Knives saftey and other hand info

[Fuzzix_cub]

Hey,I'm here just giving saftey info on knives for now.Every dad or even mom asks,is he or she ready for a knife? I can't awnser that,I can only give you my oppinion on what age should handle a knife.

 

In my own thoughts,knives should be passed down or bought for your child around age eight to twleve. Of course,not every parent knows what to buy. I am able to lend some suggestions.

 

Here are a couple of great types of knives:Northwest Territory,great selection of knives. Frost Cutlerey is one,but some blades you should not give your child if you feel it is too big.As a suggestion on what lenghth of knife to buy,I'd say 3.00 in. Or under.Also,pay close attention to whether or not your child wants the knife your selecting.

 

Let the child feel like it's his own desicion,and if he happens to pick a knife you see not fit for him,offer almost the same thing,but smaller. Teach your child the ways of the blade.

 

Show him or her that the knife is not a toy. Serious accedint or injury could and may occur if use in-correctly. I tought myself around with a small NorthWest Territory knife,with a 1.36. blade. Also,make sure your kid knows what he or she is getting into.

 

Tell them that knives are tools of trust.Of course,if they get cut by a knife,don't take their knifes away from them and throw them away.I have had my share of cuts,I've had many cuts. But out of every cut I've sustained,the worst one was when I cut myself with a Maxam Stainless Steel Liner Lock Knife. The blade came across my index knuckle,left a nasty scar.

 

 

[9muckraker7]

After he has gotten his "whittlin' chip" in Cub Scouts, I think it would be a good idea for him to have his very own official Cub Scout pocketknife. Still, after he has gotten his "totin' chip" in Boy Scouts, the scout should be allowed to use whatever knife he wants; HOWEVER, it should be limited to something reasonable, like an official Boy Scout pocketknife or Swiss Army knife. Sheath knives should be used sparingly. A leatherman tool should be given to a scout with a bit more experience in dealing with knives. Personally, I think that any scout who has earned the totin' chip and thereby demonstrated appropriate usage of a knife should be trusted with any type of folding pocketknife.

 

Still, it is up to the parent and/or Scoutmaster to decide how much freedom/responsibility in dealing with knives they should bestow upon their scout. Before letting a scout use or carry a blade that may seem a bit too large or too sharp, one must ask the scout why he would need to use such a large blade. They must make sure he understands the inherant danger would come with using a knife. They must make it clear that any kind of knife should not be taken to school, or that such a tool should never be used as a weapon--to threaten or to hurt another person.

 

 

[kenk]

I didn't buy my son an official Cub Scout pocketknife because I figured no self-respecting Boy Scout would be caught dead using a Cub Scout knife. That limited the useful life of the Cub Scout knife to something less than three years.

 

At this point he doesn't need the extra blades in a typical pocketknife. I can't imagine where he'd use a screwdriver, a can opener, or an awl. I suppose a small scissors could be useful. Instead I bought him a Gerber LST II (low cost high quality knife with a locking blade less than 3").

 

When he gets older, I'm sure we'll make arrangements for another knife with a larger blade and/or additional blades.

 

Just because my son has earned his Whittling Chip, I still control access to the knife while he increasess his skills. As time goes on, and skills/common sense increas, he will earn less supervision. He seems comletely fine with that, at least at this point in time (just finished Bear year).

 

By the way, I don't think there is such a thing as too sharp a knife. An important part of working with my son on knife skills is teaching him to sharpen his knife. If done correctly it will end up very sharp.

[red feather]

From experience when a scout realizes that a knife is a tool and not a toy is about when he is capable of handling/owning one.

 

Kemp right on!!! A dull knife is much more dangerous than a sharp one. They will both cut but the dull one will create much more damage.

 

yis

[Fat Old Guy]

Too sharp? Ain't no such thing as too sharp unless you don't intend to cut anything with it.

[cheffy]

On the money FOG. There is no such thing as a knife being too sharp. In my profession I deal with this everyday. The first thing we teach new and and also new Scouts is how to sharpen that knife. Some of it has to do with the steel makeup and the quality of manufacture. Those knifes the boys get from popcorn sales and FOS are basiclly pure C$%*. Invest in something like Victorniox, Case, Gerber, Henkle. It will cost more up front but you will have it forever.

Good knives aren't cheap and cheap knives aren't good!

[9muckraker7]

"By the way, I don't think there is such a thing as too sharp a knife. An important part of working with my son on knife skills is teaching him to sharpen his knife. If done correctly it will end up very sharp."

 

--Good point. I must have been thinking of a switchblade or one of those large hunting or self-defense knives with a serated edge or something like that when I commented about a knife being too sharp...

[kenk]

Good point!!

 

Parents, even though they look cool, PLEASE do not buy a serrated blade for someone just starting to learn about knives.

 

They are VERY difficult to sharpen, and give very very nasty cuts that are likely to leave scars. Their only real advantage is when cutting rope or nylon straps.