Mistwalker
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Messages
- 19,051
You do your job...and you do it in Atlanta... Lol, there is a good chance that your definitions for interesting are much different than for the rest of us
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Fiddleback Bolsters
- Thread starter dmourati
- Start date
You do your job...and you do it in Atlanta... Lol, there is a good chance that your definitions for interesting are much different than for the rest of us
- Joined
- Mar 25, 2010
- Messages
- 707
I appreciate the function of the bolsters but it isn't a dealbreaker for me.
Just picked this one up (photos courtesy of KSF.com)
View attachment 566443
View attachment 566444
View attachment 566445
Ben
Just picked this one up (photos courtesy of KSF.com)
View attachment 566443
View attachment 566444
View attachment 566445
Ben
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2013
- Messages
- 2,051
As a purveyor of turds, I am here to tell you that those are predominantly cow turds
. This picture was taken before I presented him with the Fiddleback. He did not speak a word of English, and I did not speak a word of Armenian, but we wound up working together very well. Fortunately, we did have a bilingual veterinarian working with us. When we were in the field setting up the first trap, I presented him with the maroon handled Sneaky Pete, and his eyes really lit up. I explained to him that it was hand made in the USA. This picture was taken during our first meeting, and I thought that he was going to jam that walking stick up one of our backsides. We were with some Ministry of Agriculture officials during the first visit, and he was complaining about the price of grain.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2013
- Messages
- 2,051
In 2007 the domestic hog population in the Caucuses was decimated by an African Swine Fever outbreak that entered Georgia in Batumi. It quickly spread to Armenia, wiping out most of the swine herd in the country. Occasionally, the disease will re-immerge. There are wild and feral swine in Armenia, and understanding the disease requires understanding the prevalence in wild and feral hogs. The next series of photos shows this farmers hogs returning to the farm after free ranging on the mountain side behind the farm.
The last photo was of the cows being taken to be milked. This represents a rather large farming operation in Armenia with at least two generations of family members working the farm. These pictures were taken in late 2012. In 2013, we did set up some hog traps on this gentleman's farm in hopes of catching wild hogs, but the only hogs that we caught were his own, at least according to him. We took samples from them any way as per our protocol, and found no evidence of African Swine Fever in any of the hogs we trapped on this man's farm.
As I mentioned above, I thought this man was going to ram that walking stick up our back sides upon our first meeting as he was complaining to ministry people about the price of grain. When we finished at that first meeting, and informed him that we were going to be leaving, he slammed his stick into the ground and told us to stay, that he was going to butcher a hog, and that we should stay for a meal with his family. This is typical in Armenian culture, to invite strangers into your home, feed them, give them lots of vodka and homemade cognac, and become brothers for life. In 2013 we actually had an opportunity to do this, and I am blessed having had the experience of meeting this man, his sons and some of their wives and children. Unfortunately, I did not take my camera on the trapping exercises as we already were humping a bunch of gear over some pretty rough terrain. One of our colleagues did take some pictures, although he did not get any of knives being used, only shots of the traps, anesthetizing animals, blood and nasal swab collection and releasing animals to document our work.
Back to bolsters, none of the Fiddleback knives that I took to Armenia were bolstered. They were all micarta handled knives.
The last photo was of the cows being taken to be milked. This represents a rather large farming operation in Armenia with at least two generations of family members working the farm. These pictures were taken in late 2012. In 2013, we did set up some hog traps on this gentleman's farm in hopes of catching wild hogs, but the only hogs that we caught were his own, at least according to him. We took samples from them any way as per our protocol, and found no evidence of African Swine Fever in any of the hogs we trapped on this man's farm.
As I mentioned above, I thought this man was going to ram that walking stick up our back sides upon our first meeting as he was complaining to ministry people about the price of grain. When we finished at that first meeting, and informed him that we were going to be leaving, he slammed his stick into the ground and told us to stay, that he was going to butcher a hog, and that we should stay for a meal with his family. This is typical in Armenian culture, to invite strangers into your home, feed them, give them lots of vodka and homemade cognac, and become brothers for life. In 2013 we actually had an opportunity to do this, and I am blessed having had the experience of meeting this man, his sons and some of their wives and children. Unfortunately, I did not take my camera on the trapping exercises as we already were humping a bunch of gear over some pretty rough terrain. One of our colleagues did take some pictures, although he did not get any of knives being used, only shots of the traps, anesthetizing animals, blood and nasal swab collection and releasing animals to document our work.
Back to bolsters, none of the Fiddleback knives that I took to Armenia were bolstered. They were all micarta handled knives.
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2012
- Messages
- 2,149
I feel like I'd enjoy sitting across a campfire from you.
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2013
- Messages
- 3,545
You do your job...and you do it in Atlanta... Lol, there is a good chance that your definitions for interesting are much different than for the rest of us
lol ... I grew up in Tennessee.
- Joined
- Feb 19, 2013
- Messages
- 2,051
Very kind of you to say Wilted Kilt. The feeling is mutual.
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2014
- Messages
- 241
Well I'm sure Andy can easily fix that for you
Mistwalker
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Messages
- 19,051
Fix yes...but not always quite so easily
It took me years to get the one I wanted most, but it is a long story lol 
- Joined
- Dec 11, 2012
- Messages
- 2,149
Fix yes...but not always quite so easily
Who made that fire steel? Nice setup!
Mistwalker
Gold Member
- Joined
- Dec 22, 2007
- Messages
- 19,051
Thanks man. Blain (Swonut here on the forums) made them. His site is Suffolk Metal Works. I've bought several so far, and he does very nice work
He has since made a burlap one for me to go with this knife, which also has a black bolster. His carbide sharpener ferro rod strikers through awesome sparks also.
