Just another lesson on lending knives to people

I used my RTAK as an ice pick once. We accidentally left the cooler outside over night in the dead of winter... the ice that had melted next to the fire turned into a solid block of ice, trapping forever the beer.

Out comes the RTAK, and sometime later, out came the beer (which was frozen solid and undrinkable). No damage done to the knife. Of course that's a pound and a half of solid quarter inch thick steel... but it was done with hard downward stabs, and no tip damage at all.

Ice is pretty fragile to pin point, high impact strikes (that's why ice picks are shaped the way they are). It shouldn't do too much damage to a knife at all, apart from possibly rolling the tip a little, but that's easily fixed.

Ice is stronger against blows that are distributed pretty evenly over the surface. You'll do better at breaking ice with an edged or pointed tool than you will with a hammer, fist, baseball bat, etc.
 
I used my Endura as an icepick too. I beleive it's safe unless you hit what's below the ice (metal, stone or concrete)
 
i've handed my knife to more then one person, only have them do what they needed, then sit there tapping the edge on whatevers closest, at least one of wich being a glass bottle.
 
I think we have all learned the hard way about lending knives to others.

I let someone, who seemed relatively smart, a folder to use. When he finished he had a little trouble closing the liner lock and was using as much strength as he could to get it unstuck for me. He actually bent part of the liner out of adjustment. The only good thing it was not a Spyderco.Maybe that's why it bent. Anyway, now I make sure they know how to use it properly or I will cut whatever (whoever) for them.
 
I try not to lend out a knife, unless I know the person is a fellow knife knut. Otherwise, who knows what they'll do with it.

I remember lending out an SAK to a guy that worked at one of my Targets, so he could open a box of bags. He proceeded to try and make the cut with the back of the blade, pushing his thumb down on the edge. I calmly asked him to give me the knife back, made the cut for him, then put it back in my pocket. How he didn't slice his thumb wide open I will never know.
 
I should note that the few friends that I will freely lend one of my knives to typically have had some sort of knife accident occur in the past (One had his doctor suggest he should eat out more often after slicing off part of his finger making dinner :D). Having something like that happen tends to give people that don't usually use knives the respect and moderation they should have.
 
Jeff Clark said:
Since I've chewed ice for years I have never worried about using a knife as an icepick.
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Maybe you should get your hemoglobin checked. Chewing ice can sometimes be a sign of low iron levels.
 
I no longer lend out knives to anyone. I will simply do the cut for them.
Long ago, one person asked to borrow a Delica. He was walking over to a wooden support beam with it when I took it away from him. He said he wanted to see how far into the beam he could cut with it.:mad:

Others have found it impossible to figure out how to close a linerlock (AFCK, etc.), and tried pressing on the pivot screw to unlock it. I'll admit I'm not the biggest genius on earth, but when someone spends several minutes in vain trying to figure out how to close a linerlock, then acts absolutely puzzled when I show how it's done, I know I should've been more careful and explained it very slowly beforehand. Not a problem anymore, 'cause as mentioned, either I'll make the cut or they can buy their own knives.
Jim
 
urg... i let a friend use my 110 while camping the other week (bad idea i know) and i told him that it is extreamlly sharp, so of course the first thing he does is put his thumb to the balde. Just before he did, i asked him if i could quick see it for a sec, he gave it back and i put it back in its sheath. he gave me a wierd look so i told him that i had just saved him 4 stitches. I really don't need a friend gashing open his finger on my counsious. Not compleatly related i know, but i wanted to share.
 
How did he ice pick with a Calypso Jr and not break the tip apart? Amazing
Also, try telling people how to unlock a compression lock..takes them quite a while..even though there's a HUGE cut out
 
I don't know what is more depressing, all the lent out damaged knife stories or that the beer was lost in frozen blocks of ice (post 21)....:D

I learned to not lend out knives in fourth grade. My teacher knew I had a slipjoint and kept asking to borrow it for crafts. I knew she was dulling it and being a fourth grader, I didn't know how to sharpen it. I had to start telling her I forgot my knife....ah the good old days when you take a knife to school and not get expelled and charged by the police. :rolleyes:
 
I hate letting other people use my knives, and I never do I'll cut something for others......
I'll even abuse my knife for others, as long as I get to do it! It's my knife, I paid the price, and no one but me is going to enjoy using it.
If they want a knife, they can buy one......
 
What Walking Man said...

Say, maybe this is another whole marketing angle for the Byrd line. Carry one in addition to your EDC. Someone needs a knife, give them the Byrd. If they damage it, well, it's a $20 knife.
 
A lot of good wisdom in this post.

All I have to say is, this is the reason that no matter what knife I carry strong side, I always carry a fully serrated Spyderco Jester to lend out with the standard "Be careful, it's sharp" warning.
 
"Be careful, it's sharper than any knife you've ever handled."

"Oh, yeah? Lemme see." *skritcchhh* (sound of serrations on thumb bone.)
 
During the winter months I icepick the hell out of our ice cooler with my Pacific Salt. It works well.

Being that I work around people who are acclimated to knives fairly well I have no problem lending them out to my co-workers. I've even had to convince my Chef that it was alright to pry off the top of a paprika can with the Pacific Salt because I really needed it right now.

Also, once you hang around long enough at a job you can stop lending people knives and start giving them knives as gifts so you no longer have to worry about them screwing up your knife.
 
Anyone to whom I'd lend a knife I've already given a gen 3 delica. "Where's your delica, you're wearing pants!" is my reply along with my admonishment to use their teeth since they left their Spydie at home.:D
 
James Y said:
I no longer lend out knives to anyone. I will simply do the cut for them.
Others have found it impossible to figure out how to close a linerlock (AFCK, etc.
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It is scary - truly scary - that any normal-intelligence human being can take minutes to examine something as simple as a pocketknife and not be able to figure out how to unlock and close it.

It's simply inexcusable. How is it even possible to examine a linerlocking knife and not be able to see what's going on preventing it from closing, and what to do about it?!

-Jeffrey
 
peacefuljeffrey said:
It is scary - truly scary - that any normal-intelligence human being can take minutes to examine something as simple as a pocketknife and not be able to figure out how to unlock and close it.

It's simply inexcusable. How is it even possible to examine a linerlocking knife and not be able to see what's going on preventing it from closing, and what to do about it?!

-Jeffrey
Click to expand...

If someone can't figure out how to close a liner lock I don't want to see him trying to close a phantom lock...
 
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