Is that a knife in your pocket?

[jacknife]

I was at work the other day and had a few moments to consider things while I sharpened a Boker stockman I'd decided to use that day.

As I sharpened the main blade (touched it up really, didn't need much) I thought how strange it was that I almost alone among probably 30 or so people I work with carried a pocket knife. I knew of only one other, an old friend of mine who carried a knife and he only carried it at work or when rabbiting.

I work in textiles, I make webbing so there's plenty to cut, nearly everyone uses scissors though. I'm the only one to use a knife.

As I pondered these things a chap I know only slightly came over to do some work near my looms. He is the chap that does all the construction on the site, if they need it he makes it.... Often from scratch. A very clever chap.

I wondered if a chap like this would carry a pocket knife?

Only one way to find out I thought, so I asked him.

He smiled and pulled a knife about the size of my Boker stockman from his overalls. It was a single blade jackknife, made in Sheffield I'd say, as it had black composite scales typical of many work knives sold in the UK even today.
I asked if I could see the blade, I was only mildly surprised to see what was once I'm sure a Lambsfoot blade now only slightly wider than a toothpick. He reminded me of the stories I'd read here on this forum, of men who bought one knife and used it till it was usable no more.

I was so pleased to find someone who really uses and appreciates a knife.

It made my day. If only there were more of us.

This made me wonder....Can you tell just looking at a person if he is likely to carry a pocket knife? What would be the signs? Are there any?

 

[Franciscomv]

I study in a big city, but I work and play in the country. There's a very strong fixed blade tradition here, and almost anybody who works or lives in a rural area carries a knife. In fact, most guys have at least one work knife and one dress knife with silver handle and sheath, to show off at parties and parades.

A while ago, I was looking for a new employee to help me train some horses and I went to see a guy who came highly recommended. He lived in a small town (really tiny) close to my farm. You could recognize him by the red berett with a tassel, a badge of office worn by the "paisanos del oficio", "domadores" (horse trainers).

Something I like about business meetings in rural areas, is that you don't go straight to discussing money and work hours. First you have a few "mates" (an infusion we love down here), talk about the excess or lack of rain, etc. During that part of our meeting we started talking about the St. John parade that was going to take place the following week, and which horses we were going to ride in it. While he was showing me the antique saddle he was going to use a shiny silver knife handle caught my eye, and he noticed.

We spent the next 45 minutes looking at his knives, all quite old, some with really good silverwork from top notch craftsmen. I'm certain he had more money invested in those knives than on his house, the handle on one of them alone was worth around $700 (I know because I talked to the maker about a project of my own), easily twice what its owner makes in a month.

He probably worked his a$$ off to be able to afford those tools. That tells you something about how much these folks value a good knife.

 

[knarfeng]

This made me wonder....Can you tell just looking at a person if he is likely to carry a pocket knife? What would be the signs? Are there any?

I work among engineers. Some carry. Some don't. We got theoreticians and mechanically inclined type folks. Usually, it's the mechanically inclined types that carry. But, I've never figured out how to tell for sure without asking.

 

[IVANKERLEY]

i dont really think there is a decisive way to tell, for instance i'm a graphic artist-all around visual right brain art guy and right now i have my new schatt & morgan wildcat whittler in my pocket. Most people think artist=blade free, but not this one
all types carry and appreciate the functionality and or beauty of a knife, my grandpa was a residential/commercial painter and always had a pocket knife on him, it was more acceptable back then, unfortunately doesnt appear to be the case anymore alot of people see knife they instantly think whackjob
excellent topic and nice stories
ivan

 

[scattershot]

I was a fireman for 29 years, and most of the guys carried a knife of some sort in their turnout gear, but few carried a pocket knife. I found that strange, since I have had a knife in my pocket since I was six.

So... No, I don't think it's possible to tell by looking.

I have worn a few down to the needle shape you describe, too. Anyone know what Case would charge to re-blade an old knife?

 

[augustus88]

I've only run across five people that carry knives at work. All of them were college students in my classes. Two were guys and the other three were girls. None looked like the knife carrying type.

IVANKERLEY ,
I'm a college professor at Ringling College of Art and Design. What type of work do you do? I teach traditional illustration and digital painting.

