I started making knives as a hobby…

J

Justin Wood

Joined
Apr 2, 2021
Messages
15
Ok so I have gone down the rabbit hole of making knives. I have 3 good ish results under my belt, but have made around 6 total. I have ppl wanting to order from me…

My workmanship is obviously beginner level, and I’m using 1084 and heat treating in a backyard forge…

People are wanting me to quote what I would charge for one. I have no clue 😂 help? I know that custom knives are really expensive, but that’s from accomplished makers (or generally someone with better finish/more precise processes).


Pics of my recent work.
www.dropbox.com

knives

Shared with Dropbox
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You need a membership to talk about selling knives because it's considered advertising.

Work on your quality, you're not ready to sell.

You will really hate yourself knowing those are out there later on.

What thickness of stock material ?
Think thinner.

Secondary bevel is huge
Work on
-Getting that primary grind down thin. Go to zero edge and sharpen back from there.
-pin placement
-handle shaping

Give your pins the thumbnail test. They look high, can you catch a nail on them in any direction ?



p.jpeg
 
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Keep on doing what you are doing, and as you gain more experience you will gain refinement.

I applaud you for building what you have so far!
 
12345678910 said:
You need a membership to talk about selling knives because it's considered advertising.

Work on your quality, you're not ready to sell.

You will really hate yourself knowing those are out there later on.

What thickness of stock material ?
Think thinner.

Secondary bevel is huge
Work on
-Getting that primary grind down thin. Go to zero edge and sharpen back from there.
-pin placement
-handle shaping



p.jpeg
Click to expand...
Got ya! Not trying to break rules just general advise. Good point on regretting it, but what do you do with knives you made while learning? Having several practice knives hanging out around the house doesn’t seem practical. Give them away with no makers mark?
 
I started out building drums (rock and roll drums and snares) years ago as a hobby. It was fun and relaxing. Then people started asking me to make them a snare or a kit. Did the first few for cost of materials, then with a bit of profit built in. I quickly got to a point where I wasn't having fun and having to meet deadlines. I stopped taking orders, filled the existing orders and quit. Now I make the odd snare as a gift or just for myself.

When I took up making knives as a hobby, I have made sure that I am making them because it is fun for me. Make them as gifts, make them for myself..but I am never going to take an order for one. I want it to remain fun. I have about 15 knives in mind that I will make in the next year or two as gifts and a couple that will be donations to charitable fundraisers.
Keep working at it..... and make sure its fun.
 
Also

The Grohmann Canadian Belt knife is pretty successful and it has a mismatch between handle spine and blade spine like yours does.

But that's the only one I can think of.

Look at a thousand drawings of nice knives.
See The Counts Standard Reply
They will help you do your own sketches.
 
12345678910 said:
Also

The Grohmann Canadian Belt knife is pretty successful and it has a mismatch between handle spine and blade spine like yours does.

But that's the only one I can think of.

Look at a thousand drawings of nice knives.
See The Counts Standard Reply
They will help you do your own sketches.
Click to expand...
Yeah that one I really like. It’s going to my father-in-law for Christmas 😁.
 
Give them away, If I was reasonably happy with a knife I made when I was starting out, I stamped it with initials and gave it away.
One early knife I traded for to get back was really ugly and glad it’s no longer in the world. I never regretted not selling a knife.
Have fun.
 
As others have said, if you sell them, you are on a treadmill, and youhave this "how much are they worth" question hanging out there. I recently offered to make a nakiri for a cousin. They offered to pay for it, and my response was "no way" (for all the reasons stated above).

Depends on what you really want ... a treadmill and deadlines, or an enjoyable hobby....
 
These look good and I've never forged one so way better than I could do, but I would want to finish them more. If you have a drill press take a drill bit or rod of some kind and tape a piece of sand paper to it. Then use it to sand the spine of the knife so the sanding lines run parallel to the spine. I like to do it while the scales are still flat prior to shaping. Just try not to disturb the finished spine while shaping. You can always hand sand any ooopsies.
I've never been a fan of the rounded edges like on #2. It reminds me too much of the stuff on cutlery corner.
I also agree about the edge thickness. In my opinion they are small knives so there isn't any benefit to having such a thick edge and it may hinder fine cutting ability.
To sell, and feel good about it, you'll probably want to finish the blade more before attaching scales to them.
 
Just my opinion,
Put them in a drawer and use them as motivation and comparison as you improve. Keep them for yourself.

If you give them away or sell them they will come back to haunt you and as you improve you will wish you never let them out of your shop when people pull them out and show you them in a few years.

You will try to buy them back.

Your first knife and your fifth knife should not look the same, you should be fine tuning and improving your fit and finish on each one.
 
Well, you've built more knives than I have. Congrats!

Ultimately they are worth what someone is willing to pay. What's your time worth? Cost of materials? Are these friends who want them? As I guy who has never made a knife take my opinion for what it's worth...I'd make a few more and refine your style and process and quality/consistency and get a handle on the time and cost involved before setting a price. But don't stop!
 
AVigil said:
If you give them away or sell them they will come back to haunt you and as you improve you will wish you never let them out of your shop when people pull them out and show you them in a few years.
Click to expand...
This....
I'm currently visiting my folks for the holidays and they asked me to prepare dinner tonight. So I grabbed one of the knives I made for them a number of years ago (I think it's my 9th knife) that they never use, "because it's too pretty...🙄", to dice up the onion and garlic and was appalled at how thick the blade is and how bulky the handle feels.
9.jpg
I want to take it home and re-grind and re-handle it, but they won't let me....
 
weo said:
This....
I'm currently visiting my folks for the holidays and they asked me to prepare dinner tonight. So I grabbed one of the knives I made for them a number of years ago (I think it's my 9th knife) that they never use, "because it's too pretty...🙄", to dice up the onion and garlic and was appalled at how thick the blade is and how bulky the handle feels.
View attachment 1707724
I want to take it home and re-grind and re-handle it, but they won't let me....
Click to expand...
Weo - are you in the twin cities now?
 
Every knife that leaves your shop is like a business card. It represents you. We get that you are proud of those you've done. You are off to a good start. I don't let anything but my best out of my shop. Your best will change. I also only carry my best knives because I frequently show them as if they were a business card and have gained more than one customer that way.
 
Knifemaking is a fun and rewarding craft. But do not be motivated by money. Be motivated by excellence. Knives are very popular and many people will be interested when they know you make knives. But you as the maker should know more than your customer. You should know if, although a potential customer is interested in your work, it is not ready for prime time. If you pay close attention to the advice of the many wise and skilled makers here your work will progress very quickly to a point where it is ready. The money will take care of itself in time.
 
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