The So Gent 1000th Post Bushcrafter & RLO GAW

[Southern Gent]

Yeah, I know, 1,000 posts over a 5 year period, big deal. There are some folks with 30,000 posts on BF. Well, That’s not my story. There was a time where I never thought I would go to a site like BF, even less immerse myself in a culture I had already been participating in my whole life. It all started after spending some time with Jeff Randall and Mike Perrin at Jeff’s farm learning from the ESEE crew a lot of the outdoor skills I still use today. From some of the other folks on the farm I found out about the ESEE hosted forum and there met some of the guys who still regularly hang out here today. Things all changed rapidly when I saw a post labeled as “Let’s See Your Fiddlebacks”…

After going to the Fiddleback website and discovering the shop (at the time about 1,000 sf with 6-7 guys and Judy milling about) was less than 30 minutes away from where I lived I called up, introduced myself and was invited for a visit. I first met Ken over the phone, then in person and within 10 minutes of being there was negotiating with Andy how many Fiddlebacks I could get for the Kimber Ultra Raptor I had with me. Yup, I had found good people.

Without that first step I would not have met so many good people and made a number of friends I’m confident will be with me for life. I even plan on being buried with my Bush Hermit. There would be no Trackrock, Fiddleback User Weekend, guild meetings, Africa, Alaska or dozens of other adventures I’ve had with the people I’ve met here. Hell, I wouldn’t even have Bruno!

So now we get to the part why you opened this post to begin with. To honor Andy and what he has created here I would like to celebrate my 1,000th post by giving away this Bushcrafter and RLO sheath that was made specifically for this knife. The rules will be very simple and I’m going to let this run a couple weeks so that I can send the knife out in time for Christmas.

Rule 1: This GAW IS NOT FOR YOU. What I want you to do is post about another person who deserves this Fiddleback more than anyone else.

Rule 2: There are no limits on how many people you can nominate for winning this knife, in fact I encourage as many nominations as possible. Just use a separate post for each nominee. Photos of nominees also encouraged.

Rule 3: This GAW will not be limited to the regulars of this forum and is open for any deserving nominations. Please spread the word around BF and elsewhere and drive people to the Fiddleback subforum. I want to put out a special challenge to those folks who may not participate as much as they used to, but still lurk around from time to time to submit a nomination. You are not forgotten and we would love to hear from you.

Rule 4: As referenced in rule 1, this knife and sheath is for a person deserving of a Fiddleback and high-quality sheath. Once a winner is selected I will ship the package to the person nominating the eventual owner. It will be the responsibility of the nominator to get a photo of the knife at presentation (opening of package if not in person) and posting the photo in this thread so we can all see the big ass grin on the recipient’s face.

That’s about it, so in closing, I just want to say how much I appreciate everyone here and I look forward to many more adventures and shared experiences in the years to come. Justen

 

[VANCE]

A very generous offer
good on you JC!

 

[VANCE]

looks like errybody gettin coal in their stocking

 

[Southern Gent]

looks like errybody gettin coal in their stocking

No doubt. I know Fiddlebacks are extremely high quality tools, but I'm pretty sure there is someone out there deserving of one...

 

[Mistwalker]

Very nice of you Justen, and very nice set up as well!! I'll put some thought into this one.

 

[theobetts]

Well, someone has to win! I would like to enter for LostViking. He always has great posts and pictures and is someone who will get out and use this fine set up.

 

[RLO]

Very generous thing to do, and here's my first nomination.
Carl Rechsteiner(CRex) He helped me learn to forge and I've stolen so many sheath ideas from him that maybe this would be some pay back. More importantly, he's a staunch supporter of knifemakers in all genres. He's been a strong supporter of Andy's work from the day Andy was juried into the Ga. Custom Knifemakers Guild in Statesboro,Ga. Andy has also been a strong collector of Carl's knives and this would be a special return for Carl. Would post a photo, but can't risk damage to the Forum.

 

[NoRest]

This is a cool idea Justen. I nominate my good friend Domineque. Many of you got to meet her at this years fall Trackrock gathering. She's a badass! She is always down for an adventure! Whether its climbing a mountain, blasting through the forest on a quad, camping on top of a mountain in the middle of nowhere Colorado, or just bumming in the woods. She really enjoys this Fiddleback community and had a great time meeting a bunch of you this fall. And she doesn't even own a Fiddleback! Yet! I think this would be a great first Fiddleback for her. Thanks for your consideration.
Here she is rocking a cool Fiddleback shirt!

 

[RLO]

Hmmmmm.........Carl may be in trouble!

 

[91bravo]

Justen! Long time no see. Very generous thing you are doing here!

 

[Southern Gent]

Justen! Long time no see. Very generous thing you are doing here!

Hey Jonny, Hope you are doing well my friend! You may like to know that Madden still has the Iron Man doll your wife knitted and it has a prominent place in his room or on his bed at nite. Cheers buddy, miss ya.

