For Serious Knife Collectors - The Collection Inventory: Who does it, To what extent?

ono724 said:
Not criticizing at all, but using MS access for a knife inventory is similar to driving finishing nails with a sledgehammer :D

It works, for sure, but excel does an excellent job for creating small to medium size databases...just my .02 :)
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The spreadsheet worked fine for a while, but as my collection grew very large, I found it was a hassle trying to get stats on subgoups of knives without messing with pivot tables and such. I actually would rather use a DB at that point. Different strokes for different folks and all that...

- Mark
 
Ugh, I used to do it.. just a simple .txt file. Was a list in chronological order with maker, knife make, steel, thickness, length, oal, special features, sheath or not. and of course price paid.

UNTIL NOW. I never backed it up.. And it's GONE GONE GONE.. stupid.. annoying.. I can look up about 20 of them on BF.. but the rest I have to try and recall by looking at them some are total guess.. oh well :/

BACK UP YOUR SHIZ - I'm going to keep a hard copy now in a notebook as well.. starting over..
 
You guys are nuts:D. I only have 25-28 at last count, not including a couple for the kitchen.

I'm also considering selling off whatever I don't use, since I mostly collect knives with high performance stainless steels because of their useful properties.
 
Since my collection is small ~40 blades, I keep info on my iphone/mac dt using the notes program. Info includes: manufacturer, model #, name, blade steel, price I paid/and if sold, that price, if gifted price and to whom. I also take lots of pictures. Info list and pictures are smart imo for insurance purposes. Plus, I just enjoy compiling and looking.
 
Pretty Low Tech here. I went to Walmart and bought a stack of index cards and a plastic file to hold them. I write all the info about the knife and purchase and file it. I started in the front with Custom knives, then Production knives, then Chopping tools, and last, Guns. In the very back I have The Ones That Got Away, where I file the original card with selling price, who to info. I keep the file in my safe, so hopefully it will be safe from fire and unwanted visitors. I know it's a pretty primitive system, but it works for me.
 
dwain said:
Pretty Low Tech here. I went to Walmart and bought a stack of index cards and a plastic file to hold them. I write all the info about the knife and purchase and file it. I started in the front with Custom knives, then Production knives, then Chopping tools, and last, Guns. In the very back I have The Ones That Got Away, where I file the original card with selling price, who to info. I keep the file in my safe, so hopefully it will be safe from fire and unwanted visitors. I know it's a pretty primitive system, but it works for me.
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Actually, if I were gonna start recording my stuff again, or if I had another crash and had to start over, that's exactly what I'd do. The DB and SS were fun to do the first time to create something new and useful and try out some different querying and reporting techniques, but the end result is no faster or more useful to me than a 3x5 card file and I don't have to turn anything on to use 3x5 cards.
 
ono724 said:
Not criticizing at all, but using MS access for a knife inventory is similar to driving finishing nails with a sledgehammer :D

It works, for sure, but excel does an excellent job for creating small to medium size databases...just my .02 :)
Click to expand...

I've found that Access is easier to use if you want to insert pix of specific knives, have an open "comments" field for notes about special knives that isn't sitting around empty if it's unused like it would in a SS, if you want to have one button access to reports, if you want or need a lot of querying and reporting flexibility, and if you want to write something without using a lot of code.

Flat file DBs like a SS are definitely easier to set up, but an RDB gives additional flexibility that flat files can't offer, at least no the same extent as an RDB.
 
I do something a bit different in the process of cataloguing my knives...I draw them. I do my best to keep them true to size/shape and the only tools I use are a ruler and a multi-circle template. Some are still works in progress, but I thought I'd show what I've got so far.

By drawing them, I really have to study and pay attention to the specifics. I think I start to get a much better understanding as far as designs go because of this.

0XdhV.jpg

Kw9vG.jpg

HSITk.jpg

7PC6f.jpg
 
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forcedestrike said:
Here you go Spoutz;

http://forcedefrappe.com/collection.xlsx

Pretty rudimentary but it works for my purposes. :)
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Sorry to go off-topic for a second here...Is this ForcedFrappe that was at the USN meet at the sushi restaurant Friday night? I was the one who brought the Izula II, RAT Pack RC-3, The modded Victorinox Farmer with the scissors, pocket clip and HA II scales, the Spyderco Jerry Hossom Forester fixed blade. Which one were you again? Sorry, I'm terrible with names and there were too many faces to remember everyone.

PM if you're the guy! Don't want to derail this great thread!
 
I was! PM inc

NaturalMystic said:
Sorry to go off-topic for a second here...Is this ForcedFrappe that was at the USN meet at the sushi restaurant Friday night? I was the one who brought the Izula II, RAT Pack RC-3, The modded Victorinox Farmer with the scissors, pocket clip and HA II scales, the Spyderco Jerry Hossom Forester fixed blade. Which one were you again? Sorry, I'm terrible with names and there were too many faces to remember everyone.

PM if you're the guy! Don't want to derail this great thread!
Click to expand...
 
This has to be the nerdiest and coolest thread in history. I thought I was the only one that did stuff like this in excel and now I find people taking it to a whole new level and making Access databases!

I have much to learn it seems. I also include the paypal ref number and the approximate resale value. I also have all my photos on photobucket in case I lose everything including the laptop.
 
Funny to see this thread, I just a few days ago decided to take inventory of my collection soon.
 
I'm going to start just by manually listing them on index cards with about 5 property lines, then transfer everything over to Access for long term storage. I might just do something quick and dirty with my iPad though because I can walk all around the house and enter each knife and its specs as I see it.
 
kipzroll said:
I do something a bit different in the process of cataloguing my knives...I draw them. I do my best to keep them true to size/shape and the only tools I use are a ruler and a multi-circle template. Some are still works in progress, but I thought I'd show what I've got so far.

By drawing them, I really have to study and pay attention to the specifics. I think I start to get a much better understanding as far as designs go because of this.

http://i.imgur.com/0XdhV.jpg[/IMG
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/Kw9vG.jpg[/IMG
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/HSITk.jpg[/IMG
[IMG]http://i.imgur.com/7PC6f.jpg[/IMG[/QUOTE]

I really like that idea and may have to steal it! Those are some nice drawings, too.
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kreole said:
I really like that idea and may have to steal it! Those are some nice drawings, too.
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Much appreciated. The intent is never that they'll be finished "art," it's more just a study in design. And although all the pictures are the same size on here, the actual knives are sized 1:1 on paper.
 
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