A Fiddleback Forge vacation detour

MajorD

MajorD

Joined
Mar 18, 2007
Messages
2,247
My girlfriend/fiance and I are heading down to South Carolina to see her parents next Tuesday morning (April 8th). It's about a 12 hour drive from Michigan. Her father is 83 and is rapidly declining in health. I really want to get her down there to spend some time with him so we decided a couple weeks ago - "let's go". There are a few different routes I've taken so I was kicking them around and then I had a thought ... How far of a detour would it be to swing by Andy's shop? It appears to be around 200 miles (3 hours). I told my girlfriend, I mean, I asked her :D if she would mind if we took a detour to Andy's shop on the way down. As she always is, she was very supportive and said absolutely. So I contacted Andy to make sure I wouldn't be interrupting if I stopped by. With his gracious approval and Dylan Fletcher's as well the plan was set. I hope to arrive in the area sometime mid afternoon Tuesday. We will grab a hotel and consider the visit as a break from the drive. We will head out early Wednesday to finish our primary trip.

I'm really excited for this opportunity! This weekend will be a bit hectic plus travel preparations so I wanted to get this posted while I had a quiet evening. I'll take a bunch of pics and try and post them during the week of our trip.
 
Have a safe trip and have a great time . Can't wait to see the photos.
Cheers Mick
 
Have a safe trip there and back. Don't forget to take time to smell the flowers.
 
Enjoy your visit to the mother ship......and don't forget to sample some of the tasty southern barbecue while you are in Cumming, GA.
 
That sounds like a lot of fun Dave. Have a good/safe drive. Looking forward to the report.
 
MajorD said:
.... So I contacted Andy to make sure I wouldn't be interrupting if I stopped by. With his gracious approval and Dylan Fletcher's as well the plan was set....
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Sounds like a blast, but be careful down there man. That Andy has that hot southern Louisiana blood flowing through his veins, that Dylan is a nut case, then and Leah and Sarah are just plain mean man, but you should be ok ;) All kidding aside, they're are awesome folks D. Hanging out with the Roys and the Fletchers is one of my favorite parts of Blade :)
 
How do you feel about sanding some handles while you're here? Ever etched a maker's mark on a knife? We'll make sure and have plenty to keep you two busy. ;)
 
Bamboo said:
How do you feel about sanding some handles while you're here? Ever etched a maker's mark on a knife? We'll make sure and have plenty to keep you two busy. ;)
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Ken,

You better hide all the good stuff before Dave gets there. He may look and act like a nice guy, but there is a Shark hiding under that costume. ;)

Have fun Dave! Looking forward to the pictures.

Phil
 
Bamboo said:
How do you feel about sanding some handles while you're here? Ever etched a maker's mark on a knife? We'll make sure and have plenty to keep you two busy. ;)
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That's funny right there. "No .. you're not interrupting. Here .. hold this sand paper .. no no .. like this, back and forth. Did you enjoy your visit?" Hahaha.
 
bonafide said:
That's funny right there. "No .. you're not interrupting. Here .. hold this sand paper .. no no .. like this, back and forth. Did you enjoy your visit?" Hahaha.
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I was envisioning less "back and forth" and more "wax on, wax off."


Michael
 
Bamboo said:
How do you feel about sanding some handles while you're here? Ever etched a maker's mark on a knife? We'll make sure and have plenty to keep you two busy. ;)
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I have got to take a road trip! Use me and abuse me, I don't care. That would be too awesome.
 
RRaconteur said:
I was envisioning less "back and forth" and more "wax on, wax off."
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Yeah, back and forth was "paint the house". So maybe 'wax on', or more so "Sand the floor .. sand the floor". Whichever, he'll leave with magic powers unbeknownst until his next Karate match. ;)
 
Bamboo said:
How do you feel about sanding some handles while you're here? Ever etched a maker's mark on a knife? We'll make sure and have plenty to keep you two busy. ;)
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I actually have some experience. A local knife maker here in Michigan sponsors an event that allows you to make a knife. I've attended it a couple times. Give me have a shot at next weeks batch! :eek: :eek: We'll call it Fiddleback Friday Fire sale! :D
 
Bamboo said:
How do you feel about sanding some handles while you're here? Ever etched a maker's mark on a knife? We'll make sure and have plenty to keep you two busy. ;)
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You do realize Dave that Andy posted a job on this sub-forum. You may end up with a career change as a result of this detour.
 
bonafide said:
Yeah, back and forth was "paint the house". So maybe 'wax on', or more so "Sand the floor .. sand the floor". Whichever, he'll leave with magic powers unbeknownst until his next Karate match. ;)
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Truth. The Cobra Kai won't know what hit them.


Michael
 
We made it! Almost 14 hours in the car before we pulled into the hotel in Cumming, Ga at 4:00. We had just enough time to throw our bags in the room and head over to Andy's shop before 5:00. I brought down a variety of beers from Michigan's Bell's Brewery for Andy and crew to sample.

For once I am somewhat at a loss for words. First and foremost I must say a huge and sincere THANK YOU to Andy Roy and crew. (Ken, Judy and Adam) I don't mean to embarrass anybody but they are all a class group of people. Andy started talking about all of the issues they are dealing with in the shop. (Andy hurt his back, Ken cut himself badly yesterday,and multiple other set backs). After explaining about the chaos in the shop, Andy was still gracious enough to spend some time with my fiance Suzanne and I over a beer. We all have first hand knowledge of Andy's professionalism through the forum but he takes it to a new level in person.

I apologize in advance as I promised "lots" of pics but admittedly I got so caught up in the opportunity and being somewhat brain dead from the drive that I simply forgot to take pics until we were leaving. :o After hearing about the first few days at the shop, I also didn't want to take up too much of their time posing for pics.

Here are a couple pics I snapped just at the end of the visit.

Ken, Judy and Adam hard at work. I didn't want to interrupt them as they were wrapping up their day
IMG_20140408_170028_535_zpsi1gtk2s4.jpg


IMG_20140408_171006_616_zpsvyv8hakn.jpg


Before we left I put Andy on the spot and asked if I could possibly grab a knife from him in person. He brought his box full of Blade show knives. I'm sure most of you are familiar with the briefcase scenes in Pulp Fiction. This was one of those moments!!! Wow ..... Having never been to the Blade Show I've never seen so many breathtaking Fiddlebacks in one place. Already on a budget as a result of last weeks Duke and this trip I had to stay somewhat in control. That said, I walked out with an 1/8" Hiking Buddy. (Tuxedo config and tapered tang). I won't ever replace my bone handled Hiking Buddy but this one from today is the best balanced knife I've owned. It is perfection! Hiking Buddy pics after we get to South Carolina tomorrow.

Thank you again Andy for the hospitality. Thank you Ken, Adam and Judy as well for the opportunity. Prayers sent your way Ken from Suzanne and I for quick healing and a successful surgery.

Dave
 
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