All About Pocket Knives

With the recent sudden and unfortunate passing of custom knife maker and factory knife customizer Michael Fisher (RIP) who used T BAR K as his maker's mark, I am showing the knives I got from him here and invite others who are fortunate enough to own any of his knives to do likewise.

The two Case 549L Stag Copperlocks are both automatic conversions. Both blades on the two-blade Copperlock are double action automatic, with the shield on either side acting as the firing button.

The single blade Wharncliffe Copperlock is also a DA automatic and was modified with stag that Mr. Fisher sourced from a 100 year old butcher knife. The arrowhead shield serves as the firing button.

The small Bullet End Wharncliffe Lockback with barbed wire etched amber bone is 100% custom - hand made entirely from scratch and bears the maker's T BAR K stamp.

All three knives have fileworked spines, springs and spacers.

I have a belt buckle knife marked T/K was this a mark he used? I was never sure who the maker was.

Aloha and Mahalo Q. Those are amazing and gorgeous knives! I am not fortunate enough to own any of Mr. Fischer's incredible creations, but am very happy that you have those 3 beauties my friend. Thanks for showing them.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:13 pm With the recent sudden and unfortunate passing of custom knife maker and factory knife customizer Michael Fisher (RIP) who used T BAR K as his maker's mark, I am showing the knives I got from him here and invite others who are fortunate enough to own any of his knives to do likewise.

I'm sorry to read of his passing. I remember reading about him some time ago.
A very talented guy and the beautiful knives you show, Q, are evidence of that.
May he Rest In Peace.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:13 pm….I am showing the knives I got from him here

thank you Q, each of your acquired knives are special but that lockback with the barbed wire jigging hits ALL of my buttons - what a great sub-collection you have assembled. Very special.

Godspeed to Michael Fisher. His conversions were awesome. He also developed the best knife oil with the guy from Latama of Italy.

He was one of the good ones, for sure!

Rockingkj wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:29 pm I have a belt buckle knife marked T/K was this a mark he used? I was never sure who the maker was.

That, I couldn't say. Seems entirely possible though; Michael was a creative cutler and it certainly seems like the type of knife he would make.

Would love to see a photo of it.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 07, 2024 5:06 pm

Rockingkj wrote: ↑Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:29 pm I have a belt buckle knife marked T/K was this a mark he used? I was never sure who the maker was.

That, I couldn't say. Seems entirely possible though; Michael was a creative cutler and it certainly seems like the type of knife he would make.

Would love to see a photo of it.

Found the knife a bit more easily than I thought I would. Was in my 1st box I looked in of my gunshow inventory. I now see T BAR K on the blade.

Tank, aka, Mike Fisher was a dear friend. Met him in the early 80s. I was making a few knives and he would hang around and ask a lot of questions. He decided he was going to be a knife maker. He rigged up a little shop in a shed beside his house and went to work with a grinder that was also his buffer.
He showed up one day with a bandage on his ear and a medium size blade to show me. I was more interested in the bandage story. Seems his buffer had snagged the blade and threw it. It hit his ear on the way to wall it stuck in behind him.
I fell out of gear and tank just got better and better at his chosen craft. Over the years, he repaired, re-scaled several knives for me. A while back, I sent him about 10lbs of some really fancy coco bolo to do whatever he wanted to with because I was never going to use it. He surprised me with a beatiful set of grips for one of my 1911's.
I was in contact with him when he went in the hospital. On our afternoon "check in", his sweet wife informed me of his passing.
I've kept in contact with her. She mentioned that Tank had a couple of his auto conversions that he'd made and never intended to sell. She asked if I would like one because she figured he'd want me to have one. I now have a Copperlock in stag. It's file worked and has reeded liners. That along with a fixed blade I bought from him a few months before he passed are treasures to me.
He was a good Christian man and talented blade Smith. I'm honored to have known him.

Owd Wullie wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 2:00 pm He was a good Christian man and talented blade Smith. I'm honored to have known him.

Thanks for the story. Personal and insightful.

Owd Wullie wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 2:00 pm ...auto conversions that he'd made and never intended to sell. She asked if I would like one because she figured he'd want me to have one. I now have a Copperlock in stag.

Beautiful file work on that stag Copperlock! I am curious if it is an auto conversion?

Reason I ask is because I don't see a pin in the shield (which I assume is the release button) like on my Copperlocks.

QTCut5 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 6:00 pm

Owd Wullie wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 2:00 pm ...auto conversions that he'd made and never intended to sell. She asked if I would like one because she figured he'd want me to have one. I now have a Copperlock in stag.

Beautiful file work on that stag Copperlock! I am curious if it is an auto conversion?

Reason I ask is because I don't see a pin in the shield (which I assume is the release button) like on my Copperlocks.

Thanks, he did a beautiful job with this one. Yes it is an auto conversion. The pin is there, he just made it harder to see. It fires like a rocket.