silenthunterstudios
Slipjoint Addict
- Joined
- Feb 2, 2005
- Messages
- 20,039
Several men have influenced my knife interests over the years. Some of these are men long gone, that would probably clasp me on the shoulder, hand me a snifter of liquid refreshment, and tell me to take a breather. Heck, some of these men have already done that. These old timers, that go by Horace and George, respectively, or Kephart and Nessmuk by others, are two old timers that did not worry about knives in pockets, or guns or gear etc. Did it work? Great, I'm going to enjoy the woods. I just see these old boys sitting with a pipe, a small flask and maybe a stick to whittle on, by the river bank.
My earliest knife influence is my pop. He always had a small pen knife on him, still does until he inevitably loses them, and I have many memories of him passing his knife to me in the back of church, to clean my fingernails. I forget the exact model number, but he always had a Schrade Old Timer on him. These knives were too small to me, he needed something like Conan carried, to my young noggin
. Ever since I was a little kid, he used his upholstery shears to cut his bread for salads or sandwiches, threads, etc. But that little pocket knife did all kinds of work. His old Schrade Sharpfinger and an old butcher knife were used on deer only. My pop was a woods runner, a timber cruiser, when he was younger, a close family friend told me he loved to go hunting with my father, my one uncle was loud and scared the game away in the county vicinity. My pop glided through the woods like a ninja, and still has a deep appreciation of nature. Owning your own business, it was the Cat's in the Cradle song, but when we did go somewhere, we had a great time. I think about how many times I should have taken my little brother on my adventures, and some of them I did, and if he'll just remember his big brother Danny playing with all manner of gear, instead of just enjoying himself. My father teases me about my fascination with knives, and I just think of him and my uncles coming back to my uncle's house, and him giving me a Colonial Daniel Boone knife that I carried everywhere, and probably sits somewhere in the stream on my pops property.
The next influence has to be my neighbor up the street. This guy could be termed a survivalist, but was one of the nicest guys you could meet. There were many times I sat in my fathers truck, while my father sat inside, nursing an expensive craft beer that he hated, when his buddy would excuse himself for the bathroom, his wife would dump that beer out of the stein provided, and grab a light beer for my father, crack the tab, and pour one in the stein for him
. Poor guy thought my father loved that craft beer. Anyway, he was a good friend, kinda crazy, reminded me of Dale from King of the Hill, except much livelier and not as crazy. Anyway, he gave me a knife that would have a profound effect on me, the Schrade Cave Bear 7OT. What a nice knife! Should not have been given to me! I carried that knife everywhere, did everything with it. Broke the tip off of it because I was too lazy to close it while feeding my fathers horses, and jammed it point first into a fence post, and promptly broke the tip off in the cold yanking it out 
. I sharpened it, but it was ruined. I later sold or traded it, I wish I had that knife back. It means a lot to me, just like the other gift I got from my neighbor, a single shot .22 Wards style model bolt action. Couldn've conquered the world with that rifle and knife. Someone in the Schrade forum just gave me a 7OT after reading that story, I am forever indebted. It's not my original knife, but I take it out sometimes and remember the craziness I got into as a kid (nothing bad, just leave early on Saturday morning and get back late that night, exploring northern Harford and Baltimore counties and southern York county, with friends or by myself).
Scott Gossman has had a profound effect on the usage of fixed blades in my life, and has introduced me to countless people in the bushcraft community. These people are unassuming and will teach the way they do it, and will teach you that just because they do it that way, does not mean it's the best, but it worked for them and that you should get out there and see for yourself. My love of small fixed blades and their usefulness started with Scott. The man is a wealth of knowledge, and when he talks you better listen (which I must apologize to the man for, I am a hypocrite in that regard) because he is not a talker. He makes clean knives that look good and are very useful. I started out buying choppers from him, that's what got my blood going. I wish I had many of the knives I've owned back, but my first knife from him, a big Tusker with buffalo horn scales and D2 or 5160, I wish I had that one back. While I love those choppers, I really enjoy his take on old designs. The Kephart, the Polaris (a combo bushcraft knife), his puukkos etc. He makes knives that are meant to be used. Most of all, I feel like a kid in a candy store. The man loves to see his knives used, and is the real deal.
