regularly regales me with tables of the NZ drinking laws - such as they are! :thumbup:

 

[TsarBomba]

I think you are confusing me with one Hans Delbruck?
Gold standard? More of an off green tarnish I fear
I'm actually a POM (Prisoner Of his Majesty) but keep that under yer hat -I've been operating in deep cover since I was 7.
How would they never know? I'm totally bronzed.

That's one mighty vuvuzela you've got there!

 

[r redden]

Snowed a little last night just a dusting nothing on the roads yet our school board in their wisdom chose to cancel school today. I have two granddaughters that have lived with my wife and I all of their lives, One is 15 the other 17 so they are home today. Now don't get me wrong I certainly enjoy their company but the problem lies in make up days for them tacked on to the end of the school year. My wife and I are trying to plan a trip for all of us to the Bahamas as soon as school is out. We want to spend a couple of weeks at Atlantis on Paradise Island. We've been there twice before and it's a great place that will be a a major vacation for us. If the school board don't stop canceling school for a few snow flakes we are never going to get to book this vacation. Sorry just venting my frustrations.

First my driveway and yes I still have Christmas lights hanging on my house.

Next is the side and back of my house and as you can see very little snow.

Next is up on my road and zero snow on the asphalt except around my granddaughters Trailblazer

And the other way on the road and again no snow on the road

 

[r redden]

I can't believe how fast I received this knife. I bought it yesterday and it was in my mailbox this morning. This was the fastest I've ever received anything. Thanks again for posting yours Barrett. :thumbup:

 

[redsparrow]

There's something special about that knife Randy. I looked for one after your posting only to find there has not been one available on ebay for over 90 days. Yet you found one in minutes and now it's been delivered in a day. I'm telling ya.... something special about it.

 

[Jack Black]

Silva.se told me it was made in the 1930s by a licensed manufacturer in Norway. Silva started in December 1932, so this compass is an early one. Silva basically only confirmed what I suspected and offered no new info. Was told when Silva moved offices they didn't keep or archive old information on their products. Sad. Even sadder, the Silva rep, after her own research, told me SILVA never made any non-liquid filled/non-liquid damped compass. I had to correct her by providing specific models. Just made me sad to see a company's current spokesman so ignorant of her own company's product/production history.

I believe the mark on the right of the bottom of the base plate was trademarked to WESWITCO A/S, a Norwegian metals manufacturer.

Yes, that is sad. Not that uncommon though in my experience I once spent some time with their UK representative (I was representing two of the UK's leading outdoor magazines), and the man was a complete idiot!

By chance, I happened to purchase two bound volumes of the British wartime magazine The War Illustrated yesterday, and have just come across an article, from February 2nd 1940, saying that despite their vaunted neutrality, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark (perhaps fearing for their own future), supported Finland to such an extent in its fight with Russia, that the Russians protested and questioned the Scandinavian countries' neutrality. Perhaps, if your compass was sent to another army, as you initially thought, it might have gone to Finland?

Edit - Also a very large number of Swedish and Norwegian citizens went to fight alongside the Finns as volunteers.

 

[Jack Black]

I can't believe how fast I received this knife. I bought it yesterday and it was in my mailbox this morning. This was the fastest I've ever received anything. Thanks again for posting yours Barrett. :thumbup:

Great find Randy, congratulations :thumbup:

 

[btb01]

I can't believe how fast I received this knife. I bought it yesterday and it was in my mailbox this morning. This was the fastest I've ever received anything. Thanks again for posting yours Barrett. :thumbup:

Very nice, Randy! I'm glad you were able to find one. :thumbup:

 

[5K Qs]

As well as can be expected I suppose. I'm still drawing air. :thumbup:
...

Always a good sign, IMHO! (I'm not an M.D., though.) Keep doing it, Bob! :thumbup:

Bob, I wish you all the best for your recovery. I hope for it soon!

You will get over it, Sir!

Great to see that you stop by now and then, Andi! Ich hoffe, es geht dir gut!

It's not the knife you have but what you can do with it........This was a Christmas gift from my son. He made it from a piece of cedar I've been hauling around since an assignment on Montgomery, AL 1993-1995. I do like handmade gifts and was so pleased to have received such a thoughtful gift as this.
...

...

That's an impressive spoon, leghog; your son did a high quality job! :thumbup:

Meako, I've always assumed you were the gold standard for that part of the world.
Which drove me to immediately reject that pair as being "Abby Normal" for Australians.

