All About Pocket Knives

Great info! Picked up a few new terms in there. Thanks!

I am not exactly 'new' to pocketknives, having carried them since age 6. I still have that Imperial Barlow with imitation pearl scales. Later it was a Casexx junior stock knife which is still serving as my odd job knife in my desk drawer. For most of my teens I carried folding fisherman's knives, again by Imperial. I loved these knives, but the blades had a decided tendency to snap at the base. I went through three of them before I had to go to the heavy artillery, a Buck 110.

All of "my" childhood pocketknives were originally my Dad's. He had special favorites of his own. He had a G.I. stainless "Boy Scout Special" from WW II. It wasn't in his belongings when he passed, so perhaps he lost it? He still had his big Imperial 3-blade folder, which he used to fight for his life in an on-post mugging. He had a name for that knife which is unprintable here! He was a medic, stateside, working in a dispensary at a training base. On his way back to quarters he was waylaid by a razor-wielding thug. Dad parried the razor and found flesh with his blade. The mugger ran off. Dad pocketed the razor and hit for home!

When he got to the dispensary his mates were busy stitching up another soldier who had a nasty blade wound to his hand. It appeared as though a very sharp blade had penetrated the palm of the hand, then had been drawn forcefully through the flesh between the metacarpals and out between the middle and ring fingers. The hand had been laid open from near the base of the thumb to the fingers.

Next day Dad was making his morning rounds, emptying urinals, or whatever loathsome task it was. There lay the thug, wide awake and with a boxing glove of gause on his hand. The guy suddenly started to recognise Dad as the intended victim who had cut him up. Dad had the razor in his hand and pretended to pick it up from the floor. He held it out, asking, "Oh... did you drop this?" "N-n-no! It ain't mine!" I still have the razor, too!

I signed on here awhile back but haven't done much with the forum. I'll try to do better in future!
WHITEHAWK OUT

Whitehawk, welcome to AAPK. Glad to have you aboard.

I'm brand new both to this forum, and to traditionals. Funny thing is, I watched that video just yesterday, lol. At least I have a clue as to what people are talking about, but I'm still green as far as what is worth buying, what isn't, etc. I will buy what I'm attracted to, but it would be nice if what I buy would at least hold it's value over time, if not increase. Looking fotward to learning and growing more knowledgeable.

Timbo437 wrote:I'm brand new both to this forum, and to traditionals. Funny thing is, I watched that video just yesterday, lol. At least I have a clue as to what people are talking about, but I'm still green as far as what is worth buying, what isn't, etc. I will buy what I'm attracted to, but it would be nice if what I buy would at least hold it's value over time, if not increase. Looking fotward to learning and growing more knowledgeable.

Good on you, you will like it here. I do what you do, if i like it- i buy it. Depending on cost of course. I like Rough rider's, and they are affordable. But one thing i do know, i do not not collect knives to make money, very few hold their value and even less increase in value. They are like cars, unless rare and in good condition, they always decrease in value. The only one that may increase in value in my collection is a Charlie Campagna jigged bone lambsfoot that i am waiting on. But i bought it because i just liked it.

Great story Whitehawk and welcome.
Timbo, the story in all things, buy what you like.

Timbo437, glad you joined the forum but happier you have joined the family of knife collectors. I have collected for 52 years beginning at age 8. I have literally owned thousands of knives. My main interest is antique Remingtons but I have a fondness for about anything with s blade and it folds..... lol. I have read many articles as to the proper way to put a collection together. My advice to you is to buy and collect what you like. If you are not a dealer acquire what you like as you are not trying to make money on your deals, just enjoyment. You can’t go wrong. You will find that AAPK is a great learning site as well as a great place to make new friends. I have really enjoyed it since joining some 9 years ago. Many wonderful sites on here but I invite you to visit the Remington group. You may find that Remingtons are something of interest, take care, John. AKA, Pearlroosterman.

Found and watched the You Tube videos first and then joined AAPK , have earned a lot thanks . Also learned just because a knife distributors website is listed Outlet or Discount may not have a lower price , shop around for deals and free shipping.

I just picked up this Bulldog brand Muskrat thought it was a beautiful knife got it home and found where it said prototype engraved on the back of knife blade does this make it a rarer find or is this something they did alot i know it was made in 1995

Probably get a better answer if you post the knife and your question in the Bulldog Collectors forum. https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... m.php?f=74.

Ken

Welcome to all you new members.

Tee, you have good looking BD. It is a 3rd generation BD. The "prototype" mark is unlikely to add any value to the knife as it was sometimes added to a blade to increase its desirability to a potential buyer. I don't have any way to distinguish a true prototype from an "artificial" prototype.

Your scales appear to be celluloid. BD made many attractive scales using this material. Do not store it were it will be exposed to heat. Sometimes celluloid may begin to deteriorate or "outgass" which will corrode the knife and any other knives in proximity. I suggest you apply a coating of Renn Wax or other high quality wax to the the entire knife, scales and blades. Many collectors have had celluloid handles for decades with no outgassing. So enjoy your knife. There are many good Bulldogg knives available in our AAPK stores.

I came across this knife says GARTMAN inside a arrowhead i know it is a Jess Elrod "rope cutter" with the name Charlie Jones on back of blade can anyone give more info is a good collector knife or a waste of time

I was going threw some knife I’ve had for year and seems these and was hoping someone could help me identify them

Jusy want to welcome you to the AAPK. It's likely someone will come along eventually who may be able to shed light on what you have.

