Do you display your knives in your home or business?

F

fisk

National Living Treasure & Subject Matter Expert
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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Mar 31, 1999
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Knives are being recognized as a traditional art form. But are they being display as such?
Do you display them at your home or office? How do you display them? Are they displayed seperate or as a group? When you buy an art piece would you prefer for it to come with a display stand/arrangement?
jf
 
fisk,
You might like this story. I was working for this company as an Independant Contractor, they had very great offices, with spectacular NYC river views, to impress the clients. My office was beautifully decorated, all cherry furniture, but there was some blank wall space. I asked the owners if they minded if I put up a collection of my knives, they said sure. The problem, I really didn't have that kind of collection. I called my accountant, told him the situation, and asked how much could I write off in decorating my office. He said don't go crazy, a couple of thousand would be fine. Great! I start ordering knives, the clients liked them, my bosses thought they were great, just what the place needed. This went on for a while, I was a government subsidized, jr. knifenut. Well, to make a long story short, the bosses weren't all that great as business men. The fact is they couldn't count their nuts, and come up with the same number twice. I'm doing about $10K a month in commission, and these guys can't pay the rent. They ask if I want to buy my office from them? Yeah right! So I packed up my collection and went home, a richer man for the experience.

PhilL
 
I should have them displayed in my home since I'm getting a fairly nice collection of custom & collectible fixed blades & folders but every time I think about getting display cabinets I find another knife I want more. No cabinets!!! My folders are displayed on the end table next to my living room chair & the fixed blades are stacked in a magazine rack on the other side where I can reach them(I like to handle them a lot - it makes them feel wanted). I need cabinets but I want too many knives.

Bill
 
I would love to at work, but would have to take them home every night (darn cleaning crews).

At home, there are a few in cases.
Those that are not in cases are in a Bill's duffle or in some of the Wilkenson pouches in a safe. Factory stuff is laying around everywhere (since I became a bachelor again).

Amazing the results in making cases when a desk jocky uses a miter saw, a little stained moulding glass and wood. With a little creativity these cases have come out pretty good.
 
Http://www.angelfire.com/tx3/tbark/tbarkcollect.JPG is the URL of how I display my prize knives I am a Knifemaker but also a Knife collector from left to right Shane Sloan,Michael Martin,Bob Sky , Whiskers , TbarK Auto,Jason Jacks,and Martin Pullen I display them on the wall in display cases
 
I started making knives a few years back and like most new makers the results were rather crude. Although crude I was quite proud of my accomplishment and I wanted to display my handywork. So I went out to my shop (I've owned a woodworking business for 14 years) and made a really neat display stand. Needless to say the display was much much nicer than the knife. Since then I've made
individual display stands and cases for real life knife makers. Its nice to see a high quality knife displayed on its own stand, it really sets it apart. Jay Maines Shows a couple displays @ bladegallery.com

My opinion is if you collect them, show them off.

John Yeackley
jyeackley@mindspring.com

[This message has been edited by John Yeackley (edited 18 November 1999).]
 
I display all of my knives in display cases at home problem is I get them situated just so,were they look good and then I buy another one and I have to start over again but now that I think about it I really enjoy that part of it.
I would really enjoy displaying them at work but then you start getting questions about what you paid for them (I made the mistake of taking one of my customs to work and showing it off and I have never seen so many people look at me like I was stupid when I told them what I paid for it,yet these guys are talking about what they paid for their latest titanum Ping driver wow that is an expensive sport but I never balked at what they said they paid for it,my only question to them was did they take pride in ownership because I do)Seems that the only people who appricate knives are people that collect them and that is why I display them in my home were I can appricate them.

Im really sorry guys that I got off the subject but Im sure that you all know the feeling.

Kevin.
 
Hi all,
My business is a restaurant, so we naturally have many knives there. Unfortunately, some of my emplyees do not respect a good knife so it would be a waste to bring anything nice there other than my daily carry.

As I spend quite a bit of time on the computer, (BladeForums lately) I have started keeping two knives at a time on my desk here in the home office. For me, as is probably the case for most of you, my most expensive knives don't actually do a lot of cutting, so you have to admire them more often to justify their existance. They are "handy" during download delays and daydreaming periods. I also find that they are usefull when contemplating another knife to purchase on the 'Net, you can pick up your own to compare with a potential new one. Sometimes it helps curb the knife buying euphoria, at other times not! I rotate the two on the desk with others in display cases from the "Gun Room". The hardest decision is which knife to "display" on my body every day!
Take care,
Brian


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Brian-The new knife in the Block, and definitely not the sharpest!
 
Above my desk in the office sit a Ruana 26CD hollow ground drop point, a Randall 6 inch #5, a JOE Flournoy 4 inch bone handled drop point, a small Gene Baskett display knife with thuya burl handle and display stand, and a stag handled Puma White Hunter. The 5 inch Jerry Fisk hunter purchased in 1989 is now locked in the safe with the other knives and firearms that I cant afford to replace.
Many of the knives I would like to display have simply become too valuable , to have a Fisk, McBurnette,Zwoda,Caldwell, etc. stollen would be hard to swallow
 
At my parents house we have a large Bill Hicks Bowie proudly displayed. Bill was the blacksmith that worked at the Old Washington State Park as a living recreator. It was made at James Black Forge in Washington, Arkansas. The coffin handle and sheath is made of the oldest living magnolia in Arkansas - also found in Washington. It is on display but it is also handled and shown to visitors. A big part of a knife is the way it balances in your hand, the sound of the sheath, texture of the handle etc. A knife comes alive when it is handled.

To me it represents part of my Arkansas Heritage.

Larry


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I have a small shelf in my den that has a knife on display most of the time. It changes whenever I feel like it.
Right now, it is a piece of tanned deer hide with a flint scraper, stone beads, and my grandfathers 1900 era Marble's on a piece of antler.
 
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