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How to safely carry a P-38 can opener?


avigo
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Was looking to carry a P-38 can opener on my keychain. Has anybody else done this? Is there a safe way to carry one without cutting yourself? The blade seems to pop out on its own and gets caught on stuff.

 

Thanks for any input!

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Cobra 6 Actual

A couple of thoughts:

 

Rubber band

 

Piece of electrical tape

 

Or a loop of shrink wrap. 

 

The shrink wrap loop is my favorite. For ~$5 you can get an assortment at Harbor Freight or other discount stores. I take a loop of this shrink tubing that fits tightly on the P-38 or if it’s a bit loose just very briefly heat it with a match. Works just great!

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US Military Guy

I carried mine in BCT on my Dog Tag chain.  Later I moved it to my key ring.

 

I have been carrying it on my key ring for over 50 (yes fifty) years.  I have never had a problem, but I do carry a bunch of keys.  Perhaps the other keys keep in "closed" while it is on the ring?

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M1Garandy

I've had one on my keyring for maybe 30 years and I've never found it to be an issue. Maybe the placement on the keyring between keys helps keep the blade folded in? 

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I carried my P38 on my dog tags for almost 25 years, which included 3 years jumping at Fort Bragg.  I was never cut by the blade.

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PMAN12094
20 hours ago, Cobra 6 Actual said:

A couple of thoughts:

 

Rubber band

 

Piece of electrical tape

 

Or a loop of shrink wrap. 

 

The shrink wrap loop is my favorite. For ~$5 you can get an assortment at Harbor Freight or other discount stores. I take a loop of this shrink tubing that fits tightly on the P-38 or if it’s a bit loose just very briefly heat it with a match. Works just great!

I had just thought of the electrical tape I’ve got one that my grandfather gave me it sure loves to flop open. I’m too afraid to carry it because I’d be mad at my self if I lost it. I got to find some nos ones but there hard to find at a reasonable price.

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Cobra 6 Actual

Well, Pman, as you can see from the other responses mostly it’s not a problem. But, I can certainly understand not wanting to carry your grandfather’s P38. A small thing, but still a family heirloom.

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Been carrying one on a key ring for over 50 years, only time I ever got stuck was when I wore it on dog tags,  parachuting.   SKIP

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Linedoggie
On 5/3/2021 at 11:50 AM, avigo said:

Was looking to carry a P-38 can opener on my keychain. Has anybody else done this? Is there a safe way to carry one without cutting yourself? The blade seems to pop out on its own and gets caught on stuff.

 

Thanks for any input!

in basic 1981 I had one on my dog tag chain while doing to Obstacle course, while leaping from one log to the next it embedded in my Solar Plexus. I still have the scar. never carried one again except in a pocket

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 5/8/2021 at 6:17 PM, El Bibliotecario said:

 

I still have my original one that never (to my memory) cut me or damaged anything.  

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  • 1 month later...
On 5/4/2021 at 5:17 AM, PMAN12094 said:

I had just thought of the electrical tape I’ve got one that my grandfather gave me it sure loves to flop open. I’m too afraid to carry it because I’d be mad at my self if I lost it. I got to find some nos ones but there hard to find at a reasonable price.

What's a reasonable price?

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12 hours ago, billl said:

What's a reasonable price?

ive seen them usually for a buck at surplus stores but thats the ones that are open aand not sealed 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 years later...

For the first time that I can ever remember, my housekeys got stuck in my pocket yesterday due to my P38. Nothing to do with the blade, but the little hook that grabs the rim of the can somehow got hooked on the inside of the pocket of my jeans. First time for everything I guess........

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Just use a short length (2 to 3 inches) for fairly narrow (approximately 1/2" wide) white cloth medical tape wrapped around the body & blade.  (center in pix)

 

Shouldn't pop open, easily removed when needed, usually not as sticky or gummy as black friction tape (also used by some) and actually period correct according to some veteran's recollections. 

 

It's worked for me for years.

 

P38-B.jpg.0fab46e01882041b1d91168afb29e805.jpg

 

P38-A.jpg.12e49d5ba32cd456a28c6acc344a2e99.jpg

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collectsmedals
On 5/3/2021 at 11:50 AM, avigo said:

Was looking to carry a P-38 can opener on my keychain. Has anybody else done this? Is there a safe way to carry one without cutting yourself?

The men who were issued these carried guns, bayonets, combat knives, pocket knives, hand grenades, and who knows what else, and we are worried about being hurt by a can opener?

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All the items mentioned above were issued to inflict pain, injury and death on the enemy.  One had little or no control over the same sorts of weaponry used to inflict the same injuries by the enemy (or friendly fire.) 

 

For time immemorial, soldiers and certainly American soldiers found simple or unconventional ways to make their lives easier - - think about why the WW2 GI decided to carry only the mess spoon instead of the mess kit plus a mess knife and fork?!?! 

 

If a GI could devise a way to keep something as lowly but useful as a simple can opener from impaling his body or ripping the pockets of the uniform to shreds - then, yeah, the GI found a work around in the hurry-up-and-wait life of the military.  He had plenty of time to think about such things.

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