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

btmccutcheon said:
Some of you know that I work IT for a hospice, so I encounter a lot of medical personell to handle close to 600 patients. And, one of our doctors is the epitome of an old country doctor. So much so that a few of weeks ago when I went to the break room to get some coffee, he was standing there in boots, overalls and a straw hat. This man in his early to mid sixties looked like he was dressed to go to work in a cornfield instead of caring for patients all day. Standing there pouring his coffee, he reminded me of my maternal grandfather who got up every day to tend his stock and field dressed just like that. Granddad whas the one who instilled the love I have for Barlow knives so much so I can't think of him without thinking of a Barlow and vice versa.

"Doc," I said, "you look like a man that should have a Barlow in his pocket." He chuckled and said, "Yeah, I don't have a Barlow. I just have this old thing I inherited from dad when he passed a few years ago". He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small steel framed lockback with yellow inserts for covers and handed it to me. It was scratched upall over and had seen heavy use but it wasn't abused. Opening it was easy and smooth as silk with the lock giving an authoratative click when it engaged. The blade was almost as scratched as the steel frame that surrounded the yellow inserts on either side of the handle. It wieghed more than I expected it to but was not off putting due to extraordinary balance. Not a single gap anywhere, and it felt as solid as a fixed blade when open. I could see and feel there was something special about this well used unattractive (to me) little knife, and then I saw it and understood. Etched on the tang was four simple little block letters "LILE".

My jaw dropped. My eyes bugged out. I looKed at Doc, looked at the knife, looked at Doc again, looked at the knife again. "Doc, is this a... Do you know what you have here?" I stammered. " I didn't know what it was for some time after my dad passed away. Then one day, going through his stuff I opened it and though I might want to keep it after I saw the name." He then told me that his dad had been a hand surgeon and that Jimmy Lile had come to him many years ago after an injury to his hand. The old surgeon must have done a good job as Jimmy Lile himself gifted the knife to the man that fixed his hand.

Jimmy Lile is a legend here in Arkansas and has been gone for 25 years now, but his work is still very significant. To those who admire his work, he was so much more than the knives he made for the Rambo movies. Doc knows his scarred up little knife is priceless, not just because of the name on the tang, but also how he came by it. His dad helped keep a legendary bladesmith working.

Oh, and those handle inserts... those are ivory stained yellow by the hands of a surgeon.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Lile

http://www.jimmylile.com/
Click to expand...

This is probably the coolest thing I will read all week. Thanks for sharing.
 
What a great story! Lile is legend in more then Arkansas. Thanks for sharing that.
 
GREAT stories, Ted and btm! Thanks for sharing. Any pics of the Lile? That is too cool.

Meako, I didn't know that. If I ever need to pop start an auto I'll think of you.

Hey Ted, why don'cha tell us about the time...:D
 
Doc can be a little hard to track down sometimes, but I'll see if I can get a picture of it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
 
Then there was the story about how to stop an attackin' bear... Alright it's a short story so I'll tell it.

My Old Man was the consumate woodsman, he coulda been a guide for the north east coast and the Hudson valley when he was alive. When I was young we would go huntin' and backpackin' way up north in Upstate New York to this little 11,000 acre lot that used to belong to the Rockefeller's but was owned by a friend of the family when I was a but a young pup but that's another story ;) ...

Seein' as how we spent a lot of time back packing and hunting black bear the question often arose, "What to do if attacked by a bear?" This was particularly true whenever there were other hunters at the lodge that was on the property across the reservoir from the dirt landin' strip. You know how stories fly when you have a bunch of men under the influence alcohol away from their significant others. This was when I first heard the story as told by my Old Man to a group of Doctors who had come up to the lodge to do some big game hunting.

So the question was asked what do you do? My Old Man proceeded to explain how when the bear was charging you, even though it was against every instinct you have to run...stay put and make yourself as big as you can and stand your ground.

Now here's the hard part :eek: believe it or not! While standin' your ground, as the bear gets close and in your face, wait for him to open his jaws and growl then spit right into his mouth. That's right, spit a big ol' loogie into that bears gapin' maw. Now remember I'm a little kid hearin' this story, an impressionable kid at that ;) .

