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The Business of Knife Making A forum dedicated to all aspects of running, managing and legal operational issues relating to the custom knife making and custom knife selling industry.

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  #1  
Old 02-10-2004, 07:47 PM
Coutel Coutel is offline
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To custom or not

I am having some thoughts about where I want to go and how I get there.



I am begining to get quite a few orders under my belt but working to someone elses design constraints doesnt really grab me. I can do it, but it becomes a chore.

I could think of nothing worse than having orders backed up for months or years.......

I need to be creative, experiment, push my own limits and make knives which are totaly mine.....I dont want the pressure of mutiple orders...I dont want to be a machine.

Does anyone else feel this way?





Any advice?

Thanks.

Kevin.

Last edited by Coutel; 02-10-2004 at 07:50 PM.
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  #2  
Old 02-10-2004, 07:58 PM
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McAhron McAhron is offline
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I would do what you enjoy and when a project comes your way that you are not interested in doing simply tell the customer that you are not interested and then suggest another maker for the customer to contact.if the makers you suggest are reliable,trustworthy and good then you have done both the customer and the maker a favor.i dont think i could make as quality a knife if i wasnt enthused by it in the first place.
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  #3  
Old 02-10-2004, 10:47 PM
fitzo fitzo is offline
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I can simply tell you what happened to me.

I sold my first knife in 1983. I have never been a prolific maker, but between '83 and '91 I busted me arse for 4-8 hours nightly in the shop after working a 9-11 hour day. I sold everything I wanted to as soon as it was made, many of which I'd have liked to hold for awhile and both appreciate what I'd done and see where I could have done better. I was really hot on "making it" as a knifemaker, thinking that selling a bunch of knives would be a "marker" of success. I wanted to join the Guild and become "noticed"; I had my papers signed and was ready to submit them before I got a good look and decided I didn't like organizations so much anymore. I was taking orders and filling them, but it slowly eroded from being fun to being a real drag. I didn't want to make "models" or customer designs. I wanted to make one-offs, each new knife pushing myself a bit farther in design, execution, and technique.

By 1991 I was getting really fed up with the madding rush. I was also getting fed up with telling people "3 months" and having them start pestering me after 2 weeks for "progress" reports. It lost all its appeal and got to be a real drag. I quit totally around 1993.

I've returned to knifemaking now, but only for fun. I no longer seek to sell knives. I may sell some, but at my own pace and desire. I'd like to do a show or two again, maybe, but just cuz I enjoy the crowd.

The moral to this story is not that selling knives, busting yer butt constantly, seeking recognition, or getting annoyed with customers (as long as you keep it to yourself) is bad. What is the moral, is that you have to be very sincere with yourself about what your goals are, and live to achieve them.

Happiness in the craft is far more important to me than success at selling knives. I tell you this not to suggest my way is right for anyone but me. What you have to decide is what way is right for you and live by it.

Last edited by fitzo; 02-10-2004 at 11:03 PM.
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  #4  
Old 02-11-2004, 06:38 AM
Coutel Coutel is offline
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Thanks guys. I really appreciate your replies.

Mike, you have echoed a lot of what I feel,.. in fact it could almost be me writing that in 10 years from now if I didnt re access my goals..

Thanks.


Anyone else any comments?
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  #5  
Old 02-11-2004, 10:49 AM
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McAhron McAhron is offline
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Coutel i would post this in the outpost for more responses,many of the people there only read the outpost threads
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  #6  
Old 02-11-2004, 01:15 PM
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Chuck Burrows Chuck Burrows is offline
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Quote:
The moral to this story is not that selling knives, busting yer butt constantly, seeking recognition, or getting annoyed with customers (as long as you keep it to yourself) is bad. What is the moral, is that you have to be very sincere with yourself about what your goals are, and live to achieve them.
That's a good way to put it - custom orders can be a real pain in the patootie (I have stories, boy do I have stories!!) but if one chooses to go into this as a business then custom orders are going to be a necessity at least until you get "famous" enough not to need them or you will have to go into some form of semi-production, or......

