Customer Requests No Maker's Mark

lazlo said:
True, but a katana disassembles in seconds, and anyone considering purchasing the sword would inspect the maker's signature.

Apropos to this discussion, the Japanese smiths didn't sign all their swords -- only the ones that were exceptional. They didn't want an imperfect sword being circulated with their name on it.
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I was just saying it was cool the way they did it. I also like the idea of changing out the handles like they did, totally different than American style swords.
 
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VaughnT said:
But, one thing I've noticed is that a lot of you professional makers have some really ugly marks. Seriously.
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Stop holding back man, tell us how you really feel! No kidding though, small and subtle is almost always better when it comes to a maker's mark.
 
My thoughts are this. I have a logo with a Christian theme, three crosses with my name underneath it. Frankly, if it turns people off and they don't want to buy one of my knives because of this, I am OK with that. I want to sell as many knives as I can but if three tiny crosses turns someone off, I can not do anything about that. I have had many more people request knives from me because of my logo than those who have blatantly turned me down because of it. My cousin had a friend who wanted one of my knives without my logo because he was an atheist and that was one sale that I did not take. I was OK with that, but maybe others may not be. Whatever... I put my logo on anything that I have completed personally. I have occasionally sold a blade blank, heat treated and etched, but did not put my logo on it. I was concerned that they would put a horse turd handle on it and it would be represented as one of my knives.
 
I dont understand why it is not OK to revive an old thread. He could just as easily started a new one with the same topic. Then someone would have said "we have a thread on this topic at www.----------.com/----------.php."

I like the idea of having one thread for the topic. Kinda like a sticky, but not sticky.

I also would make a custom product without mark. I would decide what the advertising value of my mark is and charge the customer a fee = to this advertising loss and charge the customer this value to leave it off. I am offering a discount on the product because I put my mark on it. It's already built into the pricing. If he is not tolerant of the fee he gets my mark or nothing. Just a concept, not necessarily my policy. Hell I don't have a policy yet. Need to make a few dozen knives to develop a policy!

Try removing all Ferrari branding from a Ferrari or from any model for that matter. It aint easy.

If you took all the naked ladies off a Loveless wouldn't everyone still know who made it?
 
Bailey Knives said:
I have occasionally sold a blade blank, heat treated and etched, but did not put my logo on it. I was concerned that they would put a horse turd handle on it and it would be represented as one of my knives.
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i mark all my finihsed work witgh my mark and all part work ( blades and such) as LRH kind of un finished work gets un finished mark )
i have only a few knives out there that dont have my mark one is a defense blade that i will not make a 2nd of the others are my first few file knives (i have almost got them all back and destroyed )
 
Scott,
The person who resurrected this thread was a brand new member. Very often they google a subject and then post an answer to a question asked four years ago. While this thread can still be discussed, most times there is no point telling someone how to drill out a broken tap years after they ask for help. In this case, I suspect the OP has made his decision. The sixty plus posts before this one all pretty well state the opinions of those who hang out here.
Sometimes there are other reasons that a "new" member makes a post.....not always good ones. You would not believe the number of members who have several identities on the forum.
Resurrecting old threads - often called necroposting - takes up space on an already crowded "Shop Talk".
 
Everyone saw post count, but no one seems to have looked at join date... I never though of him as a "just registered to stir the pot" account :/
 
I saw the date, and checked his profile. I tend to think the profile is suspect.
Either way, the thread is long dead and answered.
 
A little paranoid, are we? Sheesh. If RC is making up bogus profiles, at least he's consistant about it. I happen to know several makers he's done design work for; seems a long way to go just to stir things up. Then again I suppose starting new threads on the same topics every day takes up more space than necroposting? :confused:
 
You know him better than me, so maybe he is a knifemaker, police officer, black-ops, and underwear model....as well as an imaginary friend....... If Nick Wheeler can do it, I guess RC can :) .

