Pocket knives
Of all the items in our farm toolbox my pocket knife gets the most use. Just this morning it has been used to cut the twine off of a round bale of hay, sharpen a pencil and cut umbilical tape for sutures for a ewe’s prolapsed uterus. And it is not even noon.
Now one can’t claim that a pocket knife is solely the domain of farmers. But a knife, kept in good condition is in constant use. I’m frequently surprised by how many men and women do not carry a pocket knife. Even off the farm it seems someone is always looking for or needing a knife. It has been my habit since a child to always have a good quality pocket knife. For most of my teenage years it was a Buck knife with three blades. The steel of the blade was and still is hard to sharpen. I don’t know enough of metallurgy to know the why.
Regardless, that Buck knife is practically indestructible. I lost it in the pig paddock about ten years ago while we were castrating piglets. There it wintered and summered for a few years before another pig turned it up out of the muck. The rust was easily scoured off of the stainless steel. And it is still functional and still hard to sharpen.
My go to knife has a four-inch folding blade made by Le Theirs, a beautiful French pocket knife with a boxwood handle. The blade is honed on both sides and easily holds a sharp edge. The French seem to have a real knack for functional and beautiful pocketknives.
Cindy carries a small three blade “Yellow Jacket” made by Camillus. It was made in the last year before they moved production from the US to China. And I carry a beautiful small Yukon model with a bone handle made by Tennessee’s knifesmith Colonel Littleton on nicer occasions.
Form, function and beauty, that seems to be a common element of our farm toolbox. Most of the commonly used tools, with some exceptions, have all three elements in either their design or use. Like the person whose beauty is not apparent on first meeting, a good tool sometime reveals its beauty through prolonged use and acquaintance.
Nice article. I’m pondering publishing it (and paying you, of course). My high school horticultural teacher always carried a pocket knife. That made an impression on me. I have a small Swiss army knife I used to keep on my key chain, but I’m concerned about having to pass through some metal detector, and I don’t want it taken away from me. It’s so easy to forget it’s there. I had a boss who had a nice pocket knife taken away by airport security and they never mailed it back to him. I think a pocket knife makes an excellent gift for adolescent boys or girls. Thanks for mentioning the name brands.
Did you see the new article on Knoxzine about homesteading with diesel trucks. I bet you have a diesel truck. http://knoxzine.com/all/2014/01/16/homesteading-with-vintage-diesel-trucks/
Debra,
Glad you liked it. I’d be delighted to have you publish it as always. I loved the piece on diesel trucks. And no, my truck is gasoline powered. Our tractors are diesel. But he really has me rethinking my choices.
Keep up the good work,
Brian
An interesting and insightful post.
I used to carry a pocketknife I got from my grandfather. Turned out to be more of a conversation piece than a tool, considering the types of work I do. Then I dropped it fumbling in my pockets and it slid into the crack in the elevator between the car and the floor like it was on a mission from god and was gone forever.
These days, folks are as likely to view a pocketknife as a weapon rather than a tool — at least those not working on farms. And indeed, as mentioned above, with so many security checkpoints, one risks having to relinquish it.
Love the “mission from god” bit.
TSA took my wonderful Solingen grafting knife last year. It was one of my five favorite tools: http://www.wingedelmfarm.com/blog/2012/05/14/five-favorite-hand-tools/. I completely forgot I had it with me. They offered to let me take back through security and have it put in my luggage. But at that point I was late, the knife was inexpensive and I knew I could get another. Two years on and I can’t find a replacement (anyone have suggestions then let me know).