Spalting, is it a deal breaker?

[Joe Duder]

I know what your going to say- It depends on what I plan on using the knife for. That's the easy answer.

I bring this up because I personally have very mixed feelings about spalting. When a fiddleback is clad in heavy spalting, it is either a scandi or low grind. Unless you hate spalted steel, these are very nice to look at. I'll actually scroll back up a few times to look at, appreciate, and drool over a fiddleback with heavy deep spalting. The older Fiddleback spalted blades bring tears to my eyes.

Convex grinds with heavy spalting usually mean it's a lower grind. That's fine and dandy, but for a guy that uses his blades for cutting and slicing and not so much batoning and splitting, these make for more of a apple and potato splitter than slicer. Did that make sence? The next logical solution is to go with a fuller higher grind with less spalting. When I purchase these high grinds, I'm always happy with the way they perform. But, they don't have the beauty or pop or mojo that the more spalted blades have. This lack of flare usually pushes me to release the fiddleback back into the wild. Sometimes the lower convex grinds can be spaltless. These, IMO, can give off a incomplete look. Aesthetics are very important with a knife purchase, but how important?

I've seen high grind and spaltless Fiddlebacks sit stagnant on the Exchange, Flea Market and Fiddleback Friday. Even the more popular variants like the Bushfinger and Bushcrafter hang out for a bit if they aren't rocking the 3D goodness. I can only assume that I'm not the only one that finds spalting more desirable than the same variant with less or no spalting?

Question:

[scales aside] Which blade below would you buy? Why?

 

[Tribial]

The spalted one of course.

 

[Imrahil]

The one with more spalting. It's just plain sexy and one of the things that separates FB's from the rest on the market. I feel form has to be at least equal to function. No use in spending good money on something that you don't want to dress up nice on a Friday night and take out for dinner.

 

[solid4ever]

I've often wondered what the impetus was for Andy to move to "lighter spalting" seemingly every year. Obviously it's a proprietary process, but I'm wondering if there is concern on it affect the Heat Treat on the knife? or if really deep spalting somehow might inadvertently create weak spots in the blade? I have an older kephart and you can run your finger over the spalted flats like it was braille.

 

[xxkcxx]

The spalted one of course.

+1 on that.... I love deep deep spalting!

 

[Hone]

Knife on the right. The more spalting the better in my book. It was one of the main characteristics that drew me towards Andy's knives.

 

[deepfry]

I'm pretty much of the same opinion. Everything else being equal, the one with the more pronounced spalting wins out for me every time.

 

[Joe Duder]

I've often wondered what the impetus was for Andy to move to "lighter spalting" seemingly every year. Obviously it's a proprietary process, but I'm wondering if there is concern on it affect the Heat Treat on the knife? or if really deep spalting somehow might inadvertently create weak spots in the blade? I have an older kephart and you can run your finger over the spalted flats like it was braille.

I've asked myself those same questions. It does seem like Andy's done less and less spalting. The spaltless blade above does have nicer lines than the other. It has a nice clean look to it, but the other one rocks. The splat less is Englebert Humperdink the spalted one is Nicky Six.

 

[Tribial]

I had a beauty of a ladyfinher and spalting showed all over the scandi. Alas. I dont like scandis really.

 

[Joe Duder]

I dont like scandis really.

I'm in that boat too.

 

[B34NS]

Not quite the first one to perform this process, but he does beautiful work. Although my main hesitation is in using it for proteins is the cross contamination risk. The only thing I'd like to see him work on instead is some thinner blades so I can get behind one!

 

[xxkcxx]

Not quite the first one to perform this process, but he does beautiful work. Although my main hesitation is in using it for proteins is the cross contamination risk. The only thing I'd like to see him work on instead is some thinner blades so I can get behind one!

 

[willic]

I would pick the knife on the left clad in burl. I would also choose a knife with a higher grind, if it was an option. I love fancy and intricate woods. I do love spalting, buy some knives have beautiful, lighter spalting that does not show in photographs. You are absolutely correct, people do love the spalting.

 

[B34NS]

Yea I work with a lot of butchery so I tend to avoid textured surfaces for sanitation reasons. Especially if later down the road I want to re-profile it. Lefty for me if I could get it in 1/16th.

 

[thurin]

For me, spalting is just part of the equation. An important part of it, but still just part. Two identical knives except for the spalting, I'll choose the deeper spalting.

Here's a specific example for me. Two woodsman. One in gorgeous quarter sawn oak, the other in shadetree.

I kept the shadetree for a couple of reasons. The main one being that for a knife that's going to be used in the kitchen a lot and in the woods, I feel better about having a synthetic handle than a wood. Secondary was that the spalting on the shadetree was much deeper and the grind was higher. Don't get me wrong, the oak was the most beautiful Fiddleback I've owned and I regret selling it, but it would have been a safe queen and not used.

