- Joined
- Jan 27, 2005
- Messages
- 278
Just thought I'd share...
don't exactly remembe when Dad gave me my first pocketknife, I do remember though it was in grade school (since I've had some sort of pocket knife on my person since jr. high)
he showed me how to use it, and take care of it. but, he never showed me how to sharpen it.
so, being a kid, after a short time, i had a pocket knife, with an edge like a butter knife!
he took me down to the hardware store, and bought an Arkansas stone, and then taught me how to sharpen it...
I think I ground down about a third of that blade practicing sharpening it. Old neighbor of ours also showed me how to strop it on an old leather belt...
one day I took my knife to my dad and said "I think this can shave now..." (I remember I didn't have much hair on my arms back then) he laughed a little disbelieving laugh, rolled up his sleeve and proceeded to shave hair off his arm!
I was pleased, so was he...in fact he showed my mom, who immediately had a fit !!
Dad said that I was old enough to know how to use a sharp knife, and also, if I didn't know how, then "I'd learn real quick"
one day, while whittling on a stick, wasn't paying attention, and the knife cut through a knot easier than I had imagined (or so I remember) and then it slid down, and right across my left thumb...
I stared in disbelief with the knife blade embedded in my thumb, and as soon as I worked it out, blood started to gush out.
ran inside, told dad, who took me to the e.r.
Got stitches, tetanus shots, all that good stuff.
on the way back, I said something to the effect of "aren't you going to yell at me or something?"
to which, he held out his hand, pointed to a scar on it, and said
"that's from a knife that your grandpa showed me how to sharpen"
never found out if grandpa had scars from knives that great-grandpa showed him how to sharpen, may have been multi generations of scarred up men in our family...
he was right, learned really quickly to respect and how to use a really sharp knife.
Thanks dad! Every knife I own (with the exception of some vintage collector's pieces) will shave hair off my arm...
don't exactly remembe when Dad gave me my first pocketknife, I do remember though it was in grade school (since I've had some sort of pocket knife on my person since jr. high)
he showed me how to use it, and take care of it. but, he never showed me how to sharpen it.
so, being a kid, after a short time, i had a pocket knife, with an edge like a butter knife!
he took me down to the hardware store, and bought an Arkansas stone, and then taught me how to sharpen it...
I think I ground down about a third of that blade practicing sharpening it. Old neighbor of ours also showed me how to strop it on an old leather belt...
one day I took my knife to my dad and said "I think this can shave now..." (I remember I didn't have much hair on my arms back then) he laughed a little disbelieving laugh, rolled up his sleeve and proceeded to shave hair off his arm!
I was pleased, so was he...in fact he showed my mom, who immediately had a fit !!
Dad said that I was old enough to know how to use a sharp knife, and also, if I didn't know how, then "I'd learn real quick"
one day, while whittling on a stick, wasn't paying attention, and the knife cut through a knot easier than I had imagined (or so I remember) and then it slid down, and right across my left thumb...
I stared in disbelief with the knife blade embedded in my thumb, and as soon as I worked it out, blood started to gush out.
ran inside, told dad, who took me to the e.r.
Got stitches, tetanus shots, all that good stuff.
on the way back, I said something to the effect of "aren't you going to yell at me or something?"
to which, he held out his hand, pointed to a scar on it, and said
"that's from a knife that your grandpa showed me how to sharpen"
never found out if grandpa had scars from knives that great-grandpa showed him how to sharpen, may have been multi generations of scarred up men in our family...
he was right, learned really quickly to respect and how to use a really sharp knife.
Thanks dad! Every knife I own (with the exception of some vintage collector's pieces) will shave hair off my arm...
