Informal Thunder Ranch Survey
by Rob Leahy 
, Prescott, Arizona, Thursday, May 30, 2013, 23:19 (4139 days ago)
https://www.surveymonkey.com/sr.aspx?sm=raYMBjkPwsPWvaNsABpXX0MdEayT_2fjR91fSHMZQdfnk_3d
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Of the Troops & For the Troops
Not so many carry a knife? EVERY man I know carries
by Hobie , Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Friday, May 31, 2013, 05:29 (4139 days ago) @ Rob Leahy
some type of knife. Is the implication a "combat" knife?
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Sincerely,
Hobie
I beleive that is covered under Rule No. 7.....
by John Meeker , Friday, May 31, 2013, 06:24 (4139 days ago) @ Hobie
There's a shoebox of 'carries' in the clutter room. Mine wife carries a small three blade-r, and owns her own 'social knives'. Me, the same, tho' I swap out the daily and often resharpened utility locker for a razor-edge fast-opener, when on the town.
On the Greek island of Lesthos, where came my nephew in law and his outdoors-man dad, the saying is: "A man should always carry two knives, for a man with one knife has no knife".
Speaking of edged steel, over time I've accumulated about half a 5-gallon bucket of good ol' wood handle carbon steel butchers, stickers, and skinners. Paid .50 cents to a buck for most of 'em at garage sales. I blame Ritchie at Backwoodsman Magazine and childhood memories of farm wife kitchen knives. I suppose. At any rate, Ritchie's sales descriptions just kinda hang the romance of history on that vintage cutlery. Some are mere slivers of sharpened-away steel, and others are damn near new save the aging. But they all take an edge a person can appreciate. And a few really great examples hang on my shop wall, just to look at and appreciate.
Anyway, knives, usage, and ownership attitudes are about as sure a social marker as guns. Some urban types so frightened by the presence of open knife that you have to laugh...tho' the recent sheeple-bleating about "knives on planes" and stiff anti-knife laws in Urban Areas, seem aimed to be as senseless as Great Britain, where a shipping clerk was once convicted of carrying TWO box cutters that he used on the job. The Judge told him no one needed more than one such knife. BAAAAA!!!!
Ironically, the urban set seems not to be disturbed at all to own uber-expensive Japanese [and other] fine chef/cooking knives. Just check any upscale cooking store -- nice steel!! I gotta laugh at that, because one of the handiest as-hoc defensive house knives are the ordinary French chef styles sitting in the wooden block on the counter top.
Footnote: Stalinist Russia, as reported by Solzhenitsyn, banned ALL knives with over a six-inch blade, which law was ignored by the criminal element, as they were criminals already. DANG!!! Who'd question such logic, eh?
One of the times I was in the UK...
by Hoot , Diversityville, Liberal-sota, Friday, May 31, 2013, 06:35 (4139 days ago) @ John Meeker
there was a bit of struggling going on with a 'pacquette of bisquits' (cookies). I said something on the order of, "Here...", and proceeded to slice open the offender with my "always" knife. It took a second or so but it sunk in that the room was silent and, when I looked, the faces around me had the expression I would have expected if I had pulled a snake out of my pocket.
Sad, very sad.
The men and women of what was once The Empire...
by John Meeker , Friday, May 31, 2013, 12:17 (4139 days ago) @ Hoot
are prob'ly glad they didn't live long enough to associate with the present so-called British citizen. The hoplophobic [thank you, Col Cooper]attitude has migrated here in the so-called educated classes and do-gooder mice for quite a while. Once in a Wash DC. conservation class, [rarefied sub-culture for sure] - a knife or tool was needed to prod a recalcitrant slide in the lecturer's projecter. Produced the required, passed it back, and a self-righteous feminine gasp said, "THAT"S NOT A KNIFE THAT"S A WEAPON!!!
I replied to her about like like, "They're real handy for opening heavy feed sacks, while your other hand is holding them up Good for binder twine on bales, too."
Waste of breath....every damn one of them should have to work a week baling and handling and storing hay, mucking out the shix-chute behind the milkers, laboring on a building site, and otherwise working at dirty sweating tasks, that contained some element of personal hazard if one was careless, required tool usage, and had stuff what needed cutting RIGHT NOW -- in the normal course of the day. Dream on, eh?
