One Man, One Knife

jackknife said:
I have to admit that in the past few months of this experiment, I've wavered a few times. I wanted my GEC 15, or maybe my Sardinian resolza. But when I wavered, and felt the doubts of the peanut being enough, I remembered the knife Otzi had on him. Att he time of his death 5,000 years ago, he was wearing a bearskin cloak that he probably skinned out himself. His knife was a slightly less than 2 inch flint knife that bloodstains on it and was used in a fight just before his death. His knife, and cloak had blood from at least three other people on them, and yet Otzi escaped into the mountains with an arrow in his back. He died later they say, from internal blood loss from the arrow wound. MUst have been a tough mother jumper! But if a 2 inch flint blade was good enough for a guy surviving in a cold mountain environment 5,000 years ago, I guess a daring suburbanite like me can get by with one.

Maybe I'll do a three month experiment after this with a tuxedo!:D

Carl, Grand High Muckba of something.
:D
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That is actually very inspiring in a multitude of ways.
 
LeatherMan64 said:
Learned? Yeah, I guess I learned some things. That peanut I traded the stockman for was pretty much my constant companion all through the summer. There were very few days I didn't have it with me. It was in my pocket when I went to Gettysburg battlefield and got to climb up on the rocks at Devil's Den and sit where my great-great-great grandfather fought, and later posed for a picture that is one of my family's most prized possessions. It also made at least one beach trip, multiple hiking outings, and was present for pretty much all the other notable events of my summer. The only thing it DIDN'T do was assist me in my luthierie endeavors (although it was in my pocket the whole time, and cut up lunch food and such). With few exceptions (like Grateful's recent 3 knife challenge, which I failed), the Peanut was my go to. It's just starting to get worn in now. The blades have both got a great dark patina, and the bolsters and scales are appropriately nicked and dulled from bouncing around with keys, coins, and whatnot. So, I guess I learned that I can do just fine with a knife as minimalist as the nut, and that, when that's all I've carried for an extended period of time, it makes my knife box seem like a veritable treasure trove when I open it to select the day's carry. So, in the end, I've stayed semi-faithful, grown very attached to my little buddy the peanut, and become even more appreciative of all the unique qualities that my other knives have to offer. Thanks Rockgolfer for dredging this thread back up, it got the juices flowing, and I realized I have learned a lot!

P.S. while my knife buying has slacked off recenty, I've just shifted my focus to another, more long-standing passion- guitars. Harmony guitars, in particular. I've gotten 3 in the last 2 months- A Sears Silvertone Grand Concert, an H159 super-dreadnought, and a Truetone branded H929. Help me, somebody!!

Edan
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Thanks for the follow up Edan, really appreciate it. Sounds like you did learn a lot but more importantly you found a life long companion! Now we just need to see a pic or two of this friend of yours :)

Jeff

P.s. sounds like you had a great summer :thumbup:
 
pinnah said:
Rsmith_77 put out a call yesterday for people to join him on a 1 knife run.

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...-i-am-going-to-do-it-pre-new-years-resolution

I'm in.

Any other takers? If so, perhaps we can use Rsmiths_77 thread to track our progress?
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actually this thread was one of my inspirations for trying it ;)

although to use Otzi's example from Carl ...i think the soddie is more in keeping with old Otzi's philosophy. He went with a simple RELIABLE tool, he didnt mess with no newfangled TWO blades or fancy bone handles ...just practical and efficient in keeping with the materials of his day. :p

since context is often lost in text, that last bit was a bit of a joke
no peanuts were harmed in the making of this experiment :D
 
Here she is, Jeff. When I have access to the print of the Devil's Den photo, I'll post that too, but, unfortunately, it's currently sitting in a cabinet in the same corner of my living room that is inhabited by our christmas tree, so access has been denied until the Christmas season is over and the monstrosity can be returned to the attic.
P1030489_zps468afea5.jpg

and here's the guardian of the living room. Never have I been in the presence of a more majestic pile of artificial detritus. There's gotta be at least five decades worth of ornaments on the thing!
P1030456_zps826461a6.jpg


Wishing everybody a very merry Christmas!


Edan
 
thanks for the report back, LM64. It was nice to hear about your Peanut experiment, and all the adventures you had last summer. That Peanut looks well-used and well-cared for. That's really cool about having an ancestor at Devil's Den. I just read about that battle on Wikipedia. Great to have a connection to a specific place like that.

I'm curious, as a luthier, I'm sure you are well experiences sharpening blades, chisels and scrapers. Do you have any knife-sharpening techniques or tools unique to the trade?
 
Guys......and Gals,
I recently took a 3 day bare bones survival class. I brought two knives with me. 1) USMC Ka-Bar and 2) Northwoods Indian River single blade jack (with the nail hole vice the nick) I used the Ka-Bar a few times when I needed to chop some wood stakes but most of the time I was using the single blade sliploint! I used it to skin, carve another eating utensil, cut meat, make small cuts in wood, stir food, cut para cord and even clean my nails around the fire! Anyway...point taken about the two inch flint knife....I think most people would be well served for most cutting chores with a small-med single blade knife.
 
