Three Grand Knives * WINNERS ANNOUNCED PG. 3 *

This is not an entry, but I'm sure your generosity will inspire at least a few to "join-up" to keep this great site going. Bladeforums is my favorite site, and the Traditional subforum is likely my most visited "neighborhood". Great people here, most powerfully manifested in all the great giveaways. Who wouldn't want to be a part of this? With this forum, above all others, the primary shared interest (knives) is really only part of a bigger picture. Nowhere else on the internet do I feel such a great sense of Community, where I can truly say that I have actual friends, and it doesn't matter that I've never met them in person.
 
Great giveaway! #222 please.

Best memory is a hard one. Probably when my wife told me that, from now on, she will be paying for my Bladeforums Traditional knife each year. You can't beat a woman that helps to feed the need :)
 
Very kind of you Jeff!

I pretty much hang out here most of the time I am on BF, so if I'll take 212 and 24 (month/year and month/day of my grandfather's birth). Oops, I see 212 was already taken, so make my entries 24 and 412 (month/day and day/year of my grandfather's birth).

I have told this before, but it is my favorite knife story, so here it is again.

I gave this Schrade Walden 708Y to my grandfather for Christmas in 1971, when I was 9 and he was 59. The next autumn he died unexpectedly the result of complications following open heart surgery. I couldn't believe it. My best friend gone.

My dad's parents lived just four houses down from us, almost exactly half way home from my school. Most days I stopped there and piddled around with my grandmother for the half hour or so until my grandfather got home from work. Then the adventures began. He taught me so much about so many things. It really was like growing up with two loving fathers. Considering how many kids today don't even know who their dad is, I count this a rare privilege.

He always had a knife in his pocket, and of course that made me want one so badly I didn't know what to do. I did save my money and get a Colonial Barlow. It was a cheap knife but he raved about it like it was the finest blade any man had ever made. Knives were just one of things we shared and enjoyed. So, it made perfect sense to give him a knife for Christmas. I had no idea it would he his last Christmas with us.

Weeks after his untimely death Christmas came again. It was a subdued celebration, but we kept all the family traditions. On Christmas Eve each year the whole family gathered at my grandparents' home for dinner. After we ate, and before my sisters and cousins and I opened presents, we would all sit silently while Grandad read the Christmas story from the second chapter of Luke's Gospel. That Christmas of 1972 I was honored to be asked by my grandmother to continue his tradition and read the Christmas story to the family. She gave me the Schrade Walden knife I had given him the year before, and I now also have his Bible.

So, here is the last gift I gave Grandad, pretty insignificant compared to all that he gave me in 10 all-too-short years. It is one of my most treasured possessions. In the picture it is sitting on his Bible open to the Christmas story in the second chapter of Luke.

SchradeWalden708Y-1.jpg
 
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Giving my 10 year old daughter her first knife for her birthday last year. A Victorinox Super Tinker with her name engraved.

I'll take #127
 
Not and entry, but thank you Jeff for all you bring and do for this forum. Looking forward to seeing you in a few months.
g
 
Not an entry, Jeff thanks for the GREAT
"GA" It's nice to have good guys like
you around! See you in Atlanta...

Jason
 
Back in August 2010, after going on vacation (fishing and camping), I found that I really needed a knife a lot and all I had was a leatherman and SAK. I needed something more substantial so I went online and bought a Spyderco Delica. That's when I started down the path of 'collecting'. I now appreciate the usefulness and quality of a well-built knife. It started with a Bucklite when I was very young, but the Delica really got the ball rolling.

I'll take #223 please. Congratulations on the 3000 posts, I just hit 500 myself.
 
This is very generous, Jeff!

Not my best memory, but one I always think of...

This happened many years ago when I was going through my USAF tech school at Lackland AFB, TX. We all lived in the barracks. They would have occasional inspections, and would confiscate anything not allowed. "Weapons" were not allowed. That included knives. Well, I had amassed a small collection of knives in my time down there from local pawn shops and such, and of course, those were discovered.(I think someone ratted on me) I was told to report to the SMSGT of our unit, who was a grumpy, squat, old-timer that didn't really care for snot-nosed young know-it-all airmen.

I was shaking in my boots wondering how I was going to be punished. He asked why I had so many knives. I explained that I had enjoyed knives since I was young, and always had one around, and that I had learned my love of knives from my dad and grandpa. He looked through the pile and asked me about some of them, maybe he was testing me to see if I really knew anything about them, LOL. Then he surprised me by giving them all back to me. He told me to make sure they were well hidden, as they were not allowed, and if they were found again, he'd have to throw the book at me. I thanked him and went on my way. I never thought about him the same way after that. So, thanks again for understanding, SMSGT Day!

