synthesist
So many knives so little time
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2004
- Messages
- 933
Kwakn..........................could we see some of your other work?
It seems to me that this thread has gotten off-track from your original question, That question was. "Am I ready to take the leap to knifemaker?" I think (strictly my opinion here, your mileage may vary) the question you meant to ask was: Am I ready to take the leap to PROFESSIONAL knifemaker?
If that was your question (you really shouldn't have to ask that btw) then the answer is, unfortunately no. There are a myriad of reasons for that negative response. First and foremost is that fact that be able to make a dandy knife doesn't mean you can run your own full time knifemaking enterprise. There are MANY spectacular knifemakers here on BladeForums who struggle to make their knifemaking businesses pay. The joke about the best way to make a $1,000,000 as a knifemaker is to start with $2,000,000 applies to this.
You sound like you want honest criticism. You've gotten quite a bit in this thread. The overriding opinion "seems" to be that your crafting abilities surpass your design abilities. That speaks well to your knifecrafting. Whether those skills are enough to base a career decision on remain a BIG question. There's a lot more to running a knifemaking business then just making knives, that's the fun part, paying for everything else - space, coffee, training, travel to shows, marketing and photography, tools (and more tools), health insurance, heat and electricity, accounting, steel, heat treating, belts, sawblades, files........................ means you gotta sell a lotta knives. I hope get it by now.
Keep at it the knife was okay.
FWIW I think DanielDeesCreations was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy outta line.
Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
It seems to me that this thread has gotten off-track from your original question, That question was. "Am I ready to take the leap to knifemaker?" I think (strictly my opinion here, your mileage may vary) the question you meant to ask was: Am I ready to take the leap to PROFESSIONAL knifemaker?
If that was your question (you really shouldn't have to ask that btw) then the answer is, unfortunately no. There are a myriad of reasons for that negative response. First and foremost is that fact that be able to make a dandy knife doesn't mean you can run your own full time knifemaking enterprise. There are MANY spectacular knifemakers here on BladeForums who struggle to make their knifemaking businesses pay. The joke about the best way to make a $1,000,000 as a knifemaker is to start with $2,000,000 applies to this.
You sound like you want honest criticism. You've gotten quite a bit in this thread. The overriding opinion "seems" to be that your crafting abilities surpass your design abilities. That speaks well to your knifecrafting. Whether those skills are enough to base a career decision on remain a BIG question. There's a lot more to running a knifemaking business then just making knives, that's the fun part, paying for everything else - space, coffee, training, travel to shows, marketing and photography, tools (and more tools), health insurance, heat and electricity, accounting, steel, heat treating, belts, sawblades, files........................ means you gotta sell a lotta knives. I hope get it by now.
Keep at it the knife was okay.
FWIW I think DanielDeesCreations was wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy outta line.
Corey "synthesist" Gimbel
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