so I delivered the knife today. He said, (as he pulled the River Knife I made previously for him from its sheath) "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not going to use these knives". I was so relieved! I know the heat treatment is good, I know that the handles will stay on, and I know that they will cut things, but in the back of my mind- even though I made them for use- I hoped that they would be admired primarily as objects and secondarily as tools.
Seriously, I could have bought a set of kitchen knives from Costco that would do almost all the cutting I'd need for the rest of my life- for $50! There is a difference between buying an object in order to have it and buying an object in order to use it. The only luxury I've afforded myself when it comes to having things in order to have them, is custom knives. As some of you know, I often will use them as tools- but there are some which will not experience that while I still own them/am alive.
The change in his outlook was drastic, compared to when he received the previous knife. That time, he was thinking of all the things he'd use it for, and how it would fit into his setup. Because it was so carefully tailored and designed to his needs, he thought he'd have to use it. But something clicked, and he realized it was ok to just have it.
I guess he realized that he's a Collector! To my way of thinking, the most successful outcome here isn't money or art or anything. It's that we now have a new Collector in the world of custom knives, and I hope someday that he or someone he knows buys a knife from one of you! That's what this shit is all about- building up together!