There are some well known makers who have a second account that they use when they don't want people to know who is posting. That is all I was saying. I was not referring to RC directly. I don't know him at all.

This has spun a bit off course, so I'll let it go and it will drift away on its own....until it gets resurrected again in 2012....or 2013
 
I have been a BF member for several years, but never a particularly active one. I started this account in November of 2009 after not being able to get into my original one. I have attended the Blade Show for the last thirteen years and bought many custom knives that cost hundreds of dollars each. My dad makes beautiful custom knives and I am very proud of him.

My intention was never to insult anyone here. I did a search for maker's marks, because of my experiences with the knives I designed and had made, and was surprised by the content of this thread. I did not know the economy had improved so much while I wasn't looking that so many makers were now artisans with huge waiting lists, that they had to sign every knife, or that they were all such conspiracy theorists that anyone who wanted to spend hundreds of dollars on a custom knife with no mark had to have nefarious intent. My point was it doesn't take a custom knife to do bad things. As a graphic artist, one of the services I offer is designing logos and maker's marks. It would be foolish for me to bash not signing your work, but sometimes its better to look at the big picture.

We buy custom knives because we love the artistry, the design, or we have rapport with the artist. I know several very successful knifemakers who have done very well with factory collaborations and say their $500.00 versions are not as good as the $125.00 factory ones. You can't get factory "one of knives" and most factory knives lack soul and personality. As long as people have surplus income there will always be a market for custom knives. Some folks will have a Chevrolet sitting right next to a Lexus in their garage. Both definitely have their purposes and their markets.

As a graphic artist and caricaturist, I often don't sign my work. The customers aren't buying me, they are buying my work. They should not have to pay to advertise for me. I am delighted when they want something signed or add a link for one of my sites, but it will never be a deal breaker. Once you sell a knife or I sell artwork, no matter how proud we are of it, it is no longer ours.
 
Glad you chimed in Rock. I in no way meant to impugn you. Your explanation also makes the dual membership understandable.
Please accept my apologies if I slighted you in my comments.
 
Its all good, Bladsmith. There are folks who will EDC a $1,200.00 custom knife and love it. Some of them won't even tell everyone they meet that they are carrying a $1,200.00 knife! I'm not one of those guys. It doesn't mean I don't covet them, I am just a bit too blue collar to justify it for myself. I love and take care of my tools, and its hard enough with a hundred dollar knife to make it a hard user. My dad's knives start around four hundred. Everyone of them is designed to be used. I feel good owning them, holding them, and looking at them, but I would never want to use them. Does that mean they have no value? Absolutely not! They are priceless to me and not for sale. Many of his customers use their knives daily, but not as tactical or field knives.
 
Yes, thank you for your explanation and I am looking forward to you participating more. It's always nice to have another perspective especially from a graphic designer point of view. :thumbup:
 
I don't make knives, but I draw and paint. I always will have my signature on my work. It is important for people to be able to see and recognize your work. I try to keep it small and discreet.

There are production knives I think are cool, but would never buy due to the gaudy print or design on the handle or blade though. Maybe it could be done smaller. Not saying I have ever seen your knives. Just in general, that could be an option for any custom maker. Like a semi hidden mark indicating it was yours. Should always have something though. Especially for when you get super famous and people can sell your knives for a fortune. Proof. Ha.

That was a great post by rockcowles. Well said. Knives in my opinion are more like art then graphic art designed specifically for a company. When you buy a painting it is yours, but it was still the painter's work. You wouldn't take his signature off.

On the other hand, it annoyed me when I got a sterile Howling Rat years ago, but you still knew what was from a mile away.
 
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This is the first knife design I had produced. I'm happy with the great job Dave Curtiss of Curtiss Knives and Great lakes Water Jet did with it. I call it the Urban Fury II. The prototype is CPM 154 with a waterjet cut Titanium handle.

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It is a big honking knife. I have already had a major factory knife maker express an interest in a possible collaboration.
 
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