Posted on 03/14/2012 7:02:14 PM PDT by marktwain
Gilbert, AZ --(Ammoland.com)- Quick thinking and a one-hand opening knife saved a construction worker recently, as posted by “Seth” on BladeForums.com. Below is his post (edited for readability)
“I work in construction, mostly in copper fabrication and seamless gutters, but also a bit of everything. Last Friday, I was helping a co-worker do some roofing, We were installing Permaclad sheets, a very typical roof setup here, galvanized 26 guage steel sheets with a U-panel design. The roof was somewhat steep, but it was dry and we had decent traction. The sheets were 18 feet long x 3 feet wide.I was about 14 feet up from the edge, marking out screw lines, when someone on the other side of the house sprayed water over the roof. Nobody will admit to it, but a wet Permaclad sheet can be like ice.
This house was built backing a gully, and from the front of the house, only 10 feet to the roof. On the back of the house where I was, it is about 35 feet drop to the ground. I started to slip, couldn’t get up to the ridgecap, and nothing behind me to stop me.
Luckily, I remembered my 551 Grip (Benchmade Griptilian one-hand opening folder), yanked it out of my pocket, flicked it open and I slammed it as hard as I could into the (steel) sheet. The blade went through right to the thumb stud, and it held my weight. I spent about 2 minutes trying to remember how to breathe (well, maybe 20 seconds, but it seemed like forever) and my heart was beating like mad. When I looked behind me, I only had about 4 feet of panel before a long fall.
Thank God for having a good knife in my pocket. My only other tool was a 18v cordless drill for driving home, no harness, stupidly, as usually it becomes more of a nuisance due to lack of anchoring points on the roof. All I kept thinking was, ‘thank God for a strong knife.’”
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Read more at Ammoland.com: http://www.ammoland.com/2012/03/14/carry-a-knife-save-a-life/#ixzz1p99mURDL
My personal carry knife is a Kershaw Scallion Assisted Opening. Never heard a complaint against this model except weight for some handle configurations.Mine has the stainless handles and s the heaviest. But, it is still light and ver usefull.
I used to belong to a salt water club and you hear
some eye opening tales, two friends were fishing
out of south carolina, were on the way out, one
was in the cabin getting gear together, when he
came topside his friend was gone. He searched the
area for two hours and finally came across his
partner treading water. yow.
Which reminds me, I need to add a .380 round to the ruger mag.
I carry a Puma Major, I also have been carrying since about 7-8, am 59 now. Get out on a job site and rules are, no personal knives. I understand why they do it but damn, I ain’t giving up my knife, no way. Have several old butcher steels from early 1900’s, I just love the way they put an adge on a blade.
I carry a Puma Major, I also have been carrying since about 7-8, am 59 now. Get out on a job site and rules are, no personal knives. I understand why they do it but damn, I ain’t giving up my knife, no way. Have several old butcher steels from early 1900’s, I just love the way they put an edge on a blade.
Rule #9.
Open water, the last true free bastion of freedom.
Good tools. Both.
Most people who see the dive knife that a Scuba diver
carries thinks you have it to fight off sharks or something
else adventuresome. It is actually to free yourself if you
get tangled up in fishing line or cord of some sort. Most of
us sharpen them with a file so they have a sawing action on
rope. I carry my main knife on my calf, but have a small
folder on a clip over the sternum that is reachable if I
get too tangled to get to the other. Never needed them, but
don’t dive without them.
Coast Guard can still ruin your day if things are slow. Or any state’s DNR that wants to come after you. But I get the sentiment.
Knives and water just go together like wine and song!
I always have a good knife and gun on me.
Good thing he had a liner lock. Those old lock-back knives are useless in a situation like the one he found himself in; i.e., slam a lock-back knife into tough material like he did and it's highly likely it would've closed on his fingers. The locking mechanism on lock backs is very weak in comparison to liner locks (aka side locks).
On our farm we have a meat processing building where we butcher hogs, cattle, wild game. Many old friend in town (600 people) use it for wild game processing.
We have a walk-in box, commercial Hobart butcher’s bands saw, meat slicer and sausage mill. We make link sausage (beef) in a 4’ X 8’ brick pit with a draft hood. On a good day we can make about 250 lbs. of sausage. Not often enough lately.
As a consequence of that facility, I understand the use of a butcher’s steel. Beautiful edge and quick.
Out of sight of land and you are in the wilderness,
nothing wilder than the sea.
Absolutely right. No sailor should ever be without a good knife. I have several but the one I most often carry is a 4” Cold Steel Voyager, Tanto plain blade, that I got on my honeymoon, ten years ago, just before a transpacific voyage as crew in a square rigger.
Two questions.
Why would someone spray water on the roof? Only ten feet from the ground to the front edge, but considerably further to start it running down the other side. Would a lawn sprinkler do that? Or someone deliberately pointing a hose up there?
I’ve done some work screwing down metal roofing, and I used a ladder with ladder hooks on it, which you run up over the top of the roof. It makes things a lot safer, I would think, and it’s not much trouble.
Just wondering. And I certainly agree that it is ridiculous to have laws against carrying knives.
My dad always carried a Case brand pocket knife and he gave me one when I was about 8 years old, I carried it at all times, even in school. When dad passed away I got 4 of his Case knives, I still carry one of them. I gave one each to my two sons and they carried them at all times, even to school.
Recently I gave the other one to my 11 year old grand son, with the warning that he cannot carry that useful tool to school, he’d probably be arrested.
I had the SOG Trident, but found it didn't hold up over time in rough environments.
I'm carrying the Spyderco Dragonfly now and abolutely love it. Those who appreciate good knives will find it's very well made. It's also small enough for me to not notice it's there when I'm wearing jeans.
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