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- May 6, 2012
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So I'm sure we all know of someone or have read or heard tales of the guy that carried nothing but a penknife his whole life to do everything with, from cleaning fingernails, splinter extraction, sharpen a pencil, peeling a apple ,an array of impromptu fixes, cleaning panfish, to processing a squirrel. I have a weakness for penknives, a almost secret addiction I kept even from myself, after my Imperial KampKing which seemed in the 70's a right of passage for many a youngster, I saved all my money and bought my first Case knife, a 6201 a small senator pattern with a spear, pen, and a bail. I thought how cool a blade opening at both ends I was eight and it seemed large and magical ( it's smaller than a Case Peanut). I did a lot with that tiny little knife, and it held up surprisingly well, I remember opening both blades and throwing it at trees (and into the wide plank floors of my bedroom at my folks, can still see marks on the floor) it went fishing with me, hikes and made all sorts of spears and other mischievous stuff I'm sure.
What is this thread about? where is it going? Toddwalla posted a thread looking for a penknife and it got me thinking about how much fun and all the stuff I did as a kid with a simple penknife, so I decided for a week to use only a penknife except where completely unreasonable. Now I didn't say carry only a penknife, I said use only the penknife, so I'll be carrying a stag Eisenhower for this little experiment, but also my Case peanut which will be getting to rest in my coin pocket for the week, and my Mora for outside tasks that are too big for the penknife, right tool right job. I'll be documenting the task no matter how mundane, because most of the time knives are used for quick fixes, just done a bit more efficiently because you are not looking for something to use, it's on your person in your pocket.
Side note:
Most of my outside work was with trees so I don't think what knife I carried really mattered too much, although my Opinel could have taken the place of the Mora, but chainsaw, axe, bow saw, and Mora were the tools used for processing trees for things I'm building or for wood to burn, other tools used for other outside task included shovel a torch and a lawnmower, so again not knife related jobs.
Day 1 Sunday July 19th
Not much to do work wise, it's a rainy morning, had a break in the weather sun came out a bit, super humid, decided to see if I can prep a meal with only the penknife (I've done this with my peanut many times, so not too much of a challenge) steak fajitas, used the penknife to prep and clean the peppers and onions and slice steak after it rested, also made a toothpick for after eating.
Day 2 Monday July 20th
Used the smaller blade to remove a old handle from a kitchen utility knife
Gently pry open lighter fluid
Opened baby wipes
Peeled and diced a apple for my girls
Also sliced a roll
The very important task of opening my daughters flavor ice
And my daughter wanted her frog torment stick trimmed, I could have notched cut the stick but chose the Mora to expedite the task, never keep a three year women waiting
Next fix the nest in my daughters rod & reel
and not needed but after dinner blueberry picking
Day 3 Tuesday July 21st
Not too much knife activities today
Peeled a bruised apple for my girls and cut up a plum
Day 4 Wednesday July 22nd
Cut up a plum for my girls
and whittled while I was waiting for a unwanted varmint that's taken up residence to move out into the open
Day 5 Thursday July 23rd A plum, a sandwich, and some front porch sitting
Day 6 Friday July 24th
Opened foil on oil for lawnmower apple for my girls
More baby wipes, cut seal on box of ammo, opened a bag of salt for water system
Day 7 Saturday July 25th
Well anyone that keeps gas around for equipment I'm sure has had the awesome experience of using the California EPA adopted gas cans that are supposed to be "better" but fail in function time and time again, so after purging the gases that built up because of the lack of a vent out of one of my containers, I realized that once again the child safety mechanism broke, I refuse to purchase another spout, I think I've purchased one or two because of the same issue, so I decided to just cut the lock off with the pen blade and manipulate it.
Opened water filter for refrigerator
I gathered some Indian cucumbers to snack on, used the pen blade to scrape off the outside of the roots
Prepped peppers for the grill, and then used it as my steak knife, a bit small but totally doable and not annoying, if I was hiking, traveling, on a boat, at a cookout at someone's house etc. could easily get by with it as a prep tool and eating utensil.
Day 8 Sunday July 26th rainy Sunday
Well decided I hadn't smoked in a while decided on my grandfathers pipe, used the pen to clean it and bolster to tamp with.
Had some leftover sausage I needed to use so cut sausage and onions to have with eggs and the hoe cakes my daughters request I make
Celery for bloody marry (well really a red snapper, made with gin)
So as I said in the beginning I have a weakness for penknives, my perfect would be something around 3 1/8-31/2" range with a spear main, coping secondary, I really like coping blades when I'm doing carpentry task, I think that's why I like the congress patterns so much, and also the Gec 92 Eureka Jack when I am doing these types of task, this might have been a bad week to test the penknife is all you need, I didn't have much to do in the way of heavy cutting chores, but for day to day mundane task it is certainly enough, and if all I had was a penknife and paired it with axe, hatchet or fixed blade, I certainly think I'd get along just fine. Maybe I should do it for a month so I could get a better feel of how I would fair over the long term, with outdoor task and impromptu and planned fixes, I'm just too much of a knife nut to let all my other knives sit. As much as I like larger knives like laguioles, Opinel 9's and 10's, large moose, large stockman and large congress patterned knives when I worked in the trades, I think if I lived in a city or worked in a office a penknife or any small knife peanut, small stockman, 1/2 congress, mini copperhead , would be enough knife, it seems to be enough for me on my 6 acres in the woods at least for the mundane things that having a knife make easy work of and paired with my Mora I was never under knifed, but some things I just like a straight edged blade for, I'd like to see another conductor run with coping blade, be nice if they mixed it up with a spear instead of the clip.
