A big knife for a little girl (or: my first fixed knife)

[Turnstone]

I just wanted to show you what I found last weekend. My first fixed blade! I got it from my grandfather when I was about 8 or 9 years old. I was with my grandparents that weekend and could work with it the whole weekend. I was a scout back then and already had a SAK and knew how to handle a knife, and my grandparents (especialy my grandfather) were outdoors with me quite a lot and always supported my desire to carry stuff like knifes, cord, band-aids, and my grandfather supplied me with metal cans all the time (tobaco cans, in fact. I loved them, they smelled so good!). When I came home with this "murder thing" my mother was shocked and took it away from me  I was allowed to keep the compass, the grindstone and the "survival" stuff that was inside (some fishing hooks, a little bit of cord, wire... I can't remember exactly). All that stuff is gone now. I believed she threw the knive away. My grandparents both died last year. This weekend I asked my mom if she could remember that huge knife my grandfather gave me when I was a little girl. To my surprise she went away and a few minutes later she came back with that knife! She kept it all that time for me, and didn't tell me a word about it. Now I have it back.
It's bad quality, nothing special about it. But the story behind it is special, and it's the only knife that I still have back from that time!

[Fisting_Chili]

Very cool!  I think everyone that ever grew up in the 80's loving knives had one of these!

[jzmtl]

 

[Freudian Frog]

Good story!

It's great you got your keepsake back.

[jim guy]

you can keep the sheath and sharpening stone if you return the knife

[jim guy]

has anyone tried to call the 800# to see if they have any left?

[sergemaster]

Amici,
I remember those very well, although this is the first time I've seen an example with a parkerized finish and not in the "bright" so to speak. Since we're taking a trip down memory lane, does anyone remember this classic survival knife from about the same time?


Cheers,
Serge

[jim guy]

yep, had one of those too.

[Neil]

I'm guilty of owning one at one point as well   They were cheap and big.  I think everyone in out scout troop bought one, took them camping that summer and quickly went back to using our sheaf knives

Its great that you've got a little bit of your personal knife history back though 

[Vladimir]

My father also bought one back in '80, I still have it somewhere

[Sparky415]

Nice story Turnstone and what a great Grandfather! 

[cerbera147]

Yep, I had one too

When your a kid and Rambo was all the rage it was a pretty cool knife 

Looks pretty identical to yours with ball compass on top, the little sharpener in the sheath and the survival bits inside the handle.

[Sazabi]

Yep, I had one too

When your a kid and Rambo was all the rage it was a pretty cool knife 

Looks pretty identical to yours with ball compass on top, the little sharpener in the sheath and the survival bits inside the handle.

Speaking of Rambo, I know someone who has a stockpile of the original (official) replica Rambo I-III knives, all NIB.

[Chako]

Love the story. A knife does not have to be valuable to be valuable to someone.

Kind of sucks that your mother took the knife away, even though she did keep it all this time. I guess one could argue that you probably wouldn't have the knife today if she hadn't done that.

[Sparky415]

This reminds me to work on my nephew's mother so I can give him the Wenger Soccer 
I don't think the idea was well received last time 

[Turnstone]

This reminds me to work on my nephew's mother so I can give him the Wenger Soccer 
I don't think the idea was well received last time 

It was hard work to give my nephew a SAK, too. My brother allowed it when he got 12... in my eyes much too late!

Fortunately, with his girls now, he changed his mind. Where he lives now, they offer some kind of knife lessons during the holidays, and all his girls went there. His youngest girl got her first Opinel at the age of 8  She visited me for a weekend last summer and it was amazing what she did with the large kitchen knife 

Teaching young children how to handle a knife safely is much better than to keep them away from knifes.

[Sparky415]

You have some very good ideas over there Turnstone!  

 

[markn951]

has anyone tried to call the 800# to see if they have any left?

Called, rang for a minute, no one picked up

[nuphoria]

I have a rather nasty scar from a knife exactly like that - I think we did indeed all have a Rambo knife in the 80's! I still have mine tucked away somewhere too

What a brilliant idea having knife lessons for kids - we could do with something here to try and stop all the stupid violence going on and shut the anti-knife loons up a bit.

It doesn't make sense to me to not openly debate this stuff. The schools that didn't want to teach sex education didn't exactly stop teenagers from getting pregnant all the damn time 

[Turnstone]

What a brilliant idea having knife lessons for kids - we could do with something here to try and stop all the stupid violence going on and shut the anti-knife loons up a bit.

It doesn't make sense to me to not openly debate this stuff. The schools that didn't want to teach sex education didn't exactly stop teenagers from getting pregnant all the damn time 

There's nothing wrong for a kid to work with a knife. A knife is a tool, and a kid should learn how to cut an apple, to peel potatoes or to carve something out of a piece of wood. When I was a kid and we were out in the woods we needed a stick, and we needed a knife to cut a stick. Kids should grow up knowing that a knife is a tool and not a weapon.

Another important point (in my opinion): if you keep knives away from kids, it makes them even more interesting. We all were kids, and the most interesting things were the forbidden ones.  Lock the knifes away and they will steal them to see what's so interesting about it. And then no one can control what they will do with that knifes because no one taught them what they are good for.

Parents tend to be afraid that their kids could hurt themself with a knife. And they will hurt themself with their knife, sooner or later. We all do from time to time. But it doesn't help if our kids get their first cut with a knife at the age of 18. It isn't less painful or doesn't bleed less. Just the learning experience might be less. Some people over here still say you only learn how to handle a knife if you have cut yourself once... I still believe the sooner a kid learns how to handle a knife, the better. I don't say that a 5 year old kid should carry a SAK all the time, especially not when playing alone. But a 5 year old can learn how to handle a SAK or every other knife, and can use it.

We not only have knife lessons (I don't know if they are offered everywhere), but we have kindergardens in the woods. There the little kids too learn how to work with knifes, and even how to work with axes and saws and other tools. They are outside in the woods the whole day and work and play with all that stuff. At the age of 4 

[nuphoria]

That's absolutely brilliant. Apparently we have something like that here but it's not well known or popular which is a big shame.

I totally agree about teaching all these skills young and it's just ignorance that makes people worry about it. It's counter-productive to keep kids away from anything they think is cool because it's verboten! I firmly believe education will always be the most important part of tackling any social issue.

[Zed]

That was the same as my first survival knife i had back in the 80's it had a big compass on the end of the cap, mine has a SS blade , i thought it was the best thing in the world 

[jzmtl]

Maybe the new generation can cure the knife-phobia that's sweeping across Europe right now.

[nuphoria]

Maybe the new generation can cure the knife-phobia that's sweeping across Europe right now.

Amen to that 

[AHB]

I had one of them too.. 
If I remember correctly we were very influenced by First Blood and Rambo II back then.. 

[Zed]

I had one of them too.. 
If I remember correctly we were very influenced by First Blood and Rambo II back then.. 

Big time allan, i had about 4 different ones back then, this was my first, i had a copy of the buck survival knife with the spikes on the guard as well,

paul

[Turnstone]

Maybe the new generation can cure the knife-phobia that's sweeping across Europe right now.

Amen to that 

That would be wonderful. But even with knife lessons (which are just an offer for those who are interested and offered during the holidays) and kindergardens in the woods our kids are still not allowed to carry a knife at school, because a knife is a weapon    

[Vladimir]

Here is mine, it's been heavily abused

[John]

Now you need one of these an even bigger knife 

[Zed]

Now you need one of these an even bigger knife 

(Image removed from quote.)

do you know i do miss that knife john