Stormy Weather

Kevin I'm with ya there as well. I see both ends of this. I enjoyed giving one or two of my hanson folders marks as it made the knife feel more real and personal to me. I could actually hold it and really learn how it felt with out worrying about finger prints and scratches. Most of my knives I don't hold firmly, I just hold the handle material in a way i wont mess anything up. In a way it makes you really close with your knife to carry and use it and at the same time its amazing fun to show off to others if its nice looking.
 
Lorien said:
well now, this is turning into an interesting discussion. So long as the condescension is kept in check, there could be a very good exchange of ideas brought about.


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Is it really so simple- that if one uses his knives, he is 'classified' as a 'user' and one who does not use his knives is 'classified' as a 'collector'? Can one not use the knives he collects, and yet collect knives at the same time?

Not so black and white I would say as there are MANY "collectors" that collect antique and militaria which can be VERY used.

Now with this knife, it was designed for a specific purpose. It was built using highly resistant materials, which were chosen based on that specific purpose. That purpose is not to chop logs, but rather to clear corridors through understory in a temperate rainforest environment. These plants are extremely tenacious and tough, and a lightweight folding saw is useless. I could go into great lengths to try and describe the difference between building a trail from scratch, as opposed to clearing obstructions from an existing trail, but really experience is the only way to know.

I'll be waiting to see how the design works out as well as how the blade holds up to whacking some rocks along the way:D

But the long term value of this knife is not important to me, or should I say the value of the knife is not nearly as important to me as the knife itself.
No argument there..."different strokes for different folks" works for me!
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It is an interesting topic of discussion however and YOUR choice is just that...yours to make:D
 
Lorien said:
Is it really so simple- that if one uses his knives, he is 'classified' as a 'user' and one who does not use his knives is 'classified' as a 'collector'? Can one not use the knives he collects, and yet collect knives at the same time?

To me, the only difference between a knife which is collected, and one which is used is that the collected one remains 'mint', while the used one shows signs of wear. In either event, rust never sleeps, but a well made knife will always outlast a human life provided it is properly maintained.
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IMO, whether someone uses or does not use his/her knives has nothing to do as to if they are a collector or not. People collect all sorts of things that they use or that have been used. It doesn't make them any less a collector.
May make them less a collector/investor though. ;)
 
SharpByCoop said:
Understand that admiring this knife, in pristine condition, for many ages, should far outweigh the impulse to hack anything for the sake of showing us you are a 'user'. :rolleyes:
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Coop, you roll your eyes at the thought that I foster the "impulse to hack anything for the sake of showing us you are a 'user'". WTF is that about? I only show people what I do because I enjoy doing it and some people seem to enjoy following it.

People show their pristine, minty, collected knives all the time, (knives, which in many cases are obviously meant to be used, like say a LOVELESS) and do you roll your eyes at the fact that they are showing us they are 'collectors' of 'using knives'? No, you don't. So give me a little credit guy. I'm not so shallow that I'm concerned about how I am 'classified'. I derive enjoyment from sharing my enthusiasm for my knives and custom knives in general, not in trying to fit into a mold. Capiche?


There, I feel better now that I got that off my chest.
 
Lorien, my response was tempered with years of shrugging off the invariable response from well-meaning but corrosively entitled members saying "Hey, I actually USE my custom knife! They are meant to be used." (Right. All four of them. Exxageration is the norm around here. ;))

It's only a matter of time (posts?) before I get pounced on for being frustrated with this mentality. This, by extension, makes those of us who choose to NOT mar an artist's work, as not carrying out the true desires of the craft or the maker. Not.

I have an insupportable stance. I'll leave it at that.

:D

Coop
 
jonathan brand said:
Kevin I'm with ya there as well. I see both ends of this. I enjoyed giving one or two of my hanson folders marks as it made the knife feel more real and personal to me.
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Exactly. One or two of your Hanson folders. If you only had one, would you use it? Particularly if you had a drawer full of less fancy but high quality folders that you had already put to use and would serve you well for a lifetime or two?

As for the collector / user thing - I have no use for labels, nor do I collect them.

