Is this acceptable work?

averageguy

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This is a custom knife by a maker with many (read decades) of experience.
I've always been very pleased with his work. I did not purchase this directly from him but from somebody who I believe is an authorized dealer.
There is a small area where the slabs have separated from the tang - only barely noticeable on one side, the other side is too slight to make the photo.
See below.
This is very agravating and annoying for me - what are your thoughts?

283236.jpg
 
Probably not the maker's fault. It seems the handle material has warped after construction. Still, the maker should repair if you bought it at an "authorized dealer". If the dealer is just someone selling knives, they should take the knife back and refund your $$ if you're not happy.

The defect doesn't seem like a huge issue, but I wouldn't pay full price for an imperfect knife.

Good Luck,
Bob
 
i would not be happy with that

it looks like a synthetic material...so i do not think warpage would be an issue....unlike like many natural materials which can warp

i have owned two knives that have had the scales warp slightly..one was stag and the other mammoth ivory. both were fixed quickly and cheerfully by their makers (both also well known)

i would contact the maker...i would expect it would be quickly repaired
 
Of course it's imperfect, and no one would agree you should be satisfied.

First course of action is conversation with the 'authorized dealer'. This part confuses me. At that point you get a cash return or a ticket to go to the maker.

In either case there is bound to be frustration, so just stick it out. It's a 'handmade' knife. Things happen. I'd be frustrated too, but take the high road first. :)

Coop
 
Thank you for your input. It's something seemingly so minor I wasn't sure if I was being overly critical. I noticed it immediately and now I can't admire the knife without being aware of it. I'm confident this will work out fine, just didn't want to be percieved as some type of loon for bringing this up with the dealer.
 
Seems like you could squirt a teeny bit of Super Glue under the slab and clamp it down yourself. Or, have the maker do it for you.
 
Makers are human. Mistakes happen. Even to the very best. It's how they handle those mistakes that seperates the good ones from the bad ones. I'd say to let the maker know and ask for his opinion. A good one will stand by his product and ask you to send it back for him to make it right.
 
I'd probably send it to the maker. Sometimes epoxy doesn't adhere to the scale or tang, there is something on the tang or scale that doesn't bond, etc and it can be very frustrating and get to be a real mess. I had this happen on a knife early this year and I was tearing my hair out over it, so I would probably send it to the maker and save yourself any problems.
 
A couple of years ago, I received a knife from an ABS mastersmith with the scales (stabilized maple) warped off from the tang like yours. Contacted the maker and he told me that he would be happy to fix or suggested I try Crazy Glue. Since I wasn't crazy about the idea of parting with a knife that I just got (after months of waiting), I tried the CG approach myself. It actually worked out fine and have had no problems with the knife since...

Good luck !
 
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