WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA
Forged by Hand
One-of-one fixed blades, shaped at the anvil and finished by hand. Each knife carries the weight of intention and the mark of its maker.
THE MAKER
A Restless Hand Finds the Forge
Drake Fultz has spent the better part of two decades building things that feed people. As owner and operator of three restaurants, he understands the particular satisfaction that comes from turning raw materials into something worth savoring. The knife work began the same way most lasting obsessions do: quietly, in stolen hours after the dinner rush, with a belt grinder and more ambition than technique.
What started as a private discipline became something harder to keep quiet. Friends carried his blades into the field. Collectors started asking questions. The hobby outgrew the word. Drake Fultz Co. is the result of that passage, from pastime to practice, built on the same conviction that shaped his restaurants: if you are going to put your name on it, the work has to justify the asking price.
CURRENT OFFERINGS
The Collection
Each blade is a singular piece, forged and ground without templates or CNC assistance. Handle materials, sheath construction, and edge geometry vary from one knife to the next. When a piece sells, it does not return.
The Midnight
Full-Tang Fixed Blade
Dressed entirely in black, from the forge-finished blade to the hand-stitched leather sheath. The handle is shaped from ebony, contoured for a forward grip, with a paracord lanyard and knurled titanium bead. White saddle stitching and a single copper rivet mark the sheath.
Blade: 1095 High Carbon
Handle: Ebony
Sheath: Hand-Stitched Leather
$485
Available
The Ember
Drop-Point Fixed Blade
Stabilized burl wood scales with hand-polished red G10 liners give this piece its warmth. The blade carries a stone-washed finish over a flat grind, balanced for detail work and field processing alike.
Blade: 80CrV2 Carbon Steel
Handle: Stabilized Burl Wood
Sheath: Leather / Red Stitch
$575
Available
The Ridgeline
Bushcraft Fixed Blade
Purpose-built for hard use in the backcountry. The crosshatch canvas micarta handle darkens and burnishes with wear, making each knife a record of the miles behind it.
Blade: 1095 High Carbon
Handle: Canvas Micarta
Sheath: Veg-Tan Leather
$425
Sold
The Coalfield
Utility Fixed Blade
Forge-scale left intact along the spine gives this blade a texture that recalls the coal country where it was shaped. Dark burlap micarta handles, hand-ground to a working contour.
Blade: 1084 Carbon Steel
Handle: Dark Burlap Micarta
Sheath: Hand-Stitched Leather
$450
Available
Black Rose Field Knife
Everyday Fixed Blade
The knife that started the conversation. A workhorse blade in crosshatch canvas micarta, paired with a brown vegetable-tanned sheath with a copper snap.
Blade: 1095 High Carbon
Handle: Canvas Micarta
Sheath: Veg-Tan Leather
$425
Available
The Copperhead
Camp Fixed Blade
Named for the copper-toned natural micarta scales and matching brass handle pins that catch the light at the tree line. A broader blade profile with a forge-darkened finish.
Blade: 80CrV2 Carbon Steel
Handle: Natural Micarta
Sheath: Kydex
$395
Sold
The Suncatcher
Compact Fixed Blade
Osage orange shaped into a handle that glows against the dark forge finish of the blade. The compact profile keeps this knife light in the hand and fast out of the sheath.
Blade: 1095 High Carbon
Handle: Osage Orange
Sheath: Black Leather
$415
Available
The Timberline
Sculpted-Handle Fixed Blade
Carved from figured hardwood with a spiral fluting that locks the grip under pressure, set against a brass bolster that separates the wood from the steel.
Blade: 80CrV2 Carbon Steel
Handle: Sculpted Hardwood
Sheath: Kydex / Multi-Mount
$525
Available
THE MAKER'S MARK
Every Blade Carries a Name
Each sheath is stamped with Drake’s maker’s mark before the final stitching closes. It is a small gesture with a plain meaning: this knife was made by one person, start to finish, and that person stands behind the work. No batch numbers. No production line. Just a name pressed into leather.
FROM STEEL TO SHEATH
The Process
01
Selection
Bar stock is chosen by intended purpose. High-carbon steels for edge retention and toughness. No stainless, no shortcuts.
02
Forging
Heated to critical temperature and shaped under the hammer. Bevels roughed at the anvil, refined on the belt grinder.
03
Handle Work
Scales are fitted, pinned, and contoured by hand. Every handle shaped to the blade it accompanies.
04
Sheath & Finish
Leather is cut, wet-molded, hand-stitched. The final edge is set, the maker’s mark stamped.
PHILOSOPHY
Built to Carry, Not to Display
There is a category of knife that exists mostly in photographs. Glass cases and velvet trays. That is not this. Every blade that leaves Drake Fultz Co. is built with the expectation that it will be carried hard, used in weather, and sharpened in the field.
Drake does take custom orders for those willing to wait. Each commission begins with a conversation about intended use, preferred materials, and the details that matter to the person who will carry the knife. Lead times vary, but the standard applies to every build: nothing leaves until it meets the maker’s eye.
Drake Fultz
GET IN TOUCH
Acquire a Piece
New blades are released in small batches with no fixed schedule. Custom orders are welcome. Reach out directly.