Sodbuster Folding Knife, Hand Forged 1095 with Walnut Handle

The sodbuster is the plain farm pattern: no bolsters, wood scales running the full length, and one long curve dropping away at the back. It has a 3.5 inch clip point blade in hand forged 1095 high carbon steel, 4.5 inches closed and 8 inches open, dark walnut scales and a tooled leather slip pouch. It is a slip joint, so no lock, and it opens with a thumbnail. People buy it as a plain working knife.

Specification

The blade

The steel is 1095 high carbon, left dark gray from the fire with the bevel taken up bright. The clip point drops the spine away toward the front, putting the point low and keeping it fine for close work like picking a knot loose. The trade with 1095 is plain. It takes a keen edge and comes back on a stone quickly, and it rusts if put away wet.

How it opens and closes

A nail nick is cut into the flat of the blade near the spine. You catch it with a thumbnail and swing the blade out with both hands, since there is no stud or clip. It is a slip joint, so there is no lock. A flat steel back spring presses on the heel of the blade, holding it open and holding it shut. To close it you push the spine back against that spring.

The handle

A sodbuster carries no bolsters, so no metal sits at either end and the walnut runs the whole length. The scales are dark walnut with a close straight grain, oiled rather than lacquered, so you feel the grain. Three brass pins pass through the wood and the liners inside, and the blade turns on the pivot pin. Grain and color shift from knife to knife.

What it is for

This is an everyday cutting knife. It opens boxes and mail, cuts twine and tape, takes a loose thread off a sleeve, slices fruit and handles small jobs in a yard or workshop. The low point suits whittling and work where you want to see the tip. It does not suit chopping or prying.

The leather pouch

The pouch is a flat leather sleeve the closed knife drops into, cut to size so it sits without slop. The leather is vegetable tanned, a snap strap closes over the mouth, with cream hand stitching down both sides. The face is hand tooled with a carved wheat sheaf inside a stamped border.

Who it suits

People buy this one for a traditional pattern that works for a living, the plainest folder in this batch. It suits someone who will use it rather than shelve it.

• Anyone who wants a plain traditional pocket knife
• People who prefer a slip joint to a lock
• Buyers who like carbon steel and a patina

What comes in the box

• The sodbuster folding knife
• The tooled leather slip pouch
• A care card
• Engraving quote

Every piece is different

Every blade is forged, ground, heat treated and sharpened by hand, so runs stay small and no two finish alike. The forge marks, the walnut grain and the leather tooling vary from the photographs. Yours will be its own knife.

Looking after it

Wipe the blade dry after use and never put it away wet. Carbon steel darkens with use, and that gray patina is normal and protects the steel. A drop of light oil in the pivot keeps the action smooth, and oil the blade before it goes away. Never a dishwasher. More in our knife care and sharpening page.

Put a name on it

Laser engraving is 20 dollars per piece and you add it on this page. Around 30 characters fits on the blade, so a name or a date goes on. We send a proof image before the laser runs, and it adds 3 to 5 business days. See the engraving page.

Questions buyers ask

What is a sodbuster? The plain farm pattern of pocket knife: no bolsters, and wood scales the full length of the handle.

What is a slip joint? It has no lock. A flat back spring holds the blade open and shut.

What is a nail nick? The small crescent cut in the blade near the spine, caught with a thumbnail to open it.

Is it legal to carry? Knife carry laws differ by state, city and country, so check the rules where you live before you carry it. We cannot advise on that.

Will 1095 steel rust? It can if left wet. Dry it after use and keep a light coat of oil on it.

Is it spring assisted or automatic? No. It opens by hand with a thumbnail.

For another traditional slip joint, see the barlow pocket knife in ram horn, and for a slimmer dress pattern the gentleman's folding knife in burl wood. More sits in folding knives, pocket knives and 1095 high carbon.