Tony_the_tiger
Member
- Joined
- Jan 3, 2011
- Messages
- 905
THR Knife Community:
I wanted to take a moment while I am visiting and share my experience with Andy Roy and his team at Fiddleback Forge.
I have always had an interest in blades that occupy the intersection of beauty and function.
Fiddleback Forge's Bushfinger model is perhaps the most well-known from their workshop. Here is one with green boxelder burl next to a Ruger Sp101:
It is a robust drop-point blade. This one is made out of 01, a tool steel. It is a carbon steel and takes a patina very quickly. It is also tougher than nails.
For something smaller but still suitable for bushcrafting, there is the Hiking Buddy:
I like to take the hiking buddy on coastal hikes, as the CPM 154 steel is highly resistant to corrosion. This one is has double black micarta bolsters and curly oak scales.
Many Fiddleback Forge blades are built to traditional patterns, but with a twist. Here is a Nessmuk with more curly oak. This one is also in 01. It batoned through that apple no problem.
In all seriousness, at 1/8" thickness at the spine, it is an excellent slicer.
The tang is really nicely tapered.
Andy and his team don't take custom orders, but they somehow manage to make 20 - 30 handmade knives every week for sale. They have several different popular models, large to small, and even make a wicked looking and somewhat elusive machete.
They have also taken steps to make their blades more available and affordable. In addition to the weekly handmade pieces in a variety of steels, the Bushfinger model is being produced mid-tech fashion in S35VN with a tumbled finish, heat treated by Peters, and with CNC'd handles shaped by Nathan the Machinist. The examples I have seen look to be G10, but there may be other versions. These should be on the market before too long, and it will be cool to see how they compare to other popular bushcraft knives.
I am not on the Fiddleback staff, but I have had very good experience with the knives I have purchased from Andy Roy and his team. It would be great to see such functional tools in use out on the trails. They might be described as art, but I'm not afraid to use them.
Thanks for reading, see you on the high road,
Triple T
I wanted to take a moment while I am visiting and share my experience with Andy Roy and his team at Fiddleback Forge.
I have always had an interest in blades that occupy the intersection of beauty and function.
Fiddleback Forge's Bushfinger model is perhaps the most well-known from their workshop. Here is one with green boxelder burl next to a Ruger Sp101:
It is a robust drop-point blade. This one is made out of 01, a tool steel. It is a carbon steel and takes a patina very quickly. It is also tougher than nails.
For something smaller but still suitable for bushcrafting, there is the Hiking Buddy:
I like to take the hiking buddy on coastal hikes, as the CPM 154 steel is highly resistant to corrosion. This one is has double black micarta bolsters and curly oak scales.
Many Fiddleback Forge blades are built to traditional patterns, but with a twist. Here is a Nessmuk with more curly oak. This one is also in 01. It batoned through that apple no problem.
In all seriousness, at 1/8" thickness at the spine, it is an excellent slicer.
The tang is really nicely tapered.
Andy and his team don't take custom orders, but they somehow manage to make 20 - 30 handmade knives every week for sale. They have several different popular models, large to small, and even make a wicked looking and somewhat elusive machete.
They have also taken steps to make their blades more available and affordable. In addition to the weekly handmade pieces in a variety of steels, the Bushfinger model is being produced mid-tech fashion in S35VN with a tumbled finish, heat treated by Peters, and with CNC'd handles shaped by Nathan the Machinist. The examples I have seen look to be G10, but there may be other versions. These should be on the market before too long, and it will be cool to see how they compare to other popular bushcraft knives.
I am not on the Fiddleback staff, but I have had very good experience with the knives I have purchased from Andy Roy and his team. It would be great to see such functional tools in use out on the trails. They might be described as art, but I'm not afraid to use them.
Thanks for reading, see you on the high road,
Triple T
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