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

Hey guys, I was sad to see the slipjoint swapmeet go the way of the dodo. Which leads me to my inquiry: Is there some other site that has a better ratio of traditional slipjoints to modern knives for sale or trade? It's a challenge to find traditionals in our fast moving For Sale section.
 
Flying Guillotine said:
Hey guys, I was sad to see the slipjoint swapmeet go the way of the dodo. Which leads me to my inquiry: Is there some other site that has a better ratio of traditional slipjoints to modern knives for sale or trade? It's a challenge to find traditionals in our fast moving For Sale section.
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Take this to email or PM please. We don't use our resources to promote other trading sites on bladeforums per the Terms of Service.
(And for the record we were sorry to have to shut the swap meet down due to abuses.)
 
My grandfather on my Mom's side was, among other things, very talented when working with wood. He was good with his hands period. His hands which were, of course, leather tough and almost black with worn in dirt and oil. He made furniture and other traditional things, but he liked to make things just for fun, too. Puzzles, strange boxes with hidden compartments inside their hidden compartments. I have a few of his knives. He gave me many knives when I was young. I owe my infatuation with knives to him. Sometimes I consider it a blessing. Sometimes a curse. Most of the times, a blessing. He taught me how to sharpen a blade and how to respect one.

One year, my parents had to leave for the whole summer. My sister and I stayed with Grandma (the sweetest woman I have ever known…and the best cook…she is the only person I have ever known who would listen to the same story 40 times rather than embarrass the teller by asserting it’s prior telling). My Grandpa was very charismatic and loved by everyone he knew. If he had one failing it was that he was awful hard on his family…the ones closest to him. I remember bitter fights. I avoided most of them.

At any rate, this summer, when I wasn’t whitewashing fence posts or fishing in his pond, he taught me how to throw a knife. We used an old steak knife. The kind you can buy for a quarter at salvation army. I got pretty good. And then one day I threw the old knife and the blade broke clear in two. I was terrified. And with good reason. He was furious. He told me it had been a family heirloom. He made me cut the kernels off a pickup truck’s worth of corn with the nub of the blade. I refused to quit. My hands looked like they had been through a thresher when I was done. My mom was furious when she found out.

Considering the knife bond we had, I don’t ever remember ‘the knife Grandpa always used’ like you read about so much on here. I remember him using knives. But nothing specific. Which makes this story all the more strange. I have thought about it often over the years. Why would you teach an 11 year old to throw a ‘heirloom’ knife. Why did he get so mad? He was prone to irrational anger, but this one never did make sense.

I still don’t get it, but the closest I can come to some kind of closure is that he was a man who respected all tools. Maybe the heirloom thing was crap. I don’t know. But I do know that it hurt him to see the knife broken. He was not gentle with his tools, but he took good care of them.

I was reminded of this today because my daughter dropped one of my nicer knives. I saw the scared look in her eyes. Of course, I said it was an accident and not to worry. As long as it wasn’t on purpose. No harm, no foul.

Times have changed. My hands have decent callouses, but not like my Grandpas. I would never shame someone for breaking my knife by accident. But there was something there and it wasn’t just pettiness or meanness. I will spend the rest of my life wondering about it. I miss my Grandpa. His tough hands could be awful gentle sometimes. And as much as I resent the broken knife incident, if he had let it go it would be lost in the cobwebs of memory.
 
Cool story! My grandpa also was the one who introduced me to knives, and that's why I am still so interested with them today. I hope to instill the same thing in my children and grandkids one day.
 
I just found this thread and had to read all 79 pages. Great place, love the stories. Thank u all for posting . have a great day.
 
Hey everybody, I am looking to get into old knives. Could you all give some tips and whatnot? Sort of like a beginners guide to hunting vintage pocket knives or something? :D. But anyway, I prefer to not order or bid on anything on the internet, but actually purchase them in person. I guess I could order/bid on stuff, but what's the fun in that? Feel free to give some tips and tricks, I look forward to hearing it! Also, I hope this isn't the wrong place to ask this question...I didn't think that I should've started a thread so I figured this would work.
 
Went to my cousin's wedding on Saturday, and had TOO much fun, too much food and booze. Anyway, I always give knife gifts to family members, and my cousin's husband is an electrician. Does anyone still make those old TL29 electricians knives? I had one, a Craftsman, but it is long since gone. I want one that he can carry, not looking for a collectors item. Rough Rider, Case?
 
Utica and Klein I think. You may also be able to find a good deal on an older one if you look around.
 
