Heirloom user knife

J

jec88

Joined
Mar 6, 2012
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Okay, not concerned about a particular brand, but say you were going to buy a brand new traditional knife with the plan of carrying it everyday and using it as your go-to knife and then passing down the knife. What would you look for? Blade material, would you pick stainless, carbon, cv etc. What would the scale material be? Wood, bone, stag etc. What pattern? 50 years from now, you would want this knife to have all the right character. What would you pick?
 
I would pick what I like right now and not worry about the next fifty years. If you buy quality and take care of it you should be ok. Nobody can tell you what you like best, only what they like best. :)
 
Take a look at the Old Knives sticky and it should give you some great ideas. I prefer carbon steel and either wood, bone, or MOP. As far as pattern, I would take into the account the person you plan to pass it down too. Hope this helps
 
If your plan is to pass it on to a child or grandchild, then the most important thing will be the memories of time spent with you that the knife evokes in the mind of the recipient.

The important thing would be "this was grand-dad's knife that I remember him using when he took me fishing" rather than "this is the high quality knife that grand-dad bought with the idea of passing on to me some day."

That being said, get something of good quality that will stand up to the uses you plan to put it through for 50 years. Buck, Case, GEC, Northwoods, Queen, Canal Street, pretty much any of those will do.

Type of steel doesn't matter if you keep the knife properly maintained and don't use bad sharpening techniques that wear the blades down more than needed. Carbon will develop a patina of coloration in addition to the scratches and marks from use and sharpening. Stainless will develop a patina of scratches and lines, but shouldn't change color much. Carbon still will rust if not cared for, stainless much less so but still can.

I'd go with what you want to use for 50 years rather than think about that finish line.
 
What ever works today will likely work in the future. I have GEC and Case knives that I hope to pass on. In fact, I'm a lousy knife collector. I buy knives and when they arrive I put them in my pocket with all of the other stuff. Whenever I see somebody's "EDC" picture, I'm always amazed at how nice their knives look. My fairly new GEC radio knife already looks a little worn after a couple of days in my jeans pocket with some rocks I picked up on a hike.

Buy high quality and clean them up and oil them regularly. Treat them like pocket knives and use them. Good quality knives will last and I think you're honoring the makers by using them. Your great grand kids will still be using them.
 
I have to agree with jc57, if it's going to be handed down it has more to do with the memories that are attached to that particular knife. Chances are they are not going to care about the specifics of the knife. So buy what you like and more importantly spend time with the ones that you love.
 
Northwoods Barlow in Mammoth Ivory for me... Aged with a lot of use & well cared for.

I have one of my grandfather's knives. It's a fixed blade western (looks like a filet knife) in jigged bone and carbon steel. I remember him using that when we went fishing & I remember the day he gave it to me. I was eight. Still have the original sheath too.

I have better knives but the few that once belonged to my father and grandfather (who are no longer with me), I treasure above all.
 
Choose a good quality knife that YOU like and that fits your needs, take care of it and enjoy it and THAT's exactly the knife they'll cherish the most - because it was yours.
 
jc57 said:
If your plan is to pass it on to a child or grandchild, then the most important thing will be the memories of time spent with you that the knife evokes in the mind of the recipient.

The important thing would be "this was grand-dad's knife that I remember him using when he took me fishing" rather than "this is the high quality knife that grand-dad bought with the idea of passing on to me some day."

That being said, get something of good quality that will stand up to the uses you plan to put it through for 50 years. Buck, Case, GEC, Northwoods, Queen, Canal Street, pretty much any of those will do.

Type of steel doesn't matter if you keep the knife properly maintained and don't use bad sharpening techniques that wear the blades down more than needed. Carbon will develop a patina of coloration in addition to the scratches and marks from use and sharpening. Stainless will develop a patina of scratches and lines, but shouldn't change color much. Carbon still will rust if not cared for, stainless much less so but still can.