I can add that the very bottom knife appears to be a Kissing Crane knife [Herman Klass] which, judging by its apparent age, would have been made in Germany. Can you find a mark anywhere that says Solingen? This town in Germany is where they used to be made.

You would be better served if you post your knives and questions in ‹Knife Related Q&A ---► https://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kn ... um.php?f=4
They will get much better exposure there and bring you answers to your questions much quicker.

jerryd6818 wrote: ↑Wed Jul 22, 2015 11:00 pm This video is a 19 minute introduction to pocket knives and the terminology you will see folks on the forum using when talking about their pocket knives.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keuRiJrNqGI[/youtube]

I realize this is a reasonably old post, but it is so classy. No loud music, how great I am, etc, and always talking about the subject, and spoke clearly, easy to understand. I wish this was required viewing for anyone wanting to do a video. I am an old cranky guy, but this kept my attention all the way through, and I learned a lot.

Thanks again.

Have a blessed day,

Leon

Have recently starting building my pocketknife collection. This is kind of an odd, and probably obvious question, but when you all are talking about your collections, what kind of quantity are you referring to? Or is it more to the types or brands of pocketknives or is it an "all of the above" kind of answer?
Thanks for enlightening this newbie!

New2PocketKnives wrote: ↑Sat May 30, 2020 9:25 pm Have recently starting building my pocketknife collection. This is kind of an odd, and probably obvious question, but when you all are talking about your collections, what kind of quantity are you referring to? Or is it more to the types or brands of pocketknives or is it an "all of the above" kind of answer?
Thanks for enlightening this newbie!

Welcome aboard!!
One is start.
Two is a couple.
Three or more is a collection. Just my way of thinking.

As for what or how, that's your call.
By brand/maker.
By handle material.
By pattern.
By size.
By color.
By function.
By year.
By (insert category of your choice here).

Many of us (I raise my hand) see a difference in collecting and accumulating.
Collectors generally buy knives that are for display, never to be used. They usually have a few that do get pocket time.
An accumulator (me) use any and all the knives they purchase.

All the above are just my 2-1/2 cents.

New2PocketKnives wrote: ↑Sat May 30, 2020 9:25 pm Have recently starting building my pocketknife collection. This is kind of an odd, and probably obvious question, but when you all are talking about your collections, what kind of quantity are you referring to? Or is it more to the types or brands of pocketknives or is it an "all of the above" kind of answer?
Thanks for enlightening this newbie!

Welcome to AAPK! First rule...there are no rules to what constitutes a collection, around here. Second rule...you just have to enjoy looking at and / or enjoy using a knife...to hang out with the folk here. A great group of people are here and you can learn a lot from them.
Oh...and we do like pictures...so feel free to share some of your knives, with us!

New2PocketKnives wrote: ↑Sat May 30, 2020 9:25 pm Have recently starting building my pocketknife collection. This is kind of an odd, and probably obvious question, but when you all are talking about your collections, what kind of quantity are you referring to? Or is it more to the types or brands of pocketknives or is it an "all of the above" kind of answer?
Thanks for enlightening this newbie!

Hello & Welcome to our little home on the WWW N2PK,

Tons of good information & even more great people here on the AAPK so Welcome aboard, grab ya a cup of coffee, pull up a chair, read some posts, show us some pictures, tell us a joke, make a prayer request or whatever, just enjoy, we're glad you came!

I guess reading the above statements I'm situated somewhere between the two categories of collecting & accumulating. I have both new and old knives in my little show case on the wall as well as in my pockets. Petesknives (Ken) has a saying he got from his dad that I like. He said "Some knives are for useing & some knives are for looking at." We all can choose which is which I guess. As to the quality of knives you collect or accumulate, it's a question of taste & money. But don't get discouraged by that because there are some good quality knives that can be found to fit just about any budget. I've only bin accumulating a little over a year now so I'm no expert on anything here but I can say that I'm finally feeling more confident about myself in relationship to pocket knives. After a year here, I can say I've learned a lot about patterns, brands, quality, my personal prefrences ect. And right before this post, I took my first attempt at sharpening knives with a stone. I must say, I am well pleased with my first attempts. I took some really messed up old blades (5 of them) and got them sharpend up enough to cut paper fairly well. You can't shave hair with em yet but I'll settle happily on paper cutting for my first attempts. Here's a link to a real simple stone sharpening video. I used the paper fold trick to find the right angle and an old belt as my leather strap & I was positively surprised at my first results. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GtSMCsWk2gw

Anyways..., Welcome to the AAPK!

Hi, Great to join AAPK...

CamouflageYVR wrote: ↑Wed Jun 24, 2020 7:48 pm Hi, Great to join AAPK...

Hello CamouflageYVR & Welcome to the AAPK! Pull up a chair, glad you came!

Hey guys thanks for the add. Some of you guys are gonna like newbies like me..oh boy fresh meat right?? I just inherited my dads knife collection. Most of his folders were stolen several years back, but I have quite a bit of fixed blades I'd like to learn about. He collected mostly stag handles, and brands from Ruana to Remington, and vintage Kershaws to DeLeon if that's how you spell it. I'll post some pictures and ask some questions if yall don't mind.