Through Scott, I met Dan Schectman, a professor/writer/firewood huckster and knife trader. For years I had read Dan's articles in Tactical Knives (I cannot remember for the life of me an article he wrote about tactical knives) and Backwoodsman. I trade knives like crazy, I have nothing on Dan. Dan and I have traded since I first met him, and people gather around at Scott's campout to see us trade. I have Dan to blame for getting me hooked on Hudson Bay camp knives, and he sent me an article he wrote for Muzzleblasts on the old pattern. Dan is another real deal guy. Highly intelligent, the man is 70 and is still getting out there to huck firewood with his sons and camp out. TK is no more, but I devour Backwoodsman magazine, and the first thing I do is look for Dan's articles. Dan's articles have inspired me to look at old patterns, and old patterns reimagined by custom makers. Dan recommended a book to me, long out of print, called Knife in Homespun America. I actually think he wrote an article about patterns in there, and has had many makers craft knives based on those old patterns. The man is a wealth of knowledge, and has greatly influences my interest in old timey fixed blades.
I would be remiss if I did not thank Ron LaBella for including me in his forum, which will remain nameless, but I was kind of floundering in some production blades. Through his forum, I got to know a lot of good knife nuts, who said it was fine to throw your money at the wall on good knives, whether handmade or semi production. Good people to hang out with, and while not traditional, they practiced quality over quantity. Many of them are knife nuts just like us, some of them are us, but these men and women prompted me to unload tons of blades, and not be ashamed to like quality blades. If that makes any sense. Although I'd be driving a 2017 Silverado, instead of a 2003 Silverado... (little truck knife humor for the members on that forum).
Carl. Carl is another unassuming man, Carl, I have to apologize for not keeping my mouth shut when we talk. Carl would fit right in with Horace and George, just sitting there on a log on the riverbank, smoking a pipe, nodding in agreement or affirmation with the old gadabouts. Where I had gotten caught up with the collectors on another forum, something that Carl said to me after my accident was very profound. I had lost a few knives or multitools, probably still there at the accident scene or enjoying a new home with the tow driver, he said "Don't cry over what can't cry for you". Don't get tied down to your possessions. Also, I am a big dude. 6'3", 365, hopefully closer to 200 after bariatric surgery, but my paws are big and I have diabetic neuropathy. How in the world am I going to open a peanut? No way in heck. Well, after a spell, I tried one at Carl's suggestion, and found how useful they are. Plus side? Nobody freaks out, they think they're cute! So, I kinda drifted away, until I was gifted a single blade Damascus peanut, which I gave to my little brother for his wedding knife, and was later blown away when Carl gave me his Damascus peanut. The whole peanut idea, didn't go well with two Case Damascus peanuts riding around with me, so I opted for the one.
I have had a couple friends and family come to me asking about a pocket knife they should get, one they should keep in their car etc. I am proud to help them, and I don't tell them, Google Sebenza etc. I try to steer them towards affordable SAKs and Bucks and Case etc, but some of them want to go a little deeper.
I am grateful to these men, for their influences. It isn't easy going nuts over the latest custom bushcraft knife or custom slipjoint. But it is fun. Just have to keep in mind, that there are many more important things out there.
My earliest knife influence is my pop. He always had a small pen knife on him, still does until he inevitably loses them, and I have many memories of him passing his knife to me in the back of church, to clean my fingernails. I forget the exact model number, but he always had a Schrade Old Timer on him. These knives were too small to me, he needed something like Conan carried, to my young noggin
. Ever since I was a little kid, he used his upholstery shears to cut his bread for salads or sandwiches, threads, etc. But that little pocket knife did all kinds of work. His old Schrade Sharpfinger and an old butcher knife were used on deer only. My pop was a woods runner, a timber cruiser, when he was younger, a close family friend told me he loved to go hunting with my father, my one uncle was loud and scared the game away in the county vicinity. My pop glided through the woods like a ninja, and still has a deep appreciation of nature. Owning your own business, it was the Cat's in the Cradle song, but when we did go somewhere, we had a great time. I think about how many times I should have taken my little brother on my adventures, and some of them I did, and if he'll just remember his big brother Danny playing with all manner of gear, instead of just enjoying himself. My father teases me about my fascination with knives, and I just think of him and my uncles coming back to my uncle's house, and him giving me a Colonial Daniel Boone knife that I carried everywhere, and probably sits somewhere in the stream on my pops property. The next influence has to be my neighbor up the street. This guy could be termed a survivalist, but was one of the nicest guys you could meet. There were many times I sat in my fathers truck, while my father sat inside, nursing an expensive craft beer that he hated, when his buddy would excuse himself for the bathroom, his wife would dump that beer out of the stein provided, and grab a light beer for my father, crack the tab, and pour one in the stein for him