Thanks for taking the time to read my little experiment, I still have the penknife in my pocket today so maybe I'll try to only use it for a 2nd week, I think if I was still doing trades work all day, I would prefer my Opinel #9 there are times that the cutting edge of a larger blade are needed but around my property where I have all my tools and other cutting implements at my disposal I can get on just fine with the smaller knives.
Pete
What is this thread about? where is it going? Toddwalla posted a thread looking for a penknife and it got me thinking about how much fun and all the stuff I did as a kid with a simple penknife, so I decided for a week to use only a penknife except where completely unreasonable. Now I didn't say carry only a penknife, I said use only the penknife, so I'll be carrying a stag Eisenhower for this little experiment, but also my Case peanut which will be getting to rest in my coin pocket for the week, and my Mora for outside tasks that are too big for the penknife, right tool right job. I'll be documenting the task no matter how mundane, because most of the time knives are used for quick fixes, just done a bit more efficiently because you are not looking for something to use, it's on your person in your pocket.
Side note:
Most of my outside work was with trees so I don't think what knife I carried really mattered too much, although my Opinel could have taken the place of the Mora, but chainsaw, axe, bow saw, and Mora were the tools used for processing trees for things I'm building or for wood to burn, other tools used for other outside task included shovel a torch and a lawnmower, so again not knife related jobs.
Day 1 Sunday July 19th
Not much to do work wise, it's a rainy morning, had a break in the weather sun came out a bit, super humid, decided to see if I can prep a meal with only the penknife (I've done this with my peanut many times, so not too much of a challenge) steak fajitas, used the penknife to prep and clean the peppers and onions and slice steak after it rested, also made a toothpick for after eating.
Day 2 Monday July 20th
Used the smaller blade to remove a old handle from a kitchen utility knife
Gently pry open lighter fluid
Opened baby wipes
Peeled and diced a apple for my girls
Also sliced a roll
The very important task of opening my daughters flavor ice
And my daughter wanted her frog torment stick trimmed, I could have notched cut the stick but chose the Mora to expedite the task, never keep a three year women waiting
Next fix the nest in my daughters rod & reel
and not needed but after dinner blueberry picking
Day 3 Tuesday July 21st
Not too much knife activities today
Peeled a bruised apple for my girls and cut up a plum
Day 4 Wednesday July 22nd
Cut up a plum for my girls
and whittled while I was waiting for a unwanted varmint that's taken up residence to move out into the open
Day 5 Thursday July 23rd A plum, a sandwich, and some front porch sitting
Day 6 Friday July 24th
Opened foil on oil for lawnmower apple for my girls
More baby wipes, cut seal on box of ammo, opened a bag of salt for water system
Day 7 Saturday July 25th
Well anyone that keeps gas around for equipment I'm sure has had the awesome experience of using the California EPA adopted gas cans that are supposed to be "better" but fail in function time and time again, so after purging the gases that built up because of the lack of a vent out of one of my containers, I realized that once again the child safety mechanism broke, I refuse to purchase another spout, I think I've purchased one or two because of the same issue, so I decided to just cut the lock off with the pen blade and manipulate it.
Opened water filter for refrigerator
I gathered some Indian cucumbers to snack on, used the pen blade to scrape off the outside of the roots
Prepped peppers for the grill, and then used it as my steak knife, a bit small but totally doable and not annoying, if I was hiking, traveling, on a boat, at a cookout at someone's house etc. could easily get by with it as a prep tool and eating utensil.
Day 8 Sunday July 26th rainy Sunday
Well decided I hadn't smoked in a while decided on my grandfathers pipe, used the pen to clean it and bolster to tamp with.
Had some leftover sausage I needed to use so cut sausage and onions to have with eggs and the hoe cakes my daughters request I make
Celery for bloody marry (well really a red snapper, made with gin)
So as I said in the beginning I have a weakness for penknives, my perfect would be something around 3 1/8-31/2" range with a spear main, coping secondary, I really like coping blades when I'm doing carpentry task, I think that's why I like the congress patterns so much, and also the Gec 92 Eureka Jack when I am doing these types of task, this might have been a bad week to test the penknife is all you need, I didn't have much to do in the way of heavy cutting chores, but for day to day mundane task it is certainly enough, and if all I had was a penknife and paired it with axe, hatchet or fixed blade, I certainly think I'd get along just fine. Maybe I should do it for a month so I could get a better feel of how I would fair over the long term, with outdoor task and impromptu and planned fixes, I'm just too much of a knife nut to let all my other knives sit. As much as I like larger knives like laguioles, Opinel 9's and 10's, large moose, large stockman and large congress patterned knives when I worked in the trades, I think if I lived in a city or worked in a office a penknife or any small knife peanut, small stockman, 1/2 congress, mini copperhead , would be enough knife, it seems to be enough for me on my 6 acres in the woods at least for the mundane things that having a knife make easy work of and paired with my Mora I was never under knifed, but some things I just like a straight edged blade for, I'd like to see another conductor run with coping blade, be nice if they mixed it up with a spear instead of the clip.
Thanks for taking the time to read my little experiment, I still have the penknife in my pocket today so maybe I'll try to only use it for a 2nd week, I think if I was still doing trades work all day, I would prefer my Opinel #9 there are times that the cutting edge of a larger blade are needed but around my property where I have all my tools and other cutting implements at my disposal I can get on just fine with the smaller knives.
Pete
I've had my, also new, mini copperhead on me since it showed up last Thursday. It's true that all I need day to day is a wee penknife. I'm looking forward to it's journey ahead. Cheers 👍🏼
