Knife You've Owned the Longest Time

[RalphK22]

Good thing both you and the bear both had the light bulbs go on at the same time. I bet your camera used 110 film.

Great story, love it!

Yep good old 110 film. I don't know if I should tell this story, but I was dumb enough to get close to a black bear once again, with the same cheap 110 camera. This time I had a little bit better back up. My oldest brother, 16 years older than I am, had an Anschutz 54 in 22 Long rifle. He, my mom and dad, and I were going for an evening ride around our hunting camp, when we spotted a young black bear with his front paws on a stump and pulling at something. We stopped to watch and looked through binoculars and saw that it was a fawn. My brother and I got out of the car, and he watched the bear through the scope of his Anschutz as I tried to get in closer to get a picture. The bear grabbed the fawn, ran dropped it and decided that he was not going to give it up. He backed himself up against a tree and hissed at me. Again, I decided to back away very slowly. Man I miss those days!

 

[GaryHK]

Yep good old 110 film. I don't know if I should tell this story, but I was dumb enough to get close to a black bear once again, with the same cheap 110 camera. This time I had a little bit better back up. My oldest brother, 16 years older than I am, had an Anschutz 54 in 22 Long rifle. He, my mom and dad, and I were going for an evening ride around our hunting camp, when we spotted a young black bear with his front paws on a stump and pulling at something. We stopped to watch and looked through binoculars and saw that it was a fawn. My brother and I got out of the car, and he watched the bear through the scope of his Anschutz as I tried to get in closer to get a picture. The bear grabbed the fawn, ran dropped it and decided that he was not going to give it up. He backed himself up against a tree and hissed at me. Again, I decided to back away very slowly. Man I miss those days!

I think you missed your calling as a National Geographic photographer...actually, I hear the folks from Blue Planet calling as I speak

 

[RalphK22]

I think you missed your calling as a National Geographic photographer...actually, I hear the folks from Blue Planet calling as I speak

As I recall none of the pictures came out. I later bought my brothers Topcon Re Super he bought while serving in Viet Nam. Nothing interesting happened when I had that camera.

 

[Drm50]

The knife I had the longest was a Pal 3 blade with red handles. Was my grandpa's and I gave it to nephew. I guess oldest one I still have is a skinner I hand made about 1970. Just last week on forum at the members pictures at top, somebody had Randal with same design. I designed this blade in Jr. Hi. and couldn't get it made. I would send it to a maker and they didn't want to make it.
Wanted me to buy one of their designs. One guy had the fuzz to say he wouldn't put his name on something like that. Sharpest piece of stainless steel I've ever come across.

 

[jfd]

Great thread!

Diggin this thread, thought I'd post my "oldies but goodies", a Case XX and a Buck 110, both from the '70's...lots of miles on them but still in use regularly.

 

[Racer X]

Oh, I've got far older knives, but my oldest one, that was given to me originally is the '77? Explorer. Have my grandfather's 225QM Cataraugus Quartermaster's Knife from WW II, his dress Cavalry saber from WW I, and a Civil War cavalry saber, as well as a Civil War artillery short sword with powder measure markings on it for mortars/bombards. The last two came from grandpa's father.

 

[k22fan]

Since I have no memory of what happened to my elementary school utility/scout knife the one that I've owned the longest is the Buck 301 Stockman that I bought with paper route money in 1968. I now know it was actually made by Schrade. My junior high school wood shop teacher required students to bring a pocket knife daily. He recommended stockmans.

Comparing him to some modern teachers might get me dinged.

 

[pathillyer]

A Buck 110 that I purchased in 1965. It went everywhere with me in that leather case. After active duty, I didn't carry it all the time as I wore suits in my day job. I still have it, and occasionally take it out, give it a good polish and cleaning and make sure the edge is still good.

 

[Buzzzer]

A pocket knife my dad gave me when I was, heck, under 10 back in the 70's. Just a small folder with two blades that said "Moorman's" on it. I think he got it from a seed company.

Ah, the days when you had a pocket knife when you went school and no-one gave it a second thought. It was, and still is, a "tool" after all...

