Assorted Knives (a dump find exclusive)

Consider this the Monday post.  :)



Stroh, my coworker at the dump has one main philosophy in life:  People are stupid.  People don't read signs, people don't listen, people don't watch out for heavy equipment.  People are stupid.

I don't always agree with him, but I did on this day.  "Grumpy", the guy at the front gate usually calls me when a good load comes through.  If it is a good one, we usually split the spoils.  Keeps me happy and keeps him in on the pile, which is hard for him to do given his job.  He usually gives the heads-up with call to my cell.  He talks real low (I call it mumbling).  Usually says something to the effect of, "black truck, cleaning out an estate."  I then quit what I'm doing if it isn't pressing and help the person unload.  That is part of my job.  Here's the dump tip of the day - the best items come in cardboard boxes.  Why?  People moving.  They don't want to screw around with bags, so they just dump all of their stuff into big boxes.  The boxes hold the weight and are easy to use.

I walked up to the black truck and greeted the guy, who was nice enough.  Some people think that if you work a trash pile, you're an idiot.  Big deal.  I pitched boxes onto the pile where I could get to them post-drop. Some people get offended if you look through what they are throwing away, even though most times we are looking for metal to recycle and chemicals, so they don't go to the landfill.  It becomes evident why when a realtor in a BMW drops off a bag or two of trash with his wife and it is filled with gay porn on VHS.  No, I'm not kidding.  Anyhow, I saw a few knives fall out of one box and said something about it.  He said was from his father's estate.  I chimed back that a few of them looked valuable and he shot back with, "Not to me, they aren't."  That summed it up.  Guy either doesn't respect his dad or had some falling out with him or just doesn't give one hot turd about bladed tools.  Choose any or all.

Anyhow, after he left I went through the box.  I must have found twenty or so assorted knives from the 40's, 50's and 60's.  Along with them were good sharpening stones from the same era.  I brought the box back to Grumpy and we split up the spoils.   It is important to pay attention to what your associate likes.  It is helpful in trade.

Here's what I came home with.  Some of these are up for sale, if ya'll are interested. 

 US Marine Corps knife.  Similar to a Swiss Army, with less toys.  It is all a Marine needs to kill the enemy.  The blade took a heck of an edge for the 30 seconds I spent on it.

 I read up a little about the history on this one.  It is a commemorative knife for the R.M.S. Caronia.  Click the name for an article about the history on this ol' beaut.  Pretty neat, pretty sad.

 This is kinda neat.  Looks like a switch blade, but is a fixed blade.  It is only as long as my pinkie finger.

 Hard to see, but this one is from Washington, D.C. - it has the Statue of Liberty on it.

 Boy Scout folder. 

 Not sure the story behind this one.  Blade steel is thin.  Sturdy just the same.

 This is pretty neat.  It is a BSA round stone.  Much smaller than my Lansky Puck.  It'll be nice for the pack.

 Oops, a coupla pics out of order.  This is a close up of the BSA emblem.

 This one is all busted up.  I'll probably use it for parts.

 An awl from the 50's.  Still had all of the needles and the attachments.

 Sakurai, Japan.  Nice belt knife with a hardwood handle.

 Another pic out of order.  These instructions came with the awl.

 More stones, one BSA.

 This one is my new favorite.  It is a BSA knife made by Western cutlery.  I spent ten minutes on it and it is really sharp.  It has been on my hip ever since.

Hope you enjoyed the blade porn.  The only things not for sale are the stones and the Western cutlery knife.  Pass the word - I want to get rid of these!

Pax Domini Sit Semper Vobiscum,

Mike, Oscar, Hotel....out.