Do I need to add a first initial to my mark?

See what you did? You woke up Ichabod Crane (ptgdvc) from his 5-month nap.

Dang. That's impressssive. ;)

Coop
 
Damn, Jason Knight AND Peter Gill?!?!

You're right Coop, I have just done the un-do-able! :) lol

Thanks everybody for the input and kind words, it's much appreciated.

Well, except for that Wylie character. He's just mad N'Sync broke up and he missed out on the tickets for the New Kids on the Block reunion tour.



Also, I don't want anybody to think I was bashing on any other Wheeler knifemakers, I just wondered if it would have any affect on anything in your guys' eyes!

I got to meet Gary Wheeler a few years ago and he was great to talk to. It was really ironic/odd... the font that my old mark was made in, was the font on Gary's business card! I also saw that Gary got his Js this year :thumbup:


Guess I'll be leaving it as is. Thanks! :)
 
A first initial is not necessary.

How many of those other Wheelers are Journeyman Smiths? Wheeler with the JS should be enough to let anyone know it was you that made the knife. Sopmeday there may even be a couple of knives with Wheeler, MS on the blades.
 
NickWheeler said:
Well, except for that Wylie character. He's just mad N'Sync broke up and he missed out on the tickets for the New Kids on the Block reunion tour.
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Only cause when you were front man for N'Sync , you promised me back stage passes. ;) I guess I will have to wait till you guys re-unite and forge ahead on your new " Hammer Down " Tour.

You work stands on it's own my friend , no matter what you stamp on it ! :thumbup:
 
I think a stick figure pushing a wheel would be great or maybe just an electro-chemically etched photo of yourself would do the job. That way you would have an icon (boy pushing wheel or your face). I never thought Don Hanson looked like a sunfish though. I have never worked for Geico, I'm a real caveman, I don't play one on TV.
 
I don't think you need to add or change a thing about your mark, Nick.

Doug :)
 
Nick, the only people who should be thinking about putting their first initial on their knives are the other Wheeler guys.

It would be kinda like if my last name was Loveless, and I just happened to make knives.
 
Nick, your current logo has excellent symmetry. Adding an initial would just screw that up, so don't do it. Besides, when we read your name without an initial, we recognize it as belonging to the little Wheeler. :D
 
Interesting that there's another current BF thread where a collector is seeking help in identifying a "Newton" knife as to which Newton actually made it. We see this type of thread quite often here and on other forums.
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=599099

The above is the exact reason why I advised Nick that it may be wise to add the "N" to his mark. Though Nick is currently very popular, he makes very few knives and they could very well come under scrutiny as to maker in 10-15 years.

Evident by his question and being the intelligent young man he is, Nick realizes that his knives may not be as readily recognizable in the years to come by the general knife public as they are by his fans here on this customs forum.
 
Nick, the last name only is nice and clean as others have stated. Kevin does have a point though. Here's the deal, make me another hunter and you can put any stamp you want it, the work speaks for itself.

 
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canineforge said:
N. Wheeler, it's the work, not the stamp, you want collectors to recognize. Hold fast.

- Joe
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Exactly so.

I have yet to see the work of any other Wheeler that I could possibly mistake for Nick's. As to any potential future confusion - the answer would be only an e-mail away.

Roger
 
you started making knives during the time of the internet, and I would think that would make your work easy to research. Unlike some dude who made knives for 10 years back in the sixties or somesuch.
 
I think that if you add to your stamp it should be your whole name.

I don't like how one initial looks. I sort of think you should do it. It might make you proud to see your whole name on a knife you like. And that way it is clear that YOU made it and no one will ever mistake it down the road. I would keep the "wheeler" as is, and put "nick" in the same font but smaller, above your last name.
 
I believe we (myself included) tend to believe that we who participate here on the BF custom knife forums are the custom knife community when in fact we are only a micro percentage of such.

So the fact that Joe, Roger, myself and probably even most of the participants here can readily identify Nick's and many other maker's work at a glance doesn't mean that average or casual knife collector can.

IMO, Don Hanson is one of the top knifemakers in the world from both a design and execution standpoint or any standpoint for that matter :D and I collect his work, however I believe him only using the "sunfish" for his mark possibly has or will put him at a disadvantage to some extent.
As well know as Don is, I doubt that if you polled knife collectors at large that 4 out of 10 would recognize the sunfish as Don's mark. By the way, there's a maker in Europe who also uses almost the exact "sunfish" mark.

My opinion on this matter is actually the result of a Bruce Voyle's seminar that I attended recently in which he spoke directly on this subject. He opened up the topic by referencing a few maker's marks from past well known makers and asked who in attendance could name the maker. Well even though some very astute collectors and makers were in attendance no one could name the first one. This drove home the importance of makers clearly identifying their knives.

Daniel Winkler has changed the familiar interlocking "D/W" that has adorned his knives for years to a "D Winkler" mark.

Personally, I'm not concerned how Nick marks his knives, however since he's obviously concerned to the point he started a thread I felt the need to think about it and give him an un-biased answer based on how it could affect him, his collectors and would-be collectors long term.

In addition, to STeven's point, I don't think that reducing his font to allow a "N" to precede "Wheeler" would de-face his knives in the least.

Sorry to run on, just felt since I'm in the vast minority here that I share where I'm coming from. :)
 
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Kevin, Joe and Ken, thanks!

Kevin makes a very good point and I have often thought of the need to add my name to my knives. I will leave the 'sunfish' but will start adding my last name somewhere on the knives.

Kevin, do you know of a photo of the 'other sunfish'? I would sure like to see it.
 
Don Hanson III said:
Kevin, Joe and Ken, thanks!

Kevin makes a very good point and I have often thought of the need to add my name to my knives. I will leave the 'sunfish' but will start adding my last name somewhere on the knives.

Kevin, do you know of a photo of the 'other sunfish'? I would sure like to see it.
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Even if there is someone else using a sunfish mark, you currently have the advantage of having another mark on your blades that indentify them as yours...your MS stamp. Now if this guy in France gets his MS stamp, maybe you have to worry, but until then, I think that you are okay:thumbup::D Plus, the French knives can be easily identified by the hair under the quillions:eek:;)
 
jdm61 said:
Even if there is someone else using a sunfish mark, you currently have the advantage of having another mark on your blades that indentify them as yours...your MS stamp. Now if this guy in France gets his MS stamp, maybe you have to worry, but until then, I think that you are okay:thumbup::D Plus, the French knives can be easily identified by the hair under the quillions:eek:;)
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I don't believe Don marks his knives "MS".
Don, I will post some photos of the French Maker's mark.
 
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