Knife Advice For A Kid

[zoidberg]

I'm gifting out a custom sak tomorrow to a boy turning ten that has f all folding blade experience.

What would be a few key points of advice to get him started?

Thanks in advance.   

[Max Stone]

Has he got any knives at the moment? (so aware of knife safety?)

[zoidberg]

Yes, he has a small fixed blade that he uses for whittling etc.

He has used my folders and fixed blades in the past but not something like a sprung sak.

And he has seen others mess up and cut themselves so he knows things can quickly go red when you get it wrong.

[Shuya]

Ive found the Knife rules used by the BSA a good point for young folks.

Also a good writing is the following: https://scouts.org.uk/media/552410/Victorinox-Knife-Safety-Factsheet.pdf

Simple:

Some big no-no’s:

    Throwing a knife
    Using a dull or dirty blade
    Handing a knife to someone blade first
    Cutting while others are within your “safety circle” (arm’s length)
    Carrying an open pocket knife
    Carving into something that doesn’t belong to you
    Cutting toward your body

I would add to never ever damage any living trees/plants with carvings, sticking your knife into it etc.
If you dont want to harvest a certain plant for something (eating, carving...) there is no reason to smack it down or hurt it.

And apply some basic maintenance tips. Cleaning, sharpening, oiling. Only a tool in good condition is safe to use.

[Mechanickal]

Keep the folding swing area clear of all limbs?

No stabbing moves

Are there other things that need to be mentioned compared to fixies and foldies?

[Shuya]

Keep the folding swing area clear of all limbs?

No stabbing moves

Are there other things that need to be mentioned compared to fixies and foldies?

Handle all knifes as if they were slipjoints. No prying, no drilling with the blade.
Locks can fail.

[Max Stone]

Ok, my son (11) is in a similar situation.

So we assume he understands the basics...
- only cut away from yourself
- hold the handle firmly with a proper hand grip
- be aware of what’s around you (people/pets)
- only cut what’s meant to be cut and within the limits of the knife and your strength/ability
- do not carry with the blade open (if you have to, only with the blade pointing down)
- never try to catch a falling knife
- keep the blade sharp (I do the sharpening for my son)
- don’t lend your knife to other people

Specific to folding blades:
- never use the back of the blade for anything
- Always hold the handle with the blade edge facing downwards (away from you)
- don’t rotate the knife in your hand for cutting in different directions
- learn about the tools, what each do and how to use them. Take note which can cause injury
- practice opening and closing the main blade and any tool with a sharp edge/point
- only open one tool at a time. It looks cool to open them all up, but the springs are not designed for this, and you increase the risk of injury when multiple tools are open
- never, ever, let your finger move across/between the gap when opening or closing a tool
- learn the habit of holding the knife’s sides firmly with your finger tips when deploying any tool, and keeping your fingertips planted in the same place until the tool is fully open. If your fingers don’t shift, you can’t cut yourself.
- closing a tool can be more dangerous than opening because of the snap action. Get familiar with the action and keep fingers away from the gap.
- Remember that the tip on the main blade travels fastest and comes down at the very end of the handle, so extra caution is needed closing the main blade.

There are probably more tips, but these are the main ones I shared with my son.

Best safety rule is practice, practice, practice...  good luck!

[Shuya]

Ok, my son (11) is in a similar situation.

So we assume he understands the basics...
- only cut away from yourself
- hold the handle firmly with a proper hand grip
- be aware of what’s around you (people/pets)
- only cut what’s meant to be cut and within the limits of the knife and your strength/ability
- do not carry with the blade open (if you have to, only with the blade pointing down)
- never try to catch a falling knife
- keep the blade sharp (I do the sharpening for my son)
- don’t lend your knife to other people

Specific to folding blades:
- never use the back of the blade for anything
- Always hold the handle with the blade edge facing downwards (away from you)
- don’t rotate the knife in your hand for cutting in different directions
- learn about the tools, what each do and how to use them. Take note which can cause injury
- practice opening and closing the main blade and any tool with a sharp edge/point
- only open one tool at a time. It looks cool to open them all up, but the springs are not designed for this, and you increase the risk of injury when multiple tools are open
- never, ever, let your finger move across/between the gap when opening or closing a tool
- learn the habit of holding the knife’s sides firmly with your finger tips when deploying any tool, and keeping your fingertips planted in the same place until the tool is fully open. If your fingers don’t shift, you can’t cut yourself.
- closing a tool can be more dangerous than opening because of the snap action. Get familiar with the action and keep fingers away from the gap.
- Remember that the tip on the main blade travels fastest and comes down at the very end of the handle, so extra caution is needed closing the main blade.

There are probably more tips, but these are the main ones I shared with my son.

Best safety rule is practice, practice, practice...  good luck!

I would not recommend this, there are ways to cut with the blade facing you.
A better way would be to tell him to always keep yourself out of the blades path if it slips. Sooner or later it will.

