Cory Hess
Basic Member
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2014
- Messages
- 2,117
I am much overdo in the thank you department. First, I want to say thanks to 5K (GT) Qs. I have made mention in the past that my experiences with Rough Rider knives have been mixed. I felt that for the price they are fine knives, but have not been overly impressed with their QC. 5K took it upon himself to send me an exquisite example of a RR Muskrat that rivals the F&F of any knife I own at any price. The bone is excellent in fit, color, and jigging. The knife has good heft and feel in hand. I've never owned a muskrat before, and I had kind of written off the pattern as I didn't see the point of having two identical blades in one knife. I get it now. I prefer the width of a two spring knife. It just feels more natural in my hand than a single springer. The muskrat gives you that, but the turkish clips just disappear into the handle when closed. The effect is that you get the width of a two-blade knife, not to mention the convenience of a second blade, but the ergonomics of a single blade in that you don't feel the closed blade at all. I'm quickly becoming a big fan. Anyways, here's my subpar picture:
Thank you very much, GT. I really appreciate you opening my eyes both to how excellent Rough Rider knives can be and to the muskrat pattern.
Next, I have to thank Duncan. Everybody knows Duncan's generosity, and he displayed it again by sending me the single nicest knife I have had the pleasure of owning. Duncan gifted me a GEC made J.B.F. Champlin 85 bullet end jack. This is another pattern that's new to me, though one I've been eyeballing for a while. I never imagined I'd get a specimen of this quality. I really don't have the words to describe the beauty of this knife, and I certainly don't have the photography skills to capture it. The fit and finish are perfect. The knife has great walk and talk, and it's the first knife I've handled that I honestly can't see any light between the liners and springs when it's open. I've had to rethink my collecting since receiving this knife. I have a couple knives that are just for lookin', but I've never owned one before that had me considering a display of some sort. This knife needs to be on display. Here are my inadequate pictures:
From the bottom of my heart, Duncan: Thank you so much. This knife will be cherished.
Now for the embarrassing part of my post. I have been in possession of an American made Old Timer 8OT for some time. It spent a good stretch being carried every day, but it has been pushed out of my pocket by other knives. Nowadays it spends most of it's time sitting in my desk drawer. I have had plans on what I want to do with it, but as usually happens time has passed and it still sits neglected. I pulled it out yesterday to play with a bit and to my horror rust has started to form on the sheepsfoot and spey blades. Of course, this is completely unacceptable. I have decided that I am no longer fit to own this knife. I know it's not a rare or valuable knife, but it's just as fine of a user as you'll ever want to see. I've decided that I'll run a little giveaway here and find this knife a good home. The reason that I've held onto this knife even though it hasn't been seeing use is because my dad carried an 8OT in his younger days when he was more outdoorsy. It was the knife he had on him when he hiked the Canadian Rockies. Seeing the knife brings back memories of him recounting his adventures from those times before I was born. For anybody that's interested just post that you're in along with a mention of any pattern or model knife that has family history for you. Here's some pictures of the 8OT I'm giving away. Just a little Flitz would take care of the rust right quick:
Thanks for taking the time to read, and good luck to anybody entering the GAW.
Thank you very much, GT. I really appreciate you opening my eyes both to how excellent Rough Rider knives can be and to the muskrat pattern.
Next, I have to thank Duncan. Everybody knows Duncan's generosity, and he displayed it again by sending me the single nicest knife I have had the pleasure of owning. Duncan gifted me a GEC made J.B.F. Champlin 85 bullet end jack. This is another pattern that's new to me, though one I've been eyeballing for a while. I never imagined I'd get a specimen of this quality. I really don't have the words to describe the beauty of this knife, and I certainly don't have the photography skills to capture it. The fit and finish are perfect. The knife has great walk and talk, and it's the first knife I've handled that I honestly can't see any light between the liners and springs when it's open. I've had to rethink my collecting since receiving this knife. I have a couple knives that are just for lookin', but I've never owned one before that had me considering a display of some sort. This knife needs to be on display. Here are my inadequate pictures:
From the bottom of my heart, Duncan: Thank you so much. This knife will be cherished.
Now for the embarrassing part of my post. I have been in possession of an American made Old Timer 8OT for some time. It spent a good stretch being carried every day, but it has been pushed out of my pocket by other knives. Nowadays it spends most of it's time sitting in my desk drawer. I have had plans on what I want to do with it, but as usually happens time has passed and it still sits neglected. I pulled it out yesterday to play with a bit and to my horror rust has started to form on the sheepsfoot and spey blades. Of course, this is completely unacceptable. I have decided that I am no longer fit to own this knife. I know it's not a rare or valuable knife, but it's just as fine of a user as you'll ever want to see. I've decided that I'll run a little giveaway here and find this knife a good home. The reason that I've held onto this knife even though it hasn't been seeing use is because my dad carried an 8OT in his younger days when he was more outdoorsy. It was the knife he had on him when he hiked the Canadian Rockies. Seeing the knife brings back memories of him recounting his adventures from those times before I was born. For anybody that's interested just post that you're in along with a mention of any pattern or model knife that has family history for you. Here's some pictures of the 8OT I'm giving away. Just a little Flitz would take care of the rust right quick:
Thanks for taking the time to read, and good luck to anybody entering the GAW.
That sort of budget-busting impulse buying is not at all my style, but I figured that my trip may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so I tried to pick up at least one sharp souvenir in each city we visited. And these knives, while relatively inexpensive, are priceless to me because of the circumstances under which I obtained them. For most of them, my daughter served as my interpreter, agent, and negotiator; she was my partner in knife (and memories) acquisition. It was a marvelous trip, and I'll be starting a thread soon in which I make you all sit through some of my vacation photos to get to the knifey parts! 
While I'll always be able to appreciate a showpiece, it's the knives that I carry and use that remind me of something that I'll always cherish the most.