 

[black mamba]

I would like to nominate my son in law, Chris. Thirteen years ago, before he married my daughter, Chris was in the Navy and guarding the President's bunker in D.C. Cushy duty to be sure, but being a warrior at heart, he gave up that position to join Army special forces. During the last week of training Chris had an accident and tore up his knee so badly that he could never serve in combat. Being an overcomer, he went back to school and became a Physicians' Assistant, rising to the rank of Captain. Chris would be a worthy recipient of this fine knife.

 

[91bravo]

Hey Jonny, Hope you are doing well my friend! You may like to know that Madden still has the Iron Man doll your wife knitted and it has a prominent place in his room or on his bed at nite. Cheers buddy, miss ya.

Let me know if he wants any other super heroes made!

 

[Bigfattyt]

Great giveaway! I'll have to pop back in later. I have a few deserving people in mind.

 

[RayseM]

You are a GENT for sure. Lovely GAW. Had to laugh when I read "This GAW IS NOT FOR YOU" PERFECT What a great concept. Have to think on this one though. My dilemma has been for years that I am the ONLY one in my family and among my friends who truly appreciate knives. This would be pearls before swines among my group (nice swines nonetheless - but hey isn't that another sub-forum ) If it had a corkscrew on it I might be able to do the stretch.

No matter - I love this GAW and I thank you.

Ray

 

[brewster2012]

I nominate my oldest son, William. He will be turning 18 in January, and I was planning to purchase his first high-end fixed blade outdoor knife for him to celebrate the occasion.

A bit about the young man:

Eagle Scout (earning camping, wilderness survival, emergency preparedness, fishing, rock climbing, and many other merit badges along the way)
Honor Roll Student every semester of high school
Recipient of the President's Volunteer Service Award https://www.presidentialserviceawards.gov/about

As a father, I've made every attempt to foster in him a love of the outdoors that my father was able to instill in me, and I believe it has been successful. William enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, rock climbing, etc. When he is not playing soccer, spending time outdoors, or engaged in his studies, he seeks opportunities to volunteer to better the community and his fellow man.

As a "pay it forward" twist on the generous knife donation offer, I've budgeted $200 for the purchase of a knife for him (a fairly modest sum for a high quality knife...but I have 3 teenagers in private high school with William off to college next year), and I will donate the $200 to a great charity I recently learned about - The Joshua Chamberlain Society - https://www.chamberlainsociety.org/ which supports fallen and wounded heroes for life. I encourage everyone who reads this to check out the JCS and consider supporting the organization.

A pic of Will taken after winning the Boy Scout axe throwing competition during the summer camp out in Gunnison, CO this past summer:

 

[Comprehensivist]

Hey Justen,

Congratulations on reaching the 1,000 posts milestone. That is a significant achievement given the consistent quality of the content you post when you post something. I admire a man who waits to have something meaningful to contribute beyond “Happy Friday” and “Nice Batch.” You have added much to the knowledge base here by sharing your real experience actually using the knives.

I was going to nominate my good friend Big Deal Bob for the handsome Bushcrafter, but he would probably break it or carve ugly notches in the handle. That wouldn’t honor your generosity appropriately. There is that plus the fact that I could never climb all the way up to his lofty peak on Ego Mountain to make the personal presentation required to comply with Rule #4. (Just kidding Bmurray )

In all seriousness Justen, you already have a tough decision with some of the worthy candidates above.

Thanks again for your thoughtfulness and humble character that shines through in every post you make. I have learned much from you over the years my friend. I wish you well on the trails to your next adventures...

Phil

 

[Bmurray]

I was going to nominate my good friend Comprehensivist but if he won the bushcrafter he'd take a year to decide whether he liked it or not, take great comparison pics then write a three page thread on the specs and his likes and dislikes.

I'm a busy person and dont have a whole week to dedicate reading his entire thread, as I could possibly ready the new testament in less time and get more out of it. Lord knows I need it.

As you can see even with a broke tip I can still whittle a sharp point on my poken stick. Lol

 

[rileybassman1]

Great gesture SG! There a lot of good people on the forum!

For my nomination... I would nominate my cousin Connor. he is, I believe, 23 or 24 and has been married for a little over 2 years. about 8-12 months after he got married, his wife (I believe 22 at the time) was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer. Needless to say, the last 2 years of their lives (and marriage) have been insane. The great news is that, after a year and a half of chemo, radiation, and ultimately a double mastectomy, his wife is alive, and just was pronounced cancer free This last Sunday, he was over and I was helping him cut up a deer that he had just shot (got his first buck last week ) and noticed all he had for knives was an opinel no. 7 and a rapala fillet knife. The thought crossed my mind that I need to hook him up this year as he's been through a lot, and finances, obviously with medical bills, are tight for them.

Anyway - thanks for the consideration... and even if he doesn't get this, I'm gonna try and hook him up this christmas I think

Blessings and thanks!

 

[Bmurray]

On a serious not I want to nominate old Florida Cliff. He’s a good friend of RLO and I had the pleasure to get to know and spend some time talking with him at Trackrock. I know he was well liked in our group and just a great down to earth person that would give you the shirt off of his back. He’d love and cherish his first Fiddleback.