Trapper Talk

yobbos1

yobbos1

Joined
Mar 29, 2002
Messages
2,342
I have recently become enamored with my Case Calibre trapper and am going to pick up a yella CV very soon. I never really found the trapper to be my kind of knife till now. Just wondering what do you use the spay blade for? One side of me thinks use the spay for food and the clip for everything else and the other side thinks use the spay for nasty stuff (borderline knife abuse). When I see old trappers I have noticed the clip is almost sharpened away to nothing and the spay blade is more intact. Leads me to believe a lot of folks aren't sure what to do with the second blade. Comments?
 
If you open the blades and really look at just the edge, there's not a ton of difference. Of course there is some, but not like having a clip and a sheepsfoot. I use the clip if I need a sharp point like poking into and opening a package. Otherwise I just use which ever.
If I'm making fuzz sticks and using my folder instead of a fixed blade, I'll use the spey for that. Mostly because the spine is straight and it's easier to control with the off hand than pressing on a curve. That's probably just perception though.
If you want to dedicate each blade to something, then by all means. I can't tell you the last time I used my EDC knife to cut food. Not that I wouldn't. It's just not something I practice.
 
I use my EDC to cut/peel fruit when I'm at work or outside hiking or whatever. That is all the food my pocket knife usually handles unless there are unforeseen circumstances.
 
I'm not sure about everyone else here, but I use spey as a scraper mostly; I really have no use for that blade shape. Basically, it is my mucking blade for all of the jobs that would make a lot of knife nuts cringe. I think that TL-29's suit me more because there is more use for the secondary blade in my book; not only can I scrape and do mildly abusive things with it, I can pry and tighten/loosen screws with it too.

If I was a hunter, I bet that I would have a lot more trappers. I guess I am not a trapper kind of guy :o
 
yobbos1 said:
I use my EDC to cut/peel fruit when I'm at work or outside hiking or whatever. That is all the food my pocket knife usually handles unless there are unforeseen circumstances.
Click to expand...

I unfortunately couldn't do that at work. I'd probably lose my job for carrying a GIANT pocket knife. (I say that because someone suggested my peanut was a weapon.)
I only stated that I don't cut food because I have no experience cutting food with a trapper so I have no opinion.

Glad to see I'm not the only one liking the Caliber knives. I have a peanut and a mini-trapper. My regular EDC is a rough black peanut and an amber bone mini-trapper. So they make the perfect stand ins when I don't want to potentially mar a bone handle.
 
The spey makes a dandy food prep blade. With the rounded tip, it's almost like a spearpoint. Makes a fine steak knife, afterall, it is designed for cuttin' meat...
 
Time for me to be serious here.

I am browsing the TOTM trappers just now. Someone, please what is the real definition of a trapper?

How loosely can this term be used?

Just so I understand what we are really talking about here.

Thanks,

Kevin
 
I use the spey blade more for food prep. The clip points on my three GEC scout/pioneer's are wicked pointy.

I have poked my hands a few times while slicing veggies, meat etc.

The Spey blades are nice and thin and slicey too, but don't have the desire to draw blood as badly.

I keep the Clip points polished convex, hair whittling sharp. The Spey's are closer to a regular V edge (though I did touch them up on sandpaper, and maintain them on a strop).

That way each scout/pioneer has a needle pointy hair whittling sharp, and the spey's are a bit more "apple cutting in the hand" friendly. They will still shave with hair jumping results.

IMG_4032.jpg


IMG_4030.jpg


Poor pic of the spey.

101064908_photobucket_94428_.jpg
 
I keep a nearly polished edge on my spey blade and I give it a more acute angle. I keep a toothy edge on the clip blade and sharpen it to be more obtuse.

With the blades sharpened this way, the spey is used mostly for cutting soft matter (like food) so that the edge stays razor sharp. The clip blade does the dirty work... and everything else.

I have actually been meaning to resharpen my favorite trapper's spey blade to give it a face-shaving edge... I have been getting into straight shaving lately, and I thought it would be cool to have a blade sharp enough to shave my face. :D Why not? It wont make it any worse for food prep. More options, I say.:D:thumbup:
 
The Government said:
I keep a nearly polished edge on my spey blade and I give it a more acute angle. I keep a toothy edge on the clip blade and sharpen it to be more obtuse.

With the blades sharpened this way, the spey is used mostly for cutting soft matter (like food) so that the edge stays razor sharp. The clip blade does the dirty work... and everything else.

I have actually been meaning to resharpen my favorite trapper's spey blade to give it a face-shaving edge... I have been getting into straight shaving lately, and I thought it would be cool to have a blade sharp enough to shave my face. :D Why not? It wont make it any worse for food prep. More options, I say.:D:thumbup:
Click to expand...


What? Shave?

IMAG0282.jpg



IMAG0283.jpg



IMAG0284.jpg



IMAG0285.jpg


IMAG0280.jpg


(honestly, They really needed a stropping before doing this, but my strop was 745 miles away. Of course, the Walmart was only about 2 miles away with razors, but I did not want to go to Walmart right then. I had a family photo shoot, and needed to shave!)
 
Spey blades are second to none when it comes to smearing peanut butter on bread. :D
 
I don't have many trappers, and almost all of my are wharncliffe trappers. The only 'traditional' trapper I have, full size with spey, is this Canal Street with Kudu horn handles:

moonpie.jpg


It's a terrific knife but big and heavy. I'll have to try back pocket carry or use my Case trapper belt sheath.
 
As much as I shoot off my big mouth (er, keyboard) about not having many safe-queens, this one sort of is. What do you think should I finally break it in?

casetrapper001.jpg
 
I carry a trapper pretty regularly, and at first I'll admit I didn't quite see the point of the spey blade. At this point, however, the natural evolution of my trapper-using has come to this:
The clip blade is for general utility, and I keep the edge sorta toothy/less polished.
The spey is reserved for when I want a super-fine, highly polished razor edge, and for food.
Another thing to note is the length of straight cutting edge you get with a full-length spey blade: it offers nearly 3" of blade without much curve. Works great for cutting rope & line, and behaves much like a really long sheepsfoot (just lacking the sharp corner at the tip).
It works pretty well for me, YMMV. :D
 
Last edited:
yobbos1 said:
As much as I shoot off my big mouth (er, keyboard) about not having many safe-queens, this one sort of is. What do you think should I finally break it in?

casetrapper001.jpg
Click to expand...

I don't think that you can ever truly enjoy a knife unless you use it, but that is how I feel about my knives. So come on, use it ya sissy :p
 
I own a couple of trappers but have to admit I use them seldom. My issue is that the blades are too similar in most. Long straight edges with a slight change at the tip, while I prefer to carry a more diverse selection of blades on me. Plus I really like Spey blades, and find I use them fairly often on the knives I carry with them. I like the big belly aspect for many cutting tasks. Which is why my favourite trapper is this older one from John Lloyd- it has a Spey master, and a shorter coping blade. Big belly longer blade with shorter straight edge for precision cuts. Although I am sure that I would like it reversed as well, with smaller Spey and larger Wharncliffe or coping blade. The coping blade is a bit thicker than I would prefer, but it is very solidly constructed and I enjoyed using it in the woods the couple if times I took it out with me!

1AD75675-67F9-42FC-A103-78442AB6B9D2-369-0000001740866815.jpg

E834E87C-9DD8-483B-A9BE-664CEC06B823-4325-000005AA57CCA90A.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top