Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Ken Spielvogel on July 17, 2013 at 13:11

Great story Stephen-I enjoyed reading it.

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Permalink Reply by Sue OldsWidow on July 17, 2013 at 17:32

That is a wonderful story of knifing...glad you shared it....when you get your 2nd wind....let us know about the deer knife sharpening and how that goes...

My dad was the same way, little old gray stone he would sit and listen to the Reds ball game, sharpen those filet knives , stroke them on the leather and right into the sheaths till it was time to go fishing. I learned a lot from him,just watching, and yes I can sharpen my carbon kitchen knives but stainless I just throw back in the drawer....lol

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Permalink Reply by Steve Hanner on July 18, 2013 at 11:09

That's a great story Stephen. I thank you. I think a lot of folks have good memories of starting out on knives. I hope we get more!

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Permalink Reply by Jack Haskins, Jr. on July 19, 2013 at 17:32

I'm not a collector, yet.  Most of my adult life I have wanted a knife that would just stay sharp.  Not forever, just longer than anything I had experienced.  I could sharpen my knife and after opening a few cardboard boxes it would just be usable but not sharp at all.  This really bugged me but not enough to do any checking on better quality knives or blade steel.  About 6 years ago I decided to finally check out this quality knife thing.  What I wanted was a nice knife that was comfortable and would stay sharp.  Since then I've bought I don't know how many knives.  50 or 60 I think of different brands.  After I had 20 or so I started selling the ones I didn't carry.  After all I only wanted one. :)  But I wanted it to be one I really loved.  Now I have about 10 that I will keep (probably) and two or three that I WILL keep.  So, my search should be over and I shoule be happy.  Right?  RIGHT???  Isn't anyone going to agree?  Guess not. lol  In this time frame I have learned a lot about knives and seem to want to know more.  I have gotten into making handles for a few kitchen knife blanks and handle scales for folders.  I like this and hope to continue it.  The real aspect that has grabbed my attention is sharpening.  I've done the normal things people do when learning a new skill.  I've spent far more money than I needed to trying out different tools.  If I would have invested in a good set of bench stones and spent $200 MAX and just worked on my skill using those all would be well.  But then I'd read a review of a type of stone and decide I needed some of those.  I do know this though.  I learned far more by trying different types of stones and systems.  Let me not forget.  A WHOLE LOT of what I learned came from people on one or two forums like this one.  Seems knife people are more than eager to share knowledge with no motivation other than just helping someone else.

Now however, I have great knives (IMO) for EDC, tool box, etc. so where do I go from here.  I decided to check into the type knives I knew of an used as a kid and most of my adult life.  The best example of that knife is a stockman of some brand, probably Case.  I have one Case small stockman that I don't know where it came from.  It's just always been with me for years.  I have a Queen pocket knife on order but won't get it for two or three weeks I don't think.  Maybe later.  I have thought about starting a collection and may do that.  For now it would be a collection of EDC knives, not knives that would never get used.  We'll see.

Jack

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Permalink Reply by Stephen L. Corley on July 20, 2013 at 6:42

Jack, I reached that point last year. I got tired of having a knife that would not stay sharp, and started looking into what would stay sharp. At first it was hard for me to spend the extra money, but it has payed off. I'm now waiting for a Spyderco Military in 440V. I guess next I'll have to go to S90V and 3V. In upgrading, Not to mention, I may need to invest in some Chosora water stones.

Jack Haskins, Jr. said:

I'm not a collector, yet.  Most of my adult life I have wanted a knife that would just stay sharp.  Not forever, just longer than anything I had experienced.  I could sharpen my knife and after opening a few cardboard boxes it would just be usable but not sharp at all.  This really bugged me but not enough to do any checking on better quality knives or blade steel.  About 6 years ago I decided to finally check out this quality knife thing.  What I wanted was a nice knife that was comfortable and would stay sharp.  Since then I've bought I don't know how many knives.  50 or 60 I think of different brands.  After I had 20 or so I started selling the ones I didn't carry.  After all I only wanted one. :)  But I wanted it to be one I really loved.  Now I have about 10 that I will keep (probably) and two or three that I WILL keep.  So, my search should be over and I shoule be happy.  Right?  RIGHT???  Isn't anyone going to agree?  Guess not. lol  In this time frame I have learned a lot about knives and seem to want to know more.  I have gotten into making handles for a few kitchen knife blanks and handle scales for folders.  I like this and hope to continue it.  The real aspect that has grabbed my attention is sharpening.  I've done the normal things people do when learning a new skill.  I've spent far more money than I needed to trying out different tools.  If I would have invested in a good set of bench stones and spent $200 MAX and just worked on my skill using those all would be well.  But then I'd read a review of a type of stone and decide I needed some of those.  I do know this though.  I learned far more by trying different types of stones and systems.  Let me not forget.  A WHOLE LOT of what I learned came from people on one or two forums like this one.  Seems knife people are more than eager to share knowledge with no motivation other than just helping someone else.

