An open Frabosan with a pale grained wood handle resting on a closed Frabosan, with the metal ferrule at the base of the blade

The Frabosan

..the knife of history and tradition that belongs to our valleys..

The Frabosan is the knife of the comune of Frabosa. After how well the Barachin had gone, the idea came of taking up the making of this historic knife again, by then almost extinct. It is a particular pride for me, since I grew up in Frabosa. The first step was a numbered pre-series of 50 pieces for Christmas 2009, and now it is available to order.

Six Frabosan knives open and fanned out, seen from above, with handles in light and dark woods and the metal ferrule on each — Every handle is a single block of local wood, closed by the metal ferrule that is the mark of the Frabosan.

Like all our traditional knives it is a craftsman’s piece, made entirely by hand, with a forged carbon steel blade and a handle in local woods finished with its characteristic ferrule.

The blade is hand-forged carbon steel with a hammered brut de forge finish, about 7-8 cm long. Its shape comes out of the forging itself: the piece of steel is cut on a slant, with the least possible waste of material, because steel was once worth more than the labor that went into it.

Close-up of six hand-forged Frabosan blades, with the hammered surface and the maker's stamp on the heel — The brut de forge finish: the surface stays hammered as it comes off the forge, and the fine work is only along the cutting edge.

The handle is a single block of local wood — boxwood, laburnum, oak, walnut, chestnut and cherry — with the characteristic metal ferrule, which serves as a rest for the blade and protects the wood. Like the Barachin, the Frabosan is a pure friction folder: there is no locking mechanism, and it is the band, together with your grip, that keeps the blade open.

Another characteristic is the old habit of marking the handle with one or more carved rings, whose number and placing identified the maker. My Frabosans have a single ring, set a third of the way from the end of the handle.

Every Frabosan comes with its certificate of guarantee: a craftsman’s knife, made entirely by hand, in Italy, and free of any manufacturing defect that could affect its use or its working.

For more information, write to me at info@fabbroforgiatore.com.