I was so much older then; I'm younger than that now.

AShearer

AShearer

Joined
Nov 30, 2016
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I wish I had been as open and aware (young in mind) when I was growing up as I am now. I grew up at the center of one of the major geographic areas for knife making and rarely even realized how cool that was. < Ok, almost never recognized it!

I grew up in Olean, NY, home of Kabar, Alcas and Cutco. I was 20 minutes from Bradford, PA, no explanation needed. I was 20 minutes ( if the mountain wasn't snowed in) from Eldred PA, where my father's family was from, and home of C. Platt & Sons . Cattaraugus; was the County I lived in. Little Valley, home of Cattaraugus Cutlery was a half hour or a little more. I had family in Rochester and near Perry, NY, homes of Robeson, not quite 2 hours away. Titusville and Tidioute about 90 minutes on a good day, home of Schatt & Morgan at that time and now GEC, although I'm not sure Queen was there at that time. Up the road 30 minutes in Franklinville, NY, Ontario Cutlery. Buffalo NY was our "big city" about an hour away and home of several cutlers.

Camillus, NY and Walden, NY are really too much of a stretch for me to include here.

What I wouldn't give now to have some of those days back again. When we're young, we don't always appreciate what is right in our midst. As traditional knives are now one of my main hobbies, I come to the realization, I grew up in the 50's and 60's in one of the centers of knife making from the 1800's and still going pretty strong today.

Oh well? You can't go home again.
 
Very insightful, and very true. If only the energy and exuberance of youth could be coupled with the wisdom of age... ...if only... I was fortunate enough to travel to many different countries in my youth and even at that age, I had an interest in pocket knives. The problem was, the kind of interest I had was all about flash and bling. In all my travels, I ended up with an eclectic collection of cheap switchblades and such, but nothing really of any quality. Most of those didn't even make it home with me. The only one that I purchased that was really good was a Swiss Champ that I acquired when I was posted in German. I bought one for me and one for my dad. Alas, even those are gone now; lost somewhere between a divorce and moving. I still have the leather pouch of my dad's and I often look at it longingly - not so much for the loss of the knife, but the memories of my dad that it had.

No, you can't go home again.
 
Kinsfolks was in Little Valley, NY too. Not sure you were around before they were bought out be Robeson in 1957 and moved to Perry, NY though.
 
leghog said:
Kinsfolks was in Little Valley, NY too. Not sure you were around before they were bought out be Robeson in 1957 and moved to Perry, NY though.
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Well, technically I was, but I was five at that time.

Yep. I was going from Levine's major pocket and fixed blade makers, so some of these were not around.
 
Jack Black said:
Oh for a time-machine ;) :thumbup:
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Great post, and you of all people, Jack, should express that sentiment!

Can you imagine going into a nice shop in London at the hight of the Sheffield empire, and picking over those incredible pearl handle lobsters gentleman's knifes? Blades and pipe reamers, scissors and nail files? Or perhaps some silky smooth ivory handle pen knives.

Oh for a time machine for knife nuts!!!!!
 
netguy1999 said:
Very insightful, and very true. If only the energy and exuberance of youth could be coupled with the wisdom of age... ...if only... I was fortunate enough to travel to many different countries in my youth and even at that age, I had an interest in pocket knives. The problem was, the kind of interest I had was all about flash and bling. In all my travels, I ended up with an eclectic collection of cheap switchblades and such, but nothing really of any quality. Most of those didn't even make it home with me. The only one that I purchased that was really good was a Swiss Champ that I acquired when I was posted in German. I bought one for me and one for my dad. Alas, even those are gone now; lost somewhere between a divorce and moving. I still have the leather pouch of my dad's and I often look at it longingly - not so much for the loss of the knife, but the memories of my dad that it had.

No, you can't go home again.
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Your tale of youthful interest in flash is familiar. I had no real interest in pocket knives except the one or two Case Barlows I had, but I was always chasing other things.
 
netguy1999 said:
Very insightful, and very true. If only the energy and exuberance of youth could be coupled with the wisdom of age... ...if only... I was fortunate enough to travel to many different countries in my youth and even at that age, I had an interest in pocket knives. The problem was, the kind of interest I had was all about flash and bling. In all my travels, I ended up with an eclectic collection of cheap switchblades and such, but nothing really of any quality. Most of those didn't even make it home with me. The only one that I purchased that was really good was a Swiss Champ that I acquired when I was posted in German. I bought one for me and one for my dad. Alas, even those are gone now; lost somewhere between a divorce and moving. I still have the leather pouch of my dad's and I often look at it longingly - not so much for the loss of the knife, but the memories of my dad that it had.

