Dealbreakers

brightred said:
sometimes a dealbreaker for internet buyers like me that hasn't been mentioned yet: knives that have been photographed by professionals. the pros are able to veil significant flaws like wrong proportions, irregular grind lines, irregular or low contrast on damascus, colours, scratches etc. sometimes it would be wise to ask the seller to take a sharp picture from a 90° angle in hard and direct sunlight or with a flash. these the-picture-doesn't-do-the-knife-justice-picutures can be worth a lot of saved dollars (or quite the opposite... just look at the crappy pictures randy morgan took and posted here. if the object on one of the pictures looks somehow similar to a knife, it must be a jewel...). coop: of course you are my favourite knife photographer! :)

hans
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This is a valid argument. By all measures my skills are used to enhance a knife's appearance, never detract. I never alter a shape, but saturation of colors and contrast are tools in my box. Open a magazine—any magazine—the advertising you see (Car ads are notorious) are complete fabrications of layers and different exposures and enhancements. It's Advertising 101 to make a product look amazing. If there is buyers remorse over the knives that my clients are selling, then they would lose the customers eventually and I would hear about it. I am busy as ever.

Smart advice, nonetheless. One of the reasons my Graveyard collection pieces ;) will survive is the ability to display them convincingly at the time of sale. :thumbup:

Coop
 
sunfishman said:
Jose, I'm not a big fan of mokume but that is a good looking piece, I like the color.
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It's one of the reasons I firmly believe in letting the artist use his own judgement. I have preferences, and there are a few aspects that are dealbreakers, but nobody knows a maker's potential more than the maker. I have another piece I'm working on with him and whatever he suggests will undoubtedly get the nod.
 
I really like mokume. I have heard twice on those forums that mokume should not be used, and once was WWG and the other time was L... huh ... WWG. At present I am not convinced this is a trend among collectorrs.

Leapinglizard, most NiSi over time takes a patina that looks like old drunkard's puke. It's not very attractive.
 
Kohai999 said:
Polished brass is a sight to behold. Patina/oxidation on the brass, which occurs 2 minutes after you hold it in your hand, is one of the ugliest sights on the planet.
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Polished brass rivals gold in beauty. The problem is that it get cloudy right away.
 
Joss said:
Leapinglizard, most NiSi over time takes a patina that looks like old drunkard's puke. It's not very attractive.
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Joss, that one made me LOL, like a giggling schoolgirl.:)

What exactly does an old drunkard's puke look like, besides nasty patina'd Nickel Silver, and how do you know?

I'm not entirely sure that I want the answer.:eek:

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I agree with WWG on engraving and scrimshaw. I love scrims, but I think they only contribute in (1) adding to the time invested into the knife (i.e., cost) and (2) reduce the number of people who will find it appealing. In short, it's something you should do for a knife you feel very strongly about, and plan to keep forever.
 
Kohai999 said:
Joss, that one made me LOL, like a giggling schoolgirl.:)

What exactly does an old drunkard's puke look like, besides nasty patina'd Nickel Silver, and how do you know?

I'm not entirely sure that I want the answer.:eek:

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
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Okay, I had Joss over for some beer and buffalo wings, cut me a little slack...:D
 
Kohai999 said:
What exactly does an old drunkard's puke look like, besides nasty patina'd Nickel Silver, and how do you know?
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It's the puke's that's old, not the drunkard. I've had my crazy days. :barf:

Not much solid, much bile. :( Off greenish-yellowish color.
 
One other thing I'm really not interested in:

1) Super-busy mosaic damascus. I admire the skills & the time commitment, but I think it's not pretty. That comment is not inclusive of the most abstract patterns, like W, which I find quite pleasing. The weirdly distorted infantile drawings you find in many of those patterns just throws me off. Again, I have deep admiration for the skills and the hard work, but it does nothing for me.

2) I don't like much the super long bladed bowies. I'd rather have a blade slightly on the stout side than slightly on the long side.

There are makers whom I like and admire who specialize in both of the above and I generally have 0 interest in their ware other than to admire the hard work that went into it.
 
