Bushcraft Knife challenge - Interest?

I think it is time for a poll..

The Game, will you open up another thread about this, with a poll. We will let all of WSS decide what they want. The poll can run for two days, and the outcome will decide if the makers will have to do there own heat treat or not.
I think that is fair. Anyway, I am off for some outdoors time, see yall later.
 
bindlestitch said:
This looks like fun and thanks guys for letting me know this was going on.
I'm in over my head but I'm in.
Iz
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Sweet. More convexers. You're not over your head Iz. You're in your element.



C Bryant said:
Hey guys, I have been stewing over this since this thread hatched. BUT, would you all be opposed to letting a amateur join in the contest? I'd love to try my hand at it. I have one knife under my belt, so this would be knife number two. This would be a great learning experience and challenge for myself.

No worries if you guys would rather not, no hard feelings at all. If so, time willing (and this time of year gets crazy at work) I'd love to take a stab at it. As long as there is some time in front of me to the deadline, I should be able to get one done.

Let me know what you think, and again no problem if you guys don't think it's a good idea.
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I'd love to see a lot of new makers in this. Its a great opportunity to learn. (Thats the point really, not winning!)

SouthernCross said:
I would think the purpose of the exercise is to see how a knife makers product will perform as a traditional Bushcraft knife. Full stop, end of story.

In other words, it would give me an opportunity to see how a knife that I might order from a participating maker would perform at traditional Bushcraft.

To be honest, I'm purely interested in function and couldn't give a damm whether or not they have outsourced a part of the manufacture process, as long as it was what they normally do to produce their knives :thumbup:
Kind regards
Mick
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I like this post. Though, I think a maker should be able to submit whichever knife he thinks will suit the tasks best. Personally, I'm leaning to the Bushfinger for my knife.

I can't imagine not having Dan Koster in this contest. The man is a real maker, not some assembler at a factory. This isn't an ABS, or Guild review board the knife is going to, its a USE test.

What a lineup!! I can't believe I'm amongst this group.



(Really, Brian Goode not being in is disapointing.) Brian!!! Make a knife.

Where is David Farmer?
 
Dan makes a great point!

I didn't see the arrogance in my original stance regarding Sole Authorship (It was not intentional) I take pride in the fact that just about the only thing I don't do myself is smelt my own steel. That, however, comes with a price. There is more margin for error, it takes time, patience, limits my steel choices, etc... not to mention the fact that it narrows my customer base down to those who see value in that approach. I hope you can understand where i was coming from with that?

To some, heat treat is as easy as pushing a few buttons and dropping it into a bucket of quenchant... to others, it is years of trial and error, broken blades and sleepless nights. This guy uses only hand tools... That guy, a belt grinder... while buddy programs a CNC mill. Dude, buys his scales from Jantz Supply... Guy, harvests the wood, planes it and stabilizes it, himself..... the comparisons go on and on. Makers put emphasis on different aspects of the knifemaking process...

In the end, we all make knives for wilderness use.... so lets get more makers involved! :thumbup:

All I ask is no prefab "kits", "blanks" or "refurbished blades":grumpy:

Rick
 
Nobody thought you were being arrogant. You're Canadian. What do you have to brag about?

Rick Marchand said:
All I ask is no prefab "kits", "blanks" or "refurbished blades":grumpy:

Rick
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I like this take a lot better.
 
I say just let the makers do their thing, whatever method they use. You go into each makers shop and you will see a multitude of different ways to make a knife. That is why knifemaking is an art.
Scott
 
Gossman Knives said:
I say just let the makers do their thing, whatever method they use. You go into each makers shop and you will see a multitude of different ways to make a knife. That is why knifemaking is an art.
Scott
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I agree with Scott:thumbup:.

Maybe when the makers do a write up describing their knife they can include the heat treat equipment/methods they used - kiln, cyro, gas forge, propane forge, edge quench, triple quench, spine temper after heat treat ect, or if it was sent out - then who did the heat treat.

Bruce
 
Rick Marchand said:
Canadians get more beaver.
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F'n right:D

The following comment is worth exactly what everyone reading it has paid for it (ie $0.00 ).

I would think the purpose of the exercise is to see how a knife makers product will perform as a traditional Bushcraft knife. Full stop, end of story.

In other words, it would give me an opportunity to see how a knife that I might order from a participating maker would perform at traditional Bushcraft.

