My *First* Traditional

MrPocketsOfSteel

MrPocketsOfSteel

Joined
Mar 13, 2012
Messages
634
After years of carrying a folder in my pocket I now have my first traditional.:D

As I've gotten older I have noticed the last couple of years of me looking into this part of BF.

My Dad had always carried a traditional of course as well as my Grandpa, I had a "little accident" with a pocket knife my Dad gave me more than likely around the age of eight or nine and that was the end of my "pocket knife" experience.

It wasn't till I joined BFC and gave a look over into this area with all you nuts that my interest peaked a tad.

In the years prior I couldn't get over the fact that anyone would spend basically anything on pocket knife that IMO was small and in some cases...inferior steel.

I am one of those that uses a knife everyday. I mean really uses. The wife said she will bury me with a piece of wood and a knife in my hand. Every folder I have is a no doubt been used knife no matter how much you try an clean it up and oil it.

The main reason I think I stayed away from a traditional is that if it can't take a lot of torque and pressure it is going to end up loosening to the point that I won't use it. With a typical folder of course you have the pivot and in most cases it is bigger. Having said all that, I received an email one day out of the blue from Jonathon asking for my home address. First thing that went through my mind was "dude, I don't know you, do you think I'm stupid"? But after doing what I do and checking to see if I didn't have a potential problem - Ha! I gave it to him.
On the 29th of November in my mailbox was a Boker Tree Brand 492 Barlow. Yea!!!!! For me!!!:D

I can't thank Jonathon enough for the act of kindness. He had no reason to do that. Just being a good fella. I'm thrilled with the knife, I'm sure you all know what type of piece I am speaking of. Sorry there are no pics, one day I will take the time to learn how to do that but I fear I will go pic crazy in the BFC. It came of course razor sharp and all I have done is strop it, the little blade is sweet, I didn't think I would have any need for a tiny blade like but I do. Other than the wood I have found that I can clean my nails / cut my raw garlic / cut notes/paper and some picking and digging at times where that size is perfect. I can't be more happy with it. Thanks Jonathon. It is appreciated and with me all the time.:thumbup:
 
Congratulations. But they're slipjoints, not traditionals. "Traditional" does not refer to a specific design, it's an adjective that describes certain types of folding knives (i.e., slipjoints, lockbacks, friction folders) and fixed blades.

- Christian
 
Welcome aboard! These old classic folders have a nostalgia about them thats addicting. The Barlow is as classic as it gets - I have one in my pocket as I type this in fact. Share some pics when you can :)

Jonathan is a great guy and is known for just such random acts of kindness.
 
There are plenty of folks on here, myself included, who have benefited from the generosity of others on here who encourage (get hooked) folks coming into or in a lot of cases back to traditional slippies and fixed blades.

Like myself, a lot of folks on returning to basic, thin bladed, cutting tools in patterns that have been around for many decades and longer find that these "old" knives do what they did back when people carried AND used them plenty. They cut. Really well and without all the fanfare. They also require a person to actually use them properly, but when used so, it is quite amazing just how effective these cutting tools can be. And, they look and feel so good doing it.

Welcome. Just apologize to the wife now or quickly set up a secret bank account and make stealth arrangements with the delivery guy to deal with the future influx of knives that will seduce their way into your hands, pockets, drawers, secret hiding places....

Hey, at least it's now high end 1911s or premium O/U shotguns.

Enjoy!
 
kamagong said:
Congratulations. But they're slipjoints, not traditionals. "Traditional" does not refer to a specific design, it's an adjective that describes certain types of folding knives (i.e., slipjoints, lockbacks, friction folders) and fixed blades.

- Christian
Click to expand...

Ah. Thanks for the correction. But I think the wires got crossed or misunderstood. I know the knife "itself" is not called a "traditional". It's a Barlow. But it is in the traditional family is it not? Would I be correct in thinking that? That is what I mean.
 
Last edited:
I think referring to the knife by calling it a traditional makes sense. Adding "knife" after traditional might have flowed better. Having a noun after the adjective, but it's like talking about cars with a bunch of guys and saying, "I got my first classic today." If we were on a motorcycle forum and you said, "I got my first cruiser." Most folks would have said, "Pics or it didn't happen!" They'd get it.

Having been through a few typography classes and having worked in layout and graphics I still have a gripe with people calling something a font (like in the formatting box in message post) when it's a typeface. Helvetica is a typeface. Helvetica bold italic, 12pt with 14 pt leading is a font.

However, like a lot of things graphic and photographic, the availability of inexpensive computers and software has resulted in poor design and mangled terminology. Add in that software designers and programmers created programs from word processing to, oh, forum software that simply butchered hundreds of years of typography and now we have the word "font" being used to supplant the proper term.

So, if I have to live with that, I can certainly deal with you using the word "traditional" to describe a knife. If you say I got a new lockback I would assume it might be a modern. Telling me you got a new traditional communicates a category or classification that takes in the "traditional" spectrum. Then I'm looking at what follows in your post to find out exactly which pattern, maker, materials, etc.. Your saying "...I now have my first traditional." is really no worse than people saying, "Oh, I got a new Font today." when they really mean they got a new typeface. ;)

You do need to figure out how to get pics of it and posted. If you have a flatbed scanner you can use a cloth or leather backing and actually scan to a .jpg file. Because we really want to see your first traditional (knife). :D

Example photo scanned a few years ago on a flatbed with leather over the knife as a background. Then the photo was uploaded to a free photobucket account and the link posted via the image button in the message creation area.

SM-Autumn-Maze-CCJig.jpg
[/URL][/IMG]
 
Thanks for the kind words. I actually gave that knife away to cope with my having spent too much time on the Bay. My accumulation is exceeding the size of my knife roll, and Im on a diet. I have to give a knife away, in order to make room for the next one I want :-)

this is the knife MrPocketsOfSteel was kind enough to accept. Accepting a gift, is a gift in its own right. For one thing it requires trusting a total stranger with a mailing address :-)

Boker Barlows are a very inexpensive way to get into traditionals.
%2524_57.JPG


as you can see, it was a typical Ebay knife that had been cleaned with something very coarse.
%2524_57.JPG


And this was his post in a Barlow thread, where he complimented another Boker Barlow I had just acquired, and where I saw an opportunity to give.

MrPocketsOfSteel said:
that sure is a purty knife you got there.:thumbup: I have never owned a traditional. I look a lot though. I am waiting for "that feeling." That feeling sadly hasn't happened in looking at a traditional for me. Except for the Barlow pattern.

I think it's time to start researching and finding the right Barlow for me.
Click to expand...

As others have mentioned, this may be just the beginning.. Until recently, I did not own any of the 10 Barlows I have now! How did that happen?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top