Still kicking and grinning,

    Much has gone on for me in the last couple of yrs. I recently had cataract eye surgery on both eyes. I knew I had cataracts 6 or 7 yrs ago but they were not bad or so I thought. It was pretty much the right eye. I was more concerned with being diganosed with Glacoma and so I worked with that issue.  when I moved to AR. it was new Eye Dr and he told me I had cataracts and should consider having them removed. I of course decided at that time…

I have been a collector of knives since I inherited a WWII K-bar from my grandfather back in the early 70's. Since then, a pocket clip knife has been a daily addition to my attire. 

The downside to the clip knife is the wear it puts on your pocket ruining your pants pocket way before the pants themselves are worn out.  I finally found a solution,

I purchased a clip knife pocket defender on Etsy. It is applied…

My 10 year old granddaughter has been into photography for several years now, growing her skills with her dad's "hand-me-down" digital cameras. This last Christmas, she got all rigged out with new tripod, new camera bag, memory cards, and a bunch of other great camera gear. Earlier this summer she was showing me some of her photos...lots of them...and I was actually surprised! I mean I have to like them all....she's my granddaughter. But I was impressed with her eye and her skills of working…

At some point, I answered a question on a Facebook group for Mora users & collectors.  While that answer was a bit of a knife review in brief, I have no idea what happened to that reply I made and it's likely forever lost to the annals of Facebook.

The summary, however, is this:  the Cold Steel SRK-C ("C" standing for "compact") is a very viable alternative to the Mora Garberg.  The SRK-C has a saber grind, similar to the Garberg's, but the grind is higher, giving the SRK-C better…

No more mask mandates, so it's nice to actually see folks faces again isn't it?

However, collecting didn't stop and here are a couple of new ones. A Craftsman 95068 Stockman Buck clone and a Camillus Buck clone. I have been looking for a 300 Series look-alike Camillus for years, and though I had seen photos this is the first I've seen that looked exactly like the Buck 300 Series knives made by Camillus up to 1986. The Craftsman looks more like a Schrade knife to me, mainly from it's…

I was wandering around some of the older discussions recently and I came across one that grabbed my interest. Eight years ago, iKC member Robert Burris started a discussion called “Knife Carry?” and asked the question “What is the difference between a "Sheath"...." Scabbard"... or "Frog?"…

I just got two Bucks that are now discontinued, but I got them as the very last in stock at Copper and Clad. I had emailed Buck and asked if they were going to make either the #101 Folding Hunter Fixed Blade, or the #111 Folding Hunter again, (because I missed both when they did have them), and they said they had no plans to do so. I found that Copper and Clad had the #101 fixed blade, with one only left in stock, and they also had their exclusive #111 Folding Hunter with Sloped Bolsters,…

I was thinking how tough it would  be to give up the use of a knife or reading about them, for even one day, I got the shakes just thinking about it. Maybe if I develop a 10 step program, I will be able to bring my addiction under control. I need those who are not suffering too bad ( yet ) to make suggestions as to what those 10 steps might be. 

Disclaimer:

I take no responsibility for what may occur to others who choose to follow  the suggestions for a KAA program. And, I do…

The Top Five Boker Fixed Blade Knives

(Since 1955)

As you may already know, I am a fan of Boker knives. I am not so much a fan of “Top 5” or “Top 10” lists, but so many people are doing it, there must be something to it! I have limited this list to post-WW2 knives, because the pre-war knives are so difficult to find nowadays. All the knives in this list are still being produced by the Heinrich Boker Baumwerk in Solingen, Germany. So if…

Thought I would start a blog here to showcase the work of my favorite knifemaker.   I stumbled across Alan Davis, a knifemaker from Boerne, Texas, in late 2012.  I was blown away by his knife designs.  Even more astounding was the fact that they were virtually all one of a kind creations.  Alan didn't just make one or two patterns and then just outfit them with different materials.  Each and every one was pretty much different.  While he did have a few designs that people seemed to like and…

A shortish blog on sharpening straight razors. It will be short because I know little enough , though I have learned enough to be able to get the job done . Maybe I can return to this in future when I have more information but for the present it will be brief .

1 . If you want to learn to shave using a straight razor the most effective way is to buy a new razor from a dealer who is known for sharpening their razors before sending them out . Buy a strop at the same time , not a…