My Dad recently gave this to me and I thought it was worth sharing. He served in the US Navy from 1948 - 1956 as a Boikermaker. He had friends all over the ship (including the armory). This was before e-mail/internet, and the only way to communicate was by hand written letters. As the story goes, he made this over about a weeks time while he was on watch in the boiler room of the ship. Evidently my Mom wrote him alot of letters, and he wanted to be able to open them quicker! Here are a few pics of a letter opener he made.

Attached Images

	Letter Opener (1).jpg (35.2 KB, 162 views)
	Letter Opener (2).jpg (48.6 KB, 150 views)
	Letter Opener (3).jpg (38.9 KB, 147 views)
	Letter Opener (4).jpg (65.8 KB, 157 views)
	Letter Opener (5).jpg (73.7 KB, 126 views)

papa99,
Very nice. And since your Dad made it, it's even nicer. I hate it when I go to open a letter with my Buck folder and cut the letter in two or three pieces along the fold. You got a definite keepsake there.
Peace,
Gordon

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better have that checked

That is cool! What did it start out as? Looks like a cartridge case of some kind.

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“What you got, ain’t new.”

He made it from a cartridge case and bullet that he got from the armory. I haven't been able to determine the caliber. He hammered the bullet to flatten and shape it, inserted it into the case, then crimped and pinned it. For a little flair, he etched a fleur de lis in it.