Using your knife in public

sunburst

sunburst

Joined
Dec 4, 2005
Messages
912
It's a shame these days but as most of you know, the everday "Joe" does not have a knife in his pants pocket. I know that depending on where you are from or what region your in will determine how many folks have or don't have a knife. The funny thing is the need for a knife in the moment has not decreased, here's an example;

The other day I was roped into going with my wife into super Walmart's. As she was moving at something slower than snail drool while looking for clothes I volunteered to walk the 10 mile treck to the other side of the store to get some soap for her. After aquiring my targeted object I was making my way back to my wife and a little old lady with a grocery cart full of items was stuck. She had somehow gotten mop tassles caught up in her wheel on the buggy and it would not move. A nice young man in his 20's was trying his best to pull them out but not having much luck. I asked if I could help while whipping out my knife and in about 3 seconds had cut off the tassles and was walking away. The woman and the young man just kind of looked at me stunned and went on their way.

Not that this is a big thing but it's a shame that what used to be considered a part of your clothing (The old men used to tell us years ago "Don't leave the house without your knife in your pocket, you might as well be naked") is now an anomaly.

My 14 year old son is not allowed to carry a knife in school because of instant suspension or have the swat team carry him away. I am only 42 years old but I remember always having a knife and wet rock in my pocket.

As I try to pass along my love for the use of a good knife to my son I realize that the acceptance of this idea goes contrary to our current society and know that his generation will use a knife even less than the young man who needed one so badly while helping the woman in the grocery store.

Ok enough of my ranting...


Sunburst
 
I'm 39 and we ALWAYS had pocketknives in school, we could even wear Buck 110's on our belts. (very small rural High School), but that same school today is very different. My nieces and nephew went there and while you can still carry a pocketknife, you can't use it for much.
 
sunburst, don't whip out your knife or anything else while out in public. ;)

You can put people more at ease by just saying that you think you may be able to help and let them know that the knife in your pocket may be the solution.
 
Hi Phil,

I can guarantee you that I left my John Wayne hat at the house that day :cool: . I asked politely if they could use a little help with the problem before pulling out my knife to cut the strings.

Of course the blade being 18" long might have made them a little nervous...:D
 
The old guys, when I was a kid, used the pen blade on their knives when they wanted to be discreet around ladies and children. Working in an office, at times it is good to have the pen blade option, to use around the nervous types. This is one of the aspects of the traditional pen and jack knives that got me interested in carrying them in the first place.
 
I've actually pulled out a pocket knife in public at meals twice in the last month or so.(not counting using it with lunch at work as that's in the office). Once at an eatery at an art place. I mentioned that in another thread. It was my engraved Case trapper so it was kind of arty anyway. The girl had brought out quesadilla with the attendent guacamole, sour cream, and pico de gallo, but neglected to give us any silverware. After trying several times to get her attention while our food sat, I finally just said the heck with it and pulled out the trapper, using the spey blade to dish stuff onto my quesadilla. I was surprised no one even batted an eye or payed attention. After all, it wasn't your most conservative crowd. Last night at a fellow's 50th birthday party at his ranch I used my Russlock to slice a stuffed jalapeno into smaller bites. The lady at the table just kind of looked for a moment. Since her husband is a diesel mechanic, hence a tool user, she was probably wondering more about why I was slicing it up instead of just popping the whole thing into my mouth at once, rather than wondering at me using the knife.

As long as it's a traditional knife and you don't go brandishing it about or using a big trapper to open candy wrappers at church ;) most folks around here don't look at you as if you are total psycho yet. Though it will get worse I'm afraid.

Btw, I gave the guy a Case XX, yellow handled, CV trapper for his birthday. Yes, he gave me a penny. We did FFA and hung out at school together a little and he worked with my dad in the summer at a welding shop, but weren't do-everything together kind of buddies. So we've only recently been in touch now and then, bumbing into each other here or there or hanging out together at the last two high school reunions. So we aren't up on much of what the other is doing in more than a general way. So it was really cool when he said, "A Case. You'll need to come in a little later and see my Cases!." Unfortunately, we had to leave before I got to as I had to get up at 5 AM for work. However, I am supposed to give him a call so we can get together at his place and fire up the .45 Blackhawk and some of his stuff. Reckon I'll see those Cases then. Hmmm, wonder if he has anything I might want to trade him out of....
 
you do have to use common sense but i've noticed people are a lot more at ease around a traditional than around a tactical. I was helping with a school program several years ago and something needed cutting, i whooped out the spyderco endura and the womans eyes got as big as saucers. I admit not very smart on my part but i work with fireman{monkeys} and am not used to the finer graces. a couple of months back pulled out my trapper to cut the tape on a case at wally world and no problem. as far as school when i was in school we carried pretty much any knife we wanted and i don't remember any trouble. it's really sad the way things are today, and it will probably get worse. later,ahgar
btw we also had rifles and shotguns in our vehicles at high school and it was fine. dang.
 
I use my knife whenever it's useful. I don't always help everyone though because I don't want to deal with all the questions of why I carry a knife. I've never gotten a negative reaction however. The most I've gotten is "Why do you carry a knife?" I reply with "To cut things like I did just now" at which point the person usually shuts up, presumably because they are embarassed at their own idiotic question.
 