 

[Sword and Shield]

I was a fireman for 29 years, and most of the guys carried a knife of some sort in their turnout gear, but few carried a pocket knife. I found that strange, since I have had a knife in my pocket since I was six.

So... No, I don't think it's possible to tell by looking.

I have worn a few down to the needle shape you describe, too. Anyone know what Case would charge to re-blade an old knife?

It's pretty cheap, I think 10 or 20 bucks.

 

[mp510]

It's pretty cheap, I think 10 or 20 bucks.

Do you know if that's per blade or per knife? I have a vintage Case Stockman that I would love to have rebladedif possible. Do they return the old, needle sharpened blades if you request such?

 

[IVANKERLEY]

I've only run across five people that carry knives at work. All of them were college students in my classes. Two were guys and the other three were girls. None looked like the knife carrying type.

IVANKERLEY ,
I'm a college professor at Ringling College of Art and Design. What type of work do you do? I teach traditional illustration and digital painting.

Since '97 ive worked for a small studio, mostly packaging, marketing materials, trade show displays and the like. Adobe Photoshop CS, Illus CS, Indesign, etc. Die hard Mac guy since 1992
Aside from work i paint (mainly oils) draw, sculpt, scrim whatever i want
Nice to see another creative type on here! And a professor at that!
Thanks for asking
ivan

 

[jackknife]

It's pretty cheap, I think 10 or 20 bucks.

That may be about right, as in the late 90's it was 30 bucks to reblade and replace a cracked scale on dad's old peanut. Just the main blade was replaced, the pen blade was very good.

Turn-around time was a bit over a month.

 

[jackknife]

This made me wonder....Can you tell just looking at a person if he is likely to carry a pocket knife? What would be the signs? Are there any?

I think maybe some types of people can be judged to have a knife on them, either by mode of dress, generation, or a combination of activity and topography.

For example, a group of white males clad in jeans boots and leather biker gear just may have the ubiquitous lockblade on the belt, while the older guy stopping off to get some nightcrawlers on the way out to the fishing hole is going to have a pocket knife of some sort on him.

I think alot of men over the age of 50-55 will have a small pocket knife. Its just part of that generations life experiance. Most of them grew up in a time that a man always had a pocket knife and a handkerchief in a pocket. Certanly men over 60 will have one for the same reason. Political corectness may change the lives of the younger generation, but the old codgers like myself will be too stuborn too change a life time habit.

Most blue collar workers will have some sort of cutting tool on them. In the army engineers I served with carpenters plumbers, welders, electricians, and equiptment operators. All of them had some sort of pocket knife on them. Usually a two blade jack of some sort, with a smattering of stockmen and issue scout knives in the mix. Now the leatherman seems to have taken over that scene.

At the Watkins-Johnson company I worked at for almost 20 years almost everyone had a pocket knife. Working class guys in the uniform of jeans and Carhart shirts, in the machine and sheet metal shops, welding shop, PC lab. 1980 to late 90's era. Popular knives ranged from plastic handle lockblades like Gerber LST's and Buck lights, to Old Timers. Oddly enough, of the several Vietnamiese workers we had, most of them had a strong pefference to the Victorinox sak. Especially the small ones like the classic. My friend Tam Nguyen always kept one in his watch pocket of his jeans, a small aluminum handle two blade job that was very flat, in addition to the classic on his keyring. His brother who also ran a mill in the shop carried a Wenger SI on his belt in a leather pouch.

Walking around the mall with Karen on a shopping jag, I see alot of the younger 20 something guys with the tell-tale metal clip in the pocket. Most of them seem to wear fatique or military type cargo pants in black, black t-shirts with logo's of some sort.

A few years ago I was at the watch counter in a Walmart getting a new band for my Timex expedition, and there was this 30 something young woman who had bought a new band for her watch. She reached into her purse and took out what looked to be a Victorinx tinker and used the small blade to undo the spring pin things to get the old band off.

I think the Leatherman tool thing has made it more acceptable to the non-knife masses to have a cutting tool around. Leatherman, Gerber multies, sak's, all seem to have the tool apeal to the modern public, so many who would not carry a stockman, trapper, or even a peanut, because its a "knife", will carry a Leatherman or sak without thinking of a bad context.

