Sodbuster Folding Knife, Hand Forged with Black Ebony Handle

Most folders here have metal capping both ends of the handle. This one has none. It is a slab of black ebony either side of the spring, two brass pins, and 3.5 inches of 1095 high carbon steel folded between them. In a pocket it is a long flat shape with nothing to catch. Closed it is 4.5 inches. Not much to describe, and that is the point.

Specification

The blade

1095 high carbon, finished in hand rubbed satin. Hand rubbed means the flats are worked with abrasive until every scratch lies one way, so the blade reads as working grey, not a mirror. The shape is a clip point. The last stretch of spine is cut away in a shallow sweep, dropping the tip and making it finer, and a fine tip gets under a knot or a staple. Three and a half inches with no lock behind it. Respect the spring. Carbon steel darkens to grey and spots if put away wet.

The lock and the opening

There is no lock on a sodbuster and there never has been. A flat spring runs the length of the back and bears on the tang, holding the blade open at one end of the swing and shut at the other, and it gives when you push the spine hard enough. That is the whole mechanism. Two pieces of steel and a pivot. Opening is a crescent nail nick cut in the flat, deep enough to catch a thumbnail without looking.

The handle

Black ebony is about as dense as a wood gets, dark brown to black with the odd lighter streak. There are no bolsters. Nothing caps the ends, so the wood runs the full length of the frame and the only metal outside is two brass pins and the brass lanyard hole at the tail. Leaving bolsters off takes weight from the front and removes the seam where wood meets metal, the seam that opens first on an old knife. Closed it lies flat.

The leather pouch

Vegetable tanned leather, hand stitched, basket weave beaten into the damp hide. A flat sleeve with two sewn sides and one open end, and the shut knife goes in and comes out the same way. No flap, no press stud, no strap, nothing for a belt, which is why it is a pouch here and not a sheath. With no bolsters it keeps bare wood off what is loose in a bag.

Who it suits

Stand it beside the others and it looks unfinished. It is not.

• Anyone wanting a blade and a handle
• Farmers, growers and knife losers
• Buyers who dislike bright metal
• People wanting a longer slip joint

What comes in the box

• The black ebony sodbuster
• The stamped basket weave slip pouch
• A care card
• Free sharpening for life

Every piece is different

Ebony comes off a log with a pale outer band, so one pair of scales is black and the next has a grey streak across it. The satin is rubbed by hand and the scratch lines never sit at the same angle twice. Yours will not be the knife in the picture.

Looking after it

Ebony carries oil of its own, but it dries in a hot car or on a windowsill, and dry ebony cracks along the grain. A rub of oil now and then keeps that at bay. The steel is plain carbon, so wipe it after use and after fruit. Grit washes out of the joint under a tap, then dry it and oil the pivot. See the care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per blade, added at checkout. Around 30 characters go on. There is plenty of clear satin, so a name and a date fit without crowding the nick. A proof image goes out first and nothing is cut until you say so, adding 3 to 5 business days. From 10 blades it costs nothing. The engraving page has the detail.

Questions buyers ask

Why are there no bolsters? A sodbuster leaves them off. Less metal and one less joint.

What do bolsters do? They cap the scale ends and take knocks.

Does it lock open? No. The back spring holds both ends of the swing.

Will it rust? Yes, if left wet. Dry it, oil it. The grey can stay.

Am I able to carry this one? Laws differ by state, city and country, so check your local rules, and we cannot advise on that.

What is the delivery time? Most US orders arrive in 5 to 7 business days.

Brass ends and a half stop is the olive wood slip joint. Pattern, clip and lock is the green micarta folder. It sits in folding knives, its steel under 1095 high carbon steel, plain shapes in pocket knives.