What's your memory knife?

J

jackknife

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Reading dalee's post on the nice little Schrade he was gifted, made me think of the memories we have bound up in knives that remind us of good times, and bad, long ago. An old favorite uncle, a long gone father, or a close friend.

I know I have my share of memory knives, but I was curious what knives do you guys have that stir up the old memories?
 
I have three of my grandads old Schrade-Waldens.
He passed away five years ago, the day before his 93rd birthday..

He was a logger for forty years . I can remember sitting in his office with him at the end of the day. I was very young, but he would take the time to teach me how to do all the paperwork. I will always remember those old knives because one was usually on the desk and the other two were in a drawer.

Now I have them, and every time I take them out, it reminds me of him...
It reminds me of how much I miss him, and the great times we had together.

My 12 year old son Travis knows the story of the knives, and knows that in time, they will be his to cherish ...
 
When I was about 12 or so, my Dad bought me and him each a matching 4 bladed Boker congress. My Dad has long since passed now, about 18 years ago. Mine is used and well patinaed, but his is in the same condition except that all 4 blades are still razor sharp, and sharpened down to nubs from years of whitteling and sharpening.
 
I've had so many knives that I'm afraid not many have really built up a large stock of memories.

I guess the one that comes closest is the Victorinox Tourist (basically, an 84mm Spartan) that was in my pocket during the births of all three of my kids. The first time, it was just there because it was my EDC at the time. After that, though, I confess: Things went so well, and that little girl was sooooo perfect, that I became superstitious. So far we're 3 for 3 with strong, healthy, happy, perfect kids - and their mom's not too bad either. :)

These days, I mostly carry that knife when I need a little luck and like all Vic products, IMO, it never lets me down.
 
A little paring knife that I always remember being in the kitchen as a kid. It was left by a previous owner of the third house my parents bought. It made its with me when I moved out. Nothing special just a little sabatier knife with rusty pins and bleached wooden handles.

I always think of family meals in the kitchen sitting around a wobbly table on benches - three kids on one side - parents on the other - dogs head bobbing up and down to see what was left, usually with drool hanging down.
 
Hmmm....strange timing for your post jackknife.

My Grandpa passed on last Thursday night, 8-20-2009. He was laid to rest in a private ceremony with Military Honors yesterday morning.


I have had this knife since I was little, about ten or eleven. This is the knife Grandpa was issued and carried in the Pacific while in the United States Army Air Corps, WWII.

100_1041.jpg


It will be passed on to my son, a rememberance of his Great-Grandpa.
 
Mine is a schrade 80T. It was the first knife that I bought. I had a scout knife, but I really wanted something else. After I bought it, I used it like had my scout knife and it started to change color. Dad really didn't tell me what to do except to say that now I would have to take care of my tools. I found some oil and put it on the blade, and it still turned darker, but was not pitted. I learned to sharpen my knife and to use it carefully. I later bought a buck 301, but went back to the 80T as it was sharper. I can see memories of where it was used and times spent with dad when ever it is pulled out.
 
I don't even remember the brand, maybe an Imperial, but it was a single bladed metal scaled pocket knife with a bail and a chain to attach to a button. Dad gave it to me when I was six, (I'm 63 now)and my mother promptly took it out on the front porch and rounded the point on the concrete so I couldn't hurt myself!

I don't know what ever happened to that knife, but it was my first one, and my very own, so I won't forget it.
 
You always come up with great ideas for threads, jackknife. Mine is this Eye Brand trapper that my dad carried from the early 80s until he passed away in 1994. Occasionally he switched it out for a Case mini trapper, but this is the one that did most of the work.

EyeBrand1.jpg


James
 
I have a SAK Classic that was on my keychain when my son was born, and still is; it gets used several times a week, even now. I had to re-build it a couple years ago, it was so old & used it was missing scales, toothpick, etc. I recently gave my son a little blue Classic, and told him about it. He loves it. (Start 'em early, ya'll!)

I have an old S&W Maverick from the 70's-80's; I found it new after years of looking. My dad had one when I was ten or eleven, and it got lost in a move. I bought two, actually - one a clip point, one a drop point. I sent him the drop point. I just happened to call him to see if it arrived, and the mail got there while we were talking. He was almost speechless when he opened the box, and then we spent the next fifteen minutes reminiscing about his sign-painting days. (That's when he used it the most.)

thx - cpr
 
For me all knives lead home to my maternal grandfather who started it all for me and who died in 1961. He instilled the love of knives in me that will never be extinguished. I no longer have any of the knives he gave me but I can see them all in my mind's eye.

