Another advice – Don't rush the ending!

[Patrice Lemée]

Not that I am old enough in the craft to give good advices but that hasn't stopped me in the past so here goes.

Especially when you start making knives, you are eager to finish them and that can cause you to rush things, especially when you are close to the end and have spent what seems like forever working on that particular knife. If you need to, put it aside and start work on another. Leave it somewhere in the house where you can pick it up from time to time and look at it from all angles to see if everything “feels” right. I can remember having a nagging feeling that I could have spent more time on a guard here or a handle there but, at the time, I wanted to finish it more than I wanted to get it right.

It is also at this time that you usually work on small details now that the basic framework of what the knife will look like is known. The sad thing is that these little details are usually very time consuming and produce very little noticeable changes when taken individually. That's part of the reason why it is easy to say “the heck with it” and skip to the end. But these details will make a huge difference as a whole, producing different results depending on your skill level. For a beginner it may take the knife out of the “newbie” knife category. But it also applies to more seasoned makers with a higher skill levels. In their case it might make a “Nicely Done” knife into a “I could afford that if I sold a kidney”.

Of course this won't work in a production environment. When you make your bread and butter knives if this is your sole mean of income. But if you do this as a hobby or have some time away from your production schedule to work on more individual pieces, remember Grandpa Pat's advice.

 

[Don Nguyen]

I have a HUGE problem with this. My biggest mistakes, ALL THE TIME.

Makes it worse that I don't have a workshop at my actual house, and I only get about 4-5 hours max on the days given to do stuff (school setting).

 

[Salem Straub]

I've spent WAY too long underneath guards with small files and sandpaper, or polishing a soldered guard and ricasso back to seamless again. But if it doesn't come out right, I have a good chance of getting that knife back in the mail for a refund or a try-it-again. I don't like the chance of that.

Actually, finishing steps is often where I relax a little bit and enjoy the work; I'm an hour or two away from finish buffing, pulling tape off, and seeing how it really looks for the first time.

Often the morning before I ship a knife I sharpen, then end up spending another hour just "tuning up" little details, J-hooks, maybe a light scratch in a fastener, etc. Sometimes that stuff takes a LOT longer than I had planned, as well.

 

[Frank Niro]

I spend a super amount of time on finishing work. I have been following Pat's recommendation for many years . It works well for me. Frank

 

[Patrice Lemée]

I'm an hour or two away from finish buffing, pulling tape off, and seeing how it really looks for the first time.

Salem, that's my favorite time as well. You have an idea of what the knife will look like but the first time seeing the completely done is priceless. That's why I like take-downs so much, finishing all the individual parts and the surprise when putting it all together. :thumbup:

 

[Rick Marchand]

Taking the time to slow down and let your mind catch up is a must. I tend to get caught up in the moment... especially on "side jobs" where I'm developing/evolving a knife as I go. Sometime you forget where you are.... okay....... confession time.

I was making a knife(go figure) as side project. The kind of blade you work on inbetween jobs and when you get inspired. I had a great idea for a guard/habaki design and just had to see it to completion. A few hours later it was done and I was so excited that I stayed up all night to do the final assembly. By the next afternoon all the epoxy/JBweld was cured and I begain antiquing it for that final "look". That's when it hit me like a tonne of bricks.... I hadn't heat treated the blade yet!! True story:thumbup:

Slow down and see EVERY aspect of the process to completion. It is a great idea to go over the fine details in the end... but make sure you've also taken the same amount of care for everything leading up to that point.

Rick

 

[Dave Behrens]

Taking the time to slow down and let your mind catch up is a must. I tend to get caught up in the moment... especially on "side jobs" where I'm developing/evolving a knife as I go. Sometime you forget where you are.... okay....... confession time.

I was making a knife(go figure) as side project. The kind of blade you work on inbetween jobs and when you get inspired. I had a great idea for a guard/habaki design and just had to see it to completion. A few hours later it was done and I was so excited that I stayed up all night to do the final assembly. By the next afternoon all the epoxy/JBweld was cured and I begain antiquing it for that final "look". That's when it hit me like a tonne of bricks.... I hadn't heat treated the blade yet!! True story:thumbup:

Slow down and see EVERY aspect of the process to completion. It is a great idea to go over the fine details in the end... but make sure you've also taken the same amount of care for everything leading up to that point.

Rick

Arg!!! I have done the exact same thing before. Some interesting and loud expletives at myself ensued. I often dread finish work, as it is were I make the most mistakes, I have some knives in the works that have been hanging around for months(not customer orders) because they turned out so well ie; the overall design, grinds, HT, handle scales, sheaths in some cases, etc. I just know as soon as I go into finishing mode I will screw them up somehow...like...doing the polish/satin grinding, space out and grind a divot in the blade or overheat a spot...just for example.

 

[Shaw Blades]

Thanks for sharing. This kind of wisdom you guys share is priceless.

 

[mgysgthath]

And the experiences, good and bad, are all helpful to new makers. It is good to know that even the makers that we aspire to be and respect, make silly mistakes on occasion too. It is a good message not to rush, and I of course have been guilty of it as well. I'll go full bore on a knife handle for a few hours and think yes it's finally done.. and the next day I will pick it up and see all kinds of flaws that weren't there the night before. Sometimes you just have to take a step back and get your mind off it for a little while, I think.

 

[Daniel Fairly Knives]

It might take a while to finish a knife the right way but that is only a miniscule amount of time compared to the length of time it will be around.

 

[lonepine]

Wear a magnifying visor to look at your work. The final finish of my blades has improved a LOT since I started doing this. I think that by seeing the scratches, etc enlarged they are "worth the effort" for me to get rid of them rather than let them slide.

- Paul Meske