I'd go with what you want to use for 50 years rather than think about that finish line.
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This absolutely! The memories attached to that knife will be what makes it valuable. If it's just some knife bought and stuck away till passed on, then it's nothing but a new old knife. Sterile. Isn't that why some of us value the old knives that we find at flea markets and shows, for that decades old patina that tells stories of who knows what kind of adventures.

Buy what you like, use the checkout of it, and your decedent will treasure it no matter what kind of knife it is.
 
Pick a knife. One that you like and reflects your tastes. Heirloom status will come in time.

My "heirloom" knife, if I have one is a single blade trapper with stag covers. It's not my best knife. I carry it for sentimental reasons; my little girl gave it to me for Father's Day a couple of years ago. She's watched me use it to open letters and packages. Shorten straws. Clean up chopsticks. Free toys from their plastic prisons. Half a sandwich. Cube a mango. Cut a string so she could play with a balloon. Remove wristbands. Cut off bothersome shirt tags. Slice an enchilada when the restaurant forgot to include a plastic "knife" in my to-go order. Solve a gordian knot in the backyard. Clip out coupons. De-burr some rough plastic edges on a scooter. Those are just recent examples, she's seen me use this knife countless other times whenever I needed a sharp edge. It's become Daddy's knife.

Don't overthink things. Any knife that you use regularly, that's in your pocket as you experience life will become an heirloom. It's not so much the knife as the memories associated with it.

- Christian
 
My heirloom knife, which I carry often, is a Case/Bose Lanny's Clip in Chestnut Bone. I fell in love with the design long before it became available in it's more affordable form. It's a beatiful knife, made with extremely high quality, and will always be a top example of what is possible in a pocket knife. As it's all stainless fittings, I have no fear of it leaving service during my life time, and the bone will stand the test of time, as well.

I do have to admit, I've always been a bit worried about my carbon steel knives. I know there are examples of 100+ year old knives that have made it through, but those usually show their age, unless they were boxed and hidden away. Even my 2-yr old GEC Forum knife is showing a tiny bit of rust on the inside of the spring. I just don't see a knife like that lasting as long as a stainlesss knife. I also see bone as more stable than wood, based on no real experience, though. :D Of course, Micarta would probably outlast bone, so maybe I need to look into that as a handle material for an heirloom destined to see the next century.
 
I bought two get made Scharade knives and gave them to my father and father in law. I told them to carry and use the knives and pass them on to my two boys when they are old enough. Each boy will get knives used by their grandfathers.

I have a knife from my own grandfather, and it is special to me.

My choice would be GEC, carbon and ebony! Ebony seems to age so well!
 
Carl you are spot on-I have only two knives that belonged to my maternal Grandad. Neither are what I would buy to use today personally due to their small size. But they were his and it's the memory of him that makes me cherish them ...and his old shaving mug /scuttle thingy with a biplane on it I use that all the time.

In answer to the question-D2 and wood. Although I collect mostly bone handled knives I think wood is less prone to accidental damage .
 
Put me squarely in the "memories not the knife" camp. My dad has carried a $15 Schrade SP3 for as long as I remember. That's "Dad's knife." It's not expensive or particularly memorable, but it's the one he has always carried.

My kids recognize my TC Barlow I was gifted by a wonderful forum member. It's never not in my pocket. It's their "Dad's knife."
 
A good, carbon steel, stockman with jigged bone covers (preferably peach seed or corn cob jigging) in either red, chestnut, or maybe green.
 
This has been a good thread for me to read. I'm always interested in how folks carry their pocket knives. I've posted this question on other sub-forums and threads. I often feel like maybe I treat my traditional pocket knives poorly by just throwing them in my pocket with my keys, spare change, etc. Many people who have responded to my questions have said they carry their knives in a pocket by itself. I was glad to hear about other folks just using their traditional pocket knives and not worrying about scratches and dings from use and pocket carry. Thank you, gentlemen.
 
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