Thanks for the try. I'll take #619

Glenn
 
Very kind of you, Jeff!

I had to think about my best experience with a knife for a while. They've been such a ubiquitous part of my life that's it hard pick just one.

A few years ago, my wife and I were spending three weeks exploring the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu in Peru, and we made the questionable decision to hike to the top of Huayna Picchu mountain (in the background of the photo) in the late afternoon, after it was officially "closed." By the time we arrived at the summit, the sun was setting and a storm had rolled in with surprising speed, making the already challenging trails too treacherous to risk.

I had my trusty Swiss Champ SAK in my day pack, so we spent the night in a cave--actually, a pile of huge granite stones, but sufficient to keep out most of the rain--and I used the knife to prepare kindling for a fire and build a wind screen out of a spare plastic poncho and a wood frame (our makeshift walking sticks). We had trail mix and plenty of water, so we spent an exciting and reasonably comfortable night out there on that alien landscape up in the howling sky. It was obviously no big survival accomplishment, but it was the only time I've actually used a knife to help weather an emergency of sorts. I'll never forget that night.

MatchuPicchu04.jpg


IncaSAK.jpg


I'll try #522, please. Thanks for the chance!
 
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Thank you very much for the chance. Love the generosity on this forum. :)

My best knife experience was when I was given my first knife by my father, and giving me oldest son his first.

860 please
 
Thank you for such generosity.

My best knife experience actually was stumbling upon bladeforums. I had been collecting various types and brands of knives over the last 25 years but fell away from it. I came across this site and it re-ignited my love of knives. I'll never match the sheer volume of posts that many of you submit, but I enjoy my time here immensely and will make a post when I'm able to.

I'll take # 888. :thumbup:

Thank you.
 
This is very nice of you and just wanted to say thanks. My buddies and I used to go out in the back yard underneath the old pin oak tree and play mumblety peg. Flipping the knife off our fingers, palm, arm elbow etc. Great fun and you learned how to handle a knife. My Mom made sure I had a knife as a boy and also that I learned how to shoot a rifle, both have come in handy throughout my life. I'll choose 711 and 811. Used a knife something like this one.
queen16.jpg
 
Jeff,

Congrats on 3K
that is a lot of time spent here!!

Yes what goes around comes around
thanks for the giveaway
Some lovely knives there, especially the S&M

Thanks for the incentive to renew my membership
Watch the color change...

My best knife experience?
Hanging out here....

14
&
26
 
Not an entry but congrats on the upcoming 3k Jeff!! Great knives too. I think winning will be the second hardest part...
 
My Favorite Knife Experience was going to the East Coast Custom Knife Show two weekend ago. Although online has been a great resource and opportunity to discuss knives, and the ocasional trip to my local knife shops have given me an opportunity to meet like minded people. At the show I got a chance to meet many of my favorite makers, discuss their designs, pick their brains. Get a chance to handle hundreds of some of the most beautiful knives i have even seen, really a wonderfull time.
I would recommend everyone to try to make it to one of the major knife shows

What a Great Contest, very generous of you, and these are some fantastic blade

of course, the number I will pick is

817

Thanks for the chance
 
One of my more memorable experiences with knives was going to a family reunion.

My uncle was a custom knife maker out of California (Glen Hornby).

He took a knife roll out and we got to play with a bunch of his custom knives. The next reunion, I bought one from him. I was 10 or so when I bought that.

717
 
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I'll take #191 and #333 please, Congrats on the upcommin' 3k and thanks for the giveaway, here's my story.

This was my Grandfathers knife, he used it 35+ years ago the last time I saw him, (I was 15 then) to cut Kielbasa and smoked/cured meats in the pantry for our afternoon meals along with cutting up bread and onions and peppers to go with the ham.

prunera.jpg


My cousin found it in the basement and gave it to me as a gift when I went home.

It's gotta be over 65 years old and other than the pitting/character it's as strong as the day he let me use it to cut myself a piece of kielbasa the last day I saw him.

I hadn't even thought of that day or the knife in nearly 35 years, her giving me that knife brought a tear to this old Mad Hungarian's eye.

The funny part, when my grandfather died 30 years ago his daughter in law threw it out and my cousin who's my age (50) garbage picked it and saved that and his Bull Horn that he used to keep his sharpening stone in and hanging on his belt for sharpening his scythe when working in the fields, the horn has to be 100+ years old.

This story in longer version with more pictures was posted in this link before if anyone's interested.
 
Not an entry but congrats on the upcomming 3,000 Jeff :thumbup:

Nathan
 
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