I love my pocket knives. I really do. The jigged bone on some of the Case's is just so beautiful I sometimes take a knife out of my pocket to just admire it. Same with nice old stag and grey patina blades.
But I have to pack them up for the grandkids.
Last winter I had the operation on my left thumb, and spent some weeks living with a Buck Hartsook and the little Mike Miller pocket fixed blade that was so generously gifted to me by Brett. I have to admit, that in the post operative weeks, I got very used to just pulling out a cutter, doing what I had to, and just slipping it back into the sheath. Got real used to it. To the point, that even after I healed up enough to go back to carrying a pocket knife again, I kept experimenting with the pocket fixed blade concept.
Now I'm looking at another operation on my left hand, this time on the tendon to the middle finger in the palm of the hand that needs to be freed up. More weeks of one handed living. I have to admit I am carrying a pocket fixed blade more and more, and I may go that way for good. I guess 30 some years of pushing and pulling on Harding lathe handles has left me with some problems of wear and tear in the hands.
I hear a lot of guys talk about bear trap springs, and good walk and talk. Be careful there, you just may end up with a knife that you can't open when you get to be a social security old fart. I've packed up my pocket knives for the grandkids, and since I can't open half of them anymore, have went to small fixed blades. I find myself scouring the E-bay world for good condition old Case or Ka-bar Little Finn's from the 50's and 60's that were still made with carbon steel. I have decided I'm going to be one of those guys like Old Bill Harding or Matt Rankin, who always had a small stacked leather handle knife on the belt.
I guess thats one nice thing about Buck's big 110 and other lockblades, you don't need much of a operating left hand to open and close them. And if Opinels are kept dry, they can be opened easy. I may have to check out traditional old lockblades with easy springs. I guess they still make Mercators, but are they still carbon steel and made in Germany?
Hmmm, I wonder if Matt Rankin would have carried a Buck 110 if they had been around in the 50's.?
Funny how life can change things on you.
But I have to pack them up for the grandkids.
Last winter I had the operation on my left thumb, and spent some weeks living with a Buck Hartsook and the little Mike Miller pocket fixed blade that was so generously gifted to me by Brett. I have to admit, that in the post operative weeks, I got very used to just pulling out a cutter, doing what I had to, and just slipping it back into the sheath. Got real used to it. To the point, that even after I healed up enough to go back to carrying a pocket knife again, I kept experimenting with the pocket fixed blade concept.
Now I'm looking at another operation on my left hand, this time on the tendon to the middle finger in the palm of the hand that needs to be freed up. More weeks of one handed living. I have to admit I am carrying a pocket fixed blade more and more, and I may go that way for good. I guess 30 some years of pushing and pulling on Harding lathe handles has left me with some problems of wear and tear in the hands.
I hear a lot of guys talk about bear trap springs, and good walk and talk. Be careful there, you just may end up with a knife that you can't open when you get to be a social security old fart. I've packed up my pocket knives for the grandkids, and since I can't open half of them anymore, have went to small fixed blades. I find myself scouring the E-bay world for good condition old Case or Ka-bar Little Finn's from the 50's and 60's that were still made with carbon steel. I have decided I'm going to be one of those guys like Old Bill Harding or Matt Rankin, who always had a small stacked leather handle knife on the belt.
I guess thats one nice thing about Buck's big 110 and other lockblades, you don't need much of a operating left hand to open and close them. And if Opinels are kept dry, they can be opened easy. I may have to check out traditional old lockblades with easy springs. I guess they still make Mercators, but are they still carbon steel and made in Germany?
Hmmm, I wonder if Matt Rankin would have carried a Buck 110 if they had been around in the 50's.?
Funny how life can change things on you.
