Knife collecting - a lonely experience?

RayseM said:
You are a lucky man with a cool daughter. :thumbsup:
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Excellent.

Today my pal The Chef was setting up her new art studio space. She's sharing the big old 1904 school house room with a photographer. He had built some divider walls on casters and they were painting them. My pal had to cut up some stuff and he said just a second I know I have a knife around here some where. The Chef says to him don't worry about it I got my EDC right here.
! ! !
EDC . . . I'm sure that gave him a double take. She's white haired and about sixty. :thumbsup:
hahahaha
 
Most people I know just look at knives that I'm interested in or own as an extravagant expense. But my brother-in-law does collect knives. He keeps them razor sharp all the time and takes pride in their sharpness. He'll use pretty much any of them if something needs cut. I show him a knife or three when I visit. But generally my knives aren't really at the same level as his. I'm content and have no desire to buy stuff like his.
 
RayseM said:
Alone but not lonely.
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I have to respond to that.
A great man once said :
Most people cannot live alone, therefore they need companions. It requires enormous intelligence to be alone; and you must be alone to find God, truth. It is nice to have a companion, a husband or a wife, and also to have babies; but you see, we get lost in all that, we get lost in the family, in the job, in the dull, monotonous routine of a decaying existence. We get used to it, and then the thought of living alone becomes dreadful, something to be afraid of. Most of us have put all our faith in one thing, all our eggs in one basket, and our lives have no richness apart from our companions, apart from our families and our jobs. But if there is a richness in one's life - not the richness of money or knowledge, which anyone can acquire, but that richness which is the movement of reality with no beginning and no ending - then companionship becomes a secondary matter.

But, you see, you are not educated to be alone. Do you ever go out for a walk by yourself? It is very important to go out alone, to sit under a tree - not with a book, not with a companion, but by yourself - and observe the falling of a leaf, hear the lapping of the water, the fisherman's song, watch the flight of a bird, and of your own thoughts as they chase each other across the space of your mind. If you are able to be alone and watch these things, then you will discover extraordinary riches which no government can tax, no human agency can corrupt, and which can never be destroyed.

End of quote.
Of course that doesn't apply to me . . . it is easy for me (doesn't take much "intelligence" in my case) I'm an only child and used to entertaining my self.
Matter of fact that has been a source of some consternation for others; on occasion I have taken this self entertainment a little too far. Hahahahahaha
 
Johnny Cash . . . one of the few that I find is timeless; some of the young dig him as well as us old dudes. The story his daughter tells of The List bears that out.
 
There is only one other member of BF that I know personally. I had no idea he had any interest in knives until he sought me out at another gathering. He is a knowledgable and sophisticated collector of traditional knives. My interest is mostly in traditionals, but not at that level. Our paths cross two or three times a year and we chat, but we don’t hang out.

I would call myself an accumulater as well. I buy knives that interest me and that I can afford. My son has an interest in knives, and we give each other knives, but our tastes do not overlap much. I give my other kids and grandchildren knives as gifts. Other than that, and my interactions here on BF, my knives are pretty much a solitary pursuit.
 
Well technically I'm a knife accumulator since they're all intended to be used in some way, but yes I do have a few people to share the hobby with although they may not be on the same level as me.
My dad got me started and currently has a shoebox worth of knives, my brother also loves knives, and my teenage cousin is filling up a HF machinist box with knives.

My cousin doesn't really know the good vs bad yet but at least I can talk knives with him when ever visiting, and I've given him all of the decent modern type folders I no longer wanted.

My dad is cheap so while he does know a decent knife and had history with Buck and Victorinox blades there's still that reaction when he knows that whatever I bought next probably cost more than he'd ever spend regardless of how nice it may be. ( And my most expensive was only $75 shipped )

And my brother would rather abuse and or loose gas station specials, but still try to prove their quality by showing me how sharp it came and how it has no blade play.
 
I suppose I'm fortunate to have coworkers who are interested in whatever my latest purchase is, or that I live in an area where high end collectors bring thousands of dollars worth of knives to a sushi restaurant several times per year, or that my girlfriend likes the Para 3 I bought her. And even though I have more opportunities to share this interest in person than some of the members here, socially I get the most from forums like this one. But to be honest, my main interest is that I like them. I like to collect, use and fidget with them, and that's enough for me.

Here's a shot at said sushi restaurant from one of the meet ups. This is just a small portion of what we had at the tables. They section off an area for the group every time we meet up

23596180_163417771066994_3286944634906869760_n.jpg
 
The only person I know who has more than one pocket knife is my brother, who has a half dozen or so. Before I got the "bug" I was rather perplexed as to why anyone would have that many knives.

Now, the only others that carry a knife are a couple guys at work. I occasionally will show them a new purchase but they really don't seem too enthused about it so I don't really mention it much anymore.

I remember a couple of years ago a customer came into the store carrying a smallish FB in a leather belt sheath. The funny thing was, even though I thought it was cool, it still was a bit "shocking" to see one in the wild. We don't see many people up here carrying a knife so an exposed pocket clip is a rarity. No one would even recognize it for the "treasure" it holds.
 
How do y’all find in-person knife meetups?

I’m in the Austin area if anyone wants to start one or knows of some already happening.
 