For me the good out weighs the bad (well there are days ), but when taking commissions then the best advice is to make things clear up front and keep the lines of communication open - one thing that helps is telling the customer that any changes in the design will not only take more time but will also increase the price - that helps a lot.

Bottomline for me is this is my sole source of income and custom orders, especially with leather goods, are part of that business and in most cases the "good" customers are far more than the "bad" ones. Having a secondary source of income though will help because you then have the ability to say no to those questionable orders - something not so easy to do when cash flow is low and every order is money in the bank.


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  #7  
Old 02-11-2004, 10:09 PM
fitzo fitzo is offline
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There ya go, just come along and be reasonable, go ahead, Chuck!

Jeesh, ain't no one gonna have a bad attitude with me?

Chuck's right, of course. I had the primary income so I could go it as I desired.
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  #8  
Old 02-12-2004, 07:05 AM
Coutel Coutel is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by fitzo
There ya go, just come along and be reasonable, go ahead, Chuck!

Jeesh, ain't no one gonna have a bad attitude with me?

Chuck's right, of course. I had the primary income so I could go it as I desired.

I agree with both views. Knifemaking isnt my primary income either......
I think I need to focus on what I want to do at this time and take the occasional order when I want to and not feel pressured by having a backlog of orders.

Not to say that I wont change my mind in the future.

Last edited by Coutel; 02-19-2004 at 05:57 PM.
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  #9  
Old 02-18-2004, 08:16 PM
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Geno Geno is offline
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The custom orders I do are the ones "I" want to do.
I don't accept them all, and am happy to tell said customer where to shop to find what he needs.
Sometimes I send them to another maker who might need the business or someone I think might even do a better job, but I don't feel I need to meet everyone's demands to stay afloat.
I can work on a few at a time while I do my stuff and it gives me extra income to keep going, plus gives me the challenge to expand my abilities.
Right now I'm working on a WW1 trench knife that has a fold up guard. A neat design that will help me be more versatile in the future too. I accept them as challenges (at the right price) or simply feel like doing it.

If you don't feel comfortable with an order, BE HONEST upfront.
Communication is the key element in your dealings, it needs to feel right.
just my .02
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  #10  
Old 02-19-2004, 06:52 AM
Coutel Coutel is offline
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Thanks Gene.

One or two custom orders are ok, and as you said they can be a challenge and expand my abilities.

Kevin.
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  #11  
Old 02-19-2004, 09:22 AM
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Don Robinson Don Robinson is offline
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I make most all kinds of knives, but my favorites are my folders.

All my knives are truly custom made, since I build each to suit my customer's needs. No two are exactly alike. My customer picks the style, size, furniture, embellishments, blade steel, shape, etc. he wants with my advise and agreement. I enjoy making every knife.

That said, I sometimes agree to do something new for a knife if the customer seriously wants it. I've made combat knives for soldiers who wanted a combination of two or 3 production knife styles, or a certain style of sheath.

I enjoy new things and learning.

For me, making any knife isn't a problem if the size suits my heat treat furnace. The principles and methods are all the same.

I make knives for my own enjoyment, not for the money it brings in. It is nice, however, to do what I enjoy and have someone else pay me to do it.

I turn down orders for some things, though, because I don't think it's practical, or simply don't want to do it. I don't make swords, prybars or screw#######.
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  #12  
Old 02-24-2004, 08:25 PM
santino santino is offline
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I had a situation once with a custom order. To start things off it was my first double edge knife. The customer wanted a knife like one he'd seen on a movie. I priced it too low, botched up the first blade and had to start over again. It was a sub-hilt and the blade flats were wide I really had a time with that one but I also made a happy customer and tried some things that I'd never done before, so it was a good learning experience
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  #13  
Old 03-09-2004, 12:02 PM
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Steven Licata Steven Licata is offline
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One of the ways I have delt with the orders issue is multple drawings. When someone contacts me I send them a dozen drawings of what style they are interested in. And then let them mix and match components. (ie.. the blade from A with the gaurd from D and the handle from G) the customer then feels he has something to do with the design process. I keep the order within my style and what my tools are capable of. As a full timer I do not have the choice but to take orders. But it helps to steer the customer in my own direction.
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