Criminal element, eh?
by Paul , Friday, May 31, 2013, 07:56 (4139 days ago) @ John Meeker
Back in '07 the local branch of the national police had done a disarmament operation over the past three months or so. They netted 5,220 cutting, poking, slicing, chopping tools from random pat downs around town. They claimed they'd "prevented 5,220 injuries" by such tactics. They had the weaponry laid out in Bolivar Plaza downtown and I took some pics with my cell phone (I'd love to have such a chance with my current phone/camera the '07 pics are low quality) ![[image]](images/uploaded/2013053112503551a89c9b9ecec.jpg)
There were various kinds of disposable blade box cutters, old kitchen knives - both stainless and carbon steel, pieces of hacksaw blade inserted into Bic lighters for handles, various types of scrap steel with tape or rags wrapped around for a "handle", cheap chinese folders, scissors in various states of disrepair, kitchen forks, screw drivers sharpened to a wicket point and who knows what all else. What they did in that operation was net a few pounds of scrap steel and not much else. The folks who were deprived of their weapons merely went out, found another hunk of steel and sharpened it up then went back to "work". Oh, and it didn't keep folks from obtaining and carrying cutting implements. I found one someone dropped in front of our house a few weeks back.
The lack of actual knives in the pic, pretty much....
by John Meeker , Friday, May 31, 2013, 11:59 (4139 days ago) @ Paul
says it all. The nice ol' Frenchie-lookin' wood handled blade would fit into my collecting bucket nicely, tho. The number of black and yellow handled Chinese screwdrivers is interesting, as I have used them as semi-disposable 'drivers' in a few situations. After that, they'd have looked right at hand in that street. Prob'ly my fave impromptu sticker is some of old heavier icepicks. Got 'em littered around the benches and tool boxes, to start screw holes, align pieces to be joined, wing at the drywall when an expletive-deleted wasn't quite satisfactory, to the mishap or occasion...etc.
So, I got this chunk of fine flint, Louie..right from the secret mines.....
This is just one of several pics...
by Paul , Friday, May 31, 2013, 13:37 (4139 days ago) @ John Meeker
they had them kinda sorta laid out sections, this one had a fairly broad spectrum of varieties of stick 'em cut 'em thingies in it. Some of the pics show a lot of box cutters, others a lot of cheap chinese folders, some kitchen knives and machetes in various stages of decomposition. That frenchy looking sticker is probably a Tramontina made "peixeira" from Brazil. They are the only brand I've seen here, and they are few and far between. Very thin blade, but take a razor sharp edge, not good for chopping but will slice bologna so thin you can see through it. Here are a few more samples...
![[image]](images/uploaded/2013053118281351a8ebbd70741.jpg)
![[image]](images/uploaded/2013053118303151a8ec47f3b13.jpg)
![[image]](images/uploaded/2013053118365951a8edcb94834.jpg)
Some artistic layouts, there. Interesting cultural view
of edged ideas as well. Have a Trantamontia machete, that files and stones up well. I think it has the more sabre/upswept configuration. than the straight back blunter point. Good dynamic swing. It 'tings' musically with a good temper, when cutting material it likes.
Some artistic layouts, there. Interesting cultural view
by Paul , Friday, May 31, 2013, 19:20 (4138 days ago) @ John Meeker
Note that not all those laying out there were taken from "perps". Many of them were taken from "working joes" during random stop and frisk operations. As we all know, there's a million and one uses for a knife in your daily routine. A lot of folks here pack one in a backpack or lunch box or wherever. They stop and frisk you, it's no longer your property. On the other hand, a lot of the common types of cutting tools ARE used by perps, along with the various pieces of scrap steel filed/ground into shape. No one likes to get cut or poked so all they really need is a reasonable facsimile of an edged weapon and most folks will give them what they want upon request. Had one guy make such a request one time, accompanied by a fairly large blade in his hand by his side. Upon my polite reply of "No, I give money to no one. Have a good evening." he moved on down the street, not willing to push his luck against a self assured person. He made the right choice.
