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

[Prester John]

I’m currently reading The Man Who Knew Too Much by GK Chesterton (written in 1922), and came across the following passage, and thought some here might find it entertaining:

The contents of the boy's pockets naturally made a larger heap, and included marbles, a ball of string, an electric torch, a magnet, a small catapult, and, of course, a large pocketknife, almost to be described as a small tool box, a complex apparatus on which he seemed disposed to linger, pointing out that it included a pair of nippers, a tool for punching holes in wood, and, above all, an instrument for taking stones out of a horse's hoof. The comparative absence of any horse he appeared to regard as irrelevant, as if it were a mere appendage easily supplied.

I've considered getting an equestrian's knife myself, even though I don't own a horse! I'm sure I could find a use for it.

 

[WinchesteRalox]

Nother book I’m going to have to read!

 

[black mamba]

Old Gilbert certainly had a pleasant turn of phrase!

 

[5K Qs]

Thanks for the entertaining quote, @Astronaut FX !
I can relate to the kid, since I take particular pleasure in knives with unusual blades, even if I'll never personally use them as intended.

- GT

 

[r redden]

I won an auction for a Case jack knife the big auction site on July 31st. It was jack knife built on a 44 frame and was a 1975 . I never received the knife I have opened up a complaint with Ebay I can't do anything else until the 18th as Ebay contacted them on my behalf but if I have not heard from them by tomorrow I can request a refund from Ebay I don't know what that will entail or how long it will take. It really pisses me off because I finally am able to buy a knife and some yahoo out there pulls this. What makes me really mad is I bought this to use for a GAW and as a lot of you know I would almost rather give someone a knife as to buy one for myself. I thought I did my homework the seller had a score of 98.3, 177 positive feedback and only 3 negative. However since this happened I read the neg feedback and it was for the same issue as mine and all 33 has happened in the last 6 months. So be careful and read any neg feedback before buying.

 

[Jack Black]

I won an auction for a Case jack knife the big auction site on July 31st. It was jack knife built on a 44 frame and was a 1975 . I never received the knife I have opened up a complaint with Ebay I can't do anything else until the 18th as Ebay contacted them on my behalf but if I have not heard from them by tomorrow I can request a refund from Ebay I don't know what that will entail or how long it will take. It really pisses me off because I finally am able to buy a knife and some yahoo out there pulls this. What makes me really mad is I bought this to use for a GAW and as a lot of you know I would almost rather give someone a knife as to buy one for myself. I thought I did my homework the seller had a score of 98.3, 177 positive feedback and only 3 negative. However since this happened I read the neg feedback and it was for the same issue as mine and all 33 has happened in the last 6 months. So be careful and read any neg feedback before buying.

Very sorry to hear about this happening to you Randy, and I hope you get your money back OK my friend It must be ten years since I bought a knife from ebay, but I got ripped off a few times I'm sad to say

 

[jc57]

There was a seller I used to buy new-in-box Case knives from on the auction site. They were fine for a while, but something changed and their feedback took a nose-dive and they eventually stopped selling entirely. So yes, the most recent feedback is usually a better indicator (or at least a warning sign) than looking at overall rating.

 

[Fodderwing]

And 98.3% is questionable period.

 

[Peregrin]

r redden
Sorry to hear that, Randy! I've been pretty lucky on the bay. I'll remember your post though. Hope it is resolved quickly to your satisfaction.

 

[Peregrin]

So, We are back from Santa Fe. Left for home on Wednesday at 1:30pm via American Airlines. Had a great time. Always do when there. The way back, not so much. Just for kicks here's an email my wife sent out to some family members as we sat on the train for 16 hours.

"We write to you from an Amtrak train heading to Syracuse from Chicago.
You see, as we landed in Chicago from Albuquerque, our flight to Syracuse was cancelled. The airline offered to get us home on Friday! It would take six hours and go through Charlotte! They would get us a discount at a hotel for two nights and could not offer any vouchers, as the cancellation was weather related- right! We stood in line for an hour to see if any other airlines could accommodate us- nothing till Friday!
We finally decided to try to get our bags and make an Amtrak reservation for a train that leaves Chicago at 9:30 pm and would get us home at 11:00 am. After another hour or more of waiting, only Gary's bag was found. We put in a claim for my bag and ran to get a cab to Union Station. At the end of a 45-minute cab ride through the twinkling lights of the Windy City, we arrived at the station just as Train 448, The Lakeshore Limited, was boarding. Tired, hungry, and frustrated, we found seats in coach.
We settled in, then walked three cars back to the snack bar to wait in yet another line for some food and drink.
A ham sandwich never tasted so good!
We hadn't eaten since breakfast in Albuquerque at the end of a wonderful stay!
All's well that ends well, they say! We'll see. So far, we've managed to get about two hours sleep.
Tomorrow, I call AA to complain and get some compensation!
Thanks for listening. Hope to see you soon."

