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

Wurrwulf said:
While not currently in the market for new knives, I still constantly peruse knife maker's wares here in the Knife Maker For Sale section and on Instagram. I was showing my wife a video a knife maker had uploaded showing the knife taking paper thin slices off of a "free standing" tomato when my wife said something I found interesting: "Why would you spend $xxx on a knife that's been used?"

I have never once considered this. I don't know how, but I've never thought about a brand new knife from a maker being considered "used" by staging photos/videos, especially in a kitchen setting. Now, my wife is not a "knife person", and maybe it's that distance and disconnect from our little world that makes it apparent to her yet not to me. Does anyone else here think this? Has it stopped you from buying? Surely, a knife maker would freshen it up before shipping out, but I was amazed by how much that question threw me for a loop.

I don't know. That little nugget was just rattling around in my head, and I thought I'd share.
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- given the spa treatment a maker can give to one of his own well-looked-after knives, and how utterly brand spanking new it may appear, feel and work to anyone........perhaps it only remains to those who consider they need to be the very first to ever use the knife.....?

There's also the thrill and experience of relating to the maker yourself and being the first owner of the creation.....that's what makes them extra special to me.

However, if the maker tests my knife to ensure he's happy and sends it in pure freshened shape to me - am as happy as Larry - wouldn't think of it as used, as such.

If others do, then that's fine too - we all have different ways of viewing these aspects of knife ownership
 
r8shell said:
If I buy a brand new car, I assume the engine has been started at least once since it left the assembly line. :D
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A number of years ago, I ordered a custom fixed blade from a fairly well known maker. I had a couple of his folders and liked the Loveless style knives he made. When it was delivered it had not been sharpened at all. When I called him, he said, "oh that happens some time". Didn't even reimburse me for postage, never ordered another one from him.
 
Got a Crocodile (well alligator perhaps?) watch-strap in the post today and it arrived with no holes. This I knew beforehand and I think is good as a lot of straps get punched too much, thus weakening them. Out comes the Vic Alox Farmer, nice neat work it made of the reptile hide :) I can't get 'bonded' to SAKs but the Farmer and others have proved really useful, time after time.

Whats the slim SAK with 2 openers and 2 blades? Ken Kroll from Canada, who sadly seems to post no more, gave me one together with a Viper Spear Ebony as a present. Just amazing:thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the responses to my ramblings, folks. I certainly don't consider it a used knife, but I found my response to such a simple comment curious.

Got something else on my mind, if folks wouldn't mind obliging. All the talk in the Trads and Shorts got me thinking. I wear cargo pants at work and cargo shorts when I wear shorts, but I'm growing tired of the stitching wearing out on what is essentially just another piece of cloth sewn onto the outside of pants. Can anyone recommend cargo pants/shorts that have an actual pocket inside the leg? I believe Dockers makes a pair but are there other, possibly "tougher", options? Thanks, Porchotonians.
 
Wurrwulf said:
Thanks for the responses to my ramblings, folks. I certainly don't consider it a used knife, but I found my response to such a simple comment curious.

Got something else on my mind, if folks wouldn't mind obliging. All the talk in the Trads and Shorts got me thinking. I wear cargo pants at work and cargo shorts when I wear shorts, but I'm growing tired of the stitching wearing out on what is essentially just another piece of cloth sewn onto the outside of pants. Can anyone recommend cargo pants/shorts that have an actual pocket inside the leg? I believe Dockers makes a pair but are there other, possibly "tougher", options? Thanks, Porchotonians.
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Duluth Trading Co. Tough but pricey
 
Thanks, Alan! I'll take a look. I've been wearing Carhartt Rip Stop and Wrangler Riggs Rip Stop for the last few years, and while the Rip Stop holds up against abrasions with steel and concrete, their pockets always seem to be the first to give out.
 
Wurrwulf said:
Thanks, Alan! I'll take a look. I've been wearing Carhartt Rip Stop and Wrangler Riggs Rip Stop for the last few years, and while the Rip Stop holds up against abrasions with steel and concrete, their pockets always seem to be the first to give out.
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Dickey's canvas pants from wally world. $24. I've found them to be much tougher and longer lasting than the current offerings from Carhartt and Wrangler. Just check that all belt loops are present before purchase.
 
Jack Black said:
I don't know if anyone, apart from me, has been wondering about the knives of my table, but...

