Opinel Converts

E

Eric J

Joined
Oct 29, 2005
Messages
392
Gentlemen I have some good news. I managed to convert several members of my scouting troop to becoming carbon steel loving Opinel users. Here's how: The troop was making lamps out of oranges and some of the boys needed a knife (not all of our boys have the Totin' Chip yet) and that's where things turned. I handed one of them my Opinel #6 after showing him how it worked. He was blown away. He could not believe how sharp it was and how simple the lock was to use. This of course generated excitement among the other boys in the troop. I also showed them how easy it was to get sparks from the rod in a magnesium fire starter with it v.s. a knife of a very high end stainless. Again oohs and ahhs followed. When they learned the price of my #6 they were shocked. I think our troop is going to be carrying these along with some SAKs from here on out. In fact, I know this is now the preferred knife among the boys in our troop due to all of the chatter. It all comes down to circumstances. Our orange peel lamps worked just fine and fun was had by all. There is hope gentlemen, there is hope!
 
[SUP][/SUP]Thing about a knife with a simple, decent steel like that is how easy it is to sharpen. Most folks only have experience with your run of the mill cheap knives which are hard to sharpen and don't take a great edge. A nice carbon (or similar) steel knife and a bit of teaching and they can experience having a nice sharp knife in their pocket. That's an epiphany for some.
 
Very cool.

All this talk of Cult of the Peanut, and Order of the Texas Jack, I was afraid we had A Church of the Opinel starting up :p

Also, I want to see what an orange peel lamp looks like! Never heard of that.
 
r8shell said:
Very cool.

All this talk of Cult of the Peanut, and Order of the Texas Jack, I was afraid we had A Church of the Opinel starting up :p

Also, I want to see what an orange peel lamp looks like! Never heard of that.
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:D I was just fixin' to Google that myself! :thumbup:
 
Take an orange and cut around the middle leaving the peel in tact. Take the fruit out of the inside on the stem side. You need the stem to act as your "wick". This is the toughest part. When you have the peel/stem removed you can clean it up a bit, but leave the stem in tact. Next, fill the peel "bowl" with lamp oil or olive oil and let it soak into the stem. Now you can light the wick and have a small lamp. It takes awhile for the flame to catch so use a lighter when lighting. Have fun!
 
Eric J said:
Take an orange and cut around the middle leaving the peel in tact. Take the fruit out of the inside on the stem side. You need the stem to act as your "wick". This is the toughest part. When you have the peel/stem removed you can clean it up a bit, but leave the stem in tact. Next, fill the peel "bowl" with lamp oil or olive oil and let it soak into the stem. Now you can light the wick and have a small lamp. It takes awhile for the flame to catch so use a lighter when lighting. Have fun!
Click to expand...


Neat, I'll bet that's fun on campouts (sitting on a large, flat rock), and it uses a knife for an easy, crafty, toy. Well done sir.

r8shell said:
All this talk of Cult of the Peanut, and Order of the Texas Jack, I was afraid we had A Church of the Opinel starting up :p
Click to expand...

I've been hinting at being the Green River glue-rue (already have a guru maybe). Pinnah's gotta be the High Priest of the First Church of Opinel.
 
As a recent collector of Opinels, I can tell you they are habit forming. The simplicity of the knife and the blade steel make it a true winner.
 
It's a philosophy, not a religion. Everybody needs to figure it out them selves. Or not. All I can do is testify. The marque says enough.
 
Eric J said:
Take an orange and cut around the middle leaving the peel in tact. Take the fruit out of the inside on the stem side. You need the stem to act as your "wick". This is the toughest part. When you have the peel/stem removed you can clean it up a bit, but leave the stem in tact. Next, fill the peel "bowl" with lamp oil or olive oil and let it soak into the stem. Now you can light the wick and have a small lamp. It takes awhile for the flame to catch so use a lighter when lighting. Have fun!
Click to expand...

That sounds pretty cool, I never heard of that before today.
 
Its always good to see youngters getting pointed in the right direction. They learned a very good lesson (quality doesn't always have to be expensive) and are now fans of an awesome knife. Well done sir, well done indeed.
 
Thanks folks! Just had to share. I am trying to get the interest in traditional knives started in our young people. You should see the knives our scouts bring to the meetings. Most are unfit for outdoors usage and many are just plain dangerous as the execution of the design leaves much to be desired in terms of lock safety. I have seen some of the worst knives in the hands of scouts and that concerns me. Spread your love of traditional knives to everyone you know. The more, the merrier!
 
Good job, man. I have a similar story with a buddy of mine. He never carried a knife. But this past summer we spent some time fishing and kayaking together. Showed him my Trout Oak handled Opinel #8. After we get back home, he orders a Walnut #6 and has been carrying it since. A #6 is a lot of knife in a lighweight package. I have a Walnut and a Beech Carbone and think very highly of them.
 
As comically over-sized as it is, I am really into the 10 that was just delivered. Not as a user friendly tool- more just because it makes my hand look like that of an infant while I grasp it. I have set my 8 aside for a minute as well and am trying the 6 as a quotidian-carry piece. Nice and tidy in the pocket. But neither would ever replace the 8, which IMO is overall just right as far as size goes.
 
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