I have found that the best way to meet people who like knives is to meet people that do the things that knives were traditionally used for. Collecting is a solitary endeavor, as stated previously. But the activities for which knives are an integral part tend to be more social. I can think of few more bonding experiences among people than a day fishing/ hunting/camping with friends. Activities, not objects, are the pathway to those relationships in my opinion.
 
Wowbagger said:
I have to respond to that.
A great man once said :
Most people cannot live alone, therefore they need companions. It requires enormous intelligence to be alone; and you must be alone to find God, truth. It is nice to have a companion, a husband or a wife, and also to have babies; but you see, we get lost in all that, we get lost in the family, in the job, in the dull, monotonous routine of a decaying existence. We get used to it, and then the thought of living alone becomes dreadful, something to be afraid of. Most of us have put all our faith in one thing, all our eggs in one basket, and our lives have no richness apart from our companions, apart from our families and our jobs. But if there is a richness in one's life - not the richness of money or knowledge, which anyone can acquire, but that richness which is the movement of reality with no beginning and no ending - then companionship becomes a secondary matter.

But, you see, you are not educated to be alone. Do you ever go out for a walk by yourself? It is very important to go out alone, to sit under a tree - not with a book, not with a companion, but by yourself - and observe the falling of a leaf, hear the lapping of the water, the fisherman's song, watch the flight of a bird, and of your own thoughts as they chase each other across the space of your mind. If you are able to be alone and watch these things, then you will discover extraordinary riches which no government can tax, no human agency can corrupt, and which can never be destroyed.

End of quote.
Of course that doesn't apply to me . . . it is easy for me (doesn't take much "intelligence" in my case) I'm an only child and used to entertaining my self.
Matter of fact that has been a source of some consternation for others; on occasion I have taken this self entertainment a little too far. Hahahahahaha
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Agreed. It is very powerful, indeed, to be able to be left alone with one's thoughts.
I too, am an only child; and have no kids.
This time of year, especially, I observe most folks going insane, out of their minds, hustling, bustling. Complaining about obligations, schedules and such.
They say they feel sorry for me, and invite me into their whirlwind.
I graciously decline. For, you see, I'll be alone at the beach, with my dogs, observing those birds and waves.
A sort of heaven.
Maybe I'll hone a knife.
LOL
 
This is an interesting thread.
It speaks to me, as I do feel pretty solitary in this hobby.

I'm the guy in the family or group of friends that can always be counted on to have a knife. I'm one of those "be prepared" types. I have a flashlight and a lighter on me at all times as well. I guess many folks in society feel more at ease, or aren't used to getting out of a jam.

I came to the hobby later in life (now that I have more spending money), but I have always loved tools. To me a knife is a tool, but I notice I have been drawn to the artistic side of the hobby, which is vast and rich. I guess we're a niche of society. I'm glad this forum exists; it has enriched my hobby immensely.

I think there are less knives in the pockets of folks generally these days. Most of us are not "on the farm" anymore. Hunting is something less people do these days as well. A knife was just part of those experiences.

We're in a different world.
9/11/01 now makes it difficult to carry a knife to a hockey game or concert. Mass shootings are only reinforcing this fact.
I find folks around me are more interested in a knife I happen to be carrying if it's on the traditional side. Something with smaller blades. It reminds them of whittling, maybe their grandfather.

On the other hand, I recall family / friends thinking it odd when I only carried a tactical, flipper-folder. It just said "weapon" to them. In this, I realized it contributed to alienating them from the hobby; we weren't exactly members of a military unit.

That said, I love knives. Maybe I'm odd for it, but it's a fascinating and rich part of my life. Glad I'm not alone.
 
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I really don't consider myself a collector. I don't know how many knives I have but many are meant to be sold when I find the time the sort em, take pics, and list them here.

I have a few friends that are into guns, hunting, fishing, hiking, etc and we talk enough about knives to keep me happy.

It also helps that I sharpen knives (freehand). I tend to be the "go to" guy for knife sharpening in our circle of friends. I'm no expert sharpener but I can get a good edge on most blade steels.
 
I don't really consider myself as a true collector, as I almost only have beater knives and nothing in display cases - but still many more than I should have according to my wife... ;-)
It's mostly a lonely thing, not a social activity. Still, here in France at least people understand and appreciate one carrying a high-end Laguiole, and I even saw a tv commercial yesterday for a modernized Laguiole-type knife as a popular Christmas gift. Then there are Opinels, Le Thiers and generally some traditional knife makers and 'knife towns' throughout the country. There are one or two traditional knife makers at most rural village fairs, too.
My personal Laguiole was a Christmas gift from my mother-in-law 30 years ago, during my first ever visit to the family, and I have a nice custom hunting knife I got for a birthday from an uncle of my wife, who has some interest in blades, including katanas as he used to be a master aikido instructor at some astronomically elevated level, and the knife maker was one of his students. The guy is still a friend of my in-laws so I would have a place to go to to get a really unique knife if I wanted to and could afford it - but the blade I got from him is one I never use because it's too nice and too specialized. I could talk knives and steels etc. with him if he weren't
in a whole other part of the country. The closest I get is following him on Facebook...
 
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