I am so overwhelmed at the kind words from all of you! I will try later to respond in a more personal way to you all but I'm out of town for a bit with only my iPhone and no computer so...until then THANK YOU All so very much. I count the porch and all of you among my many blessings!
Too special to carry or too special to not carry?
- Thread starter Emspop
- Start date
rbeggs
Gold Member
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I had the same problem with a #77 African Blackwood Barlow my wife bought for me. It was my first Barlow and i didnt want to mess it up so i let it sit on my knife box for a few months. My wife would ask about it and i would tell her why i wasnt carrying it but she thought i didnt like it so i started carrying it and i have no regrets, now it has character. My advice is use it and enjoy.
Horsewright
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Smart girl. Use it. It will make even better memories.
kamagong
Gold Member
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Do you have any family heirlooms you were fortunate enough to inherit? It doesn't have to be a knife, it could be anything your forebears treasured -- your grandfather's old Hamilton watch, Parker fountain pen, or perhaps even his Winchester 94. Maybe it's your grandmother's cast iron Griswold. Whatever the case, why do you think they valued these items so much? Is it because they were nice things they enjoyed owning? Or was it because through use these objects became valued tools that proved their worth over and over again? I'm betting it's the latter.
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That' a beautiful story
Thanks for sharing it. It really brightens my day to know that their are other dads out there that attach so much sentiment to the tools gifted by our kids.
I'm very much of the mindset off carrying sentimental knives. My EDC slip joint generally bounces between a medium stockman my wife got for me for Christmas a few years ago and a mini-trapper I got for father's day. I probably LIKE the stockman more, but the Trapper gets carried the most since it was the first knife my daughter ever picked out for me.
My little girl is now 6 years old with an elephant's memory. She was maybe 4 when they got me that Case trapper, but she vividly remembers picking it out on the computer with my wife. It was a VERY red bone that I recently muted a bit to more of an auburn with some stain. It makes the knife look better, and it's closer to my wife and daughter's hair color
I love this knife because it's NOT perfect. Like I said, the color was not my favorite (that puppy was RED), but my daughter picked it out because I was always the "Red Guy" when we would play Candy Land. The choice of why she selected it is preciously hysterical to me yet utterly logical to toddler. As long as I own the knife, I'll remember WHY she picked out such a gaudy color and smile about it. I realize that there is a day fast approaching when it will no longer be about playing board games with her parents. The goofy redness will always remind me of this special fleeting time. I try not to miss these moments. I am conscientious of their finite number, but I know that I do let a few slip by. This little red trapper will at least always be a tangible totem of a warm memory that I can always reach in my pocket and hold.
On top of the rather obnoxious color, the spey blade also has an issue as well. Someone the Case factory clipped the shoulder of the blade with the grinder, so now it closes just a touch too far. When snapped shut with even a modest amount of talk, it drives the edge hard enough to smack into the back spring hard enough to cut a gouge. No big deal. I have simply convexed the edge to a sharp axe-like profile. It reminds me of the robust and hardworking edge of a Khukuri, and between hogging off a bit of metal and the spring-smack behaving similarly to the flame cutting on a revolver, the issue has largely stopped. What I'm left with is a sharp hard use blade for my gunkier work (cutting tape, prodding, reaming plastic, etc), and I keep the clip point razor sharp for detail work. It's an imperfect knife that just seems to work perfectly despite being a bit contrary and hardheaded...just like my daughter.
I would break my heart if I lost this little mutt of a knife, but I carry it most every day. Every time I use it, I think of my wife and daughter. I remember sending my then 4 year old daughter into the other room to grab it off my dresser. She came back with it cradled in her small palms, and handed it to me with a smile. She said she wanted one just like it when she was older. I can't tell you how many Barbie dolls this knife has freed from their clam packaged prisons, how many drinking straws it has cut to fit at restaurants, or how many times it's been used as a pointer showing the various parts of an insect's body when she and I would turn over logs and go on a "bug hunt" when she was little. The knife itself isn't worth much, but it sure means a lot to me.
I've been kicking around treating myself to a new GEC Beer Scout for my birthday this month. I really want one. However, if I'm honest with myself, this little mini-trapper will handle most every day to day task well enough and "mean" a little bit more to me to boot. I think I'll that that hundred bucks saved and use it for a nice Daddy Daughter Date Night of dinner at a pizza buffet and catching the new Lego Batman movie afterwards. I've got the perfect knife for cutting open candy wrappers and trimming straws
All kids are special, but, man daughters are just something else.