Here's a couple of pics from my phone. I haven't transferred any from the camera yet.
That's not me on the plaza in Santa Fe! Lots of street musicians.

Here's a shot into the restaurant at the Hotel La Fonda where we stayed. I recommend it highly. It's right on the plaza. A little pricey but you get what you pay for.

Here's a pic I took from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in Taos. It's a 650 foot drop to the river below. The wind had to be blowing up the gorge at 40 to 50 mph. Made the walk to the middle a little nerve wracking.

Had a great trip, minus the travel home. I took a Laguiole and a one hander along with me. They both arrived there and home safely. I didn't buy any knives, but there were numerous places to overpay, if you had a mind to.

 

[herder]

So, We are back from Santa Fe. Left for home on Wednesday at 1:30pm via American Airlines. Had a great time. Always do when there. The way back, not so much. Just for kicks here's an email my wife sent out to some family members as we sat on the train for 16 hours.

"We write to you from an Amtrak train heading to Syracuse from Chicago.
You see, as we landed in Chicago from Albuquerque, our flight to Syracuse was cancelled. The airline offered to get us home on Friday! It would take six hours and go through Charlotte! They would get us a discount at a hotel for two nights and could not offer any vouchers, as the cancellation was weather related- right! We stood in line for an hour to see if any other airlines could accommodate us- nothing till Friday!
We finally decided to try to get our bags and make an Amtrak reservation for a train that leaves Chicago at 9:30 pm and would get us home at 11:00 am. After another hour or more of waiting, only Gary's bag was found. We put in a claim for my bag and ran to get a cab to Union Station. At the end of a 45-minute cab ride through the twinkling lights of the Windy City, we arrived at the station just as Train 448, The Lakeshore Limited, was boarding. Tired, hungry, and frustrated, we found seats in coach.
We settled in, then walked three cars back to the snack bar to wait in yet another line for some food and drink.
A ham sandwich never tasted so good!
We hadn't eaten since breakfast in Albuquerque at the end of a wonderful stay!
All's well that ends well, they say! We'll see. So far, we've managed to get about two hours sleep.
Tomorrow, I call AA to complain and get some compensation!
Thanks for listening. Hope to see you soon."

Here's a couple of pics from my phone. I haven't transferred any from the camera yet.
That's not me on the plaza in Santa Fe! Lots of street musicians.

Here's a shot into the restaurant at the Hotel La Fonda where we stayed. I recommend it highly. It's right on the plaza. A little pricey but you get what you pay for.

Here's a pic I took from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in Taos. It's a 650 foot drop to the river below. The wind had to be blowing up the gorge at 40 to 50 mph. Made the walk to the middle a little nerve wracking.

Had a great trip, minus the travel home. I took a Laguiole and a one hander along with me. They both arrived there and home safely. I didn't buy any knives, but there were numerous places to overpay, if you had a mind to.

Despite a little transportation snafu, that looks and sounds like a wonderful trip.

 

[Modoc ED]

I've considered getting an equestrian's knife myself, even though I don't own a horse! I'm sure I could find a use for it.

I don't have a horse but I've got this Case SS 7254HP Equestrian with Rosewood covers. Doesn't hurt to be prepared.

 

[Railsplitter]

I've considered getting an equestrian's knife myself, even though I don't own a horse! I'm sure I could find a use for it.

I picked up this Horseman's Knife from A.G. Russell a few months ago. I'm not sure what I'll ever do with it but it's an interesting and well made knife.

 

[leghog]

Scored an 1861 Nova Scotia half cent this week.
I love copper coins!

 

[veitsi_poika]

I won an auction for a Case jack knife the big auction site on July 31st. It was jack knife built on a 44 frame and was a 1975 . I never received the knife I have opened up a complaint with Ebay I can't do anything else until the 18th as Ebay contacted them on my behalf but if I have not heard from them by tomorrow I can request a refund from Ebay I don't know what that will entail or how long it will take. It really pisses me off because I finally am able to buy a knife and some yahoo out there pulls this. What makes me really mad is I bought this to use for a GAW and as a lot of you know I would almost rather give someone a knife as to buy one for myself. I thought I did my homework the seller had a score of 98.3, 177 positive feedback and only 3 negative. However since this happened I read the neg feedback and it was for the same issue as mine and all 33 has happened in the last 6 months. So be careful and read any neg feedback before buying.

