Pocket Knife

[Edward]

Holiday survival knife

I remember when I worked in a place which sold those thirty odd years ago they were known as "Bartender's Friend Knives" or "Waiter's Friend", though I don't recall whether that was a brand name that had become a generic, or just a colloquialism.

 

[Turnip]

These got similar nicknames here too.
As far as I could find out the pattern appears to be about 120 years old, the model number „92“ refers to 1892 imho.
Anyway, the corkscrew is quite excellent, what is most important for me. There are so very many crappy ones out there, a beer could also be opened with a fording rule…

 

[Edward]

These got similar nicknames here too.
As far as I could find out the pattern appears to be about 120 years old, the model number „92“ refers to 1892 imho.
Anyway, the corkscrew is quite excellent, what is most important for me. There are so very many crappy ones out there, a beer could also be opened with a fording rule…

I used to know a girl who could open a beer bottle with her teeth; I dread to think what would have happened had she slipped! I remember in the absence of one one night using a spoon to lever a bottle top off. Another time in my student days for want of a corkscrew we used a knitting needle to push a cork all the way into the bottle to let the wine out!

 

[belfastboy]

I used to know a girl who could open a beer bottle with her teeth; I dread to think what would have happened had she slipped! I remember in the absence of one one night using a spoon to lever a bottle top off. Another time in my student days for want of a corkscrew we used a knitting needle to push a cork all the way into the bottle to let the wine out!

My default when a cork screw is not available is a chop stick.....we always have a few of those in a drawer somewhere.

 

[jonbuilder]

In high school, during the 60s I learned to open a 4 " folding buck knife with a flick of my wrist.

 

[Bfd70]

Knives is sorta want:
Buck ranger 112
Benchmade tengu flipper
Maybe a Balisong as a fidget spinner (maybe not, my most recent acquisition landed me 7 stitches last week).

 

[Peacoat]

In high school, during the 60s I learned to open a 4 " folding buck knife with a flick of my wrist.

As did I. It came in handy one day when I was charged by a large and very angry dog. When he saw me go into my defensive stance and heard the knife open, he decided to explore other options.

 

[TLW '90]

I'm quite partial to 2 bladed serpentine frames with square bolsters, whether it's a pen configuration like one of my 4 and counting Buck 305's or a Jack configuration like this modified Case 032 Texas Jack of mine that I'm carrying this week.

 

[belfastboy]

In high school, during the 60s I learned to open a 4 " folding buck knife with a flick of my wrist.

I can do that with my 45 year old Buck that has worn & loosened up enough over the years.

 

[Boyo]

Knives is sorta want:

Maybe a Balisong as a fidget spinner (maybe not, my most recent acquisition landed me 7 stitches last week).

How about a Balisong Pen.. by Spyderco

you wont cut yourself again.. but you might get ink on your shirt

 

[Bfd70]

How about a Balisong Pen.. by Spyderco

View attachment 394659


you wont cut yourself again.. but you might get ink on your shirt

I’m a Fisher Space Pen man. Now a Balisong comb on the other hand.

 

[DaveProc]

Case Doctors Knife

 

[Fifty150]

On her mother's side, her grandfather was French. On her father's side, her great-grandmother was French.

She was 3/8 French. She looked like Maggie Q, with green eyes. Only at that time, it wasn't quite so popular to be "exotic looking".

Her parents, were able to escape Vietnam when Saigon fell. They fared better than others, because they were part Caucasian, spoke French & English, and were bourgeois intellectuals. Both were allegedly language teachers - which would have meant that they had no other trade skills in life, or that they were intelligence assets of a foreign government. The latter made more sense. Since I didn't believe the story her parents told of how they were lucky enough to be employed by the refugee camp in Thailand as translators. They subsequently resettled in Australia, where she was born. Raised amongst the kangaroo, with Vegemite sandwiches.

I found her in a bordello, in the Mojave Desert, dressed in second rate lingerie from Frederick's of Hollywood. She was backpacking her way aimlessly across the country, like college students backpacked through Europe. She literally had just the clothes on her body, and a backpack with toiletries and clean underwear. As she told me the story, the whorehouse actually rented the lingerie to her, so that she could work there.

In that little backpack, she also had a bottle of fish sauce, and an Opinel. A real piece of junk. But she clung to it. It was her grandfather's. It came with him from France, to Vietnam, and it was one of the few things her mom brought when they escaped. Today, it lives with me. She left it here. Where it will be safe with me. It won't get lost. But it's a real piece of junk. Like everything else French, it could be perfect if it didn't have a design flaw. Opinel knives have incredibly sharp blades - made of carbon steel so they are prone to rust. Corrosion builds where you can't clean the knife - the working action of the hinge pin. 1 hinge pin, set into wood. Wood expands. The knives eventually become stuck closed. You can't open it without the knife on a bench vise, and a pair of pliers to grip the blade.

