# Grandpa's Knives



## NeilYeag (Oct 27, 2016)

This is a different kind of post for me, but maybe it will stimulate some thoughts. These were my Grandpa's knives, I think all form the early 50's. My Grandpa was a Automotive Machinist. Not a mechanic, but a machinist. He had a machine shop in Laramie Wyoming from the mid 30's till his death in mid 70's. Crankshaft regrinding, valve grinding, cylinder boring, all that kind of stuff. Very precise, very detailed. All with analog equipment and measuring devices of course. He was such a great guy (all Grandpa's are I suppose) even as a kid he used to let me "help" in the shop. Of course carefully but I remember he would let me run the valve griding machine, ha I did not know till years later that these weren't really customers valves, but just scrap stuff he gave me to "work" on. I remember the smells of the shop most of all even to this day. The smell of the cooling fluids, and the smells of the metal being worked. And I remember the smell of his big work weathered hands were the same as the shop. He worked basically 7 days a week, but when we were there on vacation he always had time to take us to the ranch to ride horses or to go brook trout fishing. Grandpa worked around dangerous machinery all of his life. In the mid 70's my father convinced him to retire. Less then a week after retirement Grandpa was working on my cousins car in the driveway. Had the car up on a jack, something happened the jack shifted the car fell on his head and killed him instantly. Incredible. 

Any way to the knives. These are three that I have, I think my brothers had some other ones. After Grandpa died, my father carried these for a bit. Alas my dad died young too, only 63 years. So know I will finally clean these up a little and give them a sharpen and make a nice display for them.http://i1161.Rule #2/albums/q509/neil33ny/Grandpas%20Knives_zpsayfsoxle.jpg 

The one on the left was his EDC (ha before there was even such a term!) Can tell as two blades are broken. This is a Landers, Frary and Clark it may be from the 40's. The brown one is nice, Grandpa called this his "fishin'" knife, it is a Camillus Cutlery Knife, bone stag handles and fancy liners. The top one is his "ivory hande" knife. This he said was his Sunday go to meeting knife. Imperial Knife Company #69. It has a patent date of 1942 on this one. 

When I pulled these out of the drawer last week, i could of sworn I smelled Grandpa's hands.

Any of you all have a Grandpa story to share?

Neil

Reactions: Like 1 | Great Post 3 | Way Cool 2 | Sincere 3


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## Mike1950 (Oct 27, 2016)

Great story Neil. Spent my summers with both my gramps In N. Idaho Mom's Dad Albert worked at the mill. He hunted and fished and made stuff out of wood. I was about 10, Gramps had a habit of saying it was just a couple miles and after 2 1/2 hours of walking at a fast pace finally getting there. He Grew up in South Dakota- Miles must be one helluva lot longer there. We had gotten up before dawn, driven to road end and then hiked up the mountain for 1 hr in dark and 2 more hrs after light. We were fishing in a series of beaver ponds- The fishing had been fast and furious, Hell it should be Nobody went that far to fish and we sat down to eat lunch. I was starting to nod off when gramps poked me with fishing pole. He pointed across pond- Baby and Ewe mountain goat 75 ft away drinking out of pond. 
The smells- My first memory is being a little tyke riding on Grampa Brick's -Dad's dad- shoulders. We were hunting- I remember his bristly hair poking me in the face and hanging on. The smell of Velvet pipe tobacco - he always smelled like pipe tobacco. To this day I still think of him when I smell some one smoking a pipe....Been gone 37 years- still miss him....

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## NeilYeag (Oct 27, 2016)

Mike, my great Grandpa was from Nampa Idaho. Beautiful country there.


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## Wildthings (Oct 27, 2016)

Didn't know any of my grandpas. But have rectified that with my grandchildren!

Reactions: Way Cool 1


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## MKTacop (Oct 28, 2016)

My grandfather, "Pop", was an electrician for US Steel in Birmingham AL. After he retired, my grandparents built a house on the Alabama river outside Selma. Pop could make, do, or fix anything. I remember his basement shop had all manner of tools that I didn't understand at the time. He had a huge metal lathe that I would "work" with whenever he allowed it. I loved watching the curls of metal as the came off whatever I was turning. I remember whenever I went to visit them, there were always things Pop needed "help" with. Those things were various chores that needed done, but they never seemed like work when I was with him. We'd work in my grandmother's garden, split and stack firewood, or whatever needed to be done. He was a ham radio operator and he was always tinkering with something electronic in his radio room. Whenever I smell solder, I immediately think of times watching him in his radio room. He taught me so many things. 