Now however, I have great knives (IMO) for EDC, tool box, etc. so where do I go from here.  I decided to check into the type knives I knew of an used as a kid and most of my adult life.  The best example of that knife is a stockman of some brand, probably Case.  I have one Case small stockman that I don't know where it came from.  It's just always been with me for years.  I have a Queen pocket knife on order but won't get it for two or three weeks I don't think.  Maybe later.  I have thought about starting a collection and may do that.  For now it would be a collection of EDC knives, not knives that would never get used.  We'll see.

Jack

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Permalink Reply by Jack Haskins, Jr. on July 20, 2013 at 7:50

Stephen, I don't know a lot about steel.  The people who do talk about carbides and other words.  But basically for me a harder steel will stay sharp longer.  However if it is too hard it will chip easily.  One thing I like/love about the Spyderco company is the eagerness to try different blade steels over time.  They do use steels that are more affordable and even have several "value" models.  But, even the value models are great knives with VERY adequate blade steel.  Good luck with the Military.  I've never owned one, a bit too big for me but I understand they are great knives.  From my limited experience their knives have the better steels and have better edge retention.  Since having a sharp knife was my initial and only goal in looking into better knives it's hard for me to loose that when I want to get a knife for some other reason.  Sometimes I want a knife just because it is beautiful.  Or maybe it just feels good in my hand.  We all have our reasons.  I have dreamed about ordering a custom knife with the steel I want, the lock I want, the handle material and shape I want, and even the fragrance I want. (joking about fragrance) lol. It's not even really a dream. It's not a realistic possibility enough to be dream status.  It's more of a thought. :) I doubt if I'll ever be able to afford or at least justify a knife like that.

With harder steel of course it's more time consuming to sharpen.  The same skills apply but the amount of steel removed per stroke is less.  So, stones that cut faster is a huge benefit.  I don't think you need to spend the chosera $ though if you don't want to.  What I have settled on is DMT for the coarser grits and Spyderco fine grit for a final edge. I may get the Spyderco ultra-fine grit in time but it's truely NOT needed.  Especially for pocket knives.  That's just my opinion. The UF stone does provide a SUPER SMOOTH razor edge if you need it.  I've never owned chosera stones either but I got some Shapton glass stones and they are supurb.  I almost consider them in a different category than others I've tried.  They are a splsh n go water stone compared to water stones you need to soak prior to using.  I have a set for my Edge Pro but stick to DMT and ceramic for free hand.  For the moment anyway.  I love the aspect of sharpening knives as much as the knives themselves.  I've had to stop myself from re-sharpening an already razor sharp edge. No kidding.  I've done that just to put a new angle on the edge for experimenting.  I'm rambling again.  Sorry, I tend to do that.  Back to edge retention. When you get your military try this. Get a bunch of cardboard.  I use pizza boxes for testing because it's all the same cardboard and we eat a lot of pizza. lol Take your favorite knife and get it as sharp as you normally do or can and test it however you normally do. I cut phone book paper.  Then cut the box lid up into very small slices. The entire lid.  Then test the edge again and mentally note the amount of sharpness that is lost.  Then do the same with the military.  For an accurate test you would need to resharpen the edge so both knives start with YOUR edge and not the factory edge. It will probably be VERY sharp but sometimes a not so sharp squeeks by in any production knife.  I've never used 440V so I don't know anything about it personally. But you will see any difference by using the pizza box test (as I call it).  I've done this test several times with VG-10 and S30V and CTX-HXP and ZDP-189 (examples) in an attempt to determine some of the differences in the steels.  There is signivicance difference in VG-10 and ZDP.  I like ZDP better and that's saying a lot from me because VG-10 is a great steel. But, the ZDP takes about 4 times as long to sharpen.  VG-10 is a great all-arond steel IMO. Gets razor sharp easily and holds it for a very acceptable time.  Of course cardboard is only one type of material to cut. A steel that does good on cardboard may not be the best choice for dressing game for example.  I don't hunt anymore so I can't testify about that.  I do like to cut cardboard though. How else will you get your hands on your new knife? LOL

Congratulations on the purchase of your new knife.  I know you will enjoy it.  Also, I enjoyed the story about your Dad.  My Dad also played a big part in my love of knives.  He gave my my first pocket knife, hunting knife and hatchet.  Good Dad.  Been patting him on the head ever since. LOL

I apologize for rambling.  I do that.  I have participated on one other forum and do the same thing.  I believe they think "here he goes again" when they see I have made a post.

Stephen L. Corley said:

Jack, I reached that point last year. I got tired of having a knife that would not stay sharp, and started looking into what would stay sharp. At first it was hard for me to spend the extra money, but it has payed off. I'm now waiting for a Spyderco Military in 440V. I guess next I'll have to go to S90V and 3V. In upgrading, Not to mention, I may need to invest in some Chosora water stones.