The world of Suzie Vuong.

 

[Fifty150]

In my rotation of knives that I carry, is an old Western. Very little information online. Wiki has a page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Knife_Company I got it from an Uncle who told me that the knife is older than me. Of course, he doesn't know much about knives. It's just one of the knives that he had, it was old, and he gave it to me. Extremely sharp. Pain in the neck because it's carbon steel. The original leather sheath has rotted away. It's still functional. Ugly, but it cuts.

The knife which I use daily is a Mora. Just a personal opinion. It's the best value tool you can buy. In the lowest range. And the best of the cheap knives.

 

[Bushman]

In my rotation of knives that I carry, is an old Western. Very little information online. Wiki has a page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Knife_Company I got it from an Uncle who told me that the knife is older than me. Of course, he doesn't know much about knives. It's just one of the knives that he had, it was old, and he gave it to me. Extremely sharp. Pain in the neck because it's carbon steel. The original leather sheath has rotted away. It's still functional. Ugly, but it cuts.

View attachment 417623

Found one on eBay. Specs says they're from the 1950s? Could be older, but I haven't dug that far, TBH.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/175203082761?hash=item28caeae209:g:ZfMAAOSwahdiMUrW

 

[Fifty150]

According to what is on Wikipedia, my knife was made in the 1960's. to 1976 That's when they were stamping "WESTERN USA" on the blade.

There's no value here to a collector. The condition is not pretty. The original sheath is gone. I have a sheath bought off eBay or Amazon. It's the right size length. A generic replacement. Made of leather. Good enough for me to carry the knife. The blade could be refinished and polished. Someone more motivated than me would take some chemicals and a buffer to the blade.

Small enough to fit in my pocket. Sharp enough to cut open mail, or field dress a deer if I had to. Fixed blade, so that it won't fold and cut my fingers off. I live in the city. I may cut rope, or cut a bra strap, strip insulation jacketing from wires, open beef jerky, cut off the plastic wrapped around the cap of a pill bottle, open Amazon packages, stab someone in the occasional fight for a seat on the bus, or slash a tire.

I have other knives that will do the job.

 

[Robert Heyer]

In my rotation of knives that I carry, is an old Western. Very little information online. Wiki has a page. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Knife_Company I got it from an Uncle who told me that the knife is older than me. Of course, he doesn't know much about knives. It's just one of the knives that he had, it was old, and he gave it to me. Extremely sharp. Pain in the neck because it's carbon steel. The original leather sheath has rotted away. It's still functional. Ugly, but it cuts.

View attachment 417623


The knife which I use daily is a Mora. Just a personal opinion. It's the best value tool you can buy. In the lowest range. And the best of the cheap knives.

View attachment 417624

Here is my old Western. I bought it in the late 60s or early 70s. It was actually a Boy Scout issued knife and on one side of the blade had a BSA stamp.

 

[Khilij]

I had a small swiss army knife I used to carry with the Boy Scouts logo on it for about 11 years before I lost it. Nowadays I'm a fan of multitools for everyday carry but I do have a turquoise inlaid trapper knife I carry for when I have to wear nicer clothes.

 

[Fifty150]

Here is my old Western. I bought it in the late 60s or early 70s. It was actually a Boy Scout issued knife and on one side of the blade had a BSA stamp.

Very nice. Great condition.

 

[Peacoat]

According to what is on Wikipedia, my knife was made in the 1960's. to 1976 That's when they were stamping "WESTERN USA" on the blade.

There's no value here to a collector. The condition is not pretty. The original sheath is gone. I have a sheath bought off eBay or Amazon. It's the right size length. A generic replacement. Made of leather. Good enough for me to carry the knife. The blade could be refinished and polished. Someone more motivated than me would take some chemicals and a buffer to the blade.

Small enough to fit in my pocket. Sharp enough to cut open mail, or field dress a deer if I had to. Fixed blade, so that it won't fold and cut my fingers off. I live in the city. I may cut rope, or cut a bra strap, strip insulation jacketing from wires, open beef jerky, cut off the plastic wrapped around the cap of a pill bottle, open Amazon packages, stab someone in the occasional fight for a seat on the bus, or slash a tire.

I have other knives that will do the job.

View attachment 417835

The top knife needs a little help before the blade starts to pit. A medium grade steel wool would do the job without a lot of elbow grease. Also the handle is a bit thirsty. I have the same handle that gets the occasional dose of leather conditioner. Works a treat.