My father-in-law's trade-in

texasflyfisher

texasflyfisher

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Aug 17, 2007
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My father-in-law has worked pretty hard all his life. Before he retired several years ago, he worked on cleaning up offshore oil platforms brought in from the Texas Gulf in need of maintenance. He used to climb in the huge "legs" of the rig and sandblast them and then spray a protective coating. He is hard of hearing nowadays, probably partly due to the noise from sandblasting all those years.

At the end of last year he asked me if I would sharpen up his pocket knife, a trusty Schrade Old Timer 34OT, since he was having a problem getting a good edge on his stone. I took a look at it and the knife was pretty thick at the edge. I went through the motions of trying to reprofile it some on a DMT diamond stone but didn't get too much of a good edge of the main blade. The sheepsfoot still has some life to it. I gave him a spare brand new Victorinox Farmer so he could carry that until I could consider our options.

A couple of weeks later I gave a new-in-box yellow handled CV peanut since I think he found the Vic Farmer a bit to big for his liking for EDC.

I got to see him this week and he told me to keep his 34OT. I placed it in a wooden box where I keep retired knives. May it enjoy its time off.

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What a great knife!:thumbup:

For some reason I've always thought those were the best knives; the ones that have had a hard working life as a companion to a hard workng man, and show it. There's a great aura around knives like that, that make them priceless as family treasures. :thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
 
I got to see him this week and he told me to keep his 34OT. I placed it in a wooden box where I keep retired knives. May it enjoy its time off.
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That's great. I hope it stays in your family as an heirloom for generations to come.
 
texasflyfisher said:
A couple of weeks later I gave a new-in-box yellow handled CV peanut since I think he found the Vic Farmer a bit to big for his liking for EDC.
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Great post, texasflyfisher! And I commend you on your choice of replacement knife for your dad. Keep us posted as to how he likes it.
 
I have a rough looking 34OT that I just splashed into mineral oil to soak. This thread reminded me that I should have taken a "before" picture.

It looks a lot worse than the above pictured knife, however, which is in good shape considering the work it's seen.

.
 
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Tex,

Great thread. Nice to see your father-in-law is in such capable hands as you.:cool:

I am curious too as mnblade mentioned, does your F-I-L like the Peanut better than the 34OT Stockman?

Thanks,

Anthony
 
I've asked about the peanut a couple of times and he never really says anything about it (even with the hearing aid I have to speak up). So not sure if he didn't understand me or he thinks it's too nice to carry. It is probably the latter case as I don't think he ever bought a new knife for himself. He does have another knife that my brother-in-law gave him that I think he carries as well and I believe he did mention that when that one is worn out, he will be carrying the peanut. He does like it as far as I can tell but I get the feeling he wants to completely wear out the other one before he switches.
 
If that knife could talk, you could probably write a good sized book :D
I can't really put my finger on it but, there is almost something magical about the 34OT's...... I don't know if its in my head or not, but mine seems to cut like no other knife I own :confused:
 
texasflyfisher said:
I've asked about the peanut a couple of times and he never really says anything about it (even with the hearing aid I have to speak up). So not sure if he didn't understand me or he thinks it's too nice to carry. It is probably the latter case as I don't think he ever bought a new knife for himself. He does have another knife that my brother-in-law gave him that I think he carries as well and I believe he did mention that when that one is worn out, he will be carrying the peanut. He does like it as far as I can tell but I get the feeling he wants to completely wear out the other one before he switches.
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That's the way those guys are. As long as the old one is still in any condition to be used, they will "use it up" before going on to a new one.
 
I hope it doesn't stay in that box too long, knives seem to lose their glow when not held, carried, and used. Take it out every so often and work on that edge...not too long and not too hard but every now and then. One day you will take it out and start working that edge only to discover it isn't as bad as you thought, matter of fact it is pretty darn good. Next thing you know you will be dropping that knife of your Dad's in your pocket just to carry it for a day. And man...will that knife glow!
 
I can't really put my finger on it but, there is almost something magical about the 34OT's...... I don't know if its in my head or not, but mine seems to cut like no other knife I own
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I started carrying one every day at work, one of the older ones with carbon steel. Dang, is it sharp!

That's the way those guys are. As long as the old one is still in any condition to be used, they will "use it up" before going on to a new one.
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Yep, gave my F-I-L a Schatt-Morgan peanut (or something like it - I forget) with the condition that he actually carry and use it. He insists on carrying a small Old Timer (an 18OT?) anyway. :)
 
jackknife said:
That's the way those guys are. As long as the old one is still in any condition to be used, they will "use it up" before going on to a new one.
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That was the way my dad was. He carried a small lockback of questionable heritage (company give away, mystery steel) then when it either brock or was lost, would pull another out of his give away drawer (Dad was a field service rep for a very large aviation concern) and use that one. When ever it was dull he would ask me to sharpen it. Over the years I would trade it out for a better knife (similar size) and next time I saw him there was another of the mystery steel knives. When he retired I gave him a really nice custom lockback, but I still kept having to sharpn the give away knives. When he pass on in 2003 I was helping my Mom clean out his drawers and there in a small line box were the knives I had given him. Guess he was trying to tell me something that I was too stupid to understand!
 
oldrifleman said:
That was the way my dad was. He carried a small lockback of questionable heritage (company give away, mystery steel) then when it either brock or was lost, would pull another out of his give away drawer (Dad was a field service rep for a very large aviation concern) and use that one. When ever it was dull he would ask me to sharpen it. Over the years I would trade it out for a better knife (similar size) and next time I saw him there was another of the mystery steel knives. When he retired I gave him a really nice custom lockback, but I still kept having to sharpn the give away knives. When he pass on in 2003 I was helping my Mom clean out his drawers and there in a small line box were the knives I had given him. Guess he was trying to tell me something that I was too stupid to understand!
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You just decribed my dad perfectly.

I wonder if it was the depression thing. I heard all the time growing up, "You kids didn't have to got through the depression!" It must have made horders out of them. Dad had other knives people gave him along the way, but never used them. He kept using that old peanut till the main blade was worn half away. When he dropped it and the handle scale cracked, he worked some epoxy into the crack, and kept on trucking with it.

When he passed awy we found a couple of brand new knives tucked away in his sock drawer that nobody had ever seen him use.

It's the old guy "one knife for life" thing that is a mystery to us.
 
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