By Joe Berk
My collecting bug has taken a turn. Instead of guns, motorcycles, bicycles, or watches, the latest craze is pocketknives. I’m not sure what drives the collecting bug (that is to say, what the underlying psychology is); that’s a topic for further research and when I feel like I can explain it, maybe a future blog.
I’ve been using pocketknives and inexpensive hunting knives as a filler/fulfiller on the reloading sites. I buy a lot of reloading components online from the big reloading supply stores (Natchez Shooters Supply, Midsouth, Midway, Powder Vally, and one or two others), and they all run frequent sales where shipping is free if the order crosses a $100 or $150 threshold. There are times when I’m under that threshold (sometimes by a lot) and that bothers me. I can’t pass up a bargain and I want that free shipping. I’ll use a knife to get me over the magic number. Most lately it was a Case Large Stockman pocketknife.
I’m not sure why I wanted the Case, but as I started poking around on the Midway site for things to get me over $100, the Stockman popped up. And then it kept popping up. If I look at something once, I’ll start getting all kinds of emails offering it. Sometimes, I swear I can just talk about something and I’ll start getting emails with deals on that item. Siri is a nasty and nosy bitch who seems to hear everything.
The Stockman knife looked interesting. I knew I didn’t want plastic handles (they’re called “scales” by the knife people), and the Case knife had jigged bone. I didn’t even know what jigged bone was (other than that it was bone of some sort). I thought I wanted something made in America (Hack has influenced my thinking on such things, I suppose, unless something that’s made in China is a really good deal, and I’ll get to one a little lower in this blog). The Case Stockman is American made, and they offer it in two sizes. I didn’t know what a Stockman was, either, but the name sounded kind of John Waynish and I used to live in Texas. I saw that the knife was available in either a satin or high polish finish. I opted for the large Stockman with a high polish finish. It was $82, which took my $45 reloading supplies order handily over the $100 free shipping hurdle. Yep, they got me again with that free shipping gimmick.
The Stockman knife arrived a few days later along with the $45 of cartridge case corn cob polishing media (I like my ammo shiny). The knife is beautiful.
All the above got me to wondering: What is exactly is Stockman, and what is its history?
The story goes like this: Pocketknives are thought to have originally been invented five or six hundred years before the Christian era (that’s mind boggling, but I read it on the Internet, so it must be true). The Stockman style of pocketknife is thought to have originated around 1880 in the American West as a cowboy tool. I watched a lot of Westerns as a kid, so I feel pretty good about that. The Stockman has three blades, with one (the large one) having its own spring and two sharing a spring (the spring is the leaf spring thingamabobber that assists the blade going into its closed position and then holds it there). The long Stockman blade is for whittling. I’m an old guy with a penchant for the American West, so maybe I’ll take up whittling after I finish leaning how to play “Buffalo Gal” on the harmonica. One of the other two blades is a backup to the long one, and from what I’ve read it is the preferred blade for cutting twine. (I’ll pick up some twine on the next Walmart visit to check this out). And finally, the third blade, the so called “Spey” blade (spelled here as they spell it in the knife community) is for castrating young male bull calves. You know, spaying them. Ouch. I read this on the Internet, too (see above regarding veracity). I’m not going to touch this intended use. If you’re a rancher who needs help in this area, don’t call me.
I like my Case Stockman. I haven’t done anything other than look at it so far, but maybe I’ll whittle something later. As mentioned above, the Stockman is made in America, although truth be told, other made-in-China knives I’ve seen look just as good (Hack, that’s your cue for a comment or two). That brings me to the second pocketknife I recently purchased.
It’s the Marbles (no, I haven’t lost mine) Scout King, and I came across it while I was reminiscing about the first pocketknife I ever owned. That knife was a Cub Scout knife. I have no idea who made it or where it went after I left the Cub Scouts, but I know I liked it. I played with it constantly. The first time I ever cut myself badly, it was with that knife despite all the admonitions from Mom and Dad (yes, I’m the guy who has to urinate on the electric fence…you know, just to see). While writing this blog, I looked for the scar from my Cub Scout knife (I thought it might add context), but the years have obliterated it.
When looking for a replacement Cub Scout knife, I found that I could buy an original on Ebay, but they all looked pretty rough and they were all expensive. Then I found there are a few companies out there still offering Scout knives. The Marbles knife was the only one offering polished stainless steel (I like shiny things) and genuine jigged bone scales (instead of plastic), and it had the added advantages of a stunningly low price ($15 and change) and free shipping. The decision was easy: Add to cart, buy now, and it was on its way from Chicago (by way of China). It arrived a few days later, and it’s beautiful. I’m a happy camper.
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