What do you do with your mediocre knife creations?

[Jim T]

Here's another somewhat inane question...

What do you guys do with knives that don't turn out the way you want? Being a relative newbie I continue to make my share of mistakes while I travel along my learning curve. I therefore have a number of "learning experiences" that I've hidden away in a drawer. As knives they work just fine, they just don't measure up to my standards. Maybe the symmetry is off or the fit and finish isn't great, etc. For that reason I haven't put my makers mark on them and I'm sure not going to sell them. I guess I could just give them away. I sure don't need anymore "shop knives".

What does everyone else do with their less-than-quality work?

Jim

[Doug Lester]

That sounds like a plan to me. That or fill up a drawer. If they're not too bad, you might consider giving them away in a KITH exchange.

Doug Lester

[ARCustomKnives]

If I can't turn a mistake into a "different than planned" knife of equal quality to what I was going for (I.E., if a partial flat grind inadvertently becomes a full flat grind) then I'll file it away into my mistakes pile as a lesson learned.

And the important thing is just that: That you learn what you did wrong or what lead to that mistake. Even if it's just plain inexperience, your at least gaining more experience with every mistake, so it shouldn't be counted as a loss.

I typically won't even give pieces away that I've messed up on, as that work is likely to be passed on or showed to other people, and I don't feel that it's an accurate representation of my capabilities as a knife maker.

[racinca]

I definately will not sell or give away knives that are not up to the best that I can do. I would recommend that you just keep them in a box or drawer in the shop. If you do give them away, plenty of other people will see them and those knives will build a reputation for you that you don't want to have.

Don't let that discourage you, though. You can learn from every mistake and that will make your next knife better. Another thing you can use them for is testing. I just used one of my "mistake" knives for a thorough test - chopping, cutting, stabbing, etc. Then I put it in the vise and broke it to examine the grain size. This will tell you a lot about how tough your knives are, how well they will hold an edge, how far they will bend, etc. The grain size will let you know the quality of the heat treat.

Good luck.
Tony

[DAN VAN]

My first knives weren't as good as they are now but were acceptable to give away to close relatives who will keep them because of who made them. Dan

[ElectricZombie]

I'll usually test them to destruction or use them around the shop. Otherwise, they end up in the trash.

[terence]

usually the ones i keep for myself

[Doug Lester]

I guess that I should qualify my answere. I had in mind knives that were just a little off, more than just some of those minor errors that some people actually look for to show that the knife was hand made and not turned out on a computer driven mill. If there is anything that is even moderately off it goes into the mistake drawer. If it's a good usable knife that is just a little too off to feel right about selling then I personally see not problem with giving it away, especially to someone who will be using it. Call it field testing.

Doug Lester

[SVanderkolff]

I find these types of knives are my best learning tools. Stick them in a drawer but take them out occassionally and see if you can figure a way to make them right. It is amazing what you will learn in the process of trying to take a not quite right knife and make it right.
Steve

[ckluftinger]

i have a handful of those kicking around. I don't know yet what to do with them, and i can't decide if they are good enough - or bad enough - to be kept or thrown out. I don't know about you guys, but I have never made a knife that was perfect in my eyes. i know on each one where that little fault lies. No one except me knows, or can tell (I'm sure some of you could!), but i know the imperfections. (Sometimes I find a fault long after the knife is finished...) I accept them as being the result of a hand-made artifact. i can only strive for perfection, or something close thereto, but I also have to realize that this is not something I will ever achieve. I won't let it bother me, because if it did, it would drive me insane, and I would quit making knives. Having been a competitive cook I learned that you have to accept "good enough", without ever giving up striving for better results. I guess that's what keeps me going, and learning. in the mean time, I try not to fill that drawer of rejects. I'd rather re-work them into something else, something "good enough".

[GHEzell]

Test the heck out of it, then give it to the river.... In 500 years some archeologist will find it and not notice the flaw.

(the pond out back is full of them)

[Kostoglotov]

+1 for the beat the heck out of it and then test it to failure.

I think I have a lot of broken knives lol

[AUBE]

Some of mine end up as test pieces....either for me to carry as an edc to further test the design, or to test to destruction. Some end up given to family.

But unlike most makers I will actually sell knives that have cosmetic flaws (but never structural flaws!). Heres my reasoning behind it: I make inexpensive using knives priced at a range people can buy and use without worrying about scratchin it up with use. I do not aim for a reputation of flawless high-end pieces....if that was the reputation I aimed for nobody would ever see the flaws...it would be counterproductive to my end goal.

Now the part I enjoy most about selling them is I will mark the price down, point out to my customers exactly what is wrong with the knife, then I usually donate most of the profits to charity. I completely understand having pride in workmanship, but there are other things to be proud of too. I'm proud I can use the money to help out starving kids, etc instead of just burying the blades in my backyard. So the customer is happy to get a discount blade, I'm happy to be able to help out the less fortunate, and of course those that the money ends up going to are happy about it. To me its a win-win situation.

[ckluftinger]

Originally Posted by AUBE

I'm proud I can use the money to help out starving kids, etc instead of just burying the blades in my backyard. So the customer is happy to get a discount blade, I'm happy to be able to help out the less fortunate, and of course those that the money ends up going to are happy about it. To me its a win-win situation.

Good on you!

[Gary Mulkey]

If you satisfied that you can't correct the flaw and are going to throw it into a drawer then you may want to put a date on it. That way in the future you can go back and see how your knives have improved. It's sometimes nice to look back and see how your skills have grown.