Can a Full-Time knifemaker earn good money?

V

Vincent Vega

Joined
Nov 14, 2001
Messages
14
Whats up ya'll, as i was at home this morning playing with my Rekat Carny-something sprang in my mind. Can full-time knifemakers make a living. Look at it this way, lets say you make knives well-and perfect your designs, and become known in the industry like Emerson, Elishewitz, Carson etc, and charge $300.00+ for your knives-would you profit?? I look at these high end makers and several have long back-orders/or waiting periods. Meaning that they have orders to fill non-stop, and always deliver awesome knives that are expensive(is the profit worth it to give up your job). I am only 20 yrs old, and am working towards a blue collar job-union type that gives great benefits and such, but will continue making knives.

Basically, through all that crap i just spat out my mouth, the question is this. Do these knifemakers make good money-JUST MAKING KNIVES??? Hope they do, cause one day i'm gonna be doing it full time.

GOD BLESS
 
Don't quit your day job. It took years for all of the makers you mentioned to build their business and reputation to where it is now. Most others will never make it. If you're doing it for the money you'll probably never get there. The three makers you mentioned are not only fine makers, but great business men. None however are on the list of the Worlds Richest Men. My guess would be like most business that depends on sales, 20% of the people make 80% of the money, and only the Top 20% of that 20% (4%) don't worry about money. No matter what their incomes I sure do admire their talent. My dream is that after I retire I'll be able to make knives and I wouldn't care if I ever sold a knife.
 
Because of some wondeful PRIVATE "talks" with a few outstanding knife-makers I have come to this conclusion. Those that truly make knives, fine knives do so NOT for the money, EVER. There is a cost to purchase a finished product, but if you think one of the super-stars is buying a new Mercedes every six months and keeping an SUV at HIS heli-port, it is NOT the norm.
Yes they make a living, and yes the harder they work, the better it is. But, Many could be in other professions making four times what they make on a knife.
But as I was so elequently explained, many knife-makers do what they do out of a sense of inner pride and accomplishment. Nothing makes them feel better than having a finished product that came out better than ANY before and then hearing how much the customer LOVES his new knife. This keeps them heading back to the grinder.
It takes many years of trials, trubulations, depression, frustration, education, experience and pure dedication to be at a level of a JERRY HOSSOM. Do I pay more for a Jerry Hossom knife BECAUSE it is a Jerry Hossom knife? No, I pay a fair value based on QUALITY, and a maker like JERRY would NEVER attach his name to a POS.
So, I now know that my opinion was WRONG. Knife makers make money, and it is GOOD Money. Good in the sense that THEY made it with their head, heart and hands and if business is good, they can live a nice life. But I do not expect too many knife-makers, other than TOM MAYO picked in in his private Limo and transported to his Gulfstream V ;) ;) :p ;) to head out to another show.........wolf

Edited for spelling only. TOM, I did not wanna mention Jerry's wife;)
 
Well.. might not make a lot of money but they have plenty of guns and watches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:p :p :p
 
Yes its true....but unfortunately.....at the end of the month we have to sell all the guns and watches to pay the rent and buy more steel!!! :eek: :p :eek: :p :eek:


:) :) :)

Quote:

It takes many years of trials, trubulations, depression, frustration, education, experience and pure dedication to be at a level of a JERRY HOSSOM..............especially if you're his WIFE!!!!!!!!!!!
 
From what I can gather from the extensive discussions about this that has been going on on the Custom Knives forum I would have to say that few make a really good living at it. In a lot of cases it is a labor of love more than a money earner.

I am sure that some make a good living at it, others make enough to keep at it as long as they have a real job and others are not making any money at it at all. Some might even be spending more than they are making. I admire them all for sticking to something they love whether they are earning a living or not. That takes true dedication.
 
From what I have seen as a maker unless you are truly a gifted artist in steel or are willing to eat beans for the first 5-6 years while you get known and are a exceptional knife maker to boot the answer is a big MAYBE. Usually no.

The real money is getting the big guys to use your name on a collaberation like D' Holder-Schrade,
Strider-Buck Etc...

This usually comes at a high price emotionally and financially
:p
 
My daytime job is making knives.
At night I have a traveling show.
"Smokey Ralph and the 4 Bastids", to supplement what you make as a full time maker :d
 
Guess i'll keep perfecting my craft, while at the same time KEEP ON PLAYIN THAT DAMN LOTTERY!!!! LOL

Thanks to all that replied, what it all comes down to is the love to create-to invent and birth something into this world from ones imagination. Peace.
 
I thought everybody who lives where Kit does made moonshine.. mostly cause they aint got no money to go buy some!!!!!!! :p:):p:):p
 
My money is as good as anybody's, and some of these guys certainly have earned it!
 
Listen, I have serious problems screwing something, other than a HUMAN, into a hole. If anyone for one second thinks I am still NOT at the same "AWE-level" by those who can turn out something of beauty that ACTUALLY functions, THIS is NOT the case!!!:p :p
My post is simply to convey this: most knife-makers, in MY NEWBIE opinion, could leave knife-making and walk into PRIVATE SECTOR and take their talents and build Hi-tech stuff at FAR MORE than they can making their wares. I am NOT that naive to believe that some are NOT bringing in serious paychecks. What I mean to say, in a very ROOKIE way of saying it (via a KEYBOARD) is that at WHATEVER level a knife-maker is, at this stage in "their life", MONEY is not the dominant factor. I do not know how many have sufficient investment income to torture over this craft, labor of love, expression of pride; to do this kind of work as a pure HOBBY:eek:
I may be way off, but I just do not see how or why. The original question here is : Can a FULL-TIME knifemaker earn "good" money?. To Billy Gates, hell no, he earns NOTHING, but to the knifemaker what he earns cannot be measured soley by greenbacks............Take this from a NEWBIE perspective, will ya....And pass the MAYO, I am a BIG HUNGRY BASTID (Austin Powers).......wolf;)
 
Hey Darrel,
Where can I see "Smokey Ralph and the 4 Bastids" perform on the East Coast in the near future?
What kind of show is it?
On second thought, I don't really want to know what kind of show it is.
LOL
Lenny
 
jail.jpg
 
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