Hog House Model T Gen 2 Custom in Gunmetal Titanium
The Hog House Model T Gen 2 is a titanium frame lock folder from Pöytyä, Finland, serial no. 53. The blade is RWL-34 at 62 HRC in a bright satin finish, with multi-tier step milling worked into the main bevel. The handle is titanium in Hog House’s Gunmetal tone. It runs 8.07 inches open at 3.17 ounces. Condition is excellent, and it has never been carried.
This is a custom knife, and the term is worth defining. A custom is a unique, handcrafted tool designed and built by an individual artisan. It is not stamped out in a factory. The steel, the blade shape, the handle material and every decorative choice are tailored by that person. That happens by hand and with the help of specialized machinery.
Two men make these, and they make almost every part themselves. Our guide on how to choose a custom knife covers what that buys you.
The Piggery, the Haas VF-2, and Two Men Who Had Never Run a CNC
Hog House Knives was founded in 2021 in Pöytyä, Finland. Tapio Syrjälä came to it as a master bladesmith with a background in traditional Finnish puukko work. Viljami Salonen came from goldsmithing, where close-tolerance hand fitting is the whole job.
Late in 2021 they found an affordable CNC machine, a 1998 Haas VF-2, nearly unused. They had nowhere to put it. So they installed it in an old piggery, and that is where the name comes from.
Neither of them had run a CNC machine or written a CAM program. In their own telling they had it working within days, by trial and error. The knife in front of you is what that turned into.
They still make everything in house: machining, heat treating, grinding, texturing, anodizing and hand finishing. By their own account the only part they buy in is the M2.5 screws. Makers working at this level are covered in our guide to the most valuable custom knifemakers.
RWL-34 at 62 HRC, and Where You Have Met It Before
The blade is RWL-34, a powder metallurgy stainless developed by Damasteel and named for Bob Loveless. Its composition sits close to ATS-34 and 154CM, but the powder process gives it a finer and more even carbide structure.
You may have met it already without knowing. RWL-34 is one of the two steels Damasteel forge-welds into DS93X, their stainless damascus. It is the layer that carries the hardness, paired with PMC27 for toughness. Here it is used on its own.
Hog House run it to 62 HRC, the top of its working range. On a 3.5 inch blade that buys edge retention and a stable apex. Compare it against the Glenn Are Hovin Koda, where this same steel appears inside Damasteel’s pattern rather than alone.
Hog House Model T Step Milling and the Flathead Pivot
The main bevel carries multi-tier step milling. Rather than grinding to a single flat plane, they cut the bevel into stepped tiers. Each tier catches light at a different angle down the length of the blade.
That is difficult work on a hardened blade and it serves no cutting purpose. It is there because the two of them can do it and most people cannot.
The pivot is cut as a flathead screwdriver slot rather than a Torx socket. It is a deliberate choice, and it dates the knife to a specific moment in the makers’ design language.
The blade also carries an elongated thumb and finger fuller, a long milled channel along the flat. It lightens the blade and gives a purchase point behind the edge. See our other folding knives for comparable machining.
The Lock, and the Blue Chameleon Anodizing
The lock is a titanium frame lock with a hardened steel lockbar interface. Titanium is soft enough to gall against a steel tang over time. A steel insert takes that wear instead of the frame.
There is also an integrated rounded overtravel stop. That prevents you bending the lockbar further than it is designed to travel. It is the most common way an owner damages a frame lock, and most makers leave it to the owner’s judgement.
The clip, screws, backspacer and pivot are anodized in Hog House’s Blue Chameleon. Anodized titanium takes its color from an oxide layer rather than a pigment. Chameleon describes a finish tuned to shift across a range as the angle changes.
Set against the Gunmetal frame, that gives you two titanium finishes on one knife and no paint anywhere on it.
Condition and What’s Included with This Hog House Model T
Condition is excellent. There are no blemishes, no wear, and no sign it has ever been carried. We inspect every knife in hand before we photograph it. Our published grading standards let you check this description against what arrives.
It came out of a collection rather than direct from the makers. The certificate is signed by both of them and records the serial, the model, the build date and the materials.
Hog House include a spare set of anodized screws with the knife. On a piece where the hardware is a finish rather than just fasteners, that is a thoughtful inclusion. Read how we handle provenance on pieces that arrive with their paperwork.
- Hog House Knives Model T Gen 2 folding knife, serial 53
- Original box
- Certificate of Authenticity signed by both makers
- Hog House decals
- Spare set of anodized screws
Hog House Model T Specifications
The serial, model, build date and materials are taken from the certificate signed by both makers.