Roger
 
First off really cool knife Lorien in a Klingon bad ass way :D


More of a fighter than a chopper


Shame to see any negative remarks on ones decision to use or not use a knife
 
outstanding job on that one. I like everything about it.

As far as use goes i say more power to ya Lorien. I don't have a collection per se but I have used just about everything i have bought.

"The things you own end up owning you" Tyler Durden:cool:
 
this is all good:)
I don't have my gitch in a wad or anything, and Coop no worries my man, it's all good.

I can't predict the future, and we'll see where this all goes. Life is full of amazing surprises. The fact is, while my intentions behind designing this knife are all about using it, I don't even have it yet. We'll see where I'm at when it shows up here. I might find that I won't want to use it, but just looking at all those graceful curves, well it begs to be used! Let's just get this knife in the can and see what happens after:D
 
Lorien, just curious so I will ask.
You have stated several times that the knife was designed for use. You've shared quite a few photos in threads of your cutting/chopping 3"-5" trees, thus I have to assume considerable use. Wouldn't it been a good idea to use a pin or two or a through tang along with the adhesive? I know there's some decent construction adhesives out there as I've been in commercial construction for quite a while, but still?
 
Kevin, just between you and me- those pics I show of chopped logs are there for glamor. People seem so impressed by trees getting chopped by knives, so that's what I post pics of. But me, I'm impressed by a knife which does stuff like this;

IMG_4458.jpg


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Not very exciting to look at eh? But cutting salmon berry, blackberry and all those prickly plants requires a fast handling knife, unless you want a knuckle full of thorns. This stuff grows fast out here. A rarely used trail will be swallowed up in under a month during the growing season. The trail pictured here is one that only I use, (well bears and deer use it too) as I maintain some newly planted redwoods on the property for the land owner. It grows over so fast it's crazy.

Now, when you do this kind of work, the knife will occasionally be used to chop dead fall, hence the belly toward the tip. But that is definitely not the primary design motivation behind this knife. If it were, the blade would be mono ground and way thicker, with a nice continuous curve to the edge, and probably with a full tang. The thickest stuff I usually cut is less than 2" in diameter. I got the belly for that, and the inward curved portion for the tough leafy plants like salal.

I have no reservations about the lack of pin for this knife whatsoever, given what it was designed to do.
 
From what I see in those pictures, I would choose a machete to clear my way. That way you have a long enough blade to keep the thorns from scratchin, very light and thin blade to cut without too much resistance.

Also, I prefer a lanyard for secure gripping. But that's me:D

Peter
 
you clear a lot of trails on the west coast, do you?
 
Lorien said:
you clear a lot of trails on the west coast, do you?
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About as many as knife shows that you have attended...but i've been usin' blades and spending time in the woods since long before you were a glimmer in your parents eyes...you young whippersnapper:D
 
wow, you must be REALLY old!:p
 
Wow this went an interesting direction. As to the clearing trails, salal is a tough little plant both wispy and very tough to cut. There's almost as much technique involved as there is knife design to get through it quickly but I have hardly any experience in this compared to Lorien. It's a plant that can certainly inform design choices and decisions based on how easily it shrugs off most attempts to cut it.

About using this knife, certainly the ultimate decision is in your hands Lorien and I can see the desire to use this knife.. but I agree with Coop on this particular one.
Sure a few scuffs won't ruin the knife but it will mar a level of the art that Magnus is showing in this knife. The design is largely yours but there is a lot of subtle work going on here even in the finish that I'm sure you're seeing. This is a whole other creature from that knife Jason Knight did for you based on your design. I love that knife too and carries it's mastery in a different way.
Combine Magnus's knife with is what is very surely going to be another artwork in the sheath and I just can't imagine that using it is going to elevate the enjoyment any more than getting it in a proper display with proper lighting to really capture the curves and shadows.

You could use a Magritte (I tried to think of someone you'd like:)) as a tablecloth and still really enjoy the painting but I wouldn't recommend that as it's "highest" use. :p:p

If you do use it, and I'm sure you will let us know how it goes. Maybe you'll let me try it when I finally get there to visit.
 
Lorien, if you end up using the knife, perhaps you should make a "use" sheath for it.
Would be a shame to drag that beautiful sheath through the brush and getting it filthy. Would look quite shabby in a hurry.
 
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