Is it to simple

[JTknives]

Well i have loved making knives for years but now im wanting to get into selling some to kinda help out with the bills. but i gess my question is this, i love simple knives, knives that you just fallin love with because there simple but very usefull. this is the knife im working on right now, im still finishing the blade. it is in the rocess of having a hand rubed finish which i dont take to a miror because it just scratches when using it. but take a look at it and let me kno where i can inprove. this knife im calling the "nickel" because the hilt is made from a nickel. its cool because i left the face of the nickel there so you can see it.

so thoes are the pictures, this is the first one i have done this style. i am going to do more and try and sell them for around maybe 50 or 60 if thats not to much. i know i need to clean up some of my lines which im doing by hand, still trying to get comfortable with my new disk grinder so i do the edge bevels by hand with a file. let me kno what you think.


This is the last kife i made while i lived in hawaii, i love the knife but there is no real practial use for it except to answer the door with when someone knocks at 12 midnight.

 

[Will52100]

cool little knife, and the big one has definate practicle use, answereing the door at midnight! Just my personal preferance, I think the little knife needs more ovaling to the handle just past the nickle gaurd, nice touch by the way, and maybe a little swell to it.

 

[blgoode]

love the coin!!!

 

[peter nap]

I like them, especially the little one.
The problem you may have is one I was faced with many years ago. Building simple, useful knives makes sense to me. They are what I like. The problem is that many people don't like simple knives. They want fancy or deadly or ...Lord Forgive me...Tactical.

Simple just doesn't ring up much money.
I solved the problem by not selling knives so I could make what I want. It does pose a problem with finances though. This can get to be an expensive hobby.

 

[JCaswell]

... They want fancy or deadly or ...Lord Forgive me...Tactical.

That's the funniest thing I've read in a while! Well said.

Seems to me the challenge is to make simple, practical knives that are not boring. How you do that exactly is the challenge. You have to be that much more of a real artist to make something simple AND compelling, but I think it can be done.

I like your little knife. I think I'll stick with the .45 for late-night wake up calls, though it's probably less intimidating as that knife! Sheeesh!

 

[LRB]

I like simple, and pretty much stay with simple. I find round grips fine, but it pleases the eye more if it is a tapered round. The human eye hates parallel lines, unless it involves a geometric pattern. The nickel is kewl. I would also suggest a full wedge grind, It is easier, faster, and will cut better. A slight convex in the grind, or fileing, bare in mind, I said slight, is an easy finish if done on a slack belt, which to keep it simple, could be done with a 1'' sander using a 220, or 240, grit belt. On a simple working knife, that is all the finish that is required. You can chase it by hand sanding with 220, and it will have a little more sheen, and you could touch it to a buff with green chrome compound, and give it even a tad more sheen. Probably second guessing you, but you could do the same using a dime, and then taper out to what you have now at the butt. Then you would have taper, without the use of a lathe, by using the dime as a round guide. WOODCRAFTERS has dowells in a selection of woods that you might make good use of in this venture. Good luck, simple often sells better than high dollar grade, that all looks alike from maker to maker. Take care, Wick Ellerbe.