- Overall length, open: 8.07 in
- Blade length: 3.5 in
- Cutting edge: 3.36 in
- Closed length: 4.56 in
- Blade material: RWL-34 powder stainless
- Hardness: 62 HRC
- Blade finish: Bright satin
- Blade grind: Flat, with multi-tier step milling on the main bevel
- Blade features: Elongated thumb and finger fuller
- Lock type: Titanium frame lock, hardened steel lockbar interface, integrated rounded overtravel stop
- Action: Manual
- Deployment: Flipper tab
- Pivot: Flathead screwdriver-style configuration
- Handle material: Titanium, Hog House Gunmetal tone
- Hardware: Clip, screws, backspacer and pivot anodized Blue Chameleon
- Weight: 3.17 oz
- Serial No.:53
- Date made: November, 2024
- Country of origin: Pöytyä, Finland
- Condition: Excellent, never carried
- SKU: 00206-HHK-MODELT-GEN2-RWL34-20241101
This piece is preowned and came from a private collection. Browse our other preowned knives.
Video Description: One Good Looking Hog
The Hog House Model T Gen 2 Custom is a preowned custom folding knife in excellent condition. Tapio Syrjälä and Viljami Salonen built it in Pöytyä, Finland, and the certificate dates it November, 2024. The blade is RWL-34 at 62 HRC in bright satin, 3.5 inches long with 3.36 inches of cutting edge. The main bevel carries multi-tier step milling. Serial 53.
The handle is titanium in Hog House’s Gunmetal tone. The clip, screws, backspacer and pivot are anodized Blue Chameleon. The lock is a titanium frame lock with a hardened steel lockbar interface and a rounded overtravel stop. Deployment is a flipper tab. Overall length is 8.07 inches open and 4.56 inches closed, at 3.17 ounces. It ships with the box, the certificate and a spare set of anodized screws.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is RWL-34, and why run it to 62 HRC?
RWL-34 is a powder metallurgy martensitic stainless developed by Damasteel and named for Bob Loveless. Its composition is close to ATS-34 and 154CM, but powder production gives it a finer and more uniform carbide structure than either.
That fine structure is what lets it be run hard without becoming fragile. At 62 HRC, the top of its working range, you get edge retention and an apex that holds its geometry. On a 3.5 inch blade that is the right end of the range, because the knife is a cutter rather than a pry bar.
What is multi-tier step milling, and does it do anything?
It is machining, not etching. Instead of grinding the main bevel to one flat plane, the bevel is cut into a series of stepped tiers that descend toward the edge. Each tier sits at a slightly different angle, so the blade reads as bands of light rather than a single sheet.
It does nothing for cutting. It is difficult work on hardened stock, it consumes tooling, and it is the kind of thing a two-man shop does because it can. That is the honest answer, and it is the reason the knife costs what it does.
Why is the pivot a flathead slot instead of a Torx?
Aesthetics, and a degree of deliberate friction. A flathead slot reads cleaner across the face of the scale than a Torx socket, which is why Hog House use it on this generation.
The practical consequence is that you need a properly fitting flat driver rather than a standard Torx bit, and a slipped screwdriver on an anodized pivot leaves a mark that will not polish out. Most owners of a knife like this never disassemble it anyway.
Is the Hog House Model T a custom or a production knife?
A custom. It is designed and built by two named artisans who machine, heat treat, grind, texture, anodize and hand finish every piece themselves. By their own account the only component they buy in is the M2.5 screws.
The CNC machine does not change that. A custom is defined by individual authorship rather than by the absence of machinery, and both makers sign the certificate that comes with the knife. This one is serial 53.
What changed between Gen 1 and Gen 2?
The blade stock was thinned for better slicing geometry and the cutting ergonomics were revised. The overall footprint also grew slightly. Gen 1 ran 7.75 inches overall at 2.9 ounces on the same 3.5 inch blade, where this Gen 2 measures 8.07 inches at 3.17 ounces.
In practice that means a longer handle and a little more mass in the hand, on a blade that cuts better than the one it replaced.
Does We Buy Knife Collections actively support the broader knife enthusiast community?
Yes. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, We Buy Knife Collections is a curator and purveyor of fine custom made folding and fixed-blade knives. We are dedicated to the high-end custom knife community and we support knife rights advocacy.
Following our commitment upgrade in April 2026, we are proud to hold an AKTI Premier Membership, supporting the American Knife & Tool Institute’s vital advocacy and lobbying for knife owners, makers, and the future of the industry.
Buy This Hog House Model T
We inspect every knife in hand and photograph it ourselves. This is the first Hog House piece we have carried. Talk to us about selling your collection, or browse the rest of our latest arrivals.
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