Have we entered a “Golden Age”?

braillediver said:
Any makers willing to comment on this? Seems there'd be greater risk making bold design statements when the buyers might be less inclined to take risks and more closely watching their spending.
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You mean makers playing it safe by making something that buy groceries? :D


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I find myself doing just that. How many ABS MS's are making Loveless replica's? I know they sell and I can make it home from the show. I make stainless slipjoints too.
 
^:D:thumbup:
 
I think we definately have reached an all time high in the collecting world. When I first started playing with knives things where pretty straight forward when it came to designs and now the sky is the limit with new designs and the quality of fit and finish . I believe alot of this has come with the aid of better machinery, cnc and the like. Nothing wrong with that.

I also believe there are so many talented people in the game and the learning curve has jumped expedentaly from people shareing ideas and methods from the internet to hammer ins and things of that nature. Again that is good. You have to remember in days of old aprenticeships and trade secrets where a serious matter and information was kept alot closer to the belt. Now shareing is encouraged.

New steels, equipment, ideas and alot more makers giveing up there day job to go full time how could advancement be stopped. So I definately believe the bar will keep being raised I just hope the most important aspects of the blade are not forgotten in this race to develop . I feel it won't as long as the great makers that are out there keep testing there methods for performance as well as looks and fit and finish.


I believe the Golden age of the blade was long ago when men where betting there lives on the steel they had at there side

I have said this before that when the Japanese blades of old became status symbols there embelishments rose to a much higher level but there blade quality went the other way.


I am far from saying that this is what is happening but it is something to keep in mind
 
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How many times do we hear that the old school MS's work might not pass a modern MS test. I'd say all the information provided these days has definately improved the quality of work, hence the golden age. Maybe designs are no more innovative, but quality (fit, finish and edge holding capability) seems to have improved.

I really can't comment on old Japanese stuff. I am just going with what I hear lately.
 
Joe I know, I was trying to make the point that I'm not qualified to comment on old Japanese stuff because I am not educated on that stuff. My point got all jumbled up. I'm sure they made great stuff back then but I feel that when the ABS stuff started happening, to my eye, the knives didn't seem to have the same fit/finish they have now. Again, I haven't examined many in person and I am only drawing this opinion from my own opinion looking at pictures of old (not ancient) knives.
 
Jon, not sure of your definition of "old". Buster Warenski's fit and finish in the 70's was, for instance, AT LEAST as good as most master smiths of today. I can make a case for a Golden Age of golden knives back then. I can make a case for there being more qualified master smiths today. "Golden age" almost infers vast differences in makers' quality between two periods of time, which I don't see as existing today to that degree.

But as to fit and finish then, and now, that's a matter of who did it, not when it was done.
 
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Joe, you said it. Couldn't have said it better.
 
jonathan brand said:
Maybe the golden age is due to the expansion of the INTERNET. Fifteen years ago, makers may have had less competition due to the lack of WWW power.
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We have a winner. Jon gets to pick what's behind door #1. ;)

I'm a firm believer that this has been the singlemost biggest factor in learning about Custom knives, both from the maker's standpoint and from the collectors. The bar has risen accordingly.

That said, the past legends did it without as much input. The most solid artists are pioneers.

I will also say that browsing the Knives Annuals from ten-twenty years ago is always eye-opening.

Coop
 
Jon, Coop, Dead on, the internet is ''Golden''.

I will also say that browsing the Knives Annuals from ten-twenty years ago is always eye-opening.
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Coop, I also do this and it goes along with what Kevin's is trying to say here.

Bob, Buster doesn't count ;)
 
Bruce Bump said:
You mean makers playing it safe by making something that buy groceries? :D

I find myself doing just that. How many ABS MS's are making Loveless replica's? I know they sell and I can make it home from the show. I make stainless slipjoints too.
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You're much too modest Bruce. :)
The innovative and beautiful knives and pistol guns I have seen you post here and take to shows over the last 18-24 months look far from your playing it safe. ;)

In fact, you are one of the innovative ABS makers who I feel has pushed the ABS Bowie designs to the elevated state they occupy today as opposed to a decade ago.

Certainly the great success you enjoy hasn't come from your playing it safe in making the same knives as others. :)
 
Don Hanson III said:
Jon, Coop, Dead on, the internet is ''Golden''.
Coop, I also do this and it goes along with what Kevin's is trying to say here.

Bob, Buster doesn't count ;)
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Golden for sure, however the internet is no replacement for actually handling and inspecting knives in hand.
 
Kevin Jones said:
Golden for sure, however the internet is no replacement for actually handling and inspecting knives in hand.
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True, Kevin, BUT it could be argued that for a maker, the internet is somewhat of a "substitute" for a lot of trial and error (emphasis on the error part) in learning how to make knives, just as the much greater number of classes, hammer-ins, etc. that are out there today are.
 
jdm61 said:
True, Kevin, BUT it could be argued that for a maker, the internet is somewhat of a "substitute" for a lot of trial and error (emphasis on the error part) in learning how to make knives, just as the much greater number of classes, hammer-ins, etc. that are out there today are.
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Yes, however isn't the maker who elects to learn primarily from the internet at a disadvantage as opposed to the maker who attends classes, hammer-ins?

Just as is the collector who elects to learn everything about custom knives from the internet rather than going to shows?
 
Kevin Jones said:
Golden for sure, however the internet is no replacement for actually handling and inspecting knives in hand.
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You are right kevin, it is no replacement, but every hour of every day we can discuss every aspect of custom knives, show and view great images of knives, get up to date info, etc... It is the most prominent change to the custom knife world we've seen.
 
I'm not saying the internet is solely responsible for the rise in quality and innovation,
but I feel it's played a part. Lot of sharing of information going on.
 
SharpByCoop said:
We have a winner. Jon gets to pick what's behind door #1. ;)

I'm a firm believer that this has been the singlemost biggest factor in learning about Custom knives, both from the maker's standpoint and from the collectors. The bar has risen accordingly.

That said, the past legends did it without as much input. The most solid artists are pioneers.

I will also say that browsing the Knives Annuals from ten-twenty years ago is always eye-opening.

Coop
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Exactly! Thats pretty much how I formed my opinion. I would say looking at pictures from even under ten years is a bit eye opening.
 
Kevin,

I don't want to take you on here, but the overall view lead off expressed may be myopic to say the least.

You have chosen to focus on a small segment of knifedom, as your point focuses on the changes to ABS work(which have admittedly been significant, and positive).

Let's look at folding knives for a moment, shall we?

The '70's were primarily about lockbacks, in the '80's we had primarily liner locks....however, in the early '90's we had a veritable explosion of locking mechanisms and devices....far too many to list, and that ran well into the mid 2000's.

We have not seen that surge in the last 4-5 years.....as a matter of fact, we are still seeing makers digest and interpret these mechanisms.

I simply use this as an example...if your viewpoint is one of folders, then the so-called Golden Age was from 1993-2005(and might just possibly be when Michael Walker created his first Linerlocks, depending upon viewpoint of course), and is passed.....but because custom knifemaking is still in its' infancy in America(The first Knives Annual was published in 1981) we don't know what the Golden Age is, and probably won't for another 50 years.

It is only through the looking glass of distance and time that we can really know what part we play in history(I made this up on the spot)

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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