Shop Tour - Meet the Makers

prom52

prom52

Gold Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2014
Messages
2,294
Here are a few photos that I thought everyone would enjoy seeing. These were taken during a visit to Fiddleback Forge earlier this week on our way back from a vacation in the TN / NC mountains. Andy & Ken were kind enough to put out the welcome mat for my wife & I.

Here is a classic of Andy hard at work shaping a handle. It was amazing to watch the intensity in his eyes as he worked his magic:

IMG_6383_zpsc4e15fb2.jpg


We didn't exactly come empty handed. Here is a great shot of Ken accepting our offering of some Dragons Milk plus a Can Growler of Ten Fiddy fresh from the Oskar Blues brewery in Brevard, NC:

IMG_6376_zps297bf0fa.jpg


Andy received a tall boy pack of Oskar Blues Deviant IPA. Yes, that's Allen in the background just being Allen. By the way, we had to give Allen few tall boys of OsKar Blues G'Knight Red Imperial IPA to quiet him down:

IMG_6380_zps958cc41f.jpg


Unfortunately we had to give Adam a rain check. Old enough to craft awesome knives, but not quite old enough to enjoy a cold one. Adam was kind enough to bring out a box of his knives. This young man has some seriousl talent folks:

IMG_6377_zps47a0483a.jpg


And finally a shot from the nursery, a sneak peak at some soon to be born sweetness from Fiddleback Forge:

IMG_6388_zps0918a1f0.jpg


I can't even begin to express how cool it was to stand there in the shop and take in all the magic that Andy & Crew create for us every week. There are no short cuts taken, everything is hand crafted with an attention to detail as only a totally dedicated & talented team can do. My wife and I came away with a strong sense that the world is a better place because of Andy Roy & Company....we are all blessed to own knives marked "Fiddleback by A.R."

Footnote: All adult beverages were quietly tucked away in the shop fridge to be enjoyed over the upcoming Labor Day holiday
 
Nice thread. Sorry I missed out putting a handshake on you. :thumbup:
 
Thanks for taking the time to document your visit to the shop Peter. It is nice to see photos of the people who give it their all every week making great knives. I am sure that you and your wife walked away from that visit with a greater appreciation of how much care and thought goes into each step in the process.

I am glad that you had this opportunity. Thanks again for sharing the story.

Phil
 
prom52 said:
My wife and I came away with a strong sense that the world is a better place because of Andy Roy & Company....we are all blessed to own knives marked "Fiddleback by A.R."
Click to expand...

This is a great thread. It's about the shop and knives, yes..... But the focus is on the people, which is a huge part of the draw for me.

I just had to quote the above section. It sums up my thoughts quite completely.


Michael
 
bonafide said:
Nice thread. Sorry I missed out putting a handshake on you. :thumbup:
Click to expand...

Hey Bud......next trip we'll need to coordinate our visits to FB HQ. We may be making a trip back up for the fall color. If so, I'll give you a heads up.
 
Thank you I really enjoyed reading this. I was lucky enough to meet Andy and crew at blade show, they are a fine group of men and women!
No wonder my vendor is out of my favorite IPA
 
Thanks for the shop tour Peter! It's great to see into the birth place of the tools we love.

Good job setting them up with some Oskar Blues. :)
 
I can't resist posting this shot......Andy is so good at what he does......he can even shape a handle with his eyes closed :p

IMG_6386_zpsba647644.jpg
 
Last edited:
thurin said:
Thanks for the shop tour Peter! It's great to see into the birth place of the tools we love.

Good job setting them up with some Oskar Blues. :)
Click to expand...

I didn't realize that OB had an operation here on the east coast, just like I was surprised to see a Sierra Nevada plant in Brevard as well. We got there way to early so they were kind enough to open the tasting room for us. The operator is a mountaineer and recognized Fiddleback Forge. When we told him the beer was for Andy & his crew he bent the rules for us. They were on their last keg of Ten Fiddy so we were very lucky to capture some of that excellent brew. Very nice people as well.
 
Comprehensivist said:
Thanks for taking the time to document your visit to the shop Peter. It is nice to see photos of the people who give it their all every week making great knives. I am sure that you and your wife walked away from that visit with a greater appreciation of how much care and thought goes into each step in the process.

I am glad that you had this opportunity. Thanks again for sharing the story.

Phil
Click to expand...


You are so right Phil....Ken even mentioned to me that most folks really don't have an appreciation for all of the detailed work that goes into the process. The shop is a very compact space but the work flow they have set up makes things very efficient. I came away with a profound understanding of the true value of each & every knife that Andy makes.
 
Thanks so much for posting Peter. It is always nice to see pics from the operation and good to see so many smiling faces as well!! Glad you had a good trip...great way to end it!

Jared
 
Cool thread. Thanks for the pics. Looks like you had some fun with the guys. Awesome.

Nice cut on the forearm Andy. That looks like it smarted.
 
Bartlax4 said:
Thanks so much for posting Peter. It is always nice to see pics from the operation and good to see so many smiling faces as well!! Glad you had a good trip...great way to end it!

Jared
Click to expand...

We actually got into Atlanta a day earlier than expected and had to spend an extra night.....it was worth it & certainly made the trip home more exciting as my wife and I talked about our experience at the shop. Andy cracked me up when I told him that my wife has her own little collection of Fiddlebacks. He turned to her and asked....."You haven't run any through the dishwasher yet have you ?" Left Cumming around 2:00 PM and pulled into our driveway here in Naples, FL at 11:58 PM. I figured that if the GA State Patrol pulled me over I would try to play a get-out-of-jail card by saying I knew Bonifide ;) Fortunately I didn't need to play that trump card.
 
Joe Duder said:
Cool thread. Thanks for the pics. Looks like you had some fun with the guys. Awesome.

Nice cut on the forearm Andy. That looks like it smarted.
Click to expand...

Yes, that cut is hard to miss. I forgot to ask him how that came about......it was fun indeed !
 
Awesome thread Peter! What a great opportunity. I also especially appreciate the shots of the folks who make these great knives. It is always neat to learn more about the people and process that have drawn us all to these functional pieces of art. For those of us on the West coast these posts might be the only chance we get to see inside of the fiddleback lair so thanks for documenting your visit!

Tod
 
Pete,
Man it looks like you guys had an AWESOME time :thumbup:! Fiddlebacks, the fiddleback crew, and good brews (Dales varieties & Dragon's Milk) surely made for an epic visit to the forge! Thanks for the pics and thorough summary -- I'm glad you had a great time on your trip!
 
xxwjtxx said:
Pete,
Man it looks like you guys had an AWESOME time :thumbup:! Fiddlebacks, the fiddleback crew, and good brews (Dales varieties & Dragon's Milk) surely made for an epic visit to the forge! Thanks for the pics and thorough summary -- I'm glad you had a great time on your trip!
Click to expand...

Sure was Will......the only thing that would have made it better would have been to be able to sit back with the boys, pop a top or two and talk knives.
 
hasco said:
Awesome thread Peter! What a great opportunity. I also especially appreciate the shots of the folks who make these great knives. It is always neat to learn more about the people and process that have drawn us all to these functional pieces of art. For those of us on the West coast these posts might be the only chance we get to see inside of the fiddleback lair so thanks for documenting your visit!

Tod
Click to expand...

You guys out on the Left Coast need to convince Andy to open up a satellite shop.....follow what the craft breweries are doing with one east & another west. Either that or he can outfit a mobile knife making bus and take the show on the road. Look at this shot of the Oskar Blues Bus and imagine "Fiddleback Forge Knives" on the side ;)

IMG_6292_zps52d5e871.jpg
[/URL]
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top