I like spalting that's deep enough that you can see it coming through the grind.

 

[NUTRAMAC]

I would pick the knife on the left clad in burl. I would also choose a knife with a higher grind, if it was an option. I love fancy and intricate woods. I do love spalting, buy some knives have beautiful, lighter spalting that does not show in photographs. You are absolutely correct, people do love the spalting.

I agree completely. It's the knife on the left with that insane burl. Handle materials draw me in like a tractor beam
Spalting second and grind height falls somewhere in there, for the grind it will depend on its intend use.

 

[Joe Duder]

I would pick the knife on the left clad in burl. I would also choose a knife with a higher grind, if it was an option. I love fancy and intricate woods. I do love spalting, buy some knives have beautiful, lighter spalting that does not show in photographs. You are absolutely correct, people do love the spalting.

I agree completely. It's the knife on the left with that insane burl. Handle materials draw me in like a tractor beam
Spalting second and grind height falls somewhere in there, for the grind it will depend on its intend use.

"Scales aside"

 

[hasco]

Scales aside...

The one on the right with more spalting no questions asked!!!!

I know I have stated my opinion on this before but here it is again. I could care less about the spalting at first. As I got a few fiddlebacks, saw them in person, saw more pics, learned more, it started to grow on me. Now I love the old school 3d spalting. Even though I was trying very hard to get a few scandis for awhile, I would see one pop up on the flea market with very light, flecked spalting and it was of no interest to me. After seeing how well the scandis perform for most of the tasks I use them for, now it is a dilemma. I might be able to get that scandi but the spalting is not great... hmmm, maybe I should wait for another. There have also been times when a convex model I was interested in getting pops up in the configuration I want but the spalting is very light, this also makes the decision difficult for me. It took me awhile realize how much the spalting was affecting my decision making process. It is just part of the equation but if I have the money and an awesome old school spalting knife comes up, I might go for it even if it was not a model I was interested in. It is a bummer really. My goal in getting into fiddlebacks was to get a few good users. As I got bit by the bug, I wanted to try a bunch of models and then weed it back down to a few good users that I liked the best. Then the scandi bug got me. And now this damn old 3d spalting has got me. I never wanted to be a knife collector but now some of these older knives are like art. I never wanted to collect art either. But when you have a beautiful piece of art that you can use as an awesome knife.... man, I'm toast.

I also like the looks of the full grind near spalting less knives. I do prefer a high grind on a convex.

I have been meaning to start a show off your spalting thread so this is good motivation.

To me the spalting is like art that makes each fiddleback a little different. If I needed to grab one fiddleback and run out the door and head for the hills though, I guarantee spalting would not at all play in to the decision of which one to grab.

 

[Joe Duder]

Scales aside...

The one on the right with more spalting no questions asked!!!!

I know I have stated my opinion on this before but here it is again. I could care less about the spalting at first. As I got a few fiddlebacks, saw them in person, saw more pics, learned more, it started to grow on me. Now I love the old school 3d spalting. Even though I was trying very hard to get a few scandis for awhile, I would see one pop up on the flea market with very light, flecked spalting and it was of no interest to me. After seeing how well the scandis perform for most of the tasks I use them for, now it is a dilemma. I might be able to get that scandi but the spalting is not great... hmmm, maybe I should wait for another. There have also been times when a convex model I was interested in getting pops up in the configuration I want but the spalting is very light, this also makes the decision difficult for me. It took me awhile realize how much the spalting was affecting my decision making process. It is just part of the equation but if I have the money and an awesome old school spalting knife comes up, I might go for it even if it was not a model I was interested in. It is a bummer really. My goal in getting into fiddlebacks was to get a few good users. As I got bit by the bug, I wanted to try a bunch of models and then weed it back down to a few good users that I liked the best. Then the scandi bug got me. And now this damn old 3d spalting has got me. I never wanted to be a knife collector but now some of these older knives are like art. I never wanted to collect art either. But when you have a beautiful piece of art that you can use as an awesome knife.... man, I'm toast.

I also like the looks of the full grind near spalting less knives. I do prefer a high grind on a convex.

I have been meaning to start a show off your spalting thread so this is good motivation.

To me the spalting is like art that makes each fiddleback a little different. If I needed to grab one fiddleback and run out the door and head for the hills though, I guarantee spalting would not at all play in to the decision of which one to grab.

Very nice contribution to this thread. I agree with a lot of your views.

 

[willic]

Scales aside.... I choose a higher grind. If the grind is the same, I would pick the more dynamic spalting.