Do clients improve or make knives worse?

Shing

Shing

Joined
Feb 2, 2003
Messages
2,261
I know most makers take orders. Some clients are happy with the range of options that a maker offers but sometimes they want something unique that the maker has never done before. I was wondering if makers if they think the result will not look good or perform below par.

I was wondering if clients who demand the maker stretches the envelope is a good thing because it takes the maker into new areas and new ideas or is bad thing because it results in knives the maker would not have otherwise wanted to make but will still carry their name.
 
I will agree, it can go both ways. Some clients are never satisfied and always want to change something. others give you the lattitude to expand your boundarys.
 
Its a good thing bad thing. Some requests are simple and easy to incorporate in the work, but some are too difficult or results in an extra charge due to labor. Sometimes I just have to tell the client 'no' as it can be just too impractical to make. Most customers understand when I explain why I can or cannot make certain modifications.
 
As long as the design is something the maker feels is a good design it is a good thing.If a maker stays in the comfort zone of what he knows he will get stale,challenges to try new things actually can make a good maker better...Me I like the challenges of learning new things better than doing the same old thing time after time...

As a maker I can always say no to a design I do not like,just as easy as a buyer/collecter can say no to one of my knives as to their list of dealbusters:D

When the bills are due a maker will let himself make something he doesnt like allot easier than a buyer spending his money on something he doesnt like.Funny how putting food on the table can make a person do things they dont like,but some of use will just say "NO" no matter what the situation.

I am not beyond doing a tactical if I agree with all the lines and can do it my way....

Bruce
 
If clients werent willing to pay us while we learn,
many of us would try new things far less often.
 
Most people who learn that I'm making knives request for me to make them some kind of frost cutlery-esque fantasy abomination with gold and diamonds and deer stag and mother of pearl........with spikes.

(99% request or give me an atrocious piece of deer stag like it's the be-all do-all of knife handles)

They also request it be free.

To save myself the headache of such types I have a few patterns that I like and plan to make alot of. Like having a line of a few knives I can make repeatedly with different handle materials.

If a customer comes to me with a reasonable design/request I see no problem in catering to their needs.
 
Russ is finding out all about expanding one's boundries right now with a knife of mine. I imagine there has been a little swearing going on in Russ' shop.
 
I ask a maker if a knife that I have in mind is something he/she is wanting to do. I don't pressure them in any way. If a maker wants to expand his/her boundries, that's a good thing. If they want to stay in a comfort zone, that is okay as well. I personally think it is a good thing for the maker to want to learn new things.
 
Every now and then I’ll get a collector who simply gives me a general (if any) “concept”, puts me on a budget of several thousand dollars, pays the full amount up front… and just turns me loose. :)

Those kind are very helpful because they allow the maker the freedom to create what they want to. Most makers will go beyond the call of duty when given this kind of opportunity. It also shows that the collector has faith in the maker. I’ll drop whatever I’m doing and give those kind top priority until completed.

Second to those, I like orders for previous designs of "mine",... or special client variations or modifications to them,... within reason.

If a makers is going to take the time to make the knife and put his or her name on it,... the maker must first feel good about the concept, idea and design. Anything less would be a disservice to the clientele. Not to mention that if the client can't keep his or her end of the deal, the maker can end up holding a knife they personally don't feel good about. Those can be a major set back. :(

Why hire a designer and pay designer prices,… if you don’t want an original design?
 
My experience is that it's a very fine line between adding to the final result and creating a monster. The issues are:

1) Too much direction will criple the maker's sense of pride and ownership, and might result in them resenting the experience - never a good process.
2) Too much direction will result in a knife that has too much of the customer's style vs. the maker's, and often the customer doesn't have the experience to do styling well.
3) Too much stretching of a maker's ability can result in a knife that is not quite as good as it could have been and a frustrated maker.
 
From my experience (as I buyer) when you choose a maker who's style concurs with your taste, you agree on the general idea and materials and leave the rest to him, you end up with a good knife. :D
 
flava said:
From my experience (as I buyer) when you choose a maker who's style concurs with your taste, you agree on the general idea and materials and leave the rest to him, you end up with a good knife. :D
Click to expand...

That is what I do, I have a basic style in mind and then I like to let the maker go nuts, I do ask that certain materials be used but many times the knife the maker creates is better than the one I had in my head.
 
I am with Tai,My favorite knives to make are when I am given a style the customer wants and a budget to keep the knife price in...I usually give all I can to these pieces and they end up worth more than I charge.

When I cannot be creative with my work I get to fighting it to finish it...

Bruce
 
Was a pleasure. I would like to think this project went just as he liked, too. Certainly I got my fill.

I had a general idea and had some thoughts. Tai gave me a synopsis of what might work and what wouldn't. OK, let's go. Then it was up to him to incorporate them.

orig.jpg


Let the artists have their say!

Coop
 
To: MSG Kim Breed

Around 1999 to 2001 you reviewed and tested a knife made by Mr. Weldon Whitley of El Paso, Texas. The knife tested had a handle wrapped in red para-cord. Mr. Whitley's logo on the blade is a Road Runner. I have lost your review of that knife and the photos of it. I would like for Mr. Whitley to make a knife for me like the one you evaluated. Do you have records/photos of your evaluation of this knife? If you do I would appreciate a copy very much. Thank you.
 
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