Which thumb nail do you use to open your slip-joint?

[CelloDan]

Now that is a " Critical Argument " There is only ONE way for it to hang .

Honestly I had no clue whatsoever this was an issue all the years I have lived on this earth lol.
Just the other day actually, my daughters and my wife "educated" me about the proper way to hang it …. and to be honest I think I already forgot …. better go asked them to refresh my memory before is my turn to hang the next one

 

[Prester John]

I have been practicing using my left thumbnail (or pinch grip) to open the knife while holding it on my right hand.

While I "technically" end up with the knife in my dominant had I still have to rotate it in order to use it which I find slow and cumbersome.

Notice the rotation once the knife is opened.

When doing it the "right" way LOL I find the knife ends up perfectly positioned to be used and lowering the right hand to grab the handle seems faster and more efficient to me ( notice that I am not transferring the knife from left to right,... if anything the knife is already more on my right hand by the time the opening motion is completed)

The first way is obviously better, Dan.

And it takes an extra step to take the knife out of the slip, but who cares, you're in the Traditional Knife Zone?! Ah, an opportunity to use your knife. You take the beautifully-crafted leather slip from your pocket, run your hand over the edges, admire the skill that went into its manufacture. Slowly take the knife from the slip...ahhh...doesn't that feel good? Admire the beauty of it, run your fingers over the covers, delight in how lucky you are to have such a great knife, don't rush. You open the blade, enjoying the tension of the spring, and the familiar snap. Now you're ready. It's one of the great moments of your day, why would you want to hurry it?

Yeah, what's the rush?

 

[Jiki]

... what's a "feeling"? I assumed we were all dead inside and coping by diving headlong into a knife obsession.



I was just thinking about this the other day- I understand why they'd teach that, it's what I learned, but that's not always true, is it?
I think of how I carve opposite sides of faces; there are just times when the only way to cut something is to perform a parring cut.
I slowed me way down in my whittling journey. I even tried carving left handed so I could avoid that.

Turn the piece over.

 

[Jiki]

I am a left hand hold, right thumb pull with a CK finish. To speed things up I just keep my knife in my hand as a worry stone most of the time.

 

[Bastler]

A cat which also likely opens it's traditional slip joints with it's left paw.

Cats carry OTF automatics, 18 of them.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Turn the piece over.

Aw jeez, it was that simple! I just kept stabbing the right side of the piece over and over, getting frustrated, wondering why the left side wouldn’t improve! I’ll never have to make another pairing cut again...

I am a left hand hold, right thumb pull with a CK finish.

Are you right handed? Me thinks you are. No real bearing on the convo, just curious.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Cats carry OTF automatics, 18 of them.

I mean... obviously, but any cat of R8shell’s is probably carrying a well-worn specimen from the 1800’s, likely with a broken and reground secondary. The 18 automatics probably stay well manicured and oiled for SHTF occasions...

... or too much petting.

 

[Jiki]

Aw jeez, it was that simple! I just kept stabbing the right side of the piece over and over, getting frustrated, wondering why the left side wouldn’t improve! I’ll never have to make another pairing cut again...

Well, you already know that I wear a glove while carving. You also know a properly preformed pairing cut only moves the blade the distance of the squeeze of your fingers to insure safety.

Are you right handed?

Yes, yes I am right handed.

 

[btb01]

I'm the same, it used to drive Stan Shaw crazy!

Yes, he couldn't see why anyone would 'baby' them closed! There's a video of him somewhere, where he wipes the blades on a finished knife with a soft cloth, and then clatters them all shut!

That’s funny! I have to admit, I’ve also gotten into the habit of easing my knives closed, partly as a result if having had a few that hit the spring. But every once in a while I’ll let ‘em sing.

That way he won't put finger prints on the freshly cleaned blades.

Usually if I’m wiping a knife down am ready to close it, I pinch the blade with the cloth and ease it closed.

And it takes an extra step to take the knife out of the slip, but who cares, you're in the Traditional Knife Zone?! Ah, an opportunity to use your knife. You take the beautifully-crafted leather slip from your pocket, run your hand over the edges, admire the skill that went into its manufacture. Slowly take the knife from the slip...ahhh...doesn't that feel good? Admire the beauty of it, run your fingers over the covers, delight in how lucky you are to have such a great knife, don't rush. You open the blade, enjoying the tension of the spring, and the familiar snap. Now you're ready. It's one of the great moments of your day, why would you want to hurry it?

LOL! Thanks buddy, I'll include it in my forthcoming book The Joy of Seax!

Jack, you’re a regular Danielle Steel! (See what I did there? )

I’ve been thinking about this very-important-and-not-at-all-pointless debate over the last few days, and any time I’ve found myself fiddling with a knife, I’ve made myself open it every which way for comparison’s sake.

Now I’ve always used my left hand to open the blade, with the handle in my right hand. Most often I’ll pinch the blade, but I also feel completely comfortable using my left thumbnail to open a knife that can’t be pinched.

If I switch hands to the so-called “right” way , pinching the blade open seems ok, but I guess I just like being in the “Blood Zone” (scary! ) because I naturally grab the knife the opposite of the way you right-thumb folks do. If feels awkward to have the pivot pointing “down” (i.e., closest to my pinky finger), so I pinch it open the same way I would if the knife were in my right hand, with the pivot “up” (by my index finger).

