The Mini TrapPER DIEM -- Your Daily Mini Trapper

[jerryd6818]

It's not black. But the base color is very dark sooo I'm stretching it. I hope next week is rainbow week, anything and everything welcome.

[QTCut5]

Works for me...and OCD Monkey.
Monkey See, Monkey Do:

~Q~

[QTCut5]

DAY 63

So, another week has been completed here at the Mini TrapPER DIEM...hard to believe this has been going for over two months now. We've seen a lot of very cool knives and, hopefully, we'll be seeing a lot more in the weeks/months ahead.

For today's entry, which wraps up Black & Orange week, I'm showing one of my very few black Mini Trappers. Although I don't mind black tacticals (which I no longer collect), I'm not really that much of a fan of black traditional knives. But, there are a few that I've managed to find that I like, such as this one with Buffalo Horn handle. But, to be honest, what I like even more about this one than the horn is the pattern number tang stamp. I've always been intrigued by the Case tang stamps because they're like a secret code that contains information about the knife. Once you learn how to decipher the code, it makes you feel like an "insider" in the Case Brotherhood. Admittedly, sometimes Case screws up and puts the wrong date stamp or leaves off a pattern stamp altogether--which drives OCD Monkey absolutely nuts--but, most of the time they get it right.

The pattern stamps I especially like are those that have special variations, such as this one that has the "BH" prefix to designate "Buffalo Horn" as the handle material.

2014 Case BH207 Buffalo Horn Mini Trapper

~Q~


So far, I've had a theme for each week to help me (well...the OCD Mini Trapper Monkey on my back) keep track of the knives I've posted. But, now I think it's time to loosen up a bit and set the theme concept aside in order to allow some knives that haven't fit into any particular theme to be shown. So, next week (starting tomorrow), the theme is: show whatever Mini Trappers you have that you haven't shown yet. If we have to call it something (because OCD Monkey insists on having some kind of logic), we'll call it "Mini Trapper Mulligan Stew"--hopefully that will appease his irrational need for order and organization.

[QTCut5]

DAY 64

Mini Trapper Mulligan Stew Week - The "No Theme" Theme (in which ANY Mini Trapper qualifies).

Back when I was young & healthy enough to survive without certain creature comforts and necessities, rarely a weekend went by that I wasn't engaged in some kind of outdoor adventure or another. One of my favorite things to do was to throw some basic gear in a backpack and head out into the wilderness to hike all day in unfamiliar territory and try to survive a couple of days with only the bare essentials. Often I would go out alone, but most of the time I could convince a buddy or two to come along...it usually depended on where I was planning to go, the type of terrain and, of course, the current weather conditions. Due to the hubris and confidence inherent in the young and naive, I welcomed the challenges of facing harsh conditions (Go ahead, Nature, throw your worst at me, l will survive!). It was on those trips when Mother Nature took me up on my challenge and gave me a taste of just how difficult it can be when the fish aren't biting, night falls earlier than expected, the temperature suddenly plummets, heavy precipitation in the form of a torrential downpour or a driving blizzard of stinging snow and ice comes up out of nowhere with no time to set up a proper camp, collect firewood or get a fire started before all the available firewood has been thoroughly soaked, that we would resort to a supper of Mulligan Stew which we were sometimes forced by circumstances to eat cold if no one had a brought along a propane stove because we were expecting to be cooking our meals over a campfire...after all, have you ever heard of a real "Mountain Man" or "Seasoned Explorer" who carried a Coleman stove and a bottle of propane in his pack?

For any who may not be acquainted with this camping cuisine, Mulligan Stew is basically a stew made with anything remotely edible you can mix up together into a pot and call a meal. There is no set recipe because it changes according to what you have on hand or can hunt, trap, catch or forage (even grubs & insects are fair game). I've experienced some pretty bizarre combinations of Mulligan Stew over the years, some surprisingly good and others that made you wish you had just chosen to go to bed hungry when you wake up the next morning with the harsh taste of the ingredients still churning, half-digested in your gut, fighting each other to get to the nearest "exit"...either the orifice through which they entered your body or the one at the other end...sometimes both! It's then that you begin to wonder if those mushrooms you collected to put in with the wild onions, juniper berries, dandelion greens, sardines and soggy Ramen noodles really were of the non-toxic variety. Yup, that's Mulligan Stew for ya! Ahhh...what memories!

Well, although today's Mini TrapPER DIEM entry may look like to some like a version of Mulligan Stew (or possibly its aftereffects!), personally, I find this 6.5 Bone Stag to be a most pleasing combination of colors...and, of course, the Wharncliffe blade is just icing on the Mulligan Cake.

2015 Case 6.5207W Bone Stag Wharncliffe Mini Trapper

~Q~

[jerryd6818]

My Saturday contribution. The first one went to live with ~Q~ so this is it's replacement.

[QTCut5]

DAY 65

This funky little Gerber is practically a Mulligan Stew all by itself with its unusual combination of Stag and Burl Wood handle.

~Q~

[QTCut5]

I absolutely LOVE the Sunset Bone 07W. Which would explain why I have two and was seriously contemplating a third--until my wife caught wind of the OCD Monkey's nefarious plan and immediately put the kibosh on it.

