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

I took this shot earlier this week. San Diego South Bay. No filters. Just a perfect set of conditions:

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I took this shot earlier this week. San Diego South Bay. No filters. Just a perfect set of conditions:

With it being -3 at my house it warms me up just looking at that, Frank! Nice pic!
 
Frank that's beautiful.:thumbup:

Gary it's not -3 here but it's 29 her and the wind chill makes it feel like 18. That for me makes it cold enough to want to be wherever Frank snapped that picture
 
Cool pic Frank :thumbup:

I was PMing another member at 8.00 this morning, and noted that it was the second consecutive day it hadn't rained here...two minutes later it was throwing it down - again! :grumpy:
 
Lovely shots being shown in here lately..

A funny day today, staying inside - listening to Bagpipes and Scottish music which really charges me emotionally - heres a repeat of a post I put into the Stag Thread - Jack presented me this absolutely STUNNING Sgian Dubh, not many of these around - and its a SUPER special knife to me......
The Gold Medals on the reverse side have such amazing intricate engraving - they are probably my most precious possessions I have in my whole life, other than the very few things from my Brother - who has passed also.
Great Uncle Duncan and Granny have long long passed, the last time I saw Granny was boarding a Train when I was 9, I never knew my Uncle Duncan - but I am proud to carry his name forward....

Lovely Stag everyone, here is a very, very special knife gifted to me by Jack - I have a great Scottish linage - but never owned a Sgian Dubh, and I just STILL cannot believe that Jack presented me with this very rare and special knife.
Photographed with my Great Uncle Duncan Campbell's ( my name sake ) Medals and my Grandmothers Brooch .......




 
Duncan, my friend, what a BEAUTIFUL knife and gift. Pictured with your family heirlooms just makes it so neat to me. JACK is a LEGEND!!!:thumbup:
 
Duncan, I'm really honoured that my gift means so much to you, I will always treasure the day we spent together. You're an extroardinarily kind and generous friend, and you have gifted me some really beautiful knives, which I treasure greatly :) :thumbup:

Paul, thank you my friend, you are a great friend, and also a very generous one :) :thumbup:

Duncan, I thought you might like to see a pic of the cutler who made your Sgian Dubh :)

 
It just so happens that I was also on the receiving end of Jack Black's legendary kindness. I received a package in the mail yesterday and all I can say is, Wow!!! What an extremely thoughtful package Jack put together for me. I was like a kid at Christmas time opening each individually wrapped item. My wife said my eye's were lit up like she hadn't seen in a good while. I had a particularly bad week and this package from Mr. Black just turned all that around. :D
As I opened the package, the first thing I see was a very fine folding knife carry case.



Some postcards of old Sheffield Cutlery Factories, a travel log of the roads around Yorkshire ( I really need to visit the area), some hand written notes from my pal Jack, and the prized piece of literature, a book about Stan Shaw, Master Cutler. But that's not all, this book was signed by Stan Shaw himself. How cool is that? :cool::D I've been bed ridden for the last several days so this is the perfect companion for times like this.





Some old coins and a Yorkshire/Leeds commemorative coin.




A Sheffield made Beer Scout! :eek:

Sorry Jack, I had to slip that one in. ;):D

Actually a fine A. Wright spearpoint, but as Jack said, he's never seen one with a shackle. I like this one Jack. Much better than my last A. Wright experience.



A couple of other locally made knives. I like the waterfall covers on the little pen knife.



The bottle cap opener caplifter poptop crown lifter church key thingy and some silver sugar thongs for Mrs. Biscuit. :D:thumbup:


A nice old spirit level because i like old tools.


And a fine letter opener in with a group shot.


Jack, I thank you from the bottom of me heart for brightening my week. Such fantastic gifts you've sent to me. :D
 
Man guys great to read all this and bob what a wonderful package jack very kind heart my friend the gifts are all beautiful. Hope everyone has a great day stay safe everyone it's cold out there.
 
Thank You Paul, Bob and Leghog! - isnt it awesome! a treasure photo for sure!

Jack - what a WONDERFUL package to send to Bob - well done Bob - isnt Jack a most thoughtful kind person! Well Done guys!!

Jack - THANK YOU for the photo of Pat Mitchell - I had NEVER before seen a photo - so that is just amazing to see the man who made that lovely knife!
 
Thanks for the very kind words folks :o :)

Duncan, my friend, that is actually Stuart Mitchell Snr. The firm was named after his wife, Pat (though many called Stuart 'Pat', and he answered to the name). Stuart used to tell me that Pat could turn her hand to a knife herself, and she certainly helped out in her younger days. Contrary to some of the revisionist histories I've read recently though, Stuart always told me that the firm was named for his wife "for tax reasons" - he liked to pay as little of it as possible! :D When I say 'firm', it was just Stuart, who was joined later by his young son. Stuart did a lot of contract work for other cutlers, and most of the Sgian Dubhs went to Scotland, to be finished and hafted there. Relatively few were finished in Sheffield, and even fewer were marked, not least because most Scots like to imagine their knives are made in Glasgow or somewhere :D Sadly, Stuart Snr passed away more than twenty years ago. He gave me that knife in 1994, and I was very glad to gift it to you. It was made in the very same Sheffield workshop were Harry Brearly experimented with stainless steel. I am so pleased it means so much to you my friend :) :thumbup:

Edit - The photo was taken by me for an article about my own range of knives for the British magazine 'Guns Review'. It is the only photo of Stuart I've seen at work. Unfortunately I no longer have the other photos I took, and had to scan in the Guns Review article.
 
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