In a more contemporary vein, my fixed blades from my late close friend Rob Simonich keep his memory at hand on a daily basis.

I am blessed to have many friends who are wonderful knife makers some of whom have honored me with gifts of their knives over the years the value of which can't be measured.
 
Todd A said:
My Grandpa passed on last Thursday night, 8-20-2009. He was laid to rest in a private ceremony with Military Honors yesterday morning.
Click to expand...


Todd, I'm very sorry for your recent loss. Grandpa's are very very special people. My condolences to you sir.

I hope yur son treasures that knife as you did!
 
My grandfather carried 2 knives; one was a large case stockman knive that had bad stains from him cutting his plug tobacco, and the other one was a medium sized slipjoint knife that he could open with one hand and called bladey mae.
 
My favorite person ever was my great-grandfather who passed away when I was 12.

He had a penknife from Neiman-Marcus that he mainly used to scrape out his pipe. I've had the knife ever since his funeral, but will never carry it because I don't want to lose it.

Jacknife, you and dalee both deserve a pat on the back for these two threads.
 
The first one is a Boker Stockman,that my Dad bought for His Dad in the mid sixties.I got it when Grandpa died in 83.The other knife was my Great Grandfathers knife that my Grandfather bought bought him in 1920.It's an old Marbles,looks to me like a 6" Ideal.Anyway Dad got it from Grandpa back in the early 50s',and had a sheath made for it at a later date.I got the knife from Dad several years ago when I traded him Grandpas WW1 issue Smith&Wesson .45acp, that used half moon clips.That old gun should have been Dads anyway.Anyhow,those are the two knives that come to mind.
 
I have a small Sabre brand stockman that was my fathers. Not a quality piece by any means, but valuable to me just the same. He died when I was 14. I also have his Accutron 214 that's still humming away 45 years later.
 
Any large folding hunter reminds me of Dad, and the one he has, and carried for years. Its why I have mine.

My Remington Woodsman "moose", because of the day, and then following wither that I started carrying it, I logged a LOT of miles back country ridding with a good friend, and that knife was always there... Great memories of my favorite winter in recent years.

SAKs remind me of Dad, and my first knife he gave me, a SAK(although it was a knock-off brand)

My peanut conjures memories of a road trip/2 weeks away from home this past spring with another good friend... my first trip away from home, on my own for more than a day or two, and the first time he'd been back from over seas in several years.. The peanut was THE knife used for 99% of that trip.

G.
 
Hmm. Well, I've got a couple knives...cheap stuff, really cheap...that my Dad got me when I was little. Still got those. They're some of my "first" knives.

When my Grandmother died, I coincidentally picked up a Case Barlow the day after the funeral. It's salmon in color. I remember her when I pick it up.

The GEC Barlow that I just got came the night before we took my 7 year old daughter in for heart surgery. God blessed her mightily, and I think I'll hold onto it.

Special moments...deserve a knife!!!! ha!
 
Interesting reading folks. As I was reading I recalled showing my pastor and his wife a knife I had gotten. I was about 9-10 I think. ANd I remember my Pastor telling me about how did not use his pocket knife correctly and it closed on his figers. OUCH!. But that is all I can remember. Nothing about what knife it might have been. Keep posting folks, maybe reading more of your post will help me remember.

Oh wait. I also just remembered getting in trouble with my dad. We where at the same pastors house for a get together. And my dad and pastor was talking about a youth camping trip. I said I needed to take my knife with me. My mom said no. I said, "Are you crazy!" "Going out in the woods without a knife!" My dad gave me a look and I knew I was toast. He sent me to the car. AMazingly I did not get the tar beat out of me. But got a firm talkin' to. Not sure what knife I wanted to take then either. maybe since these memories have come up, maybe I can remember what knives I had then. I hope so. Keep posting folks. This is great!
 
Well, my number 1 or 2 memory knife isn't a Buck. It's a SAK I carry in a elk hunting backpack. It is a one knife compromise. It has a saw blade and the main blade locks.
I fashioned a round tip curved "rope cutting" blade into a belly skin opener. I stuck in the ground while cutting up elk and ended up leaving it there for two winters. On the beginning of the third I happened back over that spot and there sticking where I had forgotten it, was my sagebrush scented, blue sky, crisp air and bright sunlight memory knife. Just a little faded on the sunny side and not the worst for wear. I wonder what scenes it saw???? 300Bucks

SAKelk.jpg

FADED SIDE
SAKelkfadedside.jpg
 
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