Thanks for sharing it. It really brightens my day to know that their are other dads out there that attach so much sentiment to the tools gifted by our kids.I'm very much of the mindset off carrying sentimental knives. My EDC slip joint generally bounces between a medium stockman my wife got for me for Christmas a few years ago and a mini-trapper I got for father's day. I probably LIKE the stockman more, but the Trapper gets carried the most since it was the first knife my daughter ever picked out for me.
My little girl is now 6 years old with an elephant's memory. She was maybe 4 when they got me that Case trapper, but she vividly remembers picking it out on the computer with my wife. It was a VERY red bone that I recently muted a bit to more of an auburn with some stain. It makes the knife look better, and it's closer to my wife and daughter's hair color
I love this knife because it's NOT perfect. Like I said, the color was not my favorite (that puppy was RED), but my daughter picked it out because I was always the "Red Guy" when we would play Candy Land. The choice of why she selected it is preciously hysterical to me yet utterly logical to toddler. As long as I own the knife, I'll remember WHY she picked out such a gaudy color and smile about it
. I realize that there is a day fast approaching when it will no longer be about playing board games with her parents. The goofy redness will always remind me of this special fleeting time. I try not to miss these moments. I am conscientious of their finite number, but I know that I do let a few slip by. This little red trapper will at least always be a tangible totem of a warm memory that I can always reach in my pocket and hold.On top of the rather obnoxious color, the spey blade also has an issue as well. Someone the Case factory clipped the shoulder of the blade with the grinder, so now it closes just a touch too far. When snapped shut with even a modest amount of talk, it drives the edge hard enough to smack into the back spring hard enough to cut a gouge. No big deal. I have simply convexed the edge to a sharp axe-like profile. It reminds me of the robust and hardworking edge of a Khukuri, and between hogging off a bit of metal and the spring-smack behaving similarly to the flame cutting on a revolver, the issue has largely stopped. What I'm left with is a sharp hard use blade for my gunkier work (cutting tape, prodding, reaming plastic, etc), and I keep the clip point razor sharp for detail work. It's an imperfect knife that just seems to work perfectly despite being a bit contrary and hardheaded...just like my daughter.
I would break my heart if I lost this little mutt of a knife, but I carry it most every day. Every time I use it, I think of my wife and daughter. I remember sending my then 4 year old daughter into the other room to grab it off my dresser. She came back with it cradled in her small palms, and handed it to me with a smile. She said she wanted one just like it when she was older. I can't tell you how many Barbie dolls this knife has freed from their clam packaged prisons, how many drinking straws it has cut to fit at restaurants, or how many times it's been used as a pointer showing the various parts of an insect's body when she and I would turn over logs and go on a "bug hunt" when she was little. The knife itself isn't worth much, but it sure means a lot to me.
I've been kicking around treating myself to a new GEC Beer Scout for my birthday this month. I really want one. However, if I'm honest with myself, this little mini-trapper will handle most every day to day task well enough and "mean" a little bit more to me to boot. I think I'll that that hundred bucks saved and use it for a nice Daddy Daughter Date Night of dinner at a pizza buffet and catching the new Lego Batman movie afterwards. I've got the perfect knife for cutting open candy wrappers and trimming straws
All kids are special, but, man daughters are just something else.
Last edited:
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Awesome story Clay! And great "new" knife.
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Use them, no time for safe queens. If it's your fathers/brothers/uncles/grandpas/friends etc, keep it on display in your house or locked up. Otherwise, whether it's a SAK or a Tony Bose custom, carry it!
kamagong
Gold Member
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- Jan 13, 2001
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- 10,587
That' a beautiful story
I get it. I wasn't lucky enough to inherit any heirlooms, so anything that passes down to my daughter starts with me.
This story seems quite apropos.
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- Oct 14, 2016
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Awesome story there and I had a similar situation with one a friend gave me that has since passed away. I believe that he wanted me to carry the one he gave me just as your daughter wants you to carry her gift. Hold on to those memories and use the tools we were given but we don't have to abuse them carry a less sentimental one for harder use moments
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