Of course, you can’t open a blade with your right thumbnail while holding the knife like that, so I’ve been practicing opening them the real “right” way, too (you know, upside down and in the wrong hand… ), and let me tell you, that feels about as unnatural as trying to write with my left hand. Maybe it’s just because I’m only used to using the other hand, but on a knife with a strong pull (I used a #71 Bull Nose with a fairly stout pull for this), opening the blade with my right thumbnail is particularly unpleasant. I don’t feel like I have great control over the blade, and when it snaps into the half stop, it really tweaks my thumbnail in an unpleasant way.

I’ll also say that, when opening a knife the “right” way with your right thumbnail, I often have to completely adjust my grip on the handle when I get the knife halfway open, moving my grip from the back of the handle to the front to get the proper leverage to easily open the knife the rest of the way. I thought maybe this was just because I’m not used to opening a knife this way, but if you take a look at the video Jack Black posted (not picking on you, Jack, you just provided a good example ), he does this exact readjustment 3 out of the 4 times he opens that knife. Just sayin’.

Long story short: if left thumb opening is wrong, I don’t want to be “right.”

 

[EngrSorenson]

If Jack is Danielle Steel, then Barrett is Leo Tolstoy.

 

[Jiki]

Leo Tolstoy? Did he make knives for Böker?

 

[colin.p]

One of the most entertaining threads I have read for a great long time. Rather refreshing to see how folks can have a "serious" debate without frothing at the mouth and name calling, even if they open a slipjoint with the wrong thumbnail...

 

[r8shell]

I mean... obviously, but any cat of R8shell’s is probably carrying a well-worn specimen from the 1800’s, likely with a broken and reground secondary. The 18 automatics probably stay well manicured and oiled for SHTF occasions...

... or too much petting.

"Who, Me?"

Knife in right front paw:

 

[Jack Black]

That’s funny! I have to admit, I’ve also gotten into the habit of easing my knives closed, partly as a result if having had a few that hit the spring. But every once in a while I’ll let ‘em sing.



Usually if I’m wiping a knife down am ready to close it, I pinch the blade with the cloth and ease it closed.





Jack, you’re a regular Danielle Steel! (See what I did there? )

I’ve been thinking about this very-important-and-not-at-all-pointless debate over the last few days, and any time I’ve found myself fiddling with a knife, I’ve made myself open it every which way for comparison’s sake.

Now I’ve always used my left hand to open the blade, with the handle in my right hand. Most often I’ll pinch the blade, but I also feel completely comfortable using my left thumbnail to open a knife that can’t be pinched.

If I switch hands to the so-called “right” way , pinching the blade open seems ok, but I guess I just like being in the “Blood Zone” (scary! ) because I naturally grab the knife the opposite of the way you right-thumb folks do. If feels awkward to have the pivot pointing “down” (i.e., closest to my pinky finger), so I pinch it open the same way I would if the knife were in my right hand, with the pivot “up” (by my index finger).

Of course, you can’t open a blade with your right thumbnail while holding the knife like that, so I’ve been practicing opening them the real “right” way, too (you know, upside down and in the wrong hand… ), and let me tell you, that feels about as unnatural as trying to write with my left hand. Maybe it’s just because I’m only used to using the other hand, but on a knife with a strong pull (I used a #71 Bull Nose with a fairly stout pull for this), opening the blade with my right thumbnail is particularly unpleasant. I don’t feel like I have great control over the blade, and when it snaps into the half stop, it really tweaks my thumbnail in an unpleasant way.

I’ll also say that, when opening a knife the “right” way with your right thumbnail, I often have to completely adjust my grip on the handle when I get the knife halfway open, moving my grip from the back of the handle to the front to get the proper leverage to easily open the knife the rest of the way. I thought maybe this was just because I’m not used to opening a knife this way, but if you take a look at the video Jack Black posted (not picking on you, Jack, you just provided a good example ), he does this exact readjustment 3 out of the 4 times he opens that knife. Just sayin’.

Long story short: if left thumb opening is wrong, I don’t want to be “right.”

LOL! I'm glad I have that video to remind how I opened a knife before this thread confused the heck out of me!

If Jack is Danielle Steel, then Barrett is Leo Tolstoy.

I've read Tolstoy, but had to look up Danielle Steel!

 

[Misplaced Hillbilly]

 

[JohnDF]

I’ve been practicing opening them the real “right” way, too (you know, upside down

If you hold the knife that way, it's right-side-up... just look at the writing on the shield of your Case, Northfield, and Tidioute knives.

Adorable picture.

 

[r8shell]

Adorable picture.

Thank you. I think her "Blood Zone" goes in every possible direction.

 

[EngrSorenson]

Leo Tolstoy? Did he make knives for Böker?

I think you'd be most familiar with his friend, Warren Peese, who was probably a right thumber to half, and Mike Latham to full open kind of guy.

 

[mcc850]

Who knew this would be the thread of the year? Atta boy JohnDF ! I have been thoroughly entertained the last few days. Feels like the porch again around here. Thank you!

Sincerely,
Proud Member of Team Right Thumbnail

 

[Quiet]

It's always the right one, with the knife held in my left hand and then I transfer the knife to the right hand.