Good idea or Bad ???

pitdog

pitdog

Joined
Apr 13, 2007
Messages
12,294
After the post about the guy wanting a new 6"-7" camp knife I got to thinking about this:

Obviously it would have to be run by the mods first but how about when someone is looking to have a certain knife made he posts it on here with a generic title such as " One for the pool !"-The pool being the many talented knifemakers on this forum.

So let's say he asks for a 7" bladed survival knife, 1/4" thick and has $200 to spend.

Knifemaker A might respond that he can make one with a 1095 7" blade, Micarta grips but only has 3/16" stock.

Knifemaker B might respond he can make one out of A2 1/4" stock with a 6" blade and micarta grips.

Knifemaker C might respond he can make one exactly as requested but only has 1080 steel.

It is then up to the buyer to decide what factors he feels are the most important and then pick one of the makers to do it.
The knock on effect is that say he picked maker A, someone else reading the post might decide " hell I'd like that one maker B can do out of the A2 steel " and so maker B gets an order as well !!!

Obviously this would only work when the said makers have time to pull a knife in but it may help them when times are slow and would also generate some publicity for them and give everyone an idea of just what can made for their money !
 
Its a good idea, but it would probably have to be posted in the knife makers section. I don't think the mods would allow it in here.
 
tknife said:
Its a good idea, but it would probably have to be posted in the knife makers section. I don't think the mods would allow it in here.
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Yeah maybe ya right, I was hoping it could be kept here to generate work for those makers that contribute to this forum though...kinda keeping it in-house so to speak !
 
Definitely, all the makers that frequent this forum have gotten my business!
 
Good idea, wrong forum. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be a forum for this. There is a forum where an individual can buy or sell new or used production knives. There is a forum where dealers can sell knives. There is a forum where makers can sell knives that are already made. There is a forum where an owner can sell custom knives from his/her collection. What there does not appear to be is a forum where a prospective buyer can solicit prospective makers, and visa versa. This, I think, is a very good idea that probably be broached in the service and support forum. The prospective new forum should probably be in the makers' section. You never know, hitting a broader swath of makers than frequent WS&S may open the door to even more crippling debt.
 
do it, in the past I have emailed 3-4 people for quotes on a job and it's hectic trying to sort it all out.
 
When I want a specific design of mine made, I contact the maker that I feel would do the best job, and give him the specs I am interested in.
That includes a sketch, the steel I have in mind, the grind on the blade, the handle material, dimensions and the tasks that I intend the knife to perform.

I also ask lots of questions. I want to know the method by which he makes the blade. Stock reduction? Forging? Hand filing? Is his steel from bar stock? Flat stock?
Who does his heat treat? If done in house, who has checked his figures?

Leaving questions unasked, means you may, or may not get what you had in mind.

If the answers don't suit me, then I shop else where.
 
I think its a good idea for the Maker's area, Pit.

"Custom Job Pool" ... or sumthin'

Make a post in the "questions and answers" section and see what the guys think. It makes sense to me.

Rick
 
Allowing makers to compete with bids for a project sounds an excellent way to put more power in that hands of the consumer and drive prices down. As far as I'm concerned, in this context, knives are just a commodity and you are either buyer, seller, or not affected. I suspect some people would like there to be more to it than that but ultimately that's all there is so pick a camp innit. Besides it's not like government nepotism that's going to force anyone to take up the cheapest submission. It may even evolve to benefit makers in other ways. We often hear that the vast proportion of the costs of custom knives doesn't come from that which it was made just how long the maker took to make it. Over time savvy makers will learn new methods of speeding up production so they can remain competitive. Makers get to turn over more stock, maybe start to generate a proper brand, and the buyer gets more of what they paid for and wastes less money on the history of the item which cuts nothing.

Not in this forum though 'cos it's irrelevant but elsewhere on the site - “Desperately seeking” or “Would like to meet” and see what contestants turn up for the date.

It would be good fun to play around with too. For example: Throw down an Old Hickory and say “I want one just like this, made from the same stuff as this, heat treated similarly to this, but with a Micarta handle – how much you gonna charge me?”.
 
Mannlicher said:
When I want a specific design of mine made, I contact the maker that I feel would do the best job, and give him the specs I am interested in.
That includes a sketch, the steel I have in mind, the grind on the blade, the handle material, dimensions and the tasks that I intend the knife to perform.

I also ask lots of questions. I want to know the method by which he makes the blade. Stock reduction? Forging? Hand filing? Is his steel from bar stock? Flat stock?
Who does his heat treat? If done in house, who has checked his figures?

Leaving questions unasked, means you may, or may not get what you had in mind.

If the answers don't suit me, then I shop else where.
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I totally respect that, brother. If you something specific in mind... keep looking until your requirements are met.

I work in a different way. Customers give me an idea of what they want, it's intened use, and price range. I take it from there and draw up something for their approval. If they like it, I will make it and they are given the first opportunity to buy. Up until that point, there is no commitment, no money upfront and they are not obligated to buy the finished piece. If they do buy it and for whatever reason are not happy with their purchase... I will refund every penny, including shipping back to me. You don't have as much control as to what I make, which is okay with most because they are looking for a piece of the maker, anyway.