So he continues, in between shots and beers :) , to explain how bears have extremely heightened senses and their sense of smell and taste are hundreds of times more sensitive than a normal mans and that when you spit into his mouth it's a sensory overload for the bear and it literally stuns him while he takes in all the smells and tastes he's just been forced to interpret, while the bear's stunned in overload mode you can get your gun or just get away.

Now I'm still tryin' to figure out where ya get the spit from? I thinkin', if a bears chargin' me my mouth's gonna go immediately dry but who knows, maybe it's instinctive to salivate as the bears charges you, kinda like a self bastin' meal for the bear. :)

Now bein' an impressionable kid I couldn't wait to try it out So I told the story to my friends and we all as kids would back then each told how we'd use a tomahawk or big bowie knife to dispatch the bear, only if we couldn't get to our .44 magnums ;) :).

Well it was about 5 years before I got to test the Old Man's theory, (I told you I couldn't wait to try it out, I never said I was a bright kid ;) ) so there I was afraid for my life, he was chargin' and the distance between us was quickly closin'. I stood frozen and caught off guard, more than standin' my ground I was really just scared and standin'. Time does slow down and it did and I remembered what the Old Man said, "... Wait'll he's right in your face and opens his mouth to growl, then spit."

I waited an eternity but the moment came and when it did I was ready........ His arms were up, he seemed enormous, bigger than normal and just as he started to growl, just when his jaw was open and inches from my face I reached down into the depths of my abdomen and spit a mouthful right into his, (might have been a little bile in there, I think I threw up a little in terror) :eek:

Son of a gun if it didn't work, he was stunned, spittin' out what I had just spin into his mouth. He was mad but he was stunned, he stood there spittin' and in between I could hear , " yyyoo, yyoo, yyoouu you sp, sp, spit in my mouth, I can't , spit, spit, spit, I can't believe you spit in my mouth, I'm gonna kill yo, spit, spit, I'm gonna kill you!"

This gave me just enough time to get away from my brother after I had been torturin' him all day. I guess the last straw was when I picked the bathroom door lock while he was in there takin' a dump. :) :D ;)

You didn't think I was talkin' about a bear did you? I don't know if it works on a bear as I've never been brave enough or stupid enough to be in a position where that would be an option.

Have a good night folks.
 
Wow T., that was just what I needed to erase the last bits of stress that were lingering after a hectic day. I'm still chuckling as I type this. Thank you. :D
 
Oh man I was believing that story . I guess that's how you sort out a Teddy Boy rather than the real life Teddy Bear.
nb teddy boy is the 1950s English version of a Greaser .
Airny hoo
guess what Meako scored today?
Went down the coast to visit a mate hoping to cheer him up out of one of lifes hurdles he has recently encountered.
had coffee had lunch etc went to the small town of Milton. there is a shop there which i have driven past many many times with an old school signage stating ARCHERY and HUNTING KNIVES.
Today I finally plucked up the courage to go in:)
Loads of OS knives in old school displays ,loads of toys , fishing gear ,bows ,arrows etc. And there it was -atop an old Schleich model animal display ,covered in dust and cobwebs,sadly neglected and almost forgotten.
One of those old SAK electric moving shop display knives-you know the giant SAK.
So I asked the old dude if it was for sale because A I didn't see any SAKs in there and B I have always wanted one.
How much dya reckon its worth?
I paid 30 dollars for it new he says.
How much ya reckon?
30 dollars (aud)he says.
No worries says I . and Thank Yooooo

Haven't seen one on ebuy for anything less than 250USD (2009 price)

Its got wear and tear issues but with a little TLC will be restored to full working order in the mancave.
30AUD
as ye sew so shall ye reap and one good turn deserves another etc etc.
Can I get a MEAKO HOO HA HA?
 
HOO HA HA! There's one for you Meako. Look forward to seeing some pics!
 
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present ... (insert drum roll here) DOC'S LILE!!!







I ran into him this morning, and he laughed when I told him some friends wanted pictures of his little Lile. He seemed tickled to oblige. He's a really a good guy.
 
Little did I know when I went to sleep last night that so much would pass me by! Great story, Ted! There were times long ago when I should have tried that with my brother! Meako, what a great find! Congratulations! Wow, BTM, what a beautiful, simple, honest knife! Thanks for posting the story and the photos!
 
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