Bruce Evans said:
Nickel silver is not white Brass it is Nickel-Zinc-Copper and been used for over a hundred years on knives under the name German Silver....White Brass /White Bronze is a aluminum mix that melts almost as low as copper,it wont solder or it would get used more often as it stays silver color well also.You guys would be suprised how much White brass is used in casting fittings for knives and people think it is Nickel Silver.....You can get both from Jewlery suppliers and all over the web.

I have never seen NS turn green,but I guess if it was left against some acid tanned leather it might.

I have ti agree with Mr. Bump.....Now days I am also afraid to make a knife....Since being sick I know I make mistakes and am not at the level I was,but I have been told that is in my eyes only,But I have to think,should I let it outta the shop or not.If not I would have to just quit and that would drive me crazier than I am going now with as little shop time as I have been getting.


Bruce
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It is confusing to be a new maker. I see the work on here and swear that i won't sell a single knife for at lest 5 years if ever:D Then I go to a local knife or gun show and see guys who have been doing this a lot longer than I have and to me, their knives are of unacceptable design, quality and finish and yet they are selling. One of my problems is that I have been hanging around with and getting advice from guys who have set the bar VERY high. Cahrlie Ochs pointed out someting on one of my knives that I showed him. He told me that it would not pass ABS judging because the lip on the plunge cut was a bit soft and rounded. When I got home, I pulled out my Moran and lo......same area was soft and rolled. Kinda ironic, but you see my dilemna. It seems that the only acceptable standard is perfection and I am a long way from that. I know that ABS judging is hypercritical and they tell you only bring you absolute best work but sheesh!!!!! lol
 
All due respects to Mr. Moran and his place in knife history, but I don't think his knives would pass the fit and finish phase of the ABS Journeyman test these days.

I don't have any absolute deal breakers, but many pet peeves. But I consider myself still in the exploratory stages of finding what I like, whereas some of the established collectors here have gone through that phase long ago and are more focused with what they look for.
 
Jose Reyes said:
Okay, maybe I'm missing something, but do you mean the "I" word as in "me" or does is stand for something else?
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The "I" word is investment, and we got into like a 26 page discussion of "value" after Anthony Lombardo posted post-Blade 2006. If you have not checked it out, it was super-duper.

There have always been people that collect/invest with an eye towards a return, first and foremost.


Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Joe,The ABS standards now are way way way higher than they were in it's infancy....You should see what they look for if you want to be a Master!:eek:

Dont compare yourself to allot of the gun show makers.They are like flea market sellers.Some not all dont ever make it to knife show quality.I have set at gun shows and been told my knives were to petty to use and watch the guys buy a knife from another maker who in my opinion needed to do a lot of work on his blades,and here the guy say "Now here is a knife I can use"And the price would be the same as mine.Go figure.

Be proud of what you make as a newbie and strive to make each and every knife the best you can...

My dilema is the fact that I was at the JS level and headed for the MS level,with much encoragement of the fact that I could pass.After getting sick I am having trouble with hand eye and mind control,seems most days nothing works correctly.What looks good today may not tomorrow and then the next day I cant find the frigging messup I saw the day before.I am happiest when in the shop making a knife,but just any knife wont do for me anymore and so I push myself to do better.The problem is I feel I am at a real bad setback and it flustrates me,I passed up going for the MS and now I am not sure I should let my work out I feel is lesser quality than I was doing before,even at a lower price I fell like I am letting myself down.But bills still gotta get paid so I am caught in a catch 22 after reading threads like this.....

The good side is the doc can fix me and I will get back to being me soon,but he says it may take a year to get me stabilized and I will go crazy if I cannot make knives.

Bruce
 
Joss said:
2) I don't like much the super long bladed bowies. I'd rather have a blade slightly on the stout side than slightly on the long side.
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I'm not sure where you draw the line of "super long" but for me, once the blade gets over 10" in length it's a bit tougher for the average maker to render pleasing aesthetics in terms of proportion and flow. But when they do, the results can be quite impressive. For me 12" would be the realistic upper limit in terms of blade length for a bowie.

