Knife people shouldn't do this!

The writer David Mamet wrote an essay about knives. In it he talks about Victorian times and how all gentlemen carried a pocket knife and it was considered rude to borrow a knife from another man. These days you get the looks and remarks if you pull out a knife. Many people don't know how to use a knife safely anymore. Anyway, that is all I remember about the essay other than he talks about his love off sharpening old tool steel and his hate of modern stainless steels. I will have to dig out that book and reread it.
 
Oh, how I love being retired! Carry anything I want, use it whenever I want,
exercise my "old coot" perogative to be cantankerous about loaning my knife.

And how I love living in Alabama! My daughter and I eat at least twice a week at a greek sandwitch shop frequented by local police and county sherrif's deputies. I open my Rat Trap (3.9" blade, totally legal) to cut her burger in half and the LEO's usually don't even glance our way.

Loved working for Alabama Power. Utilities (this one, anyway) are tool cultures, and anyone associated with operating departments, even us engineers, would just be assumed to have a knife.

Sometimes I forget how good I have had it, until I read a thread like this.
 
Mike, I get "The look" if I open a standard sized SAK blade in a restaraunt, regardless of what I'm cutting. Happened when I was at a Pizza Buffet recently and I was doing some sketching. Made a few neat slices to my pencil to get it sharp again and put it away, noticed about 4 people whispering at different tables.
 
Knives in the workplace require special treatment.

If someone asked me (this is hypothetical as I haven't ...WORKED.:barf: ..) since 2003, I would suggest the following:

No, I do not loan knives or anything else to people of your race/sex/religion.

What's a sweet thang like you want a knife for? (with a friendly pat)

My knife is for killing. Do you want to KILL something?

I never liked you. (practice fierce grimaces)

Why don't you have your own knife? You a swish er sumpin?

:D
satirewarningrm5.jpg
 
Of the three other guys on my shift at work, one has been hunting and fishing his whole life, one worked for years in a meat-packing plant boning beef, and the other is a confirmed knife knut. So it's not an issue for me if they want to borrow a knife, they know how to handle them safely. Actually only the first two ever ask, because of course the third has his own :)

The former butcher is a whiz at sharpening. He regularly touches up the #11 X-acto knife he often uses for detail work with a cheap orange shop stone, and strops it on the heel of his thumb. Been using the same blade all year! I asked him once what angle he liked to sharpen his knives at; he looked at me blankly and said "Uh, so it's sharp, dumbass!" He doesn't give a rip about fancy techniques, but he sure keeps his tools sharp :)

Plus we work night shift, so after 5PM all the mindless office yahoos are gone and we can go about our work in peace.

My job rocks ;)

EDIT: I almost forgot to mention the night my supervisor brought in his official $3500 Conan the Barbellian sword to show off to the boys. Not my cup of tea, but I was really impressed with the quality. Or the night the hunter brought in his new bow to show off by shooting some target arrows into boxes stuffed with scrap cardboard. Or... anyway, try that working in a federal office building, ho ho.
 
What Esav says about the Salt I is spot-on. Another option, even more, um, defensible, is either the Atlantic Salt or (even better, because it is smaller) the 79 mm Rescue with orange handle.

If anyone asks, you point out the blunted tip and explain that it is a rescue knife. The Rescue even says "Rescue" on the blade. You point out that it is made for paramedics, and as such is designed to not cut people.

As an aside, I sure would like a 79 mm Atlantic Salt with orange scales...
 
I was working in the evening in a computer lab, and someone came in holding a very blunt pencil asking if I could spare a pencil or pen. I offered him a Caly Jr and asked if he wanted to sharpen his pencil. I was glad he didn't cut himself or run off with it, or else I would have had to chase him down with my Military.
 
I have had something similar happen several times, example : friend comes over, wants to see my katana, boom, sliced thumb. for some reasons some people pick a knife or sword up and the first thing they do is check the edge, then get that dumbfounded "i cut myself?" look.

i hate when that happens!~
 
I once offered a knife (CRKT M18 to be specific) to a young man in the middle of Tennesse a few years ago. I was taking my mother to Alabama to her sisters funeral in the middle of the night. I stopped to get gas and this "hoopty a#$" car pulled right up beside my truck. He hopped out and asked for my moolah. About the time that blade snapped open in front of his lips he changed his mind and left quickly and followed me down I- 40 for a few miles. Self defense would not have been enough claim for me if he would have tried something. (I was in a bad mood anyhow I just had worked off of a straight thirty hours). So in my case to I am glad knife people did not have to do something

The funeral was not in the middle of the night. She past away at the age of 50 and my uncle wanted us there asap
 
I worked in an office during my USAF days, and carried a 4' Cold Steel Gunsite. Never thought anything of it til my boss (who had 4 more stripes than me) asked for a knife to open some boxes. I just clicked it open and handed it to him. You could've heard a pin drop. Got the usual "why are you carrying such a HUGE knife?" rhetoric, but from that day on, I was always the guy that called to cut office B-day cake, open boxes, etc.
 
My prized folder never gets lent out simply because I don't want my prized folder to come back trashed.

Keep a Buck Juno in my pocket for my PT job as cashier at a "large discount retailer"(pays the child support).

Reasons for the Juno:

1. Cheap--not much lose if I have to give it up.
2. Sold at the "large discount retailer"--figure its a good defence if not using one of the issued box cutters---which are worthless for the tasks I do there.
3. EVERYBODY---yes EVERYBODY---who buys sunglasses wants the tag removed. The little Juno just plows through those hard plastic tags.
4. Its small enough not to raise the hackles of the sheep---er um customers when I cut their tags off.
 
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