What was the knife that got you started?

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wutitiz

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In the brief biographies of knifemakers such as are found in Blade magazine, makers usually say that their interest in knives started before the age of 10. Often they talk about carving a 'knife' out of wood as a child, which is exactly what I did. At about age 7 or so, I made a 'bowie knife' out of wood, complete with twine-wrapped handle.

We lived in Springfield, Illinois, and one day visited New Salem village, where Abe Lincoln lived, which had been made into a tourist site. While exploring the old log cabins, I lost my 'bowie knife,' and backtracked to look for it. I still remember being horrified to discover that someone had thrown it into a trash can, and the twine 'handle' was all but completely unraveled. I rescued it, of course.

Not too much later, my dad got me a Case Barlow. I lost that knife also, never to be found. That was really the knife that got me started, however, and to this day I still like Barlows. I never bought another one after I lost that first one, but maybe some day I'll have one made. I would add the features I now regard as essential, such as locking blade etc. It would still have to have a bone handle and carbon steel blade like my old Case one, though.

What was the knife that got you started?
 
Some cheap $5 folder I got from a gun show during freshmen year of high school I never used.

Six years later (2007) I went on my first camping trip and used the knife for everything and all my friends kept on borrowing it throughout the trip. I lost it after camping and went online to do research for a ~$40 replacement. That's what led me here. Since then, that $40 budget became $60, $60 to $150, $150 to $200, and now I'm looking at the Busse Ruck (in my dreams) which is +$500.
 
Wasn't even mine .......... My Grandad toted a well-worn, razor-sharp two-blade jack and I used to love to watch him pull it out and cut something with it. There was nothing he couldn't do with that knife as far as I was concerned.
 
The Barlow on the right with the spear point main was the first knife my Dad gave me. It was made by the Providence Cutlery Co, R.I. , the clip point Barlow is the first knife I bought myself, It is an Imperial. I have owned many more since, quite a few I have given to family members as gifts but these two will stay in my possession till I am gone.

barlowscopylk8.jpg
 
AG Russell's Sting, with rose-wood handles. Mt brother has it. Great knife!
 
A S&W Swat. I loved that knife and then it broke into a million pieces. I then moved on and that's how it went... :)
 
My Dad gave me a used William Rogers 4" hunting knife , I carried it everywhere for years along with a 2 blade pen knife that I was given . I still have the hunter in a box somewhere
around the house.
 
it wasn't mine, but i can remember being as young as 5 and my father letting me use his Buck stockman "if i was careful".


as far as high end knives, in the early 90's i got out of paintball and traded my rig for a Microtech Socom. been downhill from there. :)
 
Of course I got mine back when every boy (and many of the girls) had a pocket knife, we all carried them to school, used them in school, once I even loaned mine to a lady teacher to open a box of books. It is sad that today we blame inanimate objects for trouble instead of blaming the people who cause it.
 
Nice pics of your Barlow, Absintheur. The one on the left looks just like mine, although mine was a Case. I lost it somewhere in the sandy soil of my Grandfather's farm in Indiana.
 
Kamp King scout pattern knife, mid 60s when I was about 10. Cut myself trying to whittle on a piece of 2x4 and still have the scar on my left hand.
Forty years later I have purchased a twin off of the ebay. I have not tried to whittle with it as of yet.
 
The very first knife of mine was a spear point bone handle Barlow, which I promptly stuck through my left hand between the thumb and first finger web length wise, blade did not emerge. Buried it down to the tang. Did not bleed a drop other than tissue, that is when I learned quite early in life never cut toward yourself, I was holding a round wooden dowel that had been wrapped in string and thought I would cut it off. Boy was I scared, but washed it out with peroxide and put a bandage on it and told no one. Still have the scar, but no damage, the Lord was looking after a 8 year old boy. My father had died when I was 6, so I had no instructions with tools or such. Until a couple of male neighbors taught me woodworking and shooting. Never will forget their generosity to me.
James
 
In the nursery a day or so after my birth the doctor was doing his rounds, and I noticed a clip on the edge of his pocket. I grabbed and pulled, and sure enough out came a folder. It was an early Benchmade prototype. He did not realize that I had it, and left. I could not get the hang of fliping it open. I was trying when one of the nurses caught me and took away the knife. Mean old hag - no sense of humor!

There began my interest in knives, and my separation anxiety.
 
Practical Use said:
In the nursery a day or so after my birth the doctor was doing his rounds, and I noticed a clip on the edge of his pocket. I grabbed and pulled, and sure enough out came a folder. It was an early Benchmade prototype. He did not realize that I had it, and left. I could not get the hang of fliping it open. I was trying when one of the nurses caught me and took away the knife. Mean old hag - no sense of humor!

There began my interest in knives, and my separation anxiety.
Click to expand...

:eek::eek::eek::D Hard to beat this one!
 
I had a few pocket knives growing up, and I used them, but never really got the bug until I saw my camping buddy using a Gerber LST in the late 1980s. The zytel handle was interesting and it was smooth enough to open one-handed even though there was no stud or hole. This seemed like a whole new kind of knife to me. I owned one for a few years and then upgraded to a Spyderco Delica 1.
 
My fist was a wooden custom sheath knife made by myself,
my second:
2001227603468832508_rs.jpg

It was dull as a butter knife, and I knew nothing about sharpening.
My first folder was a simple sak, that I lost track of years ago.
 
The year was 1981.I was in the scouts & got my first knife(Buck 110) for my 12th birthday.That was the beginning of my fascination & admiration of edged tools.:D
 
timsclips said:
Kamp King scout pattern knife, mid 60s when I was about 10. Cut myself trying to whittle on a piece of 2x4 and still have the scar on my left hand.
Forty years later I have purchased a twin off of the ebay. I have not tried to whittle with it as of yet.
Click to expand...

My first was a Kamp King at age 12, purchased with paper route earnings. It was my only knife until given away 15 years later, replaced it with a SAK, which eventually broke. That one was succeeded by a Vic that I think
was a Super Tinker. When this one got stolen, I went ultimate SAK with a Swisschamp, still carried often. Up to that point, I had no interest in knives as a subject. Had to have a multi-tool pocketknife, but my "knowledge" was limited to Wenger (good), Victorinox (better), sharpened in a half-assed way with a stone.

Then, about 12 years ago, I discovered Leatherman. This was huge, just what I was looking for without knowing it. I got so interested that I started to research the internet, also new in my life at that time. That led me to the Super Tool, which I carried 9 years, supplemented with a Micra for the scissors, tweezers, small blade and extras missing from the big one. The multi-tool taught me knife. It also got me interested in one hand opening folders and I sprung for a Delica SE, was so delighted with it that I added an Endura PE, and I think you can probably fill in the rest of this story.

About 2 years ago, a friend gave me an excellent condition Kamp King, which rides in my car tool kit. And so the circle is complete. :)
 
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