How Much Do You "Baby" Your TRADITIONAL Knives?

I'm not a collector, but I am an accumulator, so I get knives to use. I use them for what they were designed for, a cutting tool. If I need to pry or deal with a screw, I'll use a tool for that. As far as carry, I always carry the knife in right front pocket along with a bandana, a golf pencil, and maybe a Bic lighter. That's it. Change, keys, flashlight, all go in left pocket, so the rte's not a lot of stuff knocking against it in the course of the day.
 
I'm in the same boat as many in that I baby the knife until that first scratch or two then I get a little rougher with them. One thing I really need to work on is my hesitancy to use the knife when I need to. My sharpening skills are "getting there" and getting that razor sharp edge takes me a lot of work sometimes, so a lot of times when I should flip my knife out and use it real quick I have second thoughts, fearing I wont be able to get it back to where I like it.
 
I don't want to sweat having to use a knife hard in case of minor emergency. The best outcome of a bout of knife rescue at a flea market etc. is a pretty knife for home use and one with a flaw of some sort to fix and use the snot out of at work.

I keep a knife next to my TV watching seat to fiddle with when I'm bored. Funny thing is that a well used knife is often one which do the most time there.
 


This is a custom, I just use them and enjoy them but to each their own. It's your knife, do what you want.
 
I used to carry a buck 301 in my RFP along with the days pocket change and what ever. That old knife had a lot of what some might call character. But these days I'm much more careful with how I carry them, as well as where and how I set them down. Now the RFP is reserved for 1 knife and the watch pocket for another. Change is dumped in the ash tray as soon as possible. I learned early that knives are not pry bars or screw drivers. I use a knife the way you're supposed to use a knife and I've always kept them clean and oiled.
With age I've have acquired a better appreciation for a knives beauty than I used to have but I do not hesitate to use them for what ever cutting task they are needed for. No knife gets a free ride here. This Railsplitter has been used for everything from heater hoses to cutting bait. Little scratches happen but used doesn't have to mean abused and abuse is not character.
Having said all that I toss a sod buster in the tool box for scraping tasks, dry wall, among other not very knife friendly tasks.
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Campbellclanman said:
I also know that knife collecting is a very personal thing - and sometimes get irked a bit when people almost demand that we must use every knife-any collector has knives where he/she would die if the knife were to be marked - so respecting people as to actually why they collect knife is also very important - after all - they do own them.
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Don't worry about what others think Duncan. As you said they are your knives. Do what makes you happy.

I don't know if that particular concern is relevant to our present discussion however. I think it has more to do with those knives that people have already decided to use, not safe queens and collectibles. While I have a couple of beaters that I keep for especially nasty jobs (e.g., scraping or cutting sandpaper), I make an conscious effort not to baby my users so as to keep things in proper perspective. These are tools we are talking about, not jewelry. A few dings and scratches won't hurt them any. I keep my blades sharp and the joints oiled and I have no doubts they'll last my lifetime and then some, even if they do pick up character marks along the way.

Perhaps I feel the way I do because none of my knives, no matter how nice, is perfect. Each one has at least a trait or two that I would change. That includes my customs. It might be something obvious like a fit and finish issue. It might also be something that I'd want to change about the design, like steel, blade shape, or even size. Usage marks don't bother me very much as a result, as they are nothing more than additional imperfections on an already imperfect object.

- Christian
 
powernoodle said:
If you treat something gently, whether its a knife, a car or a smart phone, its going to last longer. Some guys abuse their stuff just for the sake of abusing it, and that's fine. But I enjoy taking care of my stuff and making it last as long as possible. I don't see any downside to it.
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Agreed.:)
I might have said this before but I believe there to be two kinds of kids.Toy breakers and toy keepers.
I certainly still have some of the stuff I owned when I was 5 and younger. Along the way to the half century I have met people to whom I would not lend even a hammer because I know they'd wreck it and think that was OK.
In answer to the question -yes I treat them like babies. Not just any baby but like my own children . Well even better actually. Like a royal baby born to one day be King....Of America.:D

I'd should add that I think ALL babies need to be treated gently and with proper care even ugly ones.:foot:
 
I don't start loving my knives until they get scratched, dinged, and some patina. I want them to be scarred with the labor it was made for. Some knives are safe queens and do not ever get carried and used. Most get carried and used, not abused, but used well.
 
Trout Hound said:
How Much Do You "Baby" Your Knives?
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I don't baby them, but I don't abuse them either. I just drop my pocket knife in a pocket with a bullet pen and a comb and a lighter and sometimes a cell phone. No pocket slip. I carry a Vic Farmer on my belt, but that's because of its size and not that I'm worried about it.

I rarely buy new knives anyway, and then even more rarely buy non-delrin scaled knives. For the same reason, I won't buy a new pickup truck.
 
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I have accumulated a lot of knives over the years but I am not a collecter. I do teke good care of them and occassionally polish em up. But I will not carry a knife I am afraid of scratching or dinging.
 
I have always carried my pocketknife in my LFP, alone for many, many years, with a cellphone on top now-a-days. I will cut anything a knife is designed to cut with one of my knives, but will not use it on anything not designed for a cutting blade such as prying (unless of course a life is at stake - which hasn't happened yet where a knife would be useful). OH
 
I baby my traditional knives but not so much with the modern ones. The jeans I've been buying lately has a larger coin pocket which fits some of the patters I have been perferring. Others have been going in pocket slips my friends have given me.
 
Knife, coins & keys all in my right front pocket. My huge phone gets the left pocket to itself.
 
I baby them just enough not to abuse 'em. Careful not to drop them, or put enormous lateral stress on the blades.
I also like to keep them without coins or keys around. Other than that, i use them and watch their character develop.
 
I don't pry or use knives as a screwdriver, but only because that will break them fairly often. If I thought I could get away with it I would.:rolleyes:
 
Old Hunter said:
Dean, I'd love to see more pictures of your knife - it is a knock-out! I'd take care of it too. OH
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I can't do really great photos with my camera or talent but I put it next to a 4" stockman for something to compare it to.

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Modified the sheepsfoot just to smooth things out a bit.
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Im a Collector as well as a user.

when I know im going to be using a certain knife as well as one for my collection I buy two of them. yes, that's crazy but I still do it. I really don't want to use one of my mint Stag knives out on the job but I love Stag knives as well as others. So I will grab one of the road dogs and use it. The knife I used for work was a Sodbuster for years now I use a Bull Buster for my work knife.
 
I oil the joints and maintain the edges to keep them really sharp.

I try not to drop them.

That's about it :)
 
I "baby" my knives in that I don't use them as a pry bar, screw driver, hammer or throwing (unless it was designed and built as a throwing knife, of course). While none of my knives are expensive (Rough Rider, Opinel, and some low-end Cold Steel, for the most part), I still value them, and plan on giving at least a couple of them to my God Son, when he gets a bit older.
 
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