Of First Knives, Comic Books and Days of

[Dana Acker]

Of course, I might not be a good candidate...I did inhale.

[fitzo]

Originally Posted by Dana Acker

Of course, I might not be a good candidate...I did inhale.

Hehe! So did they, Dana! However, one wouldn't admit it and the next one had reformed! Perhaps you oughtta go ahead and run for high office! It's about time we had a Pres with a beard again!

As for who oughtta lead the charge, I vote for the President! At least in ancient times, the king was at the front of the pack swinging his sword. If he failed, everyone else went home early! Would be nice to say goodbye to all the politicians and most all the lawyers, though! Might even send a couple knife dealers for good measure! (Post needed some knife content!)

[Dana Acker]

[Dana Acker]

Now, are there any Lovecraft fans out there? Are Mike and I the only ones who's read him?

[mstu]

I like Lovecraft Dana, I went through several volumes of his work when it was reissued by Arkham House in the late 80s. I even like the cheesy movie versions of some of the stories. Who else but Lovecraft could have had as much fun writing about rats, or thought of 5-sided beings in Antarctica, or come up with Cthulhu (gesundheit!) and the rest of the Elder Gods? But I think I was primed to like his stories by spending way too much time playing D&D when I was in high school in the early to mid 80s. Anyone else here do that?

It's funny, looking back it seems planned but it wasn't. My interests have changed over the years from almost purely mental preoccupations like reading fantasy and science fiction and playing D&D, Champions, GURPS, etc; through live-action rpgs and lazer tag, to medieval recreation, which got me to metalwork through armoring; now I don't do much of any of those any more, but I'm really into making things with my hands and hammer with iron and wood. Fire and sharp things, it doesn't get much better than that. Now I only read a couple dozen books a year for pleasure, instead of hundreds like when I was a kid. But the good side is that I'm a bit more patient with all the people I run into who don't have a clue about how or why steel works, because a few years ago I didn't have a clue either. Granted, I don't know much, but it's a start, and it's quite a bit more that I used to.

So anyway, that's a long rambling answer to your short question. And I even worked in some smithing content

P.S. I think I'm gonna flipflop my NT name to "chicken smokin'" cause when I was in Scouts we did a lot of chicken bbq to raise money for our trips. More good memories.

Michael

[Cliff Krug]

Reinstuite the draft. Start at age 55,no deferments for politicians. The wars would stop quickly. I am a Korean vet .that was the last one we had any reason to be in .

[Dana Acker]

"No deferments for politicians..." I like the way you think, Cliff.

I've often thought that the amount of silver dollars a politician can swim with in a sack across the Potomac River should be the amount of their raise.

OK, this was a happy subject, til I brought up the "P" word (politician.)

My sincerest apologies for talking nasty on the forum. I'm going to go wash my mouth out with soap.

Found a neat knife article, more in line with the original topic*** that I'll probably transpose here tomorrow.


***Not that I'm advocating staying on topic or anything.

[stoneman]

Originally Posted by Dana Acker

Anybody here a Frank Miller fan?

Dana, I am a huge Frank Miller Fan. When I was a Kid I picked up Dark Knight 1st printing for $5, about 2 weeks later it jumped above $50 and never went down.

The first knife I remember was a Rambo Knock off. Saw back, Hollow handle and a completly dull piece of garbage knife, but oh did I think I was cool!

[Dana Acker]

The first one is always the coolest.

Speaking of Rambo, I read the first "First Blood" book long before the Rambo movies came out. In the end of the book, Rambo is killed by his commanding officer/teacher/mentor. So when the first Rambo movie came out and Stallone was Rambo, and it looked like it was going to be a mega-success, they had the character live. After Rambo II came out, I was in a book store one day, and saw both books "First Blood I" and "First Blood II" by the same original author. Out of curiosity I picked up the first one, which I had read many years earlier, and lo and behold, the original author had changed the ending to match the first movie. At first I thought "SELLOUT!" Then I figured if I was in the author's shoes and was given the option of retiring young and getting to play the rest of my life by letting Rambo live, Why Not? Any artistic value was already lost when it became a franchise, so more power to him. But for purists, Rambo was shot and killed at the end of the first book, originally.

[Dana Acker]

This was originally published in "Knives '94." The article is by Howard McCord. I'll furnish the complete documentation at the end.

