- Joined
- Jun 5, 2002
- Messages
- 2,761
I have been collecting customs for about 8 months now, im somewhere on my way to having a nice collection, its well rounded i think, featuring some tactical/utility folders, as well as some of the extremely ornate, fancy, so called: "Art" folders, like those by Jerry Corbit for example. Now, anyone who has seen one of these extremely fancy and ornate art knives realizes theyre not really intended to be used for cutting anything. Thats not to say that there arent any number of customs, even some with fancy materials that cant be used as a knife, but clearly, there ARE some folders that are too fancy and fragile to be used for anything other than appreciating the beauty they possess. Now, I own several of this type, way too fancy and thus fragile to actually use as a knife, with bluing that scratches if you glance at it sideways, meant wholly to stimulate visually, and so, theyre for display and admiration only, and yet i still cant figure out exactly how to best appreciate them, short of actually using them that is.
At first, i put them in felt lined display cases and that was nice, and afforded built in protection, for if they cant be touched, they cant be scratched or otherwise damaged, but therein lies the rub, you cant TOUCH them, and i LIKE to touch them! So, i took them out of their display cases and put them into their padded leather pouches, and this is where they remain. This way, i can remove them periodically, PLAY with them, admire them with touch as well as visially, and then, when im done, wipe them carefully for dangerous fingerprints and return them to their pouches. I guess to me, i need to be able to feel them in my hand, the smooth, deep blued steels, the amazing patterns in the damascus, the smoothness of the polished ivories and pearls, with their scrumptious colors and grains, the smoothness and precision of the action, these are things i need to FEEL, not just look at. And yet, even when i have held them in my hand, opened and closed them a few times, ran my fingers over the smooth, beautiful materials, and then lovingly wiped them down with a soft cloth, im left a bit unsatisfied, as if i couldnt FULLY appreciate them, its almost like, and i know this is silly, almost like theyre some sort of incredible candy that i want to eat and possess completely, but cant, and im left doing the next best thing, looking at and feeling these works of art, slowly wiping and polishing them with a soft cloth, wishing i knew how to "eat" this eye candy.
So, im just wondering how you all appreciate your high-end ultra fancy art knives, the ones that clearly arent for using, meant only for display, designed to visually stimulate. I realize that many of you wont even buy a knife you'll never use and i certainly understand that, in fact, it may be exactly that, the inability to use the knife that leaves me unsatisfied, craving something more. And yet, I know that several of my art knives are simply NOT meant to be used, only admired, and i enjoy having them for that reason, and i do admire them so. In any case, for those of you who DO enjoy having them as i do, who get a real kick out of their beautiful materials, precision and design, and appreciate them as works of pure art but not as an object of utility, what do you do with them, how do you appreciate them, how do you "eat your eye candy".
At first, i put them in felt lined display cases and that was nice, and afforded built in protection, for if they cant be touched, they cant be scratched or otherwise damaged, but therein lies the rub, you cant TOUCH them, and i LIKE to touch them! So, i took them out of their display cases and put them into their padded leather pouches, and this is where they remain. This way, i can remove them periodically, PLAY with them, admire them with touch as well as visially, and then, when im done, wipe them carefully for dangerous fingerprints and return them to their pouches. I guess to me, i need to be able to feel them in my hand, the smooth, deep blued steels, the amazing patterns in the damascus, the smoothness of the polished ivories and pearls, with their scrumptious colors and grains, the smoothness and precision of the action, these are things i need to FEEL, not just look at. And yet, even when i have held them in my hand, opened and closed them a few times, ran my fingers over the smooth, beautiful materials, and then lovingly wiped them down with a soft cloth, im left a bit unsatisfied, as if i couldnt FULLY appreciate them, its almost like, and i know this is silly, almost like theyre some sort of incredible candy that i want to eat and possess completely, but cant, and im left doing the next best thing, looking at and feeling these works of art, slowly wiping and polishing them with a soft cloth, wishing i knew how to "eat" this eye candy.
So, im just wondering how you all appreciate your high-end ultra fancy art knives, the ones that clearly arent for using, meant only for display, designed to visually stimulate. I realize that many of you wont even buy a knife you'll never use and i certainly understand that, in fact, it may be exactly that, the inability to use the knife that leaves me unsatisfied, craving something more. And yet, I know that several of my art knives are simply NOT meant to be used, only admired, and i enjoy having them for that reason, and i do admire them so. In any case, for those of you who DO enjoy having them as i do, who get a real kick out of their beautiful materials, precision and design, and appreciate them as works of pure art but not as an object of utility, what do you do with them, how do you appreciate them, how do you "eat your eye candy".
. If you're interested in that table, I can call the dealer, and find out the manufacturer and model number for you. But it works really well, they're on display and accessible
!
. Next, Gary Levine's web site is 
. BTW, here's son #1