Pen Knives

[jason h]

There was a time when I was about 10 or so, when I would never play out without taking my pen knife with me. I had a few of these during my childhood. They were never used to cause damage, just really useful to have with you. They were eventually replaced a couple years later when the ninja throwing stars (shuriken) fad arrived in about '84. Anyone else 'carry' these when they were young?

[Cooldeepblue]

Re: Pen Knives

Did you ever play "splits" with the old penknife, where your stance got wider and wider until one of you gave up?

[battyrat]

Re: Pen Knives

We always carried pen knives around with us. I suppose it was the times we grew up in. Thinking about my mates most of them has knives as well. They were mostly used for whittling wood or cutting string etc. when making a den. I suppose there were kids back in the 70's that played splits with them or some other games, but all my mates seemed to have been brought up with them so they were just a tool to be used and not a play thing.

[jason h]

Re: Pen Knives

Never played 'splits' before, but yeh, I remember making dens as mentioned by batty rat, stripping down branches to make sticks and also carving names on trees.

[Richard1978]

Re: Pen Knives

I still have one which I got for Xmas 1987.

It's been very useful, though a couple of blades managed to get damaged, it didn't seem to be made of very good quality steel.

The corkscrew snapped off after only a few years & the awl ended up getting twisted when I tried to bore a hole with it.

One of my friends had a really good one with a blade lock so it wouldn't accidently open or close.

[Twocky61]

Re: Pen Knives

Nowadays if you are stopped by the police & they find a knife on you they arrest you for carrying an offensive weapon. The era when you could carry a pen knife for innocent pursuits, such a wittling or even a Swiss Army knife which has so many gadgets on it the knife is never used, is long gone.

So no more carrying pen knives; no more climbing trees because of 'elf & safety'; in fact no going out because of parents fear of the Bogeyman (replace the Bogeyman with the modern-day equivalent: The paedophile)

Our kids need to run free through the fields the wind blowing in their hair

Too many kids stay at home not excercising and getting fat spending all day online and/or playing computer games; in fact making virtual friends they are never actually going to meet.

[Richard1978]

Re: Pen Knives

It's what happens when you like the hacks from Wapping have too much power.

[darren]

Re: Pen Knives

had pen knives myself back when i was growing up in the eighties.
they really where useful so multipurpose
as others say u could use them for cutting string etc.

no harm playing computer games as long as u still went out which i did.

we would never have thought of using them for vandalism.

we really did grow up in a great time.

[xmark1234]

Re: Pen Knives

Gosh i always had pen knife still have now but its in my works bag for opening boxes darnt get caught now adays be locked up

[darren]

Re: Pen Knives

ridiculous they are counted as weapons now.

ive got one but its not really used.
pen knives have not changed it just attitudes have changed towards them.

[Andros]

Re: Pen Knives

You can carry a penknife so long as it is a "legal carry " blade , i.e . no longer than 3" blade , it must be a folding blade and not a lock knife , a Swiss Army knife is perfectly legal to carry around

[darren]

Re: Pen Knives

ive one but its multipurpose it has so many things in it at least 7 or 8.

the blade folds back but im sure its longer than 3 inches.