Jack Haskins, Jr. said:

I'm not a collector, yet.  Most of my adult life I have wanted a knife that would just stay sharp.  Not forever, just longer than anything I had experienced.  I could sharpen my knife and after opening a few cardboard boxes it would just be usable but not sharp at all.  This really bugged me but not enough to do any checking on better quality knives or blade steel.  About 6 years ago I decided to finally check out this quality knife thing.  What I wanted was a nice knife that was comfortable and would stay sharp.  Since then I've bought I don't know how many knives.  50 or 60 I think of different brands.  After I had 20 or so I started selling the ones I didn't carry.  After all I only wanted one. :)  But I wanted it to be one I really loved.  Now I have about 10 that I will keep (probably) and two or three that I WILL keep.  So, my search should be over and I shoule be happy.  Right?  RIGHT???  Isn't anyone going to agree?  Guess not. lol  In this time frame I have learned a lot about knives and seem to want to know more.  I have gotten into making handles for a few kitchen knife blanks and handle scales for folders.  I like this and hope to continue it.  The real aspect that has grabbed my attention is sharpening.  I've done the normal things people do when learning a new skill.  I've spent far more money than I needed to trying out different tools.  If I would have invested in a good set of bench stones and spent $200 MAX and just worked on my skill using those all would be well.  But then I'd read a review of a type of stone and decide I needed some of those.  I do know this though.  I learned far more by trying different types of stones and systems.  Let me not forget.  A WHOLE LOT of what I learned came from people on one or two forums like this one.  Seems knife people are more than eager to share knowledge with no motivation other than just helping someone else.

Now however, I have great knives (IMO) for EDC, tool box, etc. so where do I go from here.  I decided to check into the type knives I knew of an used as a kid and most of my adult life.  The best example of that knife is a stockman of some brand, probably Case.  I have one Case small stockman that I don't know where it came from.  It's just always been with me for years.  I have a Queen pocket knife on order but won't get it for two or three weeks I don't think.  Maybe later.  I have thought about starting a collection and may do that.  For now it would be a collection of EDC knives, not knives that would never get used.  We'll see.

Jack

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Permalink Reply by David Selph on January 18, 2014 at 15:18

I lost a beloved knife and when I tried to find a replacement I found out that it was no longer made.  It was a Case.  I looked on the internet and discovered pocket knives I was not familiar with like Canal Street, GEC, Queen and Schatt & Morgan.  I now have several of each.  Through luck I was also able to find a replacement for the Case knife I had lost.  Losing that knife brought me to this wonderful hobby and lit a fire and it is burning HOT!

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FeaturedPermalink Reply by Charles Sample on January 18, 2014 at 20:28

Don't even try to extinguish it David!

 

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Permalink Reply by Ricky L McConnell on February 9, 2014 at 21:51

Steve,

              I have always liked a pocketknife, but in the last few years I got started thru my grandmother and one of her friends. His name was W. H. Claxton. He did not have any kids to give his knives to , so he brought some to my Granny to give away. She would bring me a sack of them every now and then. It was some time before I realized that most of them were high quality vintage knives. I got a chance to talk to him once, and he said he had been collecting since he was  a kid. He has passed on recently along with my Granny. I miss them both , but I am grateful for getting me interested in collecting knives.

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on February 9, 2014 at 22:36

Can hardly remember when I got my first knife- A "Case Stockman" Probably around age 8. My dad,grandad, and older brothers all carried Case knives-Back in the day, you could even buy knives from the back pages of comic books!! I bought a 12" stag handled bowie with sheath for under $5 bucks that way !! ( wish I still had it) - Anyhow, somehow, I started collecting Case trappers. Had about 20 before I realised I was a collector. That does't count the other misc. other knives I accumulated over that time-Wish I still had some of my earlier knives, but I was a kid, young and stupid, I guess. BTW, Charles, going back to page 3 of this discussion, I remember party lines, too !! My original phone number was 108F21- Two longs and a short- I still remember how the party line women thought my grandfather was a dirty old man, because he had emphysema, and they could hear his heavy breathing, while he was listening for them to hang up so he could make a call.Unfortunately, you had to do that sometimes, to figure out when the line was free !!

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Permalink Reply by Paul Ring on February 10, 2014 at 15:05

It would seem that this bug can be caught multiply ways. Yet the end result is the same. Lol. The "fever" the "addiction" no matter what you call it, it ends up with a passion for collecting knives. It decives us at
first. Someone will ask us " do you collect knives?" We will reply no! Then they will ask how many knives do you have? We will reply, "I don't know!" That's when the blinders come off. I'm a collector! Lol
More soon!

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In MemoriamPermalink Reply by John McCain on February 10, 2014 at 16:35

Paul, I had to laugh when I saw your comment-I have knives everywhere in my home-If someone asks me if I'm a knife collector, my reply would be "maybe" - If they rephrased the question  to " Are you a knife addict?? " The answer would be YES !! Also, I honestly and truly have no freakin idea how any knives I own !!

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