Rick
 
Mannlicher said:
When I want a specific design of mine made, I contact the maker that I feel would do the best job, and give him the specs I am interested in.
That includes a sketch, the steel I have in mind, the grind on the blade, the handle material, dimensions and the tasks that I intend the knife to perform.

I also ask lots of questions. I want to know the method by which he makes the blade. Stock reduction? Forging? Hand filing? Is his steel from bar stock? Flat stock?
Who does his heat treat? If done in house, who has checked his figures?

Leaving questions unasked, means you may, or may not get what you had in mind.

If the answers don't suit me, then I shop else where.
Click to expand...

I know what you are saying buddy, as soon as I drew up a recent knife design I had one particular maker in mind and fortunately he contacted me and said he would like to make one of my designs and gave me quite a good quote.Sometimes however, as in the recent " I want a 6"-7" Camp knife" post the person is a little more open to suggestions and just wants to test the waters and feel out what each maker could offer in that price range.
People on this forum are not stupid and know that the fit and finish of certain makers is higher than others and their price often reflects this, however sometimes the fine detail of the knife might be irrelevent and the buyer might just be looking for a no frills work horse.
I will stress that I am in no way suggesting this to push makers into lowering their prices to compete this goes back to my previous statement about what fit and finish you really want or need.
 
baldtaco-II said:
Allowing makers to compete with bids for a project sounds an excellent way to put more power in that hands of the consumer and drive prices down.........

...........................how much you gonna charge me?”.
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That is one way to look at it. I find your approach to be a bit to agressive and cost driven. If that is what is important to you, I suggest you look into production knives. Custom makers can't really compete like that, or at least shouldn't be made to. "Puting more power back into the hands of the consumer to drive down pricing" will only put more custom makers out of business. Joe Maker, sitting in his shop working freehand on one knife at a time can't play the same game as Peter Production with a fully automated set-up. Those looking have a "truly custom" knife must allow the maker to do what he feels is best for the knife, not what is the quickest and cheapest way to pump them out. I think if folks jump in with the intent to drive down pricing and get cool customs for cheap, it won't make it far. Having a custom knife made is much more than just getting a cutting tool. If artists had to make a living, competeing to sell their paintings for the cost of materials and a bit of a mark-up, there soon wouldn't be any artists left.


The whole "fun to play around with" statement kinda doesn't sit right with me, either. These guys would be taking the time to quote... it should be taken seriously.

Rick
 
I would like makers to think outside the box more, and be more open to the customers ideas, rather than saying, "that cant be done" or "i dont like that idea, so it cant be done." or "thats too thick, it will never work" or "that hardware is too big" etc etc tc

etc etc

no offence. Its just that i know how i want a knife to look, and trying to get the maker to see that is extremely difficult.
 
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Bushman... you just have to find a maker that feels the same as you or is willing to try and make it work. I have turned down many jobs because I didn't agree with design specifics. If I am puting my name on it, I have to fully back the design... Does that make sense?

I have seen alot of great makers take on "out of the box designs" that prove to be very successful....... cough, TB Tracker, cough.....

Rick
 
yea i hear you Mag, and i fully understand what your saying.

prolly just end up doing it myself....hahaha
 
Magnussen said:
Bushman... you just have to find a maker that feels the same as you or is willing to try and make it work. I have turned down many jobs because I didn't agree with design specifics. If I am puting my name on it, I have to fully back the design... Does that make sense?

I have seen alot of great makers take on "out of the box designs" that prove to be very successful....... cough, TB Tracker, cough.....

Rick
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Is that a subtle hint that you won't be doing any of mine anytime soon !:D

Actually I fully agree with ya Rick, a maker should never compromise his work if it's going to be seen by the masses unless he is sure it will only show him in a positive light !:thumbup:
 
Magnussen said:
Bushman... you just have to find a maker that feels the same as you or is willing to try and make it work. I have turned down many jobs because I didn't agree with design specifics. If I am puting my name on it, I have to fully back the design... Does that make sense?

I have seen alot of great makers take on "out of the box designs" that prove to be very successful....... cough, TB Tracker, cough.....

Rick
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I agree with this. If the design is good, but the maker doesn't think it would work well, he might not want to try it and risk sending out a knife that he himself does not feel can perform the way the person who designed it may think it will. Even if it does, the maker is the one whose name is behind the blade, so if it doesn't work, something bad may come of it. (Although it shouldn't, with some people, you just don't know)
 
I have gone out on a limb with customer designs... it definately has to do with my confidence in the customer as well.

Take Pit for example...

It's no wonder that he gets his designs made. He puts in his time out on the trail and isn't afraid to get down and dirty or naked and snowy for that matter... lol. I'm sure that whatever cock-a-mamie design he comes up with stems from trial, error and necessity. As goofy or stupid his knives may look.... they most likely serve his purpose in some idiotic way.

Pit is good peoples and I would happily hammer out one of his senseless mockeries of metal... not because I agree with his assinine logic but because I respect him.:p:thumbup:

Rick
 
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