Knives of your Mentors

My Granddad carried a Buck 307 and did just about everything with it. My uncle Blackie carried a Buck 112. My uncle Kenny carried a Buck 303. Most of the other guys that I grew up around carried either some kind of stockman or some kind of lockback. The only fixed blades I remember seeing were butcher knives and filliet knives.
Jim
 
My dad caried an Old Timer 34OT and could do anything with it.

My stepdad carried a Case XX trapper that belonged to his dad. He was a lifelong outdoorsman and never carried anything else.

Both grandfathers carried Case XX trappers with yellow handles. That's what caused my knife obsession.

For 20 years I carried a Case XX 11031sh. Then(Damn these forums)I found out about all the knives I HAD TO HAVE!!!:D
 
My father, and many others I knew of his generation, owned and used a hatchet/FB combo with both housed in a common shealth. A trend that has fallen out of fashion.
 
A small Buck gents knife with a laminet wood handle for daily use, an original PST Leatherman, a Buck 501 for hunting, and a Military Bayonet in the car for emergencies. I now own all of these from my dad's estate. The last few years before he died, I made sure he had a selection of Spyderco knives to carry. He favored the Caly Jr in burgandy FRN set up for left hand carry.
 
My dad grew up on a farm, went to Great Lakes Naval Training for diesel mechanic, on to general contractor, then back to ranching/farming.

he believed in good tools, but as for knife he had an old Mora type hunting knife, maybe a case pocket knife(well abused, dull, chipped, folding putty knife, screw driver, de-burring tool).

I made a deal one day at school. trade a kid out of a few Case pocket knives, Dad claimed one...Lost it a while later.........:rolleyes:. I sot him an oldtimer fo C*mas, he used it till the blades about fell out.

Not a big "knife nut" but he always had a tape measure and a nail clippers in his pocket.

Just depends, what are your priorities?

Pat
 
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Lotta old school slipjoints here.. One thing I noticed when thinking about classic vs modern pocket knives, is that the presence of multiple blades seems to be much less prevalent now. Most pocket knives now consist of a single locking blade, The old schol pocket knives seems to have the large and small blade at the very minimum
 
DAD carried a large Swiss Army Knife on his person for as long as i can remember gotta be 50+ years and he had two big folding knives with a fork & spoon on them that stayed in the glove box of all the cars we had growing up
 
My old man was a KaBar guy... always had either the marine standard issue or the smaller airforce pilot issue version when we were in the woods and a boot knife as an EDC. I don't remember the model #s off hand but I know they were from 'Nam and are still in great shape. I've still got em in the collection box.

These days, I've convinced him armageddon is not around the corner and a kershaw leek would be just fine :)
 
I remember my dad having an old Rambo knife at one time he had in his van (like the a-team ones.) he also carried a buck 110 or a kabar when camping.

he always let me use his buck 110, and gramps always let me use his swiss army knife.
 
Grandpa carried a Barlow, wicked sharp. My father carried a stockman, either Queen or Old Timer.
 
Dad carried and still carries a Puma Stockman... the original had carbon blades and the one he carries now is a stainless version.

Jason
 
Nice thread RR.

The two most influential mentors for me were my Grandfather and a maternal Uncle. Both woodsmen, canoeists, hunters, and anglers.

My Grandfather was one of those guys you could leave at the side of a lake with an axe and a pocket full of seeds and come back in a year to find a cabin, smokehouse, and little garden. He had all kinds of knives but I remember him carrying a Case "Jack knife" as an EDC and Marbles (?) Woodcraft (?) fixed blade as a "deer knife". The two blade "jackknife" was his primary blade.

My Grandfather gave me my first knife, a SAK. Don't have that one anymore.

My uncle carried a Buck 110 and, later, a Schrade or Buck fixed blade. He probably carried a pocket knife as well, but I associate him with that 110. He's the reason I still have and favor the venerable 110.

My Uncle gave me my first fixie, a Schrade Old Timer Woodsman. Stout as hell, but a nice knife.

I don't think the multiple blades were all that important to these guys. I suspect the idea of having different blades for different purposes was more theory than practice. Maybe stockmen really did like having a sheeps foot blade in addition to a long clip and a spey. Maybe not. I suspect that marketing has been an influence ever since the first flint knapper started trading for meat: "yeah, but this chert knife has two edges..."

I like my Case Trapper, but the elongated spey has never really seemed that useful, probably a single bladed Jack would be just as handy and weigh a little less. Certainly the popularity of the single blade SAKs suggests that the contemporary user doesn't need 3 different blade shapes as much as the old guys seemed to think they needed 'em.
 
This is one of my grandfather's, a made in Sheffield (John Nowill and Sons) lock back.

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He used to sharpen it on the stone drain outside.
 
I remember a few knives my father carried when I was growing up. I just can't remember the names. But one I remember for sure was his issued Ka Bar. It had the leather ring handle. Lots of fish cleaning with that bad boy.
 
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My Dad carried a no name fixed blade. I can still picture it. God alone knows how many deer and hogs he processed with that knife.
He also carried an old Barlow knife. I still have that one.

The gentleman that taught me about woods craft carried a Clauss skinner. I have that one as well.
 
Vintage OLD TIMERS were always the rage. My Farming folk always praised the MERCATOR pocket knife for its great steel.
My great great uncle got the first mercator from a German solder as a gift in WW2.
The story goes , He came across a wounded Soldier. He tended to his wounds over night . As a gift the German gave him the knife.
In Africa The Germans and Aussies had great respect for each other.
Even Romel would put flowers on Aussie Diggers graves.


I have always loved Puma knives..When i was a kid, Dad would drag me around to all the gun shops. I use to just spend time gazing at the beutifull looking blades in those green & yellow boxes ,that were kept under the glass.
 
My dad always had a 3 blade stockman on him, and for hunting, he used an old Western Skinner.
 
My Dad carried a SAK and a WW2 bayonnete when camping as well as an axe. He was never an EDC kinda guy though. I miss him :(
 
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