My vision is suddenly blurry remembering all this.

Pop passed in 1989. I miss him to this day.....and I suppose I always will. I hope that someday I'm half the man he was.

Reactions: Sincere 5


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## Tony (Oct 28, 2016)

Incredible stories guys, keep them coming. My maternal grandfather was a horrible man, I don't have good memories from him. My paternal grandfather died when my Dad was 12 so I never knew him. I get to have vicarious memories from this thread. I know that sentence was not grammatically correct, just don't know how else to say what I mean. Leave me alone Henry!!!!! Tony

Reactions: Like 2


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## Mike1950 (Oct 28, 2016)

NeilYeag said:


> Mike, my great Grandpa was from Nampa Idaho. Beautiful country there.


It is nice in southern Idaho. Idaho is 2 different worlds- south- arid. North Is wet and mountainous. Gramps was right up in the corner close to Mt. and BC. Great gramps were gone by the time I was born but Met 2 Great grandma's - One lived in SD and The other Helena.


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## woodtickgreg (Oct 28, 2016)

I am touched by all of your stories and the fond memories you have of your grandfather's and fathers. I grew up without either so I know how fortunate you all are. it touches me to hear how you honor their memories.

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## Tony (Oct 28, 2016)

My Dad's Dad wasn't a handyman or craftsman, he was too busy raising 10 kids. Of course though, he had some simple tools for doing things at the house. I have a solid steel ball peen hammer that was his my Grandmother gave me. If there's ever a fire and I can only grab one thing, that's it. It's my touchstone to someone I wish I could've known. Tony

Reactions: Sincere 4


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## Kevin (Oct 28, 2016)

My mom only found out who her dad was a few years ago. He had long passed. My dad's dad died when I was two. I hope to stay around longer for my grands. Touching stories everyone.

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## Mike1950 (Oct 28, 2016)

Kevin said:


> My mom only found out who her dad was a few years ago. He had long passed. My dad's dad died when I was two. I hope to stay around longer for my grands. Touching stories everyone.



I was lucky- Oldest grandkid- Gramps was 41 when I was born. I started staying summers there when I was 6 or 7 and by the time I was 9 spent whole summer tll I was 15. He was a Little logger- 50 ford cabover 2 ton with a self loader (homemade) on back A little JD 40 with blade and winch.Did little cedar sales and logged land owners land along with his own 160 acres. Land in N. Idaho then was dirt cheap- 160 with cabin was worth 5-10K depending on Timber. We logged in credible spots- no where USA. I was very lucky- Gramps Had no aspirations for more then he had- injured in Butte Copper mines in 40 or 41 he moved to N. Idaho in 42. He was a gentle hard working man. 6'2 and probably 200 in prime- he could swing and axe or 8 lb mall all day long. I was very lucky- My mental base comes from him. Lost dad in 75 and Gramps in 79 he was almost 70. He watched nation go from horse to on the moon and still kept life in proper perspective.... Something society seems to be losing- perspective....

Reactions: Great Post 2 | Way Cool 1


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## gman2431 (Oct 28, 2016)

Sooo many stories of my papa and the adventures we went on... Like everyone else has stated i truly miss that man. 

When i was young my parents would put my on the ferry and i would cross lake michigan where he would pick me up and i got to spend my entire summer there until school started again. They lived well in the middle of nowhere in Michigans UP smack dab on a premiere trout stream and surrounded by thousands of acres of untouched land. 

A typical day was fishing out front while pestering him to bring me down to other streams or to shoot guns. Once or twice a week we went down the road about 15 miles to a local saw/gun shop, yes it was truly the best of both worlds in there! Larry Pifke owned it and it was a hangout for the old boys in the after noon. When you walked into the building it was split right in half with Husqvarnas on one side and guns on the other with a service shop in the back (Larry shot a 400lb black bear with a handgun about ten years ago not far from it). We would BS and read magazines for awhile then off again to go back out fishing at the house or monkeying around in the woods somewhere. 

The main things that pop out in my memory is seeing bears, wolves, otters, minks run right through the yard. Catching brook trout and hauling them in to show off to nana. Sitting at night listening to baseball on the radio until the deer came into his apple trees then i was allowed to blow off the 4-10 to scare them off. And of course Pifke's saw and gun shop. 

The living was just so clean and pure up there i would give anything to be back...

Reactions: Great Post 3 | Way Cool 3


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