I generally have never had anybody give me the funny looks for a slipjoint or SAK in public. Even at crowded events. I was at an agricultural fair a couple weekends ago, and a mother was trying deseperately to open up a toy she had just bought her kid, but was having trouble with the cable ties that held it to the box. I walked over and said, "Lemme help you with that." She gave me the toy, and I used my SAK and quickly did the job. She was very grateful, as was her son. I later used that knife that evening to make a rudimentary blade cover from cardboard for a USA made hatchet that I picked up.
 
sunburst said:
Hi Phil,

I can guarantee you that I left my John Wayne hat at the house that day :cool: . I asked politely if they could use a little help with the problem before pulling out my knife to cut the strings.

Of course the blade being 18" long might have made them a little nervous...:D
Click to expand...

Good one! So what knife did you use?
 
its truly sad... being a "youngman" and hearing stories about how my father grew up i used to take my buck 110 to school. i had countless uses for it.. none of them lethal, or harming others in ANY way.

carving a set of chopsticks to eat lunch.
exploring the backwood area of my school.
cutting away those stupid single strands of cotton that hang off your shirt but when you pull them it pulls the whole thread out.
etc etc

in the end my dad told me to stop taking it to school because i was going to get suspended. or worse arrested. or possessing what he and i both believed to be a necessary tool of life.

now adays if you got caught in highschool with a knife. your dead meat. because i've seen it happen to my friends little brother.

cops came and swarmed the school. confiscated the knife and took him away. he got suspended for a week. and had to write an apology letter..

truley sad whats going on now adays. perhaps they should teach a class in school about RESPONSIBILITY and properly handling TOOLS such as a knife.

i think the problem is now adays when someone says knife another person thinks WEAPON. of course a knife can be used as a weapon. a lead pencil can be used as a shank but no one bans pencils??

i think the only time i've seen someone carry a knife in school and not get in shit was a sikh person carrying the traditional dagger.. which was by far ALOT bigger then the ol buck 110 that i used to carry.

just my two cents.

cheers ^^
 
Actually around city folks a small pen knife is usually accepted . A large knife is accepted in hunting camps and brandings but if its too big there will be a comment or two . A lot of people like my wife would not carry a knife ever, but she asks to use mine plenty.

I cautioned my son when he was in school about pulling a knife or carrying one in his boot . He is grown now and carries a small knife on a clip in his poc
 
Pocket tools seem to occupy a null zone with the sheeple . I have used mine a lot for cable prep in school enviroments with no comment . I carry a gents type pen for use around sheeple . Usually if you do it in a matter of fact calm way , no problems .

Chris
 
I have been carrying a pocket knife since I was eight years old. I feel naked without one. Years ago I moved from Louisiana to take an engineering job with General Dynamics in San Diego, CA. General Dynamics at that time was a very conservative organization, similar to IBM in employee dress code. We all came to work every day dressed in starched shirts, silk ties and blue or gray business suits. One morning a box of technical instruments arrived and was surrounded by a group of suited executives wondering how to open such a well sealed carton. One of them said, "Dwayne's from Louisiana. I'll bet he's packing a shiv." I did not disappoint them.
 
I will use my knife just about anywhere. When in public if I do need use of the knife, I make sure that I am not holding it in a manner that may look threatening, cut what needs to be cut and resheath it. I also keep a low profile, concentrate on what I am working on, and never ever flash or display it, as that is an agressive action and gets the sheeple all worked up.
 
Gimpy said:
I have been carrying a pocket knife since I was eight years old. I feel naked without one. Years ago I moved from Louisiana to take an engineering job with General Dynamics in San Diego, CA. General Dynamics at that time was a very conservative organization, similar to IBM in employee dress code. We all came to work every day dressed in starched shirts, silk ties and blue or gray business suits. One morning a box of technical instruments arrived and was surrounded by a group of suited executives wondering how to open such a well sealed carton. One of them said, "Dwayne's from Louisiana. I'll bet he's packing a shiv." I did not disappoint them.
Click to expand...

Very cool! What knife did you use on that occasion?
 
I carry a sak Tinker, and one of my large (3-3.5"blade) folders on a regular basis. I have never gotten a second look using my sak. My favorite EDC used to be a Manix or Chinook, both of which got strange looks when I pulled them out to use them. I now usually carry a BM 551 grip, and it never gets a second look either. Must be the shape as well as the size that causes people to notice.

I used to carry a Schrade 2 blade folder in a belt sheath all the way through high school (3.75" blades) alond with a sak, and was never bothered about it. That's been a few years ago now though lol.
 
You've made a good point, Bufford. It's how you flourish the knife. You start waving it around, and everyone will worry, even me! Discreet in public is the key. Anything else is foolish, IMHO!
 
Be discreet, be responsible. Just take it out and use it and put it away. I do this all the time and sometimes people raise eyebrows until they see I have accomplished a task efficiently. If you put forth the image that you are just a man using a tool that is usually what people see.
 
okBookGuy

It was a 3 3/4in single blade Old Timer jack knife and razzor sharp. That model was slim and flat. It fit well my suit pants pocket. I have searched for another one but Old Timer quit making them a long time ago.
 
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