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  #16  
Old 04-20-2004, 05:45 PM
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Roger Gregory Roger Gregory is offline
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Quote:
Originally posted by J.Loose

On another note, I'm not sure, but I think I recognize the knife & maker that started this thread and.... I think it's quite possibly a *former* CKD member.

I did wonder about that

The former CKD member no longer seems to have that knife website so I can't see the pictures .....

Roger


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  #17  
Old 04-20-2004, 05:49 PM
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You mean the "banned Bean"? I remember all of that mess.


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  #18  
Old 04-20-2004, 07:54 PM
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Nahhhhhh, I don't think was the good Doctor. He was MUCH more skillfull in his words and bulldog to describe that knife with only a cheesy paragraph. Wrong state.

The pricing is in his league, though. Although nothing is said about the 'perpetual guarantee'....

Coop


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  #19  
Old 04-20-2004, 08:51 PM
Sandy Morrissey Sandy Morrissey is offline
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Coop, you took the words out of my mouth---

Dr. Gene would never have used twenty words when a thousand would suffice. Having once been the subject of his ire I feel no reason not to name him. He was an ass. I can see the similarity between the two, as Dr. Gene had a "thing" about the Arkansas toothpick as well as some so called antiquities in which he assumed an expertise I doubt was warranted. I do believe the "Doctor" resided in Florida at the time he was banned and not in California.--- Frankly, I can not imagine Gene claiming to have made that knife without identifying himself with a lengthy autobiography. Sandy


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  #20  
Old 04-22-2004, 11:57 PM
Frank Niro Frank Niro is offline
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Hello . I sell something new almost weekly on ebay through a friend who acts as an agent. This has also encouraged as many sales without ebay's use. I sell folders only whose values run from say $200 to $1100. This meathod of selling allows me to make what I want within certain limits of values with certain materials. No mattter what the selling price, I try to maintain the best craftmanship I am capabable of. I of course, don't believe ebay is a place for dead beats in the knife making business although as you have pointed out there are always those types there as they are else where.I do not avertise in magazines nor do I travel to shows to sell. I admit to the fact that for the last few months sales are slow and prices offered low, however, for the previous year or so my income would have to have been considered very reasonable to live by. If you are interested in seeing some of my work, go to the CKD Directory and use the search button. You will find three or four of my folders for sale. Ron Lockhart acts as my agent. Many collectors who buy one of my folders buy at least one more. I am told that that my work has good quality, and that buyers enjoy the variety I make as well as the full lenghth shaping I do. Frank Niro


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  #21  
Old 04-23-2004, 07:53 AM
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Sandy, you hit the nail right on the head
Quote:
Dr. Gene would never have used twenty words when a thousand would suffice.
Frank N, I'm just starting my folder career, and will also be trying Ebay I'm sure. Your work is amazing!


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  #22  
Old 04-23-2004, 09:16 AM
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Frank,

When you say that sales for the past few months have been slow, do you mean on E-bay or also in the other places you sell?

Just curious because my sales have ground to a halt.

Anyone else? If you ask me, I think that the figures released by the Gov't stating that everything's fine are, well, skewed to say the least.


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  #23  
Old 04-23-2004, 12:10 PM
Frank Niro Frank Niro is offline
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An honest man is asking a question. We are managing to hang in there but at a very low market price and with the number of sales being reduced. I am still seeing buyers coming back on or off of ebay for another folder purchase but as with us all, they very aware of where market sales are at this time. The collector -dealers we know are saying that this is the poorest market conditions they have seen in their five years or more of being in business. Frank


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  #24  
Old 04-23-2004, 12:30 PM
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Market saturation?? I hope not! Seems like there'll always be collectors and end-users for knives out there. Wish I would have started knives years ago however.


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  #25  
Old 04-23-2004, 12:48 PM
JossDelage JossDelage is offline
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My experience is that prices & sales for forged blades have been heating up a lot lately. I'd like to hear from Les on that, since my little corner of the world is pretty small. But as an opportunistic buyer, I have seen few bargains lately.


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  #26  
Old 04-23-2004, 05:12 PM
Frank Niro Frank Niro is offline
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My outlook is for a building recovery in the market place for knives. However I do believe that an evaluation is taking place as has happened many times in the past that will mean lower selling prices for comparable items. I do not believe knives much below $250 or those above $800 will see a change except in how much they are in demand. I live in a country with such a small population that the number of collectors is almost countable. I must sell particularly in the U.S.A. and of course world wide to feed my desire to make. Some good makers will do well: some good makers for whatever reasons will not. I believe that when the general economic situation improves, so will sales. There will always be more makers and hopefully there will also be more collectors because as I always write "without collectors there will not be makers'. Frank.


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  #27  
Old 04-23-2004, 07:10 PM
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Quote:
There will always be more makers
Frank, you're exactly right. I wonder about the attrition rate though. We gain lots of new members all the time, but I'm wondering how many leave the hobby during that same time. One of my favorite things to do is read old posts on the CKD forums, starting with the beginning. There are a lot of names that I haven't heard mentioned during the 1.5-2 years I've been a member. I'm sure there are many reasons for this, family and finances probably being towards the top. Wish it wern't so!

I wonder how much sells on the Makers forum. I see fantastic work posted there every day, and if I were a rich man, I'd be buying a lot of it up for myself, but I wonder if it all sells, or maybe a lesser percentage. Of course that's a question that really can't be answered I guess. Lots of guys post work there over and over, so something surely is happening.


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  #28  
Old 04-23-2004, 07:27 PM
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Sales? I guess it depends on the market - my old west leather and knife sales are so far this year about twice as good as last years (I'm around 6 months backordered as of now).
The Cactusforge collaborations I've been doing with Gib have all sold and our one dealer wants more, but right now we're both busy filling orders so they are on the back burner although I should have another piece done by the middle of next week.

Will it last - who knows I can only hope as it's our (my wife and I) sole source of income and I'm too bloody old and set in my ways to go look for a "real" job.

Jon - A thought? with the quality of your Scottish dirks and sgians have you checked into the the Scots Highland Games/Reenactors, etc as and alternate market? I've worked on the fringe of that market in the past and from what I saw it can be lucrative.


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  #29  
Old 04-24-2004, 12:13 AM
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Keith Montgomery Keith Montgomery is offline
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Well, I can tell you one thing, this collector is still buying knives. The thing is that I have champagne taste and so can only afford two or three knives a year. This year so far I have gotten a beauty from Chuck and Gib. In two to three weeks I have a huge bowie coming from Ron Newton. Mid summer there will be a bowie coming from Roger Massey and hopefully before the end of the year I will be getting another bowie from Jerry Fisk. That is a lot of knives for me.

There are a few other collectors that I know that are purchasing large quantities of knives right now. For the most part these are forged knives, but I have seen these guys get quite a few stock removal knives as well.

The makers that I have been dealing with all have between a 6 month and 6 year backlog. These makers are as busy as they have ever been. This thread is actually the first I have seen anyone mention that there is a slowdown in the custom knife business.

I will continue to spend whatever I can on custom knives. That doesn't help much I know, but it is the best I can do.


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  #30  
Old 04-24-2004, 12:32 AM
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Keith,

*Six year* backlog. Yup, that puts a few things in perspective.

Chuck,

I've been involved in the re-enactment scene since I was 14 or so. Some of those folks are cool but have about as much money as me. The highland scene seems the same.

I'm looking at relocating, finding a part-timer and making exactly what I want in terms of blades in the near future. I've gotten to the point where depending on knives for income is making it difficult to make them the way I want.

Money kills creativity. I tried this one way. Gonna keep trying other ways until it works.


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