Young Frankenstein, Frank??

...But in the mid 80's when my son's were young I was very involved with the RA's (Royal Ambassadors) the Baptist Churches version of the Boy Scouts. ...

I have a lot of great memories from RA's with my dad when I was a kid. I think Dad might have enjoyed it even more than my brother and I. This was one of the first knives I ever owned.
...

That didn't take long I found a red one on that auction site (supposed to be new old stock) and bought it. ... Thanks for posting a picture of yours Barrett or I would have never thought to look for one if you hadn't.

I can't believe how fast I received this knife. I bought it yesterday and it was in my mailbox this morning. This was the fastest I've ever received anything. Thanks again for posting yours Barrett. :thumbup:

There's something special about that knife Randy. I looked for one after your posting only to find there has not been one available on ebay for over 90 days. Yet you found one in minutes and now it's been delivered in a day. I'm telling ya.... something special about it.

Very cool, Barrett and Randy! And redsparrow makes an excellent point; something extraordinary ("Abby Normal") going on here (cue the creepy music).

...
Interesting to read about the Royal Ambassadors, which I'd not heard of previously. I was in the Boy's Brigade as a kid :thumbup:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys'_Brigade

...

Boy Scouts, Baptist Royal Ambassadors, British Boy's Brigade ... I was in the Calvinist Cadet Corps as a lad. We didn't have our very own scout knives, but we had most of the other Scouts kind of stuff, but in a "church program." We even had a monthly magazine that included a joke page; elephant jokes were all the rage when I was a Cadet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinist_Cadet_Corps

- GT

 

[Jack Black]

Boy Scouts, Baptist Royal Ambassadors, British Boy's Brigade ... I was in the Calvinist Cadet Corps as a lad. We didn't have our very own scout knives, but we had most of the other Scouts kind of stuff, but in a "church program." We even had a monthly magazine that included a joke page; elephant jokes were all the rage when I was a Cadet.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvinist_Cadet_Corps

We occasionally played soccer, and did an awful lot of marching round the church-hall! :grumpy: :thumbup:

 

[5K Qs]

We occasionally played soccer, and did an awful lot of marching round the church-hall! :grumpy: :thumbup:

We played a LOT of ping-pong as part of our meetings. I remember we had some kind of tournament set-up based on terms we'd learned in history class about medieval feudal systems and Catholic Church hierarchies. Depending on whom you had played and the results, from a ping-pong standpoint you could be rated anything from a serf up through page, knight, lord, monk, bishop, king, etc. The kid who was currently "at the top" was the Pope; that was definitely top rating in our weird system. That was something that we Cadets came up with on our own to do during our "recreational time"; no adult input at all. We also did, under adult supervision/leadership, various woodworking projects, lanyard braiding, knots, etc., and, of course, Bible lessons. I generally enjoyed the entire experience, although my woodworking skills then, as now, were less than impressive!

- GT

 

[r redden]

There's something special about that knife Randy. I looked for one after your posting only to find there has not been one available on ebay for over 90 days. Yet you found one in minutes and now it's been delivered in a day. I'm telling ya.... something special about it.

Maybe I should have bought a lottery ticket

Great find Randy, congratulations :thumbup:

Thanks Jack.

Very nice, Randy! I'm glad you were able to find one. :thumbup:

Thanks Barrett tomorrow I'm going to start looking for two more to give to my sons.

Very cool, Barrett and Randy! And redsparrow makes an excellent point; something extraordinary ("Abby Normal") going on here (cue the creepy music).

Thanks Gary if you want to hear some really creepy music you should hear me sing.

 

[btb01]

My favorite activities from RA's were the campouts and RA Racers (basically pinewood derby). Here are a couple photos from a camping, hiking and canoe trip. I'm on the right in the first photo, and that's my brother on the left. The camo hat I have on in these was an RA's hat; not sure what happened to that.

Tomorrow I'm going to start looking for two more to give to my sons.

Randy, that's an awesome idea! Hope you can find some; I bet your boys will love it.

 

[r redden]

Barrett one year I carved and made both of my boy's cars. They looked very similar except different colors. The day of the big race came and Greg my oldest lost in the second heat. D.J. the youngest on the other hand won the entire competition. That set of a very "spirited" discussion that night. I can't hardly believe those guy's are 37 and 40 now. And I just turned 21 how did that happen.