The Audubon Bird Call

Writing about the Marbles Match Safe made me think about some of the great objects, that aren't exactly related to clothing, but it can still add some good to your daily life. One of these things is the Audubon Bird Call.

It's a small gadget, that can be used to imitate bird calls by creating small tweeting sounds or rather create sounds, that will make birds curious, and therefore it doesn't replicate any specific bird call. It's made of bird wood and cast zinc and was invented by Roger Eddy in 1947 (he seems like a really interesting fellow and you can read more about him in his obituary).

The Audubon has been sold in millions in the US and is still made in the US by the company American Bird Products, which is still owned by the Eddy family. 

Marbles Match Safe

I love stumbling upon great little products, that have a great story, a great design and a great functionality. I found all three things, when I stumbled upon the Match Safe by Marbles (founded in 1887 in Michigan) some weeks ago. It sort of reminded me to keep searching for good products. They might not be readily available, but if you look for them, they can still be found and that was one of the things that initially made me start blogging.

This small canister is made to keep your matches dry, safe and ready for when you might need them (or just to keep them in a better looking container, that a regular matchbox). The MR150 as it's also named is made  of nickel plated brass to exact specifications of their original 1900 patent. However some suggest that the quality isn't on par with the original or rather vintage ones, but then again what is nowadays?

Victorinox Pocket Knife

This pocket knife is one of the more recent additions to my collection of knives. It was handed down to my by my sister, who didn't have a use for it. I actually don't know, why it was given to her, but it used to belong to my grandfather on my mother's side. My mother's father, Thorvald, was a sailor. He grew up on a farm, but left home to go sailing and did so for quite some years.

I don't remember much about him, except he had the biggest hands I have ever seen - at least from a child's perspective, but it has been confirmed by my family. And I remember him having quite a lot of tattoos, which I could stare at for hours. You have to keep in mind, that this was in the days, when tattoos weren't something, that you would seen on everybody, as you do nowadays.

This knife, is mostly referred to as a "Swiss Army Knife", because it was supplied to the Swiss army. It is in fact made by the company, Victorinox, which makes these knives and has done so for a long time. This knife is very famous, and I'm sure, most of you already know, that this is a great knife with a myriad of great tools and purposes. I'm really happy with mine, although I would of course like the "Champion" model, which is the one, that got picked for the Permanent Design Collection on the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Mine will suffice however, and I just need to get it sharpened and cleaned.

A fun fact about the name Victorinox, is that the name is a contraction of the name Victoria and the French term for Stainless steel, "acier inoxybable". Victoria was the founder's mother's name and in her honour he named the company after her, when she passed away. This I find very beautiful.

Otter Messer - Ankermesser

I'm spending some time in the Southern part of Denmark on vacation. I'm hoping to do some reading, make some drawings of some future designs and maybe finally find the right snaps fasteners, which I have been looking for since I can't remember when. Maybe that is an unrealistic wish, but one can dream. But I will surely get some much needed sleep, do some cooking and hopefully I'll also get to do some blogging. Since I'm located so close to the German border right now, I figured, that I could write a post on a German-made piece of art.

At the moment my favourite pocket knife is this little gem from the German company Otter Messer, which is based in Solingen. The company has been around since the 1887 and they are still being made in Germany.

What initially caught my interest was the beautiful brass-anchor inlay, so I'll gladly admit, that it was an aesthetic decision to begin with. I liked the nautical reference and I figured, that this would have been a knife, that my grandfather, who was a sailor, would have liked. When I received the knife, I was surprised, how sharp and generally well-made this knife is. Especially if you consider the price. I think this knife represents true value for money. You won't be getting a lot of different tools in your knife - that you'll probably never use anyways- however you'll get a very sharp knife, that will take a beating. And may I just add, that the looks will improve with use? The brass rivets and inlay will tarnish and so will the carbon steel blade.

This post wouldn't be complete without a small clip, that shows how the Ankermesser (German for Anchor Knife) is made, now would it?

Zebra F-701 Pen

I like to carry stuff around, that you might not need, but it feels good carrying it around. I try to always have a pocket knife on me at all times, which is why I have several pocket knives (but I could easily need more), although I rarely use them. But when there is a situation, when the knife is needed, the joy is just so great.

I also like to carry a pen with me, which of course means I have a number of different pens, that I like. So I figured, that I could write a bit about my everyday carry. However at this point I plan on doing so one step at the time.

Let's talk about pens. One of my all-time favourite pens is the Zebra F-701. The design is just so perfect with the stainless steel construction and knurled top. It feels good in your hand, when you write with it. In my experience it works every time and it tends to go a long way on each refill. My favourite thing about the 701 must be, that it isn't very "clicky". It has a soft, rather poetic click, unlike the Jotter's hard click - which is another favourite by the way.

Oh, and I almost forgot the best part. It is cheap - around $10,-