I have more of an issue with 5" bladed knives beind described as "Bowies", not to mention a 3" bladed folder. As for short and stout versus long and slim - I like 'em both.

On the mokume issue - that stuff is just not my cuppa tea at all. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it should never be used on a knife, but it is unlikely that it would be found on any knife I am likely to purchase. I would expect that it would be more readily accepted from makers whose knives exhibit a strong eastern influence, but to my eye it just doesn't look right on traditional hunters fighters and bowies.

Roger
 
Bruce Evans said:
Joe,The ABS standards now are way way way higher than they were in it's infancy....You should see what they look for if you want to be a Master!:eek:

Dont compare yourself to allot of the gun show makers.They are like flea market sellers.Some not all dont ever make it to knife show quality.I have set at gun shows and been told my knives were to petty to use and watch the guys buy a knife from another maker who in my opinion needed to do a lot of work on his blades,and here the guy say "Now here is a knife I can use"And the price would be the same as mine.Go figure.

Be proud of what you make as a newbie and strive to make each and every knife the best you can...

My dilema is the fact that I was at the JS level and headed for the MS level,with much encoragement of the fact that I could pass.After getting sick I am having trouble with hand eye and mind control,seems most days nothing works correctly.What looks good today may not tomorrow and then the next day I cant find the frigging messup I saw the day before.I am happiest when in the shop making a knife,but just any knife wont do for me anymore and so I push myself to do better.The problem is I feel I am at a real bad setback and it flustrates me,I passed up going for the MS and now I am not sure I should let my work out I feel is lesser quality than I was doing before,even at a lower price I fell like I am letting myself down.But bills still gotta get paid so I am caught in a catch 22 after reading threads like this.....

The good side is the doc can fix me and I will get back to being me soon,but he says it may take a year to get me stabilized and I will go crazy if I cannot make knives.

Bruce
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I know, Bruce. I saw the dagger that they FLUNKED Rade Hawkins on. Looked pretty darned good to me!!! As for the "too pretty to use" at this point, mine will be cheap enought that I will be able to tell someone to buy 2....one to use and one to admire...lol.
 
Gentlemen
Okay I'm a junior maker, and have listened to the client market.
Now I want to know. What do you like in sheaths?
More specificly.
Leather vs kydex
Slab vs wrap around moulded
inlays vs stamping.
Simple stamping vs a Leonardo?
one deep colour stain or pattern?

I'm still experimenting with sheaths and have made quite a few styles. It's easier to work leather in the winter than work in the cold garage.

Frank Barron
Andrew your sheath will be ready tuesday night.
 
Frank Barron said:
Leather vs kydex
Slab vs wrap around moulded
inlays vs stamping.
Simple stamping vs a Leonardo?
one deep colour stain or pattern?
Click to expand...

This is going to sound simplistic, but a good sheath is all that it needs to be, vs. no sheath.

Personally, prefer leather, and like the wrap around molded, which most sheathmakers refer to as a fully welted sheath, vs. a pouch type.

Color and stamping are definitely up to the maker.

No one said that the maker had to MAKE the sheath, because frankly, some makers really suck at it. Kenny Rowe is a professional sheathmaker, and he is at the top of his game. Would rather give the maker an extra $40 for his knife, and not have to screw with getting a sheath made, but sometimes that is the only option.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Major Pet Peeve
Fixed Blades Sold without Sheaths
makers Like Fuegen Hancock Foster Fowler and Burke..you Guys Rock the Leather!..
 
ptgdvc said:
I think you are exactly correct.

P
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He pretty much admitted that to a few of us at the Fall '05 Piney Woods Hammer-In. Kinda makes you wonder if innovation, style and artistry have taken a back seat to machine like precision. The ultimate irony about Bill's knives is that they became too valuable to use and those things are sharper than any other big knife I have ever come across!!!!!! I have wondered for a good while why William Scagel gets cut so much slack in that department by collectors. His handles always looked good and his knives apparently WORK like all getout but some of the blades look like steel turds to me.
 
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