[Max Stone]

The child is 10 so it’s best he only cuts in one direction. He can learn other cutting techniques with experience. 

[VICMAN]

I'm gifting out a custom sak tomorrow to a boy turning ten that has f all folding blade experience.

What would be a few key points of advice to get him started?

Thanks in advance.   

I think the other members have given good advice.

Thank you zoidberg for helping a young boy get started in learning the usefulness of a good pocket knife. It is something that will serve him well for the rest of his life.

This will be a memory he will cherish as he grows older.

[cbl51]

Keep the folding swing area clear of all limbs?

No stabbing moves

Are there other things that need to be mentioned compared to fixies and foldies?

Handle all knifes as if they were slipjoints. No prying, no drilling with the blade.
Locks can fail.

THIS!!!!!!

A huge point with as I've seen two very very bad incidents where a lock failed because one you guy believed his knife to be the end all be all in blades. One was a Buck 110 that a young 20 year old was using in a unsafe manner, and when told by the Forman to knock it off and go get a proper tool his reply was; "It's a Buck knife. It'll take it." Well not long after there was this scream from the sheet metal shop, and his Buck knife didn't take it. The lock gave and his right index finger was very neatly amputated at the middle joint. Hard lesson to learn.

The second one was a teenage with a new tactical knife of the ninja death dealer type and he was practicing stabbing a tree, and it collapsed and almost cut his finger off and severed the tendons in two of his fingers. He underwent some surgeries with a hand speSmurfpillst trying to get the injured fingers to function right again.

ALL knives that fold are already broken. I don't care what kind of lock is on them. The only knife that will not fold is a fixed blade. That's why I only carry slip joints. I don't ever want to be tempted by thinking "Maybe I can get away with it just once." If I need a knife that won't fold, I carry my old Buck 102 woodsman.

[Aloha]

Never rush the cutting task.
 
With slippies, the pressure should always be applied to the cutting edge.  Slicing movements, no stabbing.
 
If the knife slips from your hand/surface and begins to fall, LET IT FALL DO NOT TRY TO CATCH IT.

Do not try to cut materials with a SAK when a fixed blade/scissors/hatchet would be better.  Right tool for the job.

Keep the knifes edge sharp. Dull knives are dangerous. 

Keep your knife clean.  Use caution when cleaning.  Seems a lot of cuts happen with cleaning a blade 

He'll enjoy his new knife.  Cuts happen but with care they wont be too bad.  If they do make sure to clean them properly as well as the knife.  Don't try to hide any injuries it's all part of the learning process.     
   

[Rapidray]

Some excellent advice - 

[ThePeacent]

Never rush the cutting task.
 

think twice, cut once 

[nate j]

Lots of good tips so far.  Here is my personal list, some of which has been adapted/adopted from Scouts or elsewhere:

Never throw a knife.

Never stab with with a knife.

Never apply back (closing) pressure to a folder, unless you intend to close it.  (Cutting with your thumb on the back of the blade is a violation of this rule.)

Always keep your knife sharp.  A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one, since it requires more force to make a cut, and it is also more likely to slip.

Stay clear of others when using a knife.  (BSA calls this concept the safety circle)

Always be aware of where the blade will go if the knife slips, and be sure you will not be cut if the blade slips.

Always be aware of where the blade will go if the material being cut provides less resistance than anticipated, and be sure you will not be cut if the blade cuts right through the material and over-travels.

Even if your knife has more than one blade, no more than one blade should be open at once.

Knives are tools, not toys, so no play or horseplay with or around knives.

Knives should be kept closed/sheathed when not in use.  Closely related, avoid walking with an open/unsheathed knife.

When closing a folder, use the palm or heel of an open hand, and be sure all of your fingers are out of the way.

Use knives only for appropriate cutting tasks, e.g. not as screwdrivers, pry bars, chisels, etc.

[Aloha]

 

[EMZ]

A 10 y old kid WILL cut himself sooner or later. Kids at that age don't have the same control over their muscles and fine motoric skills as we have.
Been there, done that...

My experience as a kid (got my first small knife when I was 10) is that the wounds and cuts in my fingers were almost all caused by pocket knives.
Some openend when in carried my pocket, one fell and hit my foot head on, but most accidents happened when carving. Even getting a stuck blade out of a piece of wood cut me in my fingers when suddenly the blade retrieved from the wood.
In my opinion the blade of a pocket knife should only be used for slicing, for example meat, bread or fruit.

Especially pocket knives are NOT toys! However, children like to play and fool around, no matter how many warnings they get. They have to learn it the hard way.

[Happy Gilmore]

If I am being completely honest here I would never ever gift a Swiss army as a first knife...

Slip joint blades have had a history of being unsafe for individuals just starting to use a knife, or have weak hand strength. Get a simple folding knife for them, make sure it locks. And only let them use it with supervision until they have displayed proper technique. Just my 2c.