 

[bgrafsr]

My 2nd oldest is a Buck 110 that was issued to me in the 70's while working on the Police Force in Elyria, Ohio. It resides in a drawer in my work bench.
I should wear it on my belt I suppose.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

An Old Buck Special bought circa 1973

 

[Westie1]

My oldest is a Henckels 999 that i bought while going through Nav training at Mather AFB in the early '70s. Flew on both the T29 and T43. Kept it in my Nav bag, during multiple Alert tours as a D model nav.

 

[CajunBass]

I generally don't keep knives too long. They either get lost, or something else comes along and they get tossed into box O stuff, and "Hootie" (our resident ghost) takes them off to wherever he takes socks, and TV remotes.

BUT...I do have one, a "custom" one I had made about 1978 by a local fellow named Ben Shelor. I paid a small fortune for this thing ($200.00) back in the day, more than I paid for my shotgun actually. I still can't believe I paid that, although I don't regret it a bit, and it's been worth every dime.

A really crappy picture.

It's been a great knife though. Takes and holds an edge you could shave with. I remember skinning a half-dozen deer one evening at the hunt club with it. I think it was just as sharp when I finished as it was when I started.

I haven't hunted in years, but it's in the desk drawer right beside me still. Pretty special to me. I used to know all the specs, what type steel and such, but it's long ago been forgotten. The blade is 3 1/2" overall length is 7 1/2".

BTW. The hole in the blade is the makers mark. He called it the "eye of the knife." I believe he called this style the "Alaskan Hunter."

 

[JimBianchi]

I still have a Buck Personal from 1977.

 

[ContinentalOp]

BUT...I do have one, a "custom" one I had made about 1978 by a local fellow named Ben Shelor. I paid a small fortune for this thing back in the day, more than I paid for my shotgun actually.

You're story reminds me of my only custom knife. I met a guy named Jim English at a knife show back in the 90s. His table had a sign that said, "Handling knives: free; Band-Aids: $100." His knives usually came with nylon sheaths. I bought one from him. When I told him I prefer leather sheaths, he offered to make one for me, no charge. A week later I got the knife with a really nice leather sheath. Still have it.

My dad bought one of his knives at the same show, and when he saw the leather sheath he kept saying he wished he'd asked for one, too.

One of these days I'm going to have to try and take a better picture.

I don't know if he's still in business. When I've done Internet searches I usually only come up with a few photos of his knives up for auction.

 

[BARgunner]

I bought this Buck 110 in 1973. I put the fingers grooves on it around 1975. The original sheath disintegrated around 1977 and a friend made one for me. I carried this knife daily until around 2012. The blade was so thin from sharpening it over the years that I retired it because I thought it was getting dangerous to use. In 2015 I knew I was going through Post Falls and contacted Buck to see if they could replace the blade, which I was told would cost $10. I stopped in and explained I needed a new blade. The gentleman looked at it and told me I got my money's worth out of that blade. He told me to check out the museum and he would get it taken care of in a short time. When I got done with the tour, he was waiting in the shop and handed it to me all polished up and with a new blade and said "no charge". That's what I call great customer service. Nice museum and the shop has a bunch of their knives you might not normally see and some good sale prices also.

 

[pistolpete10]

I have a 6" Puma Bowie that I bought in 1967, went to Vietnam with me.

 

[jbtrucker]

Found Imperial Mystery knife walking home from school 1970's. Dumb kid took me awhile to figure out how it worked.

 

[Muley Gil]

My first Boy Scout knife, received for Christmas 1959. The original sheath died an honorable death many years ago, covered with dried out rubber bands and duct tape residue. It was replaced with this custom item by Chris Kravitt of Treestump Leather in Waltham, Maine. (Chris specializes in knife sheaths of all kinds).

During an airborne assignment with the Marines in Second ANGLICO in the 1980's this blade served as my jump knife for somewhere around 30 paradrops. (The Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic required each parachutist to carry a sheath knife, and I never really warmed up to the issued Kabar).

Dressed out my first buck with it, too.

Be Prepared!

My oldest knife is just like this one; my mom bought it for me when I joined the Boy Scouts, around 1966. I have older knives, but I've had this one the longest. Somewhere along the line, I lost my first knife, a single blade that I vaguely remember being made by Camillus. Found that one around 1960 in a metal box that had belonged to my stepfather.

 

[RayRay7]

Mine: USA made Gerber 600(?) in 93 or 94 when I was around 9...I have a bad habit of finding it and losing it in a pair of pants, a drawer, etc -