A bit of advice needed.

Rick Marchand

Rick Marchand

Donkey on the Edge
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From the start I had my sights set on attaining an ABS ranking. I was fortunate enough learn under Wally Hayes and he is definately excited for me to attain my Journeyman Smith status, as well. I decided to put it off for another year and attended Blade 2010 to talk to as many MSs and JSs as I could. I am really happy with the direction my style is going but am afraid that it won't meet the requirements (not quality) laid out for JS. After talking to some ABS members, it was apparent that I would need to jump through hoops for the testing. I completely understand why. They need to see that you are capable of certain styles, crisp lines, symmetry and finishes. I don't have a problem doing this, and see it as a fun challenge. So what's the problem, right?

Well, I don't really know, to tell you the truth. I'm just getting a strange feeling like I am pretending to be somebody else to get into the ABS. Am I doing it just to have the stamp? I want it to mean more than that.

Am I thinking to much on this? Should I just shut up, jump through the hoops and go back to making knives my own way? Anyone else battle with this dilema?

Rick
 
How do I say this?

No ... I don't think you'd be pretending to be someone else. You are merely demonstrating, by taking a standardized test, that you've reached a certain level of mastery.

I reached the master level in my own discipline about 25 years ago. Most of the many, many tests I had to take involved areas, methods, sub-disciplines, and concepts I really have made little or no direct use of during my career. Nevertheless, I had to demonstrate an acceptable level of understanding ... and the ability to apply that understanding to practical and theoretical problems of the committee's choosing ... to attain master's rank.

The problem? It just isn't practical to adapt the test to each and every applicant. Instead, the applicants must adapt themselves to the tests -- which are designed to search broadly (and appropriately deeply) across one's entire discipline.

I hope this helps a bit. I know such tests are very demanding, but consider the self-confidence you will attain after your inevitable victory.:D And perhaps, one day, the standardized tests will start leaning in Rick Marchand's direction, after everyone has seen what you can do.

I know ... I know. I'm not a craftsman, as you are ... just a scientist. But I think the basic principles are very similar.:)
 
Thanks for the reply... I think I'm getting too histrionic about the whole thing. It is like you said... standard testing.


Rick
 
Rick,

It has to mean something to you or it's going to be a waste of your time. For me, I am going for it because I want to prove to myself that I can do it. If I pass, then I will continue to make knives the way I want to make them. The stamp would not alter the methods and finishes that I use. The stamp wouldn't change who I am as a maker.

You have your own style for sure. Your work is pretty reconizable for those of us that have seen a bunch of it on the forums. From a judging standpoint, (just guessing here, I'm not a judge :)) your knives may be harder to judge than most because they don't follow the typical patterns and features of test knives I've seen. That's not to be read as your quality is lacking. You're quality and attention to detail is obvious to makers and collectors alike. Let's face it, many of the test knives by various makers are all pretty similar. Yours would stand out for sure. Would they pass or not, I can't say.

Bottom line, if you want it to prove to yourself you can do it, go for it.

If it would mean changing who you are as a maker just to get the stamp, I wouldn't do it.

You could always alter your style to pass the tests (if that was necessary) then abondon those methods and make knives like you always have.

I tried to word this carefully so as not to say your knives would pass or wouldn't. I also am trying to avoid sounding like I'm juding your knives already. Personally, I like your work and as I said, I recognize the quality.

If they wouldn't judge your knives or wouldn't pass them only because they didn't meet a certain aesthetic look, that's bad news.

It's a choice that only you can make ultimately. Good luck. :thumbup:
 
I understand what you are saying, bud. It is the reason why I attended Blade 2010. I spoke to several Master Smiths and basically handed them a knife and said "How could I get this to pass the test?" Daniel Winkler, Ed Caffrey and Kevin Cashen were particularly helpful and generous with their advice... which was basically the same... "Make ABS knives for the test, then get on with what you are doing." I'm overthinking this whole thing, I'm sure. Just typing it out is answering my own questions.

Thanks for the compliment too!!

Rick
 
I am not in the position to advise. Just want to give you some of my own thoughts on that.
Does the ABS, MS, JMS or ANY OTHER title help you to make good knives\blades\sheath(or whatever you make)?
IMHO- it does not.
Does the big title of a maker guarantee that his craft is always excellent or superior to others?
IMHO- it does not(suppose to though).

So... why people need those titles?
IMHO(i mean no offence to anyone)
1. It may be easier to sell your crafts under the titile.
2. You may get more money for the same crafts.
3. You proove something to yourself.
4. You need this title to get another one or to get access to something(club, society, etc.)

But... If you make good stuff, it will sell. The better stuff you make, the better is sells.
That's the bottomline.
 
Ah, this is what I meant by my side comment on your recent tribal knife (which I like a
lot). To get the ABS rating you have to make knives that make it possible for the ABS
to judge whether you can make knives to their standards. As I look at it, some of their
standards involve style decisions, but it seems to me that a lot of them are reasonably
objective. Fitting guards and bolsters correctly, proper hand rubbed finishes,
symmetrical and flowing knife design all take skill and work to produce. They want to
see evidence that we have those skills. Personally, that seems reasonable.

Unless you go for your MS that's the last five knives you'll ever have to make that way.

I hope to go for my JS someday but it just got moved out around a year for good
reasons. I was fortunate enough to have Mace give a detailed critique of one of the
knives I posted here most recently and was surprised both by the flaws I saw that
he didn't bother to mention and by the things he saw that I never thought of. Learned
a lot from that one conversation.

Do you want to go to the very considerable trouble to uproot your own developing style
for a year or so to do this? Will it help you later to know that you've developed
additional finishing and design skills if your own style ever moves to require some of
those skills?
 
I understand what you are saying and only you can answer that. I know for me I just cant afford to test for JS (travel and expenses etc).
 
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