Get A Custom, Say "No" To Art???

I think the handmade/custom distinction is a bit too fine. I agree with Beowulf. If its hand made and there's only ONE of them, it can still be a custom even though it wasn't designed to a customer's specs, but to that of the knife maker! That's IMHO of course :)

Otherwise, its not always easy to get a knife made to spec. I've made three attempts now. The first I had to send back to the maker, the second I kept, but it wasn't quite right in the tip area. The third I hope to pick up at BAKCA tomorrow. It was the simplest of the three, a knife made to the same profile as one of the knife maker's existing models, but with thinner stock. I'll let you know how it turns out.
 
I think both original maker designs plus makers who make knives after the customer´s pattern (probably with some guidance concerning the details) are great things.

For many knife collectors (including me) it´s a dream to get a knife which exactly resembles one´s taste - and I´m soon going to make that dream come true! In fact I already designed it, talked about it with the maker and I am going to order it in a couple of days.

Interesting designs by knowledgeable knifemakers not only result in great custom knife designs, but there are also design elements or whole knife sketches which are taken to the production level. This prevents the production market from lacking of inventions and also makes unique designs affordable for the general public.
 
I've recently ordered a custom from Scott Slobodian.
It's a knife made for me specifically, and I asked him to follow certain directions as for decoration and materials.
The blade I choose from some already done, but I don't mind because, were I to ask him for a new one, I'd just have had to hope it was like the already done one, so I think I was just lucky and the blade must be considered custom.
I obviously left much to Scott taste and style: if I didn't like his work, and had to tell him everything and to have him make a knife as per my specs, from the first hammer blow to the last wood polish, I'd be buying not a custom knife, in my opinion, but just skilled labor.
A true custom is the right mix of customer specs and bladesmith or knifemaker skill and style.
 
Well, I ordered a tanto. :D
As for forging, I think he does some of the kinves or daggers by stock removal, while the japanese blades are forged.
 
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