[tuna]

Long ago, the word tactical wasn't a key marketing term. People simply carried lockback knives, without clips, studs, keychains or flashlights on them. No one talked about "deploying" a knife, you simply opened the thing. Sure, there were switchblades and gravity knives around, but for most of us, we had a Buck Knife (or a copy of one), and if we wanted to be able to open it quickly, we played with it for a couple months until it became nice and smooth.

Then a little gadget was invented called the "one armed bandit", that was a little stud that attached to your knife to be able to open it one handed. And now, every knife maker attaches one of those studs to their knives and adds cool phrases to it.

Those who know me know that I'm slowly reverting back in time. I've gotten rid of all my fancy "crap-tex" hunting clothes and have wool pants and a jacket, and I'm usually warmer than the guy with the $500 coat. I carry a revolver. I've chucked my Mach3 razor for a Parker safety double edged razor. And now, I've gone back to my old (one old and one new) Buck knives.

Problem is, I'm spoiled at opening my knives one handed, and my 110 is too new to open well right now. And I can't find any one armed bandits any longer. I had a couple leads, but they came up bupkis.

My solution is one of the inventions that rank right up there with duct tape in my toolbox. Skateboard tape! A small strip right where the thumb stud would be allows a good grip of the blade with the meat of your thumb and the knife opens as easy as one of those fancy tacti-cool models - but it's a Buck, and has all the style, elegance and class that goes along with an old 110.

Thanks for letting me ramble, I've gotta go tape up my Barlow knife now.

 

[cutter]

That is ok Tuna. I still have and on occasion carry my old BSA edition buck knife. Buck took the 110 design and replaced the wood grips and brass bolsters with polymer and added finger grooves in the grip edge and the BSA crest on the side. Otherwise, it is the classic Buck 110. The skateboard tape idea is a great one that I had not thought of.

I have found that putting the oil off the honing stone after use into the joint of the knife and steadily working it open and closed while watching tv for an hour or so loosens them up very well. You just have to remember to thoroughly wash the goo out when the joint gets to the looseness you want it. The stuff is abrasive and will continue to work as long as it is in place. It polishes the bearing surfaces of the blade and backspring very well too.