How Do You Appraise Your Work?

H

huntingsgr8

Joined
May 25, 2015
Messages
89
I've been looking around a lot at this sort of thing, and most of what I've found is just comparing it to other knives, and making sure it's perfect.....but no real set method, and what if you make purely unique knives that cannot really be compared to anything out there? Is there some sort of checklist you go through (mirror finish: X$, Exotic handle material: X$, sheath included: X$) or do you just set an hourly wage after material/operational costs?
 
I believe the materials will have little or even no value if the work itself is not of a high standard. Deciding that for yourself is not a criterion but a falsehood. Design also has an input but unless coherent throughout can become a detriment.
Frank
 
It's a difficult question, for almost all of us I think. Like you said, first I would go to the knifemaker's for sale forum here and get an idea of where you land in the market in terms of appearance, fit, finish, and materials. Be honest and critical of your own work, and look around a lot. It's easy to find one knife that doesn't look that great to you and say "mine is totally better than that!" One piece of data does not a trend make. Keep in mind that your name is part of the equation, so if you're new, you might have to charge less for a knife of equal quality than someone with an established reputation.

Next, you need to do some math. Figure out your expenses in steel, handle materials, abrasives, heat treat, etc and figure out your total investment in a knife. Figure out your hours, and ask yourself how much you want for your time. This part is tough, because if you're new, it probably takes you way longer to make a piece than someone else. For evidence, watch Murray Carter do a perfect hollow grind in 2 minutes in his POV video. So, you might not be able to pay yourself anything close to a reasonable wage at first and still price your knives at a level where anyone will buy them. From there, you just keep getting better and faster until it works out.

That's the long answer, the short answer is yes, eventually you will develop a formula just as you've laid it out. I do $X/blade inch + $X for thicker spine, tapered tang+ $X for multi-piece handle. I work in all pretty comparable materials now so I don't monkey with the small variations there, pretty simple.

Tracking time for each specific knife is not super practical, since they get made in batches for many of us and nobody wants to pay that much attention to the clock. You also need a way to quote a custom knife fairly and consistently, so developing a formula like this is kind of crucial if you're going to take custom orders.
 
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Frank Niro said:
I believe the materials will have little or even no value if the work itself is not of a high standard.
Click to expand...

I completely agree, I see too many knives that people try to get away with asking high prices for, just because it's made of some "super steel" and has some exotic wood for a handle material.
 
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i am still "in training" to make knives of the quality i wish to achieve. so, for the moment i charge about $10 an hour. most knives take me 20-30 hours. i think it is important to inspect other makers knives in-hand, and note the pricing, and the quality. it is hard to tell looking at photos. it is tough to be honest with yourself, and noticing why your knives do not have the symmetry or fit and finish of the more expensive knives, and work on it.
 
I don't know anything that has bumped up my quality control faster than going to a top notch knife show and putting on my glasses and taking a critical look at their knives...then coming home and doing the same with mine, with magnifiers. Suddenly "good enough" isn't that good.
 
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