Knifemaking and prices of "everything"

[The Tourist]

It goes way beyond the cost of the steel itself and disposable supplies. For me it's the stones, and for you guys it's probably slack belts.

However a few years ago fuel shot way up, and it looks like it's going up again. I began charging a "fuel tax" to transport my supplies to the outlets in a gas happy F-150. Every time I ship a knife it's eight to twelve bucks.

I also use antique glass, copious rags (and their laundry costs), pastes and polishes, oils of all kinds, ancillary products like cutting boards and fluteless steels, brass, leather, diamonds, 3M polishing papers, business cards...yikes!

In Wisconsin they project 4-dollar per gallon fuel by summer. If all costs get passed onto a chef (and I see no reason why they shouldn't be fairly charged) for a premium ten-inch Japanese gyuto chef knife, that translates into my first singular 300 dollar polishing fee in my entire fifteen year tenure.

[ron58]

i haven't bought any belts as of late,awhile back i got a deal on 2x72 belts from a guy that found out that knife making wasn't as easy as it looked,(and he did stock removal) i already had a kmg grinder so a friend bought his for a song!but i meant all materials and propane and gas and i just got a new 42 ton press before the sh** hit the fan,so i'm going to try and stick with it and try and save up to take Ed's class,and from where i live in florida just the airfare is going to suck!i just hope it will get a little bit better,man!

[boatbuilder]

This is a very good topic with lots of different opinions. I build knives for different reasons that what is stated here on this thread. I first started building knives because it was something I have wanted to do for a long time. Once I built 1, I wanted to build another. I find when I go into my knife shop, that all stress is left at the door. This alone is big enough payment for me. I have made many knives over the last quite a few years and have only sold a handfull. I have given many knives to friends,charity and people I work with. I gave a knife to a friend of my uncles for his grandson who was struggling with cancer. Doing this kind of thing gives more satisfaction than money can buy.
During that last few years I have had the privilege of meeting some real good people within the knife circle. I can say that I have some great new friends because of the kinfe industry. Again, money can't replace this.
I know that some of you guys depend on knife sales to put food on the table and I am not knocking this. I think it is a privilige to be able to do this and you should be proud. I don't know of any knife makers that have made a fortune making knifes but it seems to me that this circle within the knife makers is a real tight circle of great people willing to help others in the time of need.
I think every knife maker would be love to be able to make knives full and make a good living doing it. I know I can't make a living doing it, so I will continue building part time.
My payment is having something to do to take away the stress from our crazy world for a few hours a day.

Jim

[caseynz]

its also worth remembering that we are in a worldwide recession now.people always clam up and stop spending in a recession.the first things to get hit are luxury items(like a new custom knife).in a few years when everything starts turning up again it will be back to all good .it works in cycles ,just think about the great depression after the war.bet all the cutlers where doing it a lot harder then, than now,but eventually it all came right.

[ShaneMinnear]

Hi All
Thread is a few months old I know, but I was curious if sentiment had changed for anyone?

Shane

[SVanderkolff]

I am in the same boat as Boatbuilder Jim. I do this because I love it and as a stress relief. I figure as long as I get material cost plus a bit out of my knives I am ahead of the game. While I acknowledge that this makes it harder on the makers that are trying to help make ends meet or even put food on the table, for me this meets my needs. My sales are all in the 200 to 1000 range with far more tending to the 200 side. The top end of my range has pretty well dried up other than a few dedicated collectors and even they are being more cautious. I think the makers market is going to contine to be stratified. At the top will be the reputation makers, those whose quality combined with thier name will get them top dollar for their knives, then there will be a huge competition between the part timers, the starving full timers and the offshore high quality, all competing for the same 200 to 1000 market.
Not necessarily a bright future but I think thats what we are faced with.
Steve

[Ed Caffrey]

I've not seen much change. What prompted me to start this thread is not so much that a "down turn" occurred, but I think it's the fact that it's last so very long. As with most who have been around a while, I've seen this happen before, but it's going on 3 years now! That's much longer than any of the previous "recession" periods I've experienced in knifemaking.

For me, classes, and other ancillary things connected to knifemakers/knifemaking have remained steady....but knife orders and knife sales are still scraping bottom.

This might be "bad form" to some, but I believe that until we get a President who isn't intent on running this country into the ground, I doubt anything is going to change.....and IF he gets re-elected, I can see things getting much worse than the are now.

[AUBE]

Originally Posted by o'malley

Hi All
Thread is a few months old I know, but I was curious if sentiment had changed for anyone?

Shane

Shane,

Not much change on my part.

Our sales have actually increased but then so have our costs, and we haven't raised prices to compensate. So overall we are slightly ahead of where we were last year.


Ed,

That's not bad form at all, tha'ts honesty and I agree with you. IMO we need most of the upper politicians replaced. This spending is out of hand. And there's so much of it we don't hear about. I'm in the Philippines and in the last few months the US has donated 2 Coast Guard ships to here, $200,000 for a cyber crime division in the city I'm in. Offered the use of spy drones, and is currently undergoing war games with this country. I hear about it because I'm here but none of my family had heard about it back home. I guess in the last decade 500million dollars have been given to this country alone. The sad part is most of the politicians here are very corrupt and much of the money just ends up lining their pockets. So in short we are paying not only the salary for our corrupt politicians, but also other countries corrupt politicians as well. Things need to change.

[timekeeper]

As a part time maker/hobbiest...........I've seen wood, steel, and belt prices skyrocket.
I no longer even look for 'bargain' knife wood on e'bay.........too much competition, and the shipping charges take any 'bargain' right out.
Aslo I've started buying precision ground steel instead of the rough annealed steels in the 10 series. If I have to de-carb and square up the sides, the belts and time factor just dont pencil.
I've found the furniture/wood turning suppliers of woods to be a more practical place for me to shop......but..........the shipping still sucks, so buy in bulk.
I'm to the point now that my basic hunter/skinner/edk will START out with a price of X and if the customer wants stag, brazilian rosewood, filework, a nice hamon, or something that takes more time the price goes up. This hobby costs money, but it sure is fun.

[fjkratky]

Goverment says we have no inflation except for price of fuel and food. Well anyone that purchases metal and wood products, tires, tools, farm chemicals, etc. etc. knows this is false. Do not want to get political, but nothing is going to get better till we get a president thats main goal is to build our economy instead of tearing it down. We CAN NOT survive on alternate fuel sources till they become viable and affordable. If fuel prices keep exploding that is going to leave less and less money in the pockets of knife collectors for discresionary purchases. The plans on the drawing board for gun control is going to be hot and heavy in the next four years if we elect the same man, and folks gun collectors are also knife collectors. There are also those who are suggesting Knife restrictions.

[Julie Coffey]

This economy is the worst I've seen in my 48 years, and it is affecting everything. Aside from being a multi-media artist I also raise imported Great Danes, in the past 4+ years I've seen my reasonably pet-priced puppies from solid parents move, but more and more slowly, so slowly that I'm now at the point where I've retired 4 of my 6 dogs and placed them in pet homes. I might breed one last litter from my favorite female before retiring her, but after that I'm done.

It's a painful decision but one I feel forced into making. A knife can be held onto until sold. I can't hold onto a puppy indefinitely, let alone 10 of them. So after 25+ years I'm retiring.