What I learned about knives in 40+ years on the job as a mechanic.

Great story. PM me if you need assembly instructions for your 186 Titan.
 
First thread I clicked on this morning, and it was like getting steak and eggs for breakfast. :thumbup:
 
Great Story. I have been working in the Auto Industry and construction field for 20+ years now, and like you, I have been carrying a wide variety of knives throughout that time period. Now I also have a Large Insingo Sebenza that gets carried with a Vic Alox Farmer. Such a great combo for work in this field. Some days the Seb gets swapped out for a Ritter Grip.
 
An outstanding history and summary of how your knives fit your needs through the years.
 
I worked as a mechanic for 6 years (a long time ago). I carried the yellow knife on the left side of this photo. It was handed down from my dad, and he is the one that broke the tip off of the blade. I squared off the blade on a bench grinder and used it as a screwdriver. I used the edge to cut and strip wire, and cut hoses, rough things like that. Turns out a screwdriver in your pocket is real handy when working on cars if you aren't near your toolbox.

These days I value a keen point but apparently I got along fine without one back then.

These days I would probably carry a multitool along with a good folder. Maybe a small screwdriver as well. I've occasionally wondered how practical it would be to have a small belt sheath that would hold a multitool, screwdriver, knife and maybe even small flashlight. By that time it's getting to be pretty big and might just get in the way. I don't want to look like Batman with a big tool belt.

(The photo is actually a progression of my carry knives over a period of over 40 years.)

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Good info by the OP provided in this thread......My knife comes handy when I'm doing repairs on my truck, I would never trust other people to do basic maintenance on my vehicle because they will destroy your vehicle one way or another. You just can't trust oil change places because they are in a hurry and they have a deadline to complete, plus you do not even know what type of oil they are putting in your engine. Long story short, last time I took my truck to an oil change place the dumb guy damged my starter by turning the ignition too hard.
 
bdmicarta said:
I worked as a mechanic for 6 years (a long time ago). I carried the yellow knife on the left side of this photo. It was handed down from my dad, and he is the one that broke the tip off of the blade. I squared off the blade on a bench grinder and used it as a screwdriver. I used the edge to cut and strip wire, and cut hoses, rough things like that. Turns out a screwdriver in your pocket is real handy when working on cars if you aren't near your toolbox.

These days I value a keen point but apparently I got along fine without one back then.

These days I would probably carry a multitool along with a good folder. Maybe a small screwdriver as well. I've occasionally wondered how practical it would be to have a small belt sheath that would hold a multitool, screwdriver, knife and maybe even small flashlight. By that time it's getting to be pretty big and might just get in the way. I don't want to look like Batman with a big tool belt.

(The photo is actually a progression of my carry knives over a period of over 40 years.)

DSC_6323b.jpg
Click to expand...

I've carried the SOG, the Spderco/Goddard and the BM AFCK. All great work knives bd. :)
 
Kudos, would love to see more quality post like this, well done! All I can say is thanks for taking the time to put it together.
 
Great history of your evolving knife use. When I was in the nursery/landscaping business I used a aot of knives, sadly some were lost in the field
 
Very enjoyable read, Ted.

Thank you for sharing it. :thumbup:
 
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Great story my friend. Thankfully because of the internet it will outlive all of us, to the benefit of future generations.
 
Really great post Ted. I especially enjoyed seeing the "seminal Spydercos".

Don't know about a history but my use of knives in my "career" as a machinist has required the use of a knife I'm not too protective of.

It has also allowed me easy access to emery cloth, buffing wheels, pieces of scrap carbide and other tools to sharpen and re-shape simple(r) steels, as well as lots of tramp oil and hydraulic fluid.

Couple that with some "idle hands" time while the machine cycles and you can get some yard sale POS's functioning again.
 
One of my favorite pastimes was restoring fleamarket finds to functional and sometimes returning them to beautiful knives. Here's a 100 year old Jack Knife that was used to open paint cans leaving dime sized scallop shaped chips from the main blade. I went to school to be a machinist and it's one of those skills I'm glad I picked up as it allowed me to repair/restoere using the machine/maintenance shop. Here she is a 1920s Graeff & Schmidt Jack Knife, a perfectly capable knife for maintenance work.

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I also carried a BM AFCK for a while clipped to my work jacket's inside pocket. It's big and well suited for many maintenance tasks plus it was easy to access for when I was bundled up with gloves and heavy jacket.

Next to the Ares with it's Axis lock this was my favorite work knife.

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