View attachment 887953

Boy, do I have my work cut out! :eek:

Sorry, there wasn't room for all the other stuff I've picked up :(
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If there's a heaven, this is what yard sales would look like, instead of just worn out shoes and VHS tapes..
 
scrteened porch said:
Wonderful as usual. I like the pipe knife, the bare-head bones, the sleeveboard, the funny cap-lifter thing on the bottom,...
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Thanks Jer, I had to stand on a chair to take the pic! :D I'm actually buying less knives than I used to, but my plan to move them off of my kitchen table into boxes, until I had time to fettle them, worked about as well as I suspected it would! :rolleyes: :D :thumbsup:

r8shell said:
If there's a heaven, this is what yard sales would look like, instead of just worn out shoes and VHS tapes..
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LOL! Thanks :D :thumbsup:
 
I've just stared a bit at those knives on the kitchen table, scratched my head, had a cough, and then decided on the best course of action, something which unites the people of this island with our neighbours across the Irish tea, I'm going to have a cup of tea and think about it! :D :thumbsup:
 
Jack Black said:
I've just stared a bit at those knives on the kitchen table, scratched my head, had a cough, and then decided on the best course of action, something which unites the people of this island with our neighbours across the Irish tea, I'm going to have a cup of tea and think about it! :D :thumbsup:
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That's the exact same thing I'm doing! Except it's my garden I'm thinking about and I'm drinking coffee because I'm A 'merican. :D

It could take all day.
 
leghog said:
Dickey's canvas pants from wally world. $24. I've found them to be much tougher and longer lasting than the current offerings from Carhartt and Wrangler. Just check that all belt loops are present before purchase.
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If those pass muster they're MUCH cheaper. Duluth is too high IMO.
 
Will Power said:
Got a Crocodile (well alligator perhaps?) watch-strap in the post today and it arrived with no holes. This I knew beforehand and I think is good as a lot of straps get punched too much, thus weakening them. Out comes the Vic Alox Farmer, nice neat work it made of the reptile hide :) I can't get 'bonded' to SAKs but the Farmer and others have proved really useful, time after time.

Whats the slim SAK with 2 openers and 2 blades? Ken Kroll from Canada, who sadly seems to post no more, gave me one together with a Viper Spear Ebony as a present. Just amazing:thumbsup:
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Nice one, Will.:thumbsup: I've been mightily impressed by the speed with which the alox awl bores nice, clean edged, concentric holes, too. A really useful tool. Apart from general scrapey-pokey duty, the last few things I've used mine for were

- spearing corn on the cob out of a pot of simmering water, then piercing the end to hold it while eating it.

- making drainage holes in a bunch of large plastic pots for repotting chilli pepper plants into.

- boring holes into jacket potatoes then placing a sliver of garlic in them, before wrapping them in foil and putting them in campfire coals. (I clean it well before using it on food.) Beats pricking them with a fork, especially when you don't have a fork.

I think the two bladed SAK with bottle and can opener/flat and phillips head driver, and two blades might be the Recruit. My Recruit is the knife I've owned the longest out of all the knives I still have. I think my brothers gave it to me in my late teens. It was 'mah pocketknife' for years, before I really got into knives. It's funny what you say about not bonding with SAKs. I agree, although I recently noticed that I wasn't using the Recruit as a tool anymore, for fear of losing it. Now, a new replacement one would cost me all of $20, but it still 'wouldn't be the same'.

Every now and then, I buy second hand SAKs to sharpen and refurbish, and give away - I notice a lot of the time, they are used until the blades are dulled and then sold. I rarely see ones which have had any attempt at resharpening done. Well, I was pleased to pick up a job lot of a Recruit, along with a Pioneer and Classic last week. Now I have a Recruit I can use (it'll probably go into a backpack pocket or end up with one of my nephews), while my identical well used Recruit will become a safe queen. Sentiment's a funny thing, eh?

Jack Black said:
I don't know if anyone, apart from me, has been wondering about the knives of my table, but...

View attachment 887953

Boy, do I have my work cut out! :eek:

Sorry, there wasn't room for all the other stuff I've picked up :(
Click to expand...

Great pic mate.:thumbsup: What's the story with that SAK leather pouch, with the fold out tools?

r8shell said:
If there's a heaven, this is what yard sales would look like, instead of just worn out shoes and VHS tapes..
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Ha, spot on! Every Richards or Ulster knife I see here, usually has a price tag that indicates the owner must think they have some rare collectors gem!:eek::D
 
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