 

[mnblade]

For example, a group of white males clad in jeans boots and leather biker gear just may have the ubiquitous lockblade on the belt...

Ubiquitous? Are they still? All I ever see bikers toting any more are cell phones.

 

[jackknife]

Ubiquitous? Are they still? All I ever see bikers toting any more are cell phones.

MY GOD!

You mean the last bastion of free wheeling American road warriors have been yuppyized?

Well, at least we still have the Duke!

 

[Stainz]

I have had a knife in my pocket since my teens. I knew many other physics majors who carried pocket knifes - in undergrad and grad school - always handy in labs. As a teacher, it was handy in my electronics labs - and the SAK's scissors opened many a bag of powdered chemicals used in my darkroom - and the darkroom of the school's photography classes I taught for years. My son, a civil engineer, never carries any of the myriad of knives I've given him. My older son, a commercial pilot, learned to carry el-cheapo's after losing several by having to airline home - the x-ray operators even taking his miniature screwdriver needed to recalibrate a flight instrument. We've lost a lot of freedoms.

As a college teacher, it was a SAK. As a range officer, I carried a Kershaw Blur or Buck 110. My second bride carries some folding/collapseable scissors, a remembrance from her late older brother. She also has a Kershaw Rainbow Chive. Oddly, she uses both daily in her job - as a pre-school lead teacher.

Stainz

 

[udtjim]

Every day I carry the SAK Explorer and a pocket clip Kershaw Blackout. I always have a stanley Snap off blade knife with a pocket clip in my tee shirt pocket. I also usually have a multi-tool on my belt.

 

[augustus88]

Since '97 ive worked for a small studio, mostly packaging, marketing materials, trade show displays and the like. Adobe Photoshop CS, Illus CS, Indesign, etc. Die hard Mac guy since 1992
Aside from work i paint (mainly oils) draw, sculpt, scrim whatever i want
Nice to see another creative type on here! And a professor at that!
Thanks for asking
ivan

Die hard Mac user here too! :thumbup: I use Adobe CS3 and Corel Painter 10 for my commercial work. I've worked as an illustrator for Hallmark Cards and an editorial illustrator for several news organizations. I freelance on the side when my teaching schedule permits.

Don't get to meet too many "knife people" in our profession. That makes three that I know of so far. Maybe there's hope for us after all.

Sorry about derailing this thread.

 

[Midwest Ninja]

While I don't think that you cant tell whether or not someone has a knife on their person, I can usually guess what kind of knife is being carried if I know its there. Younger people have more of a "tactical" style, although its usually some cheap knockoffs, not anything quality. Older people will carry a stockman or SAK.

 

[IVANKERLEY]

Die hard Mac user here too! :thumbup: I use Adobe CS3 and Corel Painter 10 for my commercial work. I've worked as an illustrator for Hallmark Cards and an editorial illustrator for several news organizations. I freelance on the side when my teaching schedule permits.

Don't get to meet too many "knife people" in our profession. That makes three that I know of so far. Maybe there's hope for us after all.

Sorry about derailing this thread.

truly derailed if we keep getting back to knives
ivan

 

[Foilist]

I asked if I could see the blade, I was only mildly surprised to see what was once I'm sure a Lambsfoot blade now only slightly wider than a toothpick.

If you strike up a friendship with this guy, you ought to give him a new knife maybe, since his blade is all used up.

 

[ElCuchillo]

Like Jackknife said, multitools have changed the way people look at cutting implements. It's the "pocketknife" (term used in the traditional, nostalgia producing sense of the word) of our time. I carry a Leatherman Wave on my belt all the time. ALL THE TIME. At home, no where to go for the day? I'm strapped. Go to the library or book store? It's on my belt. On the back of an alligator during a gator wrestling show? It's right there with me. I carry a SAK or Peanut with me as well, sometimes a Sodbuster jr. However, no matter WHAT I carry, I carry my Leatherman. Years from now, when I'm hanging out with my grandkids, I think I'll be pulling out my Leatherman to carve something up or unscrew smething, and my grandkids will be looking at me like "Why does granpa use that old thing?"