"It was a modest cliff, and the route I had chosen was not much more than a scramble, except for one difficult spot. I needed a good high hold for my right hand to make it to a comfortable ledge. My searching fingers could only find a tiny crack, too narrow for any grip. With inspiration born of frustration, I reached to my belt and pulled out my old PAL RH36, a surplus combat knife I had paid $4.50 for in 1946. Its blade was thick and strong, and it seemed to me that if I could get the blade well into the crack, I'd have a fine handhold and, putting as little weight as possible on it, might not even bend the blade.

I reached up, inserted the blade into the crack, and found to my relief I could slip all six inches in. I got a good grip and, with a grace I no longer possess, made a my move to the ledge. Once more my PAL had proved to be one. Earlier in the day, inside the Modoc mine, I had used the point of the blade to pry loose a nice galena nugget from the wall of the stope.

That was forty-seven years ago. Today the same PAL rests beside my typewriter--tight, clean, sharp, and as ready as ever to be a pry-bar, handhold, camp knife, feller of small trees, skinner if need be, and in general the most useful and most used tool I carry in the mountains. It ahd gone with me to Alaska, Iceland, Lapland and every Western state, and though I own better, more beautiful and certainly more expensive knives, I generally pick up my PAL when I am getting my gear ready for a trip. It takes abuse with impunity and seems as indestructable as a knife can get.

As I wrote in a poem a long time ago, 'I've carried a knife since I was eight--a boy's supposed to.'" (McCord, KNIVES'94 , p. 36)

Later, Mr. McCord concludes with:


"A knife is a tool that can do a multiplicity of jobs, but it means more to us than that, or else we'd be seeing ivory-handled pipe wrenches, engraved hammers and Damascus handsaws. And we don't; knives are special. Perhaps it is because the knife is so fundamental a tool, or because it is a tool so related to survival, that we value it so. A knife is a tool for life in no way a wrench or pliers can ever be. A knife is a formidable weapon, and it focuses our will to live to a point and an edge, and that's that. It's beauty is simplicity, elegance and grace. At least that's why this old man likes knives." (McCord, KNIVES '94, p. 40.)

"An Old Man's Knives," by Howard McCord from the "14th Annual Edition KNIVES '94," edited by Ken Warner, DBI Books, Inc., 4092 Commercial Ave. Northbrook, IL 60062 1994.

Thought the above was particularly appropriate.

[Dana Acker]

So, whaddaya think? Damascus handsaws? He makes a good point.

[VSMBlades]

Dana,

Your post has made me think of my grandfather who passed in April of 2003. After he had been taken to the funeral home and they were getting him ready to be burried I was in his room and saw his pocket knife laying on the bedside table. I picked it up and carried it home where I sharpened it and oiled it and cleaned it, probably more work than had been done to it in at least 5 years. It was just a plastic handled Impreial Schrade, but it was his. I carried it, all nice and sharp and clean, up to the funeral home and slipped it in his pocket. I had never known him to not have one with him and figured he should have it with him then too. They are very special items, our knives. I know several people that can be identified by the knife they carry, Gerber Gators, Old Timers, Sod Busters. Grandad was never too particular about the brand but he always had a knife.

Thank you for triggering the memories, they make me tear up but they are good tears.

[MongoForge]

Originally Posted by Dana Acker

. I'm real sorry to hear that y'all can't make it to Bowie's. Rats. Been telling my new bride about y'all, and was hoping she could meet you and Mike and JoJo.


.

Uh did you get hitched and forget to tell us? or did i miss it :confused: :confused:

[Dana Acker]

Well, it wasn't kept secret, but wasn't announced heavily either. Tai congratulated me in a post, but not much fanfare was made of it. But, yes, I got married the end of July, to a true saint of God, who likes knives, wine and even me.

Her name is Trish--not our Trish here at the forum--but one from Mayberry. She works at the elementary school in front of my house. She married me even after seeing what J.W. and I could do to a house when left to our own devices. Anybody not afraid of that, would not be afraid of anything. She even lets me do pitch and bone cleaning in the house. Am I blessed or what?

[Dana Acker]

Hey Joe, thanks for sharing that about your Grandpa. That was a cool thing to do. I guess all you can say is, it's a knife thing. You either get it or you don't.