It's time to step up the quality...

I too have subscribed to Blade since the 80s......and although the magazine world may or may not be perfect, I wont overlook the information role they have played in the past and will continue to deliver in the future. I started making in Alaska while serving in the AirForce....I didn't have the monies necessary or the contacts then to travel to any shows outside the state, let alone to any generous makers homes to further my craft.

The mags arriving in the mail were a welcome source of info, and if the pics were not up to par ..I didn't notice. I couldn't wait to get the next one.....and the yearly knives books, Gun digest, any knife related book or pictorial was a main part of where I got today. I still enjoy what I see, I especially like seeing my friends knives make the issues.

Hope i didn't mistake the point...im just a big fan of remembering where I came from and staying more critical of myself to better the journey of where I'm going.
;)
 
Have any of you seen the free online monthly knife magazine called The Finer Edge. They predominately concentrate on custom makes with some production knives as well. The layout and photograhpy, IMO, are excellent. And for free too!!

Check it out at http://www.thefineredge.com/index.htm

What do people think of this mag?
 
HTMD said:
Now Mike Carter writes warmly about Gil Hibben's 50th year of knife making and the attendant celebration. The first knife shown is the featured knife of the article - and the steel can't possibly be that color. A section of the same knife is redundantly shown later in the article. The five remaining photographs are of Gil Hibben himself, one features him holding the same knife we've already seen twice. This was a missed opportunity in terms of using photography to illustrate some of the significant dramatic creations he has made.
Click to expand...

Buddy, I wrote the Hibben article and took the pictures. You are right, the steel in the first picture certainly is not that color nor was it that color in the photo I submitted. I don't what happened in the printing process to change it that much. That being said, I was thrilled to see my article published, my first in a knife magazine. I sent a selection of photos to choose from to accompany the article but I had no say in which ones were used or how they were placed. In fact, I was never even told that the article was actually going to be printed.
 
Bigjohn makes a good point. Don makes a good point. The information role is so important. Some of us enjoy taking a magazine on a road trip, to the river/beach, in a motel room, on the can (very good point, Don!). Life away from the computer can be good.
As a newbie to the custom knife world, I have enjoyed every Blade magazine I have received the last two years. The picture quality doesn't have to be the best (this isn't Gray's Sporting Journal), but from what I have seen, it is above adequate. I enjoy the excellent images that show up on these forums, and good photos in the magazines are a bonus, but it is like I told my girls why I use to pick up an occasional Playboy...it's the articles!! :rolleyes:
I bypass a production knife article or two, but there is so much I don't know, I am reading Blade cover to cover.
I think the custom knife community should let the magazines know their concerns, but support them to the best of our abilities. On-line only coverage won't support us, I feel. Plus, it's hard to wipe with a laptop in the way!

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Many good points have been made in this thread and I agree with the concept that we, as readers and subscribers, need to let the magazines know our thoughts and concerns. BLADE Magazine is doing a good job, IMO, but KI seems to be struggling. I plan on continuing my subscriptions to both as well as Knife World.

Also, I can see how I may have stepped on some toes with my blunt remarks and for that I apoloqize. My point in all of this focuses more on the editorial control that gets or doesn't get exercised. Again, Steve Shackleford has been very clear with me (and I assume others) that he wants the best images he can get but that their budget does not allow them to routinely pay for quality images. My contract with BLADE states reimbursement of $300 per article. I had two articles published last year and it felt nice to be paid. On the other hand I donated more than a hundred people and actions shots from shows, cutting contests and hammer-ins etc. He used many of them with credit to me (some without, by accident) and now has a somewhat substantial library of my images to pull from in the future should a need arise - all for free. Ideally I think images should be purchased like articles are purchased. I also believe that the editor should facilitate the writers and photographers who contact him in working together on certain projects and encourage them to find a way to step up the quality of their work. Everybody wins.

Mike - thanks for owning up to your article about Gil Hibben. Congratulations! I liked it as it was warm and well written (like I said during my initial comments). I especially like that somewhat formal portrait of Gil. Nicely done! Your point is valid that we usually have no control over which images we submit are selected or how they will turn out in print. Like you I always submit a bunch to give them options but the ones they choose and don't choose can affect how the article comes across.

One reason to support the knife magazines while encouraging them to explore unique and affordable ways to enhance quality is because we need to help grow the secondary market for custom knives - that is the population of people who will buy your and my knives should we ever want to sell. They, by and large, will access magazines early and often as their collecting grows and they will become more attached to the world of custom handmade knives through high quality photographic images as well as good articles.
 
This has been an interesting thread. Although I have been a knife collector and reader of knife magazines for many years, I am relatively new to the publishing side of magazines.

I am very happy to see my work published and I don't want to shoot myself in the foot here but I think the magazine editors could go a long way in improving the quality simply by better communication with those who wish to submit material. Paying for the material would certainly be a big help too but I think the editors could do a better job of communicating what they are looking for.

I have submitted material for consideration to three knife publications. I never got any knid of response from Tactical Knives. Steve Shakleford of Blade responded and politely said he did not have a need for the items I submitted. Bruce Voyles of KI corresponded with me several times and explained the process and how he wanted articles and photos submitted and formatted. However, I was surprised that he printed the submission without even notifying me.

I think any knifemaker would like to see his or her knives published, just as any writer or photographer wants their work published. And everybody wants to see quality work and submit the best work they can offer. I am sure the magazine editors are very busy people and are probably swamped with submissions every month but it seems to me that better communication with those who submit material would make the job easier for everybody as well as helping to maintain the quality of the magazine.

Mike
 
Mike - Congratulations again on your first published knife article! I hope everybody will take the time to read your article about Gil Hibben. He is a giant in the knife world and he's been at it 50 years! Wow!

To be fair (at least more fair anyway) I went back and looked over some past issues of KI. Some are quite good. For example the April, 2006 issue was excellent!

In the future maybe all of us involved in promoting the custom knife industry can concentrate on stepping up the quality of what gets published. It is often said that a good knifemaker won't let a less than perfect knife leave his/her shop. This is sound policy for any professional - only your best work sees the light of day. Why shouldn't it be the same for knife magazines? Of course it should be the same and it's up to the editor to make it happen. Tough job though. I'm certainly not looking to move into that line of work. However, I do promise to continue refining my writing and photography skills so that knifemakers and the custom knife world that I love will be better served by my efforts. I know that others here and elsewhere will also do the same.

OK, group hug! Where's our Mickey Mouse hats? Let's all put 'em on now. (Some of you are too young to know what I'm talking about.) ;)
 
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