No, you can't go home again.
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So true John, so true:thumbup:

Alan, GREAT thread topic and something I think about the older I become:o
 
I hear ya AShearer. I still have family in Olean today, but spend a lot of time looking for old Kabars and Unions with Olean markings.

A few names you mentioned that belonged to my grandfathers: my paternal grandfather's red Case stockman - probably the knife that made me fall in love with traditionals as a kid - though the blades have been replaced; my maternal grandfather' Alcas lockback and Titusville Queen.
8e54485b9ee971f2f1495901e66df6ed.jpg

There are some Kabar around too, but I don't have them.
 
Very true. Wish I had some more energy these days :D

But, appreciate the now, now, even if it seems less rosy than the past. It's soon gone..:eek:.
 
Thread needs more knife content.
 
netguy1999 said:
Very insightful, and very true. If only the energy and exuberance of youth could be coupled with the wisdom of age... ...if only... I was fortunate enough to travel to many different countries in my youth and even at that age, I had an interest in pocket knives. The problem was, the kind of interest I had was all about flash and bling. In all my travels, I ended up with an eclectic collection of cheap switchblades and such, but nothing really of any quality. Most of those didn't even make it home with me. The only one that I purchased that was really good was a Swiss Champ that I acquired when I was posted in German. I bought one for me and one for my dad. Alas, even those are gone now; lost somewhere between a divorce and moving. I still have the leather pouch of my dad's and I often look at it longingly - not so much for the loss of the knife, but the memories of my dad that it had.

No, you can't go home again.
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I resemble that remark!
 
Being raised in the backwoods and no where close to a cutlery for production knives the closest I came were those beautiful tools that I stared at in magnificent displays at the feed and seed stores, hardware stores and the occasional trip into town to the greatest store of all the Army/Navy store. The closest I ever came to a cutlery was when the menfolk would fashion the occasional sheath knife from an old file. In fact the first knife I ever owned my father made from an old file for me with a purposely dull edge and blunt tip.

I remember thinking as I peered into those displays some day I would own as many of those wonderful tools as there were in those displays. That is one childhood desire that came true. This is not all of them but it's a picture of my EDC pile I took for another thread.


EDs6JQL.jpg
 
r redden said:
Being raised in the backwoods and no where close to a cutlery for production knives the closest I came were those beautiful tools that I stared at in magnificent displays at the feed and seed stores, hardware stores and the occasional trip into town to the greatest store of all the Army/Navy store. The closest I ever came to a cutlery was when the menfolk would fashion the occasional sheath knife from an old file. In fact the first knife I ever owned my father made from an old file for me with a purposely dull edge and blunt tip.

I remember thinking as I peered into those displays some day I would own as many of those wonderful tools as there were in those displays. That is one childhood desire that came true. This is not all of them but it's a picture of my EDC pile I took for another thread.


EDs6JQL.jpg
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Wow! You made up for the lack of nice knives in your youth, I would say?
 
Nature Boy said:
I hear ya AShearer. I still have family in Olean today, but spend a lot of time looking for old Kabars and Unions with Olean markings.

A few names you mentioned that belonged to my grandfathers: my paternal grandfather's red Case stockman - probably the knife that made me fall in love with traditionals as a kid - though the blades have been replaced; my maternal grandfather' Alcas lockback and Titusville Queen.
8e54485b9ee971f2f1495901e66df6ed.jpg

There are some Kabar around too, but I don't have them.
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Interesting Nature boy. It seems like at one time or another many of the local makers did traditional folders. I honestly don't remember any Kabar folders from my time, but they were there. I even have a Cutco lockback, although it's fairly new. I've wondered if that was made by Alcas for Cutco? EDIT Well, that was kind of dumb. Of course they are all the same company, including Ka-bar. I meant to say, I wondered if it was made by Case for Cutco?
 
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If I had grown up next door to Case in PA, I probably still would have only owned one as a young kid. I saved and bought one when I was around 10 years old. I needed it for hunting, trapping, and general woods use. I had no money and better knives are expensive (especially then). $20 or $25 was a very big expense to me and that is what they ran when I was a kid. I think now in adult terms and money availability, but I saved for months for a Daisy BB gun when I was around 8 years old.
 
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22-rimfire said:
If I had grown up next door to Case in PA, I probably still would have only owned one as a young kid. I saved and bought one when I was around 10 years old. I needed it for hunting, trapping, and general woods use. I had no money and better knives are expensive (especially then). $20 or $25 was a very big expense to me and that is what they ran when I was a kid. I think now in adult terms and money availability, but I saved for months for a Daisy BB gun when I was around 8 years old.
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Very good point and I never had enough to buy more than one or two either. Having Case nearby, lots of my friends had Case barlows and other patterns in those days, but usually only one.
 
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