...the OCD Monkey is accustomed to getting his way...

The OCD Monkey on my back wins again...Surprise, surprise!

~Q~

[QTCut5]

DAY 66

2002 Schatt & Morgan Premier Model #51

~Q~

[QTCut5]

DAY 67

Today's Mini TrapPER DIEM is a seldom seen Queen model #51 Mini Trapper with no shield and a very unique 'herringbone' jigging pattern. The bone scales are a dark wine-red color that was hard to capture in photos--because it's so dark, it appears almost black unless it's seen in just the right light.

I realize that some people consider the Clip/Pen blade configuration more of a Serpentine or Dogleg Jack than a Mini Trapper. But, for my purposes, all Queen model #51 knives are essentially Mini Trappers regardless of the type of blades just as all Case 07 patterns are also called Mini Trappers regardless of the type (or number) of blades...although technically it may not be as specifically accurate, it's just simpler...and, I think anyone who's familiar with the frame geometry and dimensions understands that the name "Mini Trapper" refers to a knife with a Dogleg or Serpentine frame between 3 3/8" and 3 7/8" (closed length) that has all blades attached at the same end on a single pivot.

~Q~

[jerryd6818]

I missed the last couple of days so I'm offering these in an attempt to play catch-up.

[QTCut5]

And I just realized that today was supposed to be Two-For-Tuesday...so I'm going to play a little catch up as well and slip in a second post with the requisite two knives in order to keep OCD Monkey from having a hissy-fit.

2014 Case Collector's Club Regular Member 6107 Dynasty Jigged XXpresso Bone

~Q~

[doglegg]

Since this is anything goes week, here is a beautiful mini trapper that a very generous friend gifted me (I didn't even win it). Thanks again for such a great gift.

[QTCut5]

Having a theme is nice...it's certainly satisfying to OCD Monkey because of the obvious order and organization a theme provides. But, the Anything-Goes-Mulligan-Stew approach is also nice because it allows for a wide variety of knives to be shown that are only related by the fact that they're Mini Trappers. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life.

So, I'm going to add a bit more spice to this week's Mini Trapper Mulligan Stew with this Moore Maker that Lansky1 modified from a run-of-the-mill Mini Trapper with a Spey to a much more interesting (IMO) Mini Trapper with a Sheepfoot secondary blade. Now that adds some spice that is both Sweet & Hot at the same time! (Thanks again, John...you did a great job and I love it.)

~Q~

[QTCut5]

DAY 68

Looks like I'm going to have to post the next three day's Mini TrapPER DIEM entries in advance as I'm going to be leaving for an indefinite period of time and won't have access to my knives. At least this will finish off the week, which will satisfy the OCD Mini Trapper Monkey's need for completion.

~Q~

[QTCut5]

DAY 69

Threesday!

~Q~

[QTCut5]

DAY 70

The Coup de Grace: Mammoth Ivory.

Cheers & Aloha.
~Q~

[jerryd6818]

Day 71

Best wishes. I'll try to hold down the fort while you're out of pocket.

~Q~ graciously allowed me to purchase this one from him, then he sent along the little ivory carving as a bonus. I believe it was carved by I-Man. Neat stuff.

[doglegg]

DAY 70

The Coup de Grace: Mammoth Ivory.

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Cheers & Aloha.
~Q~

Love the Mammoth Ivory. Great stuff

[loizzojv]

Q - I really liked the look of that custom Moore.

Jerry - I noticed that you have posted several Rough Rider models. Do you have an opinion as to are most of their knives well built, or some better than others?

[Tsar Bomba]

Today's Mini TrapPER DIEM is a seldom seen Queen model #51 Mini Trapper with no shield and a very unique 'herringbone' jigging pattern. The bone scales are a dark wine-red color that was hard to capture in photos--because it's so dark, it appears almost black unless it's seen in just the right light.

Considerably less unique (but every bit as fetching IMO) from Queen...

A few more I fished out for some quick snapshots, since I've been remiss in posting on this thread and Q will be feeling a pain I am familiar with this year.

[jerryd6818]

Day 72

Q - I really liked the look of that custom Moore.

Jerry - I noticed that you have posted several Rough Rider models. Do you have an opinion as to are most of their knives well built, or some better than others?

I have a few from over the years and they're mostly not bad. Some of them are very well built while others are mediocre and it varies knife by knife, not pattern by pattern. On average they are about a 7 out of 10. JMO but keep in mind, I don't carry or use them except for a peanut that lays on my desk and it's certainly not used hard. Mostly it just opens packages and snack cakes.

[jerryd6818]

Tony, would you look at what came in the mail yesterday. A sister to your Bear MGC.

[Tsar Bomba]

Very nice. Lots of variance in the Bears for their bone stag models, even when dyed the same way. With Bear, even moreso than Case or Boker, it almost seems like you need to get your eyes and hands on the knife before buying (or hope that luck is with you).

A couple more of the minis that I photographed after going through my pile...

[jerryd6818]

Day 73

Just got the last one in and decided to take a picture of all three together.

[jerryd6818]

Tony, I didn't know Rigid made a Mini-Trapper. Where is that one made?