I was reading a very interesting post on Paul Kirtley's blog yesterday where he talks about the value of a locking knife for survival. Paul Kirtley's Blog .
The article was excellent as is usual for Paul but what caught my nostalgic nerve was his talk of the knives he used when he was first starting out.
I have mentioned my Rambo type survival knife which I got for christmas when I was a boy. I used to run about with it strapped to my leg 24-7. It was obviously a very cheap peice of steel but I loved it.
The funny thing is that if you are un aware that better knives exist it dosnt bother you and you get on with making huts, skinning rabbits and lighting fires.
However, one year for a holiday our travelled to the Isle of Man. In a small fishing shop there was a glass counter full of the most fancy looking knives. I took a shine to a nice shiny stacked leather handled sheffield steel knife. I remember it was £6.99 which in 1986 was a lot more than it is now. I convinced my dad that i needed it and he let me spend my holiday savings on it. I then proceeded to cut the tip of my finger off with it. Here is is.
This knife has been lost and found so many times I lost count. It has hacked, chopped and sliced through everything, dug holes, poked fires, killed enemy indians, killed enemy cowboys, been used as a throwing knife, a spear tip, an ember pan, gut rabits, fish, pigeons and bigger. I learned to sharpen knives on it and slept with it under my pillow for a while. Itwas the envy of my friends at the time. A great little knife indeed.
I sometimes think it would be nice to find a picture of myself with it on my belt but sometimes it is better to just remember things.
Cheers
5 comments:
A good knife to stand all that!
I have one too, slightly thinner handle but almost exactly the same. Your list of memories matches my own, and I cant remember if it held an edge any better before all the fire poking I used it for. these days it doesn't hold an edge too long but that doesn't matter as its a letter opener and time travel device.
SBW
PS do you remember the awful sheath?
Hi SBW,
I remember the awfull sheath and still have the awfull sheath. I will stick a picture of it up.
The sheath still has my name on the back written in green marker.
I have a very similar knife I was given around 19yrs ago, although mine has a stag antler handle.
I reshaped it and its my go to knife for bushcraft, gardening and DIY ;o)
A knife that beat up could not be prouder
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