All About Pocket Knives

I worked with a couple ex coal miners. They used pails similar. Said their desert was always on the top so they could eat it 1st. Reason, in case their was a cave in, they already had the best part of their dinner downed!

robpa wrote: ↑Sun Feb 01, 2026 8:59 pm I worked with a couple ex coal miners. They used pails similar. Said their desert was always on the top so they could eat it 1st. Reason, in case their was a cave in, they already had the best part of their dinner downed!

Haha, that sounds like a miner, nothing like "gallows humor".

A couple of nice old braces and accessories.

Here is a long/large pair of bankers shears for "cutting checks". - 17 3/4" long.

Scissors; modern and old, large and small.

FRJ wrote: ↑Mon Feb 02, 2026 9:27 pm Here is a long/large pair of bankers shears for "cutting checks". - 17 3/4" long.

I like all your scissors but these are money

Excellent, Joe! I am really glad that you started this thread and certainly enjoy your eclectic collections. Thanks for all of your input. It makes me wonder........do you display your favorites from each category/area of interest? Or maybe you just store everything in a huge vault in your basement

I'm glad you enjoy the thread, Ike. It is certainly open for anyone to contribute to.

I find many things interesting and they aren't usually too cumbersome to own.
I do enjoy showing them hoping others will find interest in them as well.

I think this is my smallest fishing reel.

And oldest; Early Hendryx - 1876 & 1888 patent dates.

FRJ wrote: ↑Fri Feb 06, 2026 6:59 pm I think this is my smallest fishing reel.

And oldest; Early Hendryx - 1876 & 1888 patent dates.

You have quite the interesting collection of fishing gear, Joe. That is a small one, an aged classic. Thanks for showing!

Waukonda wrote: ↑Fri Jan 30, 2026 11:20 pm My wife's maternal Grandfather came from, a typical of the time, large family, he had 9 siblings. When his father passed away at a young age, her grandfather in his mid teens went to work in a coal mine (early 1900's) to help support the family. This was the lunch pail that he carried to the mine. After he passed several years ago, my wife retrieved it from a pile of things that were to be discarded.

Ike, my grandfather was a deep-shaft coal miner in SE Kansas. I have a few artifacts that belonged to him that he used in the mines. The lunch pail is different than yours and unfortunately I only have the bottom two compartments - no lid. Also have his metal lunchbox with leather handle strap, that I assume he carried when he didn’t want a hot meal.

Plus I have a couple of his carbide lamps. The lamps are made to fit onto the miner’s helmet. For those unfamiliar with them, the lamps have two compartments. Calcium carbide is placed in the bottom compartment, water in the top compartment drips into the bottom and reacts chemically with the calcium carbide, which produces acetylene gas. A striker wheel on the reflector is used to produce a spark which ignites the gas. The resulting flame makes light. The lever on top controls the rate of water drip, and thus the brightness.

Ken

Nice old belongings there, Ken.
The lamps are amazing.

Here is a favorite sculpture of Ivory. 3 1/2".

Ken, that looks to be the more typical lunch pail that was carried by the miners around here also, nice "artifacts" to have. Carbide lights were used by all the old coon hunters back when I was a youngster, of course most of them were miners as well.

Nice looking ivory fish, Joe!

Thank you, Ike.

Here are a couple of 12 inch folding rule/caliper that I like.

My grandfather was issued hunting licenses annually for many years.

Given that a license is but a piece of paper, I consider myself fortunate that one such document has survived for more than a century after he carried it, to shoot Coot, when hunkered down amid the shoreside rocks that hem the Bayside of Locust Grove Cemetery, and when fox or rabbit hunting with dogs, amid the tangles of briar, played out granite quarries, and scattered piles of grout that constitutes the landscape in Cape Ann's fabled interior -- a community abandoned by humans centuries ago -- known as Dogtown Common, in the jurisdiction of Gloucester, Massachusetts.

stumpstalker wrote: ↑Tue Feb 10, 2026 2:06 pm My grandfather was issued hunting licenses annually for many years.

That is a very nice keepsake! As I looked it over, I found it particularly interesting that "they" needed to know his occupation. Then, I saw the "color" question and got a little chuckle from that.......different times.
Thanks for posting.

Some artifacts.

Miller Bro's wrote: ↑Wed Feb 11, 2026 1:39 am Some.....

NICE variety, Dimitri.

Very nice Artifacts, Dimitri.

Thanks for participating.

Here are some 6 inch rule/calipers.

I've got a few old measuring tools. I started buying them here and there to use as props in knife photos. The same for these wood inlay screwdrivers.

The compass and Ruler are Starret, the instruments in the other are just marked Germany.

I've also got this blade. Its marked Starret, but on the handle. Seems like a blank, but if you handled it you'd cover the makers mark

Thanks Skip & Joe

Miller Bro's wrote: ↑Wed Feb 11, 2026 1:39 am Some artifacts.

Not the least of which is that Shinola shoehorn!!!

ThatWeirdKnifeGuy wrote: ↑Wed Feb 11, 2026 3:18 pm I've got a few old measuring tools. I started buying them here and there to use as props in knife photos. The same for these wood inlay screwdrivers.

The compass and Ruler are Starret, the instruments in the other are just marked Germany.

I've also got this blade. Its marked Starret, but on the handle. Seems like a blank, but if you handled it you'd cover the makers mark

Nice show of Artifacts you have there, ThatWeirdKnifeGuy.