About Pocket Knives

Nearly all pocketknives are legal to own in most countries, but they increasingly face legal restrictions on their use. While pocketknives are almost always used as tools, they do have the potential to become weapons. In many places it is illegal to conceal folding pocket knives larger than a certain size, or with certain locking or opening mechanisms. They are often banned or heavily restricted in secure areas, such as schools and airports.

Switchblades and other “auto-openers” are banned from interstate shipment by the U.S. Government and prohibited entirely in some states, though all statutes prohibiting switchblades allow an exception permitting ownership by the one-handed, the military and the police.

To sharpen a very dull knife, use first the coarse and then the fine side of the whetstone; to sharpen a blade in better shape, use only the fine side. Have badly chipped or serrated knives professionally sharpened.

Oil the surface of the whetstone lightly. If you can see the cutting bevel on the knife blade, keep the knife at this bevel as you work; otherwise, hold the knife with the blade at a 30-degree angle to the stone.

Holding the knife blade firmly at the bevel angle, push the full length of the blade gently but firmly away from you, at a diagonal across the stone. Lift the knife blade at the end of the stroke, turn the knife over, and repeat, stroking the blade away from yourself across the stone. Repeat, using alternating strokes on the two sides of the blade, for the same number of strokes on each side. These alternating strokes remove any tiny burrs caused by the sharpening. For very dull blades, follow this sharpening procedure on first the coarse side and then the fine side of the stone. Remove debris from the knife blade with a soft cloth.

To touch up the cutting edge of a carving knife, use a sharpening steel. With the blade of the knife away from you, pull the edge of the knife blade lightly down the length of the steel, stroking the entire length of the blade from handle to tip. Repeat on the other side of the knife blade. Stroke the sides of the blade alternately along the steel to produce the desired cutting edge; about six strokes per side are usually adequate, particularly for survival pocket knives.

There is definitely a group of individuals that feels they would never own or give a knife as a gift. They simply don’t feel they would have any need for it in their everyday lives, but what many of these people fail to realize is that knives can actually serve as something close to artwork. Depending on the knife you purchase, some of the handles are inlaid with beautiful polished stones. Others contain a bone handle that’s been expertly carved.

In this way, it’s not so much a pocket knife as a handcrafted piece of artwork to display. Place it in an office or spare bedroom alongside other small statues or artistic pieces, and these high end pocket knives will not even look out of place. As such, they make a fantastic gift to any collector of rare or unusual pieces of art. Also keep in mind that these knives make particularly lovely gifts when they come from an unusual or exotic location.

Anyone who is new to the world of pocket knives has probably never heard the term tactical knife. And if the term has been encountered, it’s likely that the exact definition of that term wasn’t known. But there’s nothing particularly difficult about understanding tactical pocket knives. To better understand the purpose of these knifes, it’s helpful to know that they go by the alternate name of combat knives. And that’s exactly what they are. A tactical knife is any knife designed for use by the military.

But even within the community of people that understand that these knives are designed for military use, there is still the misconception that these knives are intended for close combat. This simply isn’t the case. Many of these knives are actually used instead for general utility. As such, it is common for a military man to use his knife solely for clearing foliage, opening various crates, chopping small branches, or any other small general purpose job that might arise.

If you are in possession of an Old Timer knife, or you have the opportunity to purchase one, seriously consider storing that away somewhere safe. Old Timer pocket knives were created by the Imperial Schrade Corporation, and the latter shut down on July 30, 2004. Proving nobody can be in business forever, this corporation was up and running for one hundred years before it came to an end. But if you are an avid knife collector and desperately want an Old Timer in your arsenal, don’t fear. The production was taken up by another company.

That company was Taylor Brands LLC. They made the move to purchase the intellectual rights associated with Old Timer pocket knives, and they began selling these knives in their classic designs and patterns. The only notable difference between Taylor and Schrade is that Schrade does import from China in order to keep the prices of these knives competitive. So whether you want the knife to display, collect, or use, you can still count on Old Timer to be a part of your collection.

With so many shows on television nowadays depicting men surviving in the wild against all odds, it has created a generation of little boys and teenagers (and some grown men) who want nothing else than to trek off into the wilderness and see if they can “make it.” For obvious reasons, this is not the best idea. The men on TV are usually trained in survival or tactical skills. The average male sitting on the couch watching “Man Versus Wild” is not. But if those men cannot be deterred from their missions into the wilderness, they should at least go well prepared.

For one, they should seriously consider taking any number of stainless steel pocket knives. Knives are extremely helpful in the wilderness. They can be used to spark flint in order to start a fire, or they can be used to cut ferns or other vegetation to make a roof for your shelter or a makeshift mattress. The list of uses goes on. And stainless steel is a good option because it is durable. It can withstand a lot of abuse and exposure to the elements, and if you ever drag yourself out of the woods alive, you can use it on your next trip!

When you’re shopping for gifts it’s good to know a little about the person you are shopping for. In my case, it’s my grandfather. His birthday is coming up in a month and I want to get him something he will love. I know that he loves history, so I decided to look for something old-fashioned.

Shopping online makes everything so easy, so that’s how I have done all of my shopping for the last two years. Recently, I came across the perfect gift for grandfather – a collectible pocket knife. The ornate handle coupled with the titanium blade would surely catch his eye. I think he will love his birthday gift.

The old saying goes “never trust a man who doesn’t carry a pocket knife.” Maybe this saying isn’t so true anymore, but the usefulness of a pocket knife should never be underrated. There are countless varieties of the pocket knife, ranging from the multi-faceted Swiss Army knife, to more modern titanium pocket knives.There are two main types of pocket knives – folding knives and fixed blades. The blade of a fixed blade knife extends from the handle where the tang is fixed. The blade of a folding knife folds into the handle.

I found a news article by Ron Mizutani dated February 10, 2009 on KHON news in Hawaii.  Here is a link to the article http://www.khon2.com/home/ticker/39409572.html.  A bill aimed at prohibiting manufacturing, selling or possessing pocket knives has been introduced by Sen. Les Ihara, (D) Palolo-Kaimuki.  The bill would make it illegal to possess, sell or manufacture a pocket knife.   Senator Ihara said he does not agree with the bill but says it’s been his policy to provide a voice for his constituents and did so again.  “In 22 years I’ve introduced many many bills by request,” says Ihara. “By request in the capitol essentially signals that we don’t agree with the content.” Ken Onion, who is famous for the knives he creates, lives in Hawaii.  As he pointed out his wife carries a pocket knife in her purse.  Under the proposed law she could go to jail for a year. Fortunately at least one calm head is involved.  The chair of the Judicial Government and Operations Committee, Sen. Brian Taniguchi, said “No I’m not planning to hear that bill,” says Taniguchi. “I think it’s impractical.” For now it sounds like pocket knives are safe in Hawaii – at least for now.

Your pocket knife has rust.  Whether it was from neglect, long term storage or maybe the pocket knives is a treasure passed along to you through the family it doesn’t matter.  You want to remove the rust from your pocket knife.  There are a few ways you can remove the rust.  There is one way you definitely do not want to remove the rust.

If there is a light coating of rust you can use oil and rub the rust off your pocket knife blade.  If the rust is a little more stubborn you can use oil and steel wool.  If the rust is deeper you can use a very fine sandpaper and oil to remove the rust from your pocket knife.  A word of caution on these last two options.  There is a chance you will leave scratches on the finish.

Do not use a power grinder as some have done to remove the rust.  Besides the risk of significant blade damage the speed of the grinding wheel will heat up the blade and ruining the temper.