Every year, i have mentioned my fathers old leuku while we´ve had been over the phone, like in every chat over these last 12 years or so. Today, about 30 mins ago, i received an multimedia message to my phone from him and i was what the heck....and when i got it open i was like what the hell. He had all of the sudden gone through his boxes and carage and while doinf that, came across this old leuku. Its the frigging same that i always wanted from him when i was kid. For what i can remember, my grandfather owned this first, and gave it to my dad as a birthday present when he was teenager or under 20 for sure. At some point, the leuku found its way back to my grampas possession to serve as his hiking knife, during tenths of trips around the eastern and northern Finand, just as it did on my dads belt as well. Well in any case, last years this leuku just serves as memorabilia, in my grandpas trailer, as he had a stable summer place where they lived in the trailer for some 20 summers with my grandmom. The leuku just hanged from a hook along with other decorative stuff and they never gave it to me....well i was justa tiny kid back then, 10 years or so, maybe 12.....24 years ago maybe. When my grandpa died couple of years ago, the leuku was given back to my dad and he didnt use it ever. He liked it but hes old man and settle s for small puukkos in his fishing and camping trips, which he still seems to like, and i dont wonder as he had a loooooong life in the scouts,all the way from puppy to instructor / leader and i think i went to scouts myself, automatically, kind of, as he had been there for ages, as well as my grandfather. Oh anyways, i am soooo glad to see that the leuku made it to these days, and in that poor quality pic, it seems to be doing pretty fine , and still its used as all around knife once. Maybe it has survived in decent condition because it was turned in to more decorative item, so long ago, so it has rested for over 20 years in warm dry conditions. If i really remember right, and i am remembering the same exact knife, this leuku might have a small brass compass sunken in its butt plate. Hopefully i remember right, as as a kid, i remember, that some of the knives either my grandpa or my dad had, had a brass butt cap, with tiny compass. Well....even if it has, its pretty sure that its broken after all these years, as welll as the fact that it was a everyday user before it got retired. If it has the compass, i want to contact to the factory that made it, and ask for the manufacturing year and such.
Well...rigth now, i donno, should i keep using this after doing the repairs that have to be made, since id like to restore this, instead of raping it with any creepy mods like tearing off the fishtail of its sheath..one mod that i dont understand with leukus that originally had often the fishtail, that also has and still has a function. The only mod i think ill be seeing reasonable, is to remove all the clear finish off from the handle, as it would only do good to the handle and offer a good grip.
I dont have yet, a slightes clue about the age of the knife but i do know that it was clearly looked as an old knife, at early 80´s, and that it had served for very long time before eighties. Maybe its from early seventies, as it would fit to the age of my dad when he received it.
Well, as this old leuku arrives to me, ill be taking more pics and telling about it. Yes, i do know that its "just a factory made leuku", but back in those days, even the tourist leukus werent so bad as some are nowadays....shiny blade that attaches to magnet is also a good detail ;).
