F

False Edge

A sharpened area on the back of the point of some large knives.

Farm Knife

Copy of a European Farm Knife, has no bolsters, or caps, low priced.

Farmer Jack

Hawkbill and Spey blades, sually a Jumbo handle.

Ferrara, Andrea

A maker of extremely fine sword blades from the middle of the 16th Century his work was so celebrated that he was counterfeited in his own time and after. Many of his blades and copies were used in the basket hilted broadswords of Scotland.

Fiber Glass (in plastic handles)

Many of todays thermoplastic materials are improved by adding chopped glass fibers often as much as 40% of a product may be glass. Adds great strength.

File & Wire

Before the Rockwell tester, the File & Wire mark was used to indicate that the hardness and toughness of a blade had passed the file and wire test. The test consisted of cutting the edge bevel with a new file to test the hardness and then tapping the blade edge through a piece of wire of a known hardness to test the toughness. If the edge was not blunted by the wire, it passed the test and was marked with "File & Wire Tested". This method and mark was used by Schatt & Morgan for many years and evolved into a brand. Today, the Schatt & Morgan brand is produced by Queen Cutlery in the old Schatt & Morgan factory in Titusville, Pa.

Fish Knife

Tickler handle, has hook disgorger and scaler.

Fish Tail (Handle Shape)

Has a bowtie bolster and a fish tail butt.

Flat Ground

The surface of the blade is flat from or near the back of the blade to the beginning of the sharpening bevel. Most production pocket knives are flat ground; most handmade hunting knives are hollow ground.

Fleam (Blade Shape)

A special shape blade for bleeding to slice the vein length wise.

Florist (Blade Shape)

A hooked blade, less pronounced than a hawkbill.

Folding Hunter

Large folder with a blade suitable for skinning.

Frame-Lock

The Frame-Lock has its origin in the Michael Walker Liner-Lock. Michael made this style lock a very useful one by adding the ball detent which pulls the blade down into the handle the last quarter inch or so and holds it in place. To overcome the "hold" created by the ball in the lock dropping into an appropriately sized and placed hole in the blade takes only a little force exerted by the movement of the blade using a nail mark, thumbstud, flipper, etc.

The Liner-Lock, as its name indicates, uses the liner to lock the blade in the open position. The Frame-Lock uses the same concept, but since there is no liner, a "locking bar" is cut from one side of the knife frame and is used in much the same way the liner is used to lock the blade in the open position. Chris Reeve is often given credit for inventing the Frame-Lock. He certainly was a very early user and popularized it in the Sebenza. A knife with this lock, which is stronger than the liner lock, is usually a premium knife with higher quality workmanship and materials than the typical liner lock. This lock is widely used by ourselves, Benchmade, CRKT and all of those using today’s modern designs and techniques for knife production.

Full Length Tang

A tang that runs through the hilt, handle and pommel.

Full Tang

A tang which shows all around the handle of the knife between two pieces of handle material.

Fuller

A groove that lightens and stiffens the blade. Also known as a blood groove, though the term is inaccurate.