There are several places on this subforum to show off our Fiddlebacks. There is a sticky for Fiddleback User Pics, and this one titled Collections. I guess if I only want to see pictures of patina, field dressing game, wood chips and curls, I'll go to the sticky User Pics thread (or several others where usage is the theme). If I want to see nice and shiny pristine knives, I'll come here. Then I will challenge myself to see what knives I initially see here show up in the User Pics thread, all scratched and with patina. I have a couple that I can place in that category already that were shown either here or in the "Leather" thread as pristine, and now have patinas and scratches from use. As was already pointed out, it is good that collectors are involved in the business. It will take me quite a while to use up completely a Fiddleback, or any other knife for that matter, having ground and worn the blade away so that it is no longer serviceable. Every knife that I own, with the exception of one (ok, 2, I forgot about the curly Q Bushfinger that is coming), is intended to be a user knife. Some will get plenty of use, some will only get a little use. They all will get some use with the noted exceptions. Chuck, this sounds a little bit like my wife's "why do you need another knife" question that I hear every time I bring another one home. Truth be told, I have not needed another knife in a very long time, long before I ever started to hang out here. I am fascinated by knife design, artisanship, intended knife usage, metallurgy, comparing and contrasting the different designs with the different usages, and staying in compliance with the Boy Scout motto of "Be Prepared." I do not own one center fire firearm that I have never shot, or that I do not have ammunition that I reload for it. One of them is an Model 1886 Winchester made in 1901 that used to be my grandfather's, father's and now mine. I still shoot this gun, albeit not very often. It is my hope that my son and daughter, my grandsons, etc., will be shooting this long after I am gone. I wish the same for the plethora of knives that I own. I have given my son probably a dozen knives in the past year, and he lives in suburbia. I have given my 12 y.o. grandson two in the past year, and I enjoy immensely showing him how to use them, maintain them, sharpen them etc., and instilling the appreciation of well made hand crafted and hand forged knives.
Hopefully the two noted knives that I never intend to use go up enough in value that I can sell them, then buy 5 or 6 more that I can use. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.
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