Guys......and Gals,
I recently took a 3 day bare bones survival class. I brought two knives with me. 1) USMC Ka-Bar and 2) Northwoods Indian River single blade jack (with the nail hole vice the nick) I used the Ka-Bar a few times when I needed to chop some wood stakes but most of the time I was using the single blade sliploint! I used it to skin, carve another eating utensil, cut meat, make small cuts in wood, stir food, cut para cord and even clean my nails around the fire! Anyway...point taken about the two inch flint knife....I think most people would be well served for most cutting chores with a small-med single blade knife.
 
Per the post question; I think a whittler would serve well by itself for a period of time. Is it a two or three blade?
 
LeatherMan64 said:
Learned? Yeah, I guess I learned some things. That peanut I traded the stockman for was pretty much my constant companion all through the summer. There were very few days I didn't have it with me. It was in my pocket when I went to Gettysburg battlefield and got to climb up on the rocks at Devil's Den and sit where my great-great-great grandfather fought, and later posed for a picture that is one of my family's most prized possessions. It also made at least one beach trip, multiple hiking outings, and was present for pretty much all the other notable events of my summer. The only thing it DIDN'T do was assist me in my luthierie endeavors (although it was in my pocket the whole time, and cut up lunch food and such). With few exceptions (like Grateful's recent 3 knife challenge, which I failed), the Peanut was my go to. It's just starting to get worn in now. The blades have both got a great dark patina, and the bolsters and scales are appropriately nicked and dulled from bouncing around with keys, coins, and whatnot. So, I guess I learned that I can do just fine with a knife as minimalist as the nut, and that, when that's all I've carried for an extended period of time, it makes my knife box seem like a veritable treasure trove when I open it to select the day's carry. So, in the end, I've stayed semi-faithful, grown very attached to my little buddy the peanut, and become even more appreciative of all the unique qualities that my other knives have to offer. Thanks Rockgolfer for dredging this thread back up, it got the juices flowing, and I realized I have learned a lot!

P.S. while my knife buying has slacked off recenty, I've just shifted my focus to another, more long-standing passion- guitars. Harmony guitars, in particular. I've gotten 3 in the last 2 months- A Sears Silvertone Grand Concert, an H159 super-dreadnought, and a Truetone branded H929. Help me, somebody!!

Edan
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Must be a common comorbidity. I gave up obsessing over guitar related things last year for Lent and ended up here... :D
 
jackknife said:
Wow, old thread risen from the dead!

First, I want to put it strait that Woodrow is totally exaggerating what really happened. I never butchered a moose with a peanut. It was a caribou. A moose is just too much for a peanut. If I were to butcher a moose, I know I need a larger knife, like a Case yella pen knife, or even a small Texas jack. A peanut does have it's limitations, you know!

Carl, Grand High Muckba running for cover.
:D
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The peanut doesn't have limitations! It's the user that does! :p
 
glocktenman said:
Guys......and Gals,
I recently took a 3 day bare bones survival class. I brought two knives with me. 1) USMC Ka-Bar and 2) Northwoods Indian River single blade jack (with the nail hole vice the nick) I used the Ka-Bar a few times when I needed to chop some wood stakes but most of the time I was using the single blade sliploint! I used it to skin, carve another eating utensil, cut meat, make small cuts in wood, stir food, cut para cord and even clean my nails around the fire! Anyway...point taken about the two inch flint knife....I think most people would be well served for most cutting chores with a small-med single blade knife.
Click to expand...


Whoa. You heretic. :D

Actually, you're in good company. Harvey Manning was the driving force behind the great mountaineering bible, "The Freedom of the Hills". He carried a swiss army knife/boy-scout style camper. Here's what he wrote....

"For special purposes a hunting knife is superior, as are double-bitted axes, cavalry sabers, Gatling guns, and dynamite, but a modest mountaineer contents himself with a modest blade." (p.27)
 
jackknife said:
Man, don't quit your day job!
:D
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That's the point. I'd about need to quit the day job to play that much. I wanted to play guitar on a pro or near pro level with similar minded people..... who had day jobs. The only people that really played did it for a living, and I couldn't quit my day job to do the same.
 
I'm curious, as a luthier, I'm sure you are well experiences sharpening blades, chisels and scrapers. Do you have any knife-sharpening techniques or tools unique to the trade?
Click to expand...

I'm many things, but as well experienced isn't one of them :p I did learn that there are plenty of different ideas on how to get an edge, and most of them are crazy. For instance, the guy who owns the shop I worked at used the same technique on his SAK as he did on his chisels- drawing the edge parallel to the stone instead of pushing or drawing perpendicular to the stone (not sure if that makes sense). Anyway, he had insanely sharp chisels, and he showed me how to get my own to be that sharp, but his knife was duller than a bag of hammers. So, we kinda traded- I showed him how to get his pocket knife sharp, and he showed me the proper way to sharpen a chisel. I quickly realized that his stones were far superior to mine, so every day I went to the shop, I took another dull slippy with me to put a new edge on. By the time I was done working for him on a regular basis, he was using me as his own personal sharpener, I'd learned his techniques better than he had!
 
I also recall reading about how Gen. Chuck Yeager and a friend would take off into the Sierras with minimal gear and rations for a week or more. His only knife was the SAK he carried with him all the time.
 
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