The only bad experience I have had trolling on the Bay was when a person had a really awesome old Marble's fixed blade with a Boy Scout Shield embossed in the leather sheath... pretty rare find in the condition it was in. I did a Buy it Now and paid quite a bit for it. The seller made a USPS label the next day and I was notified it was "en route" to the post office. A week and half went by and I did not receive the knife, which is odd, most seller's I've dealt with are pretty good at getting knives delivered within a week. The status still said the package was "en route" to the post office. So I read the person's recent feedback and found the person was notoriously stating that either the USPS or FedEx was losing the packages but everyone did say the person always refunded the money upon request. So I did notify the person that I really wanted the knife and on cue, they stated that USPS must have lost it and they would issue me a refund. The refund happened the next day which is a plus. However, several people noted on the feedback that it seemed like the person was using other people's money as a temporary source of money for their own use... sort of like a ponzi scheme. I sent my information and thoughts to the powers that be and forgot about it. I should check and see if that seller is still "conducting business".

 

[veitsi_poika]

And since we are on the topic, I'm sure most of us that have landed a few knives while "trolling" the Bay have fell into the trap of a knife that comes in the mail that turned out to be WAY SMALLER than you thought it would be. In other words, most of us discovered that pictures can be deceiving online and if there isn't something in the picture to scale the size of the knife, you should ask the seller what the length is. For instance, when I received my first Jarvenpaa Finnish puukko I was very surprised that it was only 5-1/2" total length, which is tiny for a fixed blade. I thought it was going to be 8" or 9" long, especially considering the price I paid for it LoL.



Well... today I actually had the opposite happen for the first time Click on the pic below cuz I just played a trick on you



Turns out the one pictured above is actually 10-3/4" long from butt to tip I thought it was just another 5-6 incher LoL. The smaller knife is the 5-1/2" puukko.

 

[Jack Black]

So, We are back from Santa Fe. Left for home on Wednesday at 1:30pm via American Airlines. Had a great time. Always do when there. The way back, not so much. Just for kicks here's an email my wife sent out to some family members as we sat on the train for 16 hours.

"We write to you from an Amtrak train heading to Syracuse from Chicago.
You see, as we landed in Chicago from Albuquerque, our flight to Syracuse was cancelled. The airline offered to get us home on Friday! It would take six hours and go through Charlotte! They would get us a discount at a hotel for two nights and could not offer any vouchers, as the cancellation was weather related- right! We stood in line for an hour to see if any other airlines could accommodate us- nothing till Friday!
We finally decided to try to get our bags and make an Amtrak reservation for a train that leaves Chicago at 9:30 pm and would get us home at 11:00 am. After another hour or more of waiting, only Gary's bag was found. We put in a claim for my bag and ran to get a cab to Union Station. At the end of a 45-minute cab ride through the twinkling lights of the Windy City, we arrived at the station just as Train 448, The Lakeshore Limited, was boarding. Tired, hungry, and frustrated, we found seats in coach.
We settled in, then walked three cars back to the snack bar to wait in yet another line for some food and drink.
A ham sandwich never tasted so good!
We hadn't eaten since breakfast in Albuquerque at the end of a wonderful stay!
All's well that ends well, they say! We'll see. So far, we've managed to get about two hours sleep.
Tomorrow, I call AA to complain and get some compensation!
Thanks for listening. Hope to see you soon."

Here's a couple of pics from my phone. I haven't transferred any from the camera yet.
That's not me on the plaza in Santa Fe! Lots of street musicians.

Here's a shot into the restaurant at the Hotel La Fonda where we stayed. I recommend it highly. It's right on the plaza. A little pricey but you get what you pay for.

Here's a pic I took from the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in Taos. It's a 650 foot drop to the river below. The wind had to be blowing up the gorge at 40 to 50 mph. Made the walk to the middle a little nerve wracking.

Had a great trip, minus the travel home. I took a Laguiole and a one hander along with me. They both arrived there and home safely. I didn't buy any knives, but there were numerous places to overpay, if you had a mind to.

Glad you had a great vacation Gary, but sorry to hear about the transport problems coming back I bet your bed at home felt good!

I don't have a horse but I've got this Case SS 7254HP Equestrian with Rosewood covers. Doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Looks like a great back-scratcher Ed! Yours too Railsplitter

 

[screened porch]

Looks like a great back-scratcher Ed! Yours too Railsplitter

Beat me to it! Must be true.

 

[WinchesteRalox]

Guess you could use it as a toothpick to!

 

[Peregrin]

Glad you had a great vacation Gary, but sorry to hear about the transport problems coming back I bet your bed at home felt good!

Thanks, Jack. Like Dorothy says "There's no place like home." We had a great trip in spite of the travel problems. I told my wife if we're not going somewhere across an ocean, we're either going by train or car from now on. I'll likely mellow on my threat. I think I've made it before.