traditional knife article

[the Ferret]

Jake I can see where he's coming from (maybe LOL). A carbon blade, a plastic handle, springs and releases can't see where any of these could be considered traditional

Leather, wood, steel, brass, non folder = traditional (at least in a hunting knife)

Can you see Jerimiah Johnson reaching down into his buckskins for his spring loaded plastic handled carbon bladed folding knife when he needs to skin Griz real quick like? I can't ha ha

[Jake H]

Actually, if such a knife had been available at the time I could easily see it.

I also think he'd have used a scoped, repeating, rifle.

People were a lot less fussy about fashion and more about function in those days.  (at least when it came to tools.  Every generation has its fashion issues  :D  )   They weren't far enough away from survival to be nostalgic about equipment.

It doesn't fit the romantic image, but little of the real story does.

Jake
(who prefers the romance to the reality most of the time too, but is just waiting for an article about 'traditional' portable generators)

[vermonster13]

How about an article on classic hunting knife designs?

[wtpops]

[Jake H]

Now THAT is an article I'd pay to read.

Jake
(who really was trying to be helpful)

[Ian johnson]

jake H- I am not trying to show a certain style of knife as "traditional", but show what other people think of when they think of a traditional knife, I am planning on taking a journalism class my jounior year, so I have no real experience in writing, except sophmore level english, thank you for your comment

[JBiorn]

Mmmmmmmm Bass.....

[Jon Stewart]

Ian, check with the writers of wilderness Way and maybe they can give you some insight on whats considered a traditional  knife. Jon

[billy on the road]

a traditional knife would be something like the 'Old Hickory' kitchen knives.
Wood handle,brass pins,high carbon steel...
I could see a good ole boy, sorry Killy; grabbin one up one of those that was missin the handle and wrapping the shank with leather laces and makin' do... 'redneck recyclin' style

[Buffalo Two Fletch]

I can see "Jerimiah Johnson" or someone from that era using a folding knife for some chores. Folding knives were common in the 1700s and 1800s. Plastic handles of course not.
Primitive? Traditional? Modern? Everyone has their own idea of what each is. Figure out what time period you consider "Traditional" and do some research as to what type of knives were used and favored by Woodsman of that Time period.

[Jake H]

Hi Ian,

I see where you're going now. Thanks for the clarification.

I think my answer, no joking, would be 'a brown one'.   The number of types/styles/variations of knives that have been used over the centuries are legion, but the one thing that immediately makes a knife stand out as 'newfangled' is that it's in some horrible, bright, crayola colour.   (the most horrid to my tastes being the rainbow coloured laminates- but some folks like em so more power to them).

'Traditional' (if I dare use the word after giving it such a hard time in my last post) knives tend to be brown.  Wood, horn, antler, brown leather... brown.  Occassionally black (very dark woods or black leather for dress knives and riverboat gamblers    )  but usually brown.

Beyond that, I doubt you'd find a knife made today for which you couldn't find a 150yr old cousin (not a perfect copy, but you'd see the kinship between them).  

Knives, like bows, are one of man's oldest tools and as such 'there's nothing new under the sun' (but I draw the line at dayglow lime plastic scales     )

Jake
(who realizes thats a weird and vague answer, but it's the best one he's got)