. Poor guy thought my father loved that craft beer. Anyway, he was a good friend, kinda crazy, reminded me of Dale from King of the Hill, except much livelier and not as crazy. Anyway, he gave me a knife that would have a profound effect on me, the Schrade Cave Bear 7OT. What a nice knife! Should not have been given to me! I carried that knife everywhere, did everything with it. Broke the tip off of it because I was too lazy to close it while feeding my fathers horses, and jammed it point first into a fence post, and promptly broke the tip off in the cold yanking it out . I sharpened it, but it was ruined. I later sold or traded it, I wish I had that knife back. It means a lot to me, just like the other gift I got from my neighbor, a single shot .22 Wards style model bolt action. Couldn've conquered the world with that rifle and knife. Someone in the Schrade forum just gave me a 7OT after reading that story, I am forever indebted. It's not my original knife, but I take it out sometimes and remember the craziness I got into as a kid (nothing bad, just leave early on Saturday morning and get back late that night, exploring northern Harford and Baltimore counties and southern York county, with friends or by myself). Scott Gossman has had a profound effect on the usage of fixed blades in my life, and has introduced me to countless people in the bushcraft community. These people are unassuming and will teach the way they do it, and will teach you that just because they do it that way, does not mean it's the best, but it worked for them and that you should get out there and see for yourself. My love of small fixed blades and their usefulness started with Scott. The man is a wealth of knowledge, and when he talks you better listen (which I must apologize to the man for, I am a hypocrite in that regard) because he is not a talker. He makes clean knives that look good and are very useful. I started out buying choppers from him, that's what got my blood going. I wish I had many of the knives I've owned back, but my first knife from him, a big Tusker with buffalo horn scales and D2 or 5160, I wish I had that one back. While I love those choppers, I really enjoy his take on old designs. The Kephart, the Polaris (a combo bushcraft knife), his puukkos etc. He makes knives that are meant to be used. Most of all, I feel like a kid in a candy store. The man loves to see his knives used, and is the real deal.
Through Scott, I met Dan Schectman, a professor/writer/firewood huckster and knife trader. For years I had read Dan's articles in Tactical Knives (I cannot remember for the life of me an article he wrote about tactical knives) and Backwoodsman. I trade knives like crazy, I have nothing on Dan. Dan and I have traded since I first met him, and people gather around at Scott's campout to see us trade. I have Dan to blame for getting me hooked on Hudson Bay camp knives, and he sent me an article he wrote for Muzzleblasts on the old pattern. Dan is another real deal guy. Highly intelligent, the man is 70 and is still getting out there to huck firewood with his sons and camp out. TK is no more, but I devour Backwoodsman magazine, and the first thing I do is look for Dan's articles. Dan's articles have inspired me to look at old patterns, and old patterns reimagined by custom makers. Dan recommended a book to me, long out of print, called Knife in Homespun America. I actually think he wrote an article about patterns in there, and has had many makers craft knives based on those old patterns. The man is a wealth of knowledge, and has greatly influences my interest in old timey fixed blades.
I would be remiss if I did not thank Ron LaBella for including me in his forum, which will remain nameless, but I was kind of floundering in some production blades. Through his forum, I got to know a lot of good knife nuts, who said it was fine to throw your money at the wall on good knives, whether handmade or semi production. Good people to hang out with, and while not traditional, they practiced quality over quantity. Many of them are knife nuts just like us, some of them are us, but these men and women prompted me to unload tons of blades, and not be ashamed to like quality blades. If that makes any sense. Although I'd be driving a 2017 Silverado, instead of a 2003 Silverado... (little truck knife humor for the members on that forum).
Carl. Carl is another unassuming man, Carl, I have to apologize for not keeping my mouth shut when we talk. Carl would fit right in with Horace and George, just sitting there on a log on the riverbank, smoking a pipe, nodding in agreement or affirmation with the old gadabouts. Where I had gotten caught up with the collectors on another forum, something that Carl said to me after my accident was very profound. I had lost a few knives or multitools, probably still there at the accident scene or enjoying a new home with the tow driver, he said "Don't cry over what can't cry for you". Don't get tied down to your possessions. Also, I am a big dude. 6'3", 365, hopefully closer to 200 after bariatric surgery, but my paws are big and I have diabetic neuropathy. How in the world am I going to open a peanut? No way in heck. Well, after a spell, I tried one at Carl's suggestion, and found how useful they are. Plus side? Nobody freaks out, they think they're cute! So, I kinda drifted away, until I was gifted a single blade Damascus peanut, which I gave to my little brother for his wedding knife, and was later blown away when Carl gave me his Damascus peanut. The whole peanut idea, didn't go well with two Case Damascus peanuts riding around with me, so I opted for the one.
I have had a couple friends and family come to me asking about a pocket knife they should get, one they should keep in their car etc. I am proud to help them, and I don't tell them, Google Sebenza etc
. I try to steer them towards affordable SAKs and Bucks and Case etc, but some of them want to go a little deeper.I am grateful to these men, for their influences. It isn't easy going nuts over the latest custom bushcraft knife or custom slipjoint. But it is fun. Just have to keep in mind, that there are many more important things out there.