Hello everyone!

Queen's Dan Burke small Barlow is my most priced knife, only more expensive knife I have two of them (one is spare) and the knife that made me appreciate traditional slipjoints. Its also knife that has taught me few things. One was that you don't need fancy m,aterial, space age materials to make good knife. You do not need to use knife fast and using Dan Burke Barlow is a process for me that makes me appreciate knife and its every aspect while using it.

I am naturally but suspeciious guys and when people tell me D2 is pain in the neck sharpening, I never thought it would be that much tougher than modern super steels. However when you start not just sharpen the D2 but to reground profile to make bevels nice and even, that's a process that I never knew what it needed, especially without power tools or diamond hones and diamond pastes. However in past 7 days and using Lansky sharpeners and its stones from extra coarse to extra find and spending nearly 24 hours of grinding, sharpening and stropping the my knife taught me alot about patience and learning other peoples word. D2 needs diamond hones or alot elbow grease and time.

Now its nice, sharp and reground. My Dan Burke has never been this sharp with relatively smooth bevels. Before I noticed Dan Burke Small Barlow had taught me again new things: You should trust once and while other people and notalways try yourself and verify results yourself. It also taught me that with right tools and time I can surpass any obstacle or sharpen any knife. I am just really glad I did not messed my knife, thoguh I got spare one... only bad thing is that now, I am in pursue of mirror edge... *sighs*

I think over all, I have gained bit more patience and self-confidence. Amazing these slipjoints are. Not only beautiful pieces of useful tool's that often are also epitome of cratsman's skill passed down generations but also what you can learn from them... about yourself :D

thank you,
- Jani
 
Congrats, Jani. Being able to sharpen a knife well is a great skill to have, and once you know how you'll never forget. Though keeping the muscle memory fresh is always a good thing imho.
I agree that the task can also be telling about the sharpener. I find that my sharpening reflects the way I do many other things...By that I mean that I absolutely can't stand a dull knife and must take it to the hones if it is not up to snuff...however, I don't have the patience to really work on the cosmetic side of the equation. Once it is as sharp as I need (or want) it to be, I am done.

I don't take precautions to avoid superficial scratches and I don't put time into polishing the edge bevels or the flats like some folks enjoy doing.

Knowing myself, if I work too hard to try to make the blade a work of art, I'll be much less inclined to want to damage what I've created. So, I find the "sweet spot" that's just right and allows me to enjoy carrying and using the knife and then restoring it to a proper level of sharpness as needed.

Well done, Jani.
 
Congrats, Jani! That's no small accomplishment in my opinion! Those D2 blades are thick! I recently asked Don Seals for help with the Queen/Burke barlow and he was very kind to set the bevels and sharpen it for me.
 
silenthunterstudios said:
Went to my cousin's wedding on Saturday, and had TOO much fun, too much food and booze. Anyway, I always give knife gifts to family members, and my cousin's husband is an electrician. Does anyone still make those old TL29 electricians knives? I had one, a Craftsman, but it is long since gone. I want one that he can carry, not looking for a collectors item. Rough Rider, Case?
Click to expand...

Camillus tl-29's are on the Bay all the time for good prices and they are great. I have probably 8 of them. I've given some away, too. Such a good pattern.
 
off topic. So my parents town got absolutely pounded with golf-baseball sized hail a few weeks ago. Every roof, car parked outside, garden was ruined. Small town of about 700 folks. My parents need a new roof and their 5th wheel rv needs a new skin and roof vents. So the repair guy shows up on friday for the rv and starts working. And talking. He's very friendly guy and asking them all sorts of questions, and then he inquires about me. Turns out to be a friend of mine from way back. Thought he'd fallen off the planet (I've been looking every now and then on-line) So he gets caught up with my parents, he lives about half time up here in Canada and the rest of the time down in Mexico on the west coast. Sweet life. But as he's leaving he tells them he has a rifle of mine, and would I want it back? I have no idea what gun he has of mine! We used to belong to a couple of gun clubs together and did a fair bit of hunting as well. I had a modest collection of hunting and target rifles and pistols at one time and apparently had him hold onto this one for me when I was getting into Harleys. So my folks will pick it up when they head over to where he lives later this week, and give him my contact info. Be nice to get reacquainted. With my friend also.

Rob
 
Hi guys...im not sure this is the right forum for this but here go,s.....Heres a couple of pics of what i like to do on clear,cold mid winter sundays...a nice gun,a good dog and a taditional knife in your pocket,it dont get much better than that!!.....

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