Not so many carry a knife? EVERY man I know carries
I've had at least one knife in my pocket since I was about 8 or so. Doesn't seem as common these days (I'm almost 50)
When I was a schoolboy EVERY schoolboy was expected
by Hobie , Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Friday, May 31, 2013, 10:33 (4139 days ago) @ BobM
by EVERY teacher to have his knife available for her use. Of course the male teachers had their own knives. That is now a horrible thing and another subject of the mindless zero tolerance policies.
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Sincerely,
Hobie
A pocketknife is *basic*
That said, I think the implication is indeed a 'combat knife' (aka, Ninja Knife).
![[image]](http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-char044.gif)
WOW! I'm impressed...Aren't you? ![[image]](http://www.glocktalk.com/forums/images/smilies/whistling.gif)
[/sarcasm]
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![[image]](http://www.sixshootercommunity.com/share/awkward.gif)
No, not at all what is being asked.
by Rob Leahy , Prescott, Arizona, Friday, May 31, 2013, 18:15 (4138 days ago) @ FOG
.
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Of the Troops & For the Troops
I'm sure you're right
The term 'knife' was probably a 'slipjoint'.
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Informal Thunder Ranch Survey
by Cherokee , Medina, Ohio, Friday, May 31, 2013, 10:36 (4139 days ago) @ Rob Leahy
I carry a small lock blade pocket knife and a larger stockman on my belt. Airports are the only place I don't carry a knife. Been that way for 50+ years.
I'd say every TSA agent at McGhee Tyson Airport...
Has a jackknife that once belonged to me.
I have no problem keeping a jackknife IN my pocket. My problem is forgeting to take it OUT. They only seem to last as long as my next flight.
Last year, someone at the Nashville airport got themselves a nice CRKT M-16. I've always been partial to trappers, and had a nice Mooremaker trapper...GONE. I only buy inexpensive jackknifes anymore, least that ways, it only hurts a little.
I don't know what my problem is.
Joe
Your problem is that you go where the gestapo is...
by Hobie , Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, Friday, May 31, 2013, 11:47 (4139 days ago) @ pokynojoe
but think they aren't there. Wishful thinking isn't working for you. 
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Sincerely,
Hobie
gestapo - yeah, I carry dangerous hardware in my body...
by John Meeker , Friday, May 31, 2013, 12:23 (4139 days ago) @ Hobie
Every time I hit the scanner I'm pulled over for a frisk. It's always a disappointment for them, too. Those diabolical surgeons didn't leave even one likely weapon, cleverly hidden under my hide. Just medical rubble...bummer, eh?
I carry two Kershaw Avalanches, a Leatherman Wave, and a
Surefire Fury as accessories. I try to keep on knife dedicated to prying, gouging, scraping, etc., which saves the edge on the other one. I know guys that carry tactical knives and they WILL NOT use them to cut anything - got to keep them pristine for braggin' purposes, ah reckon.
When I retired my old Surefire 6P it was gray, not black - the finish was nearly all gone.
They should've had a question in there about multitools, I know I feel nekkid without mine.
Now in the truck, there's two more Surefire flashlights, one Surefire Maximus headlamp, 24 Surefire batteries, binos/rangefinder, a Gransfors axe, rope, chains, another pistol or three, two rifles, and more ammo.
Thing is, this stuff gets used. ALL the time. Not everything, every day, but often enough its easier to just leave it in the truck. And the truck bed... my wife says I look like a homeless person in a dumpster when I get in there and root around looking for something... and just as happy when I find a prize.
Anybody got a knife?
Once at work we were having a holiday lunch of some sort and one of the secretaries was trying to open a blister pack of paper plates. She asked the above question, and the resulting barrage of clicks, snicks, and clacks from the guys present was like pouring BBs in a tin pan.
Rednecks R Us.
Anybody got a knife?
by Paul , Saturday, June 01, 2013, 08:08 (4138 days ago) @ Catoosa
Last fall I visited one of my cousins for the first time in, oh 30+ years. She now has five kids (all grown, all present last fall) and we were sitting around the table playing a card game. Two of the boys got in an argument over the rules (gotta love "house rules") and I slapped my Sodbuster down on the table and said, "Get serious guys, no more of this rule rigging!" When about 8 knives and a couple of pocket poppers hit the table almost immediately, I knew for sure they were kin folk!
A bladeless society is just weird! How folks get through the day without certain tools is a mystery to me.