To be honest, I'm purely interested in function and couldn't give a damm whether or not they have outsourced a part of the manufacture process, as long as it was what they normally do to produce their knives

Kind regards
Mick
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BTW, since a number of the makers already have models that are marketed as "Bushcraft knives", why the need for a new design?

After all, if their existing models really are Bushcraft knives, why not submit one of them for testing?

Kind regards
Mick
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I agree with both of these quotes, on this subject.

I would also like to add, that most buyers of a specific type of "work/utility/bushcraft/etc" knife, buys that knife to use it. Not to say there isn't a nostalgic or sentimental value, but in the end, it should just be a practical and efficient knife. How it got there is of little concern.



I need a new Bush knife, so get to work!:thumbup:
 
Tony, based on the following quotes, I believe we have our answer without the need for a poll :thumbup:

Rick Marchand said:
Dan makes a great point!

In the end, we all make knives for wilderness use.... so lets get more makers involved! :thumbup:

All I ask is no prefab "kits", "blanks" or "refurbished blades":grumpy:

Rick
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Fiddleback said:
I can't imagine not having Dan Koster in this contest. The man is a real maker, not some assembler at a factory. This isn't an ABS, or Guild review board the knife is going to, its a USE test.
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Gossman Knives said:
I say just let the makers do their thing, whatever method they use. You go into each makers shop and you will see a multitude of different ways to make a knife. That is why knifemaking is an art.
Scott
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Bruce Culberson said:
I agree with Scott:thumbup:.

Maybe when the makers do a write up describing their knife they can include the heat treat equipment/methods they used - kiln, cyro, gas forge, propane forge, edge quench, triple quench, spine temper after heat treat ect, or if it was sent out - then who did the heat treat.

Bruce
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Rick Marchand said:
+1 Bruce!
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My opinion is that this contest is for custom knife makers to show case their work and it is not for modded factory knives or kit blades. I think the makers should make the challenge knives the same way they make the knives they sell. If they typically do their own heat treat in a forge then that's how the test knife should be done - ie. farming out the heat treat just for the test knife doesn't represent your regular line of knives. I heat treat my own carbon steel blades in a forge (except 2 that were sent off for heat treat at the request of two customers). Any stainless blades that I make get sent out since I'm not set up for heat treating stainless. My challenge knife will be heat treated by me, in my forge. If other makers normally farm out the heat treat and want to do that for their entry knife that's fine with me - just include that info in the write up description.

Some buyers won't care how the heat treat was done (so long as it is good), and other buyers will prefer a heat treat done by the maker. I say just decribe your knife and let the customers decide.

I'm not saying I'm right - just how I feel:p.

Bruce
 
Oh boy, I really would like to see this knifemaker challege happen. However I am not a knifemaker and it is not up to me to draw any lines, however I do feel like some lines do need to be drawn.
IMO, knife kits or blanks should not be permitted in this. The knife should be completely made in house by the maker. From grounding to shaping and finishing the handles. I doubt most of the makers are harvesting their own wood, making their own micarta, pins, liners, bolsters and so on, however I don't have a problem with outsourcing heat treat. Dan was in on the last challenge and this topic never came up, so to be fair can we agree that outsourcing heat treat will be permitted. However, the makers need to disclose this and we will take a 1 point deduction from the overall score of those who outsourced heat treat.

How does that sound?
 
It doesn't say Custom knife maker challenge, you are right.

However it does say this in the opening sentence.

tonym said:
Knife makers of Blade Florums are invited to create a knife in this class in any style they feel that will excell in the following list of tasks that the knives will be judged on.
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I will ask a Mod to edit the title to Say "Custom Knifemakers Woodcraft/ Field utility knife Challenge"

How's that?
 
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okay.

My take on this, because I'm as arrogant as Rick :D

Heat treat is, traditionally, the only area where a knifemaker will often send out work. Basic profile cutting is starting to happen and I see no problem with that versus scribing a pattern and cutting the profile by hand. Whatever.

I do think that doing the heat treat is a big deal in general, but that's my personal opinion. Like Rick, I'm an open forge and quench tank, do it until it's right, kind of guy. That's just the way I work, it shouldn't be a requirement. (and hey, I might even get a kiln someday)

Making a knife without a "kit/mod" category should be an 80-100% thing. that 80% involves the Bos heat treat and the GLWJ cutouts. (remember that the waterjet is only a profile, not a grind). I can't really think of anything else you can farm out that leaves you "making the knife".

But I could be wrong.

I've got no problems with the heat treat being done out of house, that's an accepted tradition- especially with stainless.
 
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