Knife show etiquette?

Over the years there have been a few dealers who were older then many others and seemed more grumpy. I was pretty turned off by the response I got when I asked politely if I could pick up a peice. "Do you have twelve hundred dollers?" was one of their responses. Now I am aware of the fact that I am a younger collector so I can understand that they think I may not know what Im doing but It still bothers me because I've been into this for a long time and i'm quite aware of the high prices. At one point I started wearing a knife makers guild name tag to a couple of shows and it may have helped the scenerio. I think young collectors should be encouraged to enjoy this rather then be pushed away. On the other hand, I understand that some may not look like they are going to throw big bucks down on knives and extra handling could be damaging.
 
Just being young is not a reason for a maker to be rude to someone. I have been collecting custom knives for many years now and anyone who knew me would not have a problem with me handling their customs.

I would have simply responded with "Yes, as a matter of fact I have that and more, but you are obviously not interested in any of it."
 
Well said Jon!

I've seen dealers/makers turn people away because of their looks, age, etc and watch them drop thousands of dollars on someone else's table.
 
jonathan brand said:
Over the years there have been a few dealers who were older then many others and seemed more grumpy. I was pretty turned off by the response I got when I asked politely if I could pick up a peice. "Do you have twelve hundred dollers?" was one of their responses. Now I am aware of the fact that I am a younger collector so I can understand that they think I may not know what Im doing but It still bothers me because I've been into this for a long time and i'm quite aware of the high prices. At one point I started wearing a knife makers guild name tag to a couple of shows and it may have helped the scenerio. I think young collectors should be encouraged to enjoy this rather then be pushed away. On the other hand, I understand that some may not look like they are going to throw big bucks down on knives and extra handling could be damaging.
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IMO, dealers and makers should give younger collectors such as yourself the most attention and respect as you are the customs community of the future.

Even the curious that just happen to visit shows should be welcomed and treated with respect, just as if they were new customers visiting any business for the first time.
 
It's a hard decision though. Every time a knife is picked up, the maker runs the small risk that the knife is going to be damaged. The maker has to balance that with their goal of selling the knife. If the maker can make a quick assessment that the person visiting the table isn't likely to be a customer, then in my opinion it can be a rational decision not to allow them to touch the knife - politely.
 
I always ask to handle a knife before picking it up. If some one told me that the knife would be damaged by handling it, first thing that would cross my mind is that something is wrong with the knife and I certainly wouldn't want it. I know that many knives are "art", but they still need to be knives first in my mind.:D
 
Joss said:
It's a hard decision though. Every time a knife is picked up, the maker runs the small risk that the knife is going to be damaged. The maker has to balance that with their goal of selling the knife. If the maker can make a quick assessment that the person visiting the table isn't likely to be a customer, then in my opinion it can be a rational decision not to allow them to touch the knife - politely.
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IMO, if a maker or dealer does not want his knives handled and to treat everyone with the same respect he/she should not be at the show.

Not everyone can afford any knife at the show, but if they make the effort to attend and handle themselves appropriately they deserve to interact with the makers and/or dealers just as those who can.
 
This has been a good thread. Reminds me of 'The Gambler'; "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away and know when to run...". ;)
I think it is the customer's responsibility to ask to handle knives at shows. I feel a little bit like Kevin, especially at a big show (like Blade) where there is so much to see and so little time. I would rather ask to pick up what I was wanting to handle (after getting permission) than feeling obligated to do so because of the way tha maker ask. The main point is the eye contact and communication. There can be several things going on at once at the small tables. Just like at the poker table, everyone needs to communicate properly before the dealins done. :thumbup:

- Joe
 
I love what Kevin said. Everybody should be treated with respect. You absolutely can't judge a person by his looks and to me that is never more evident than at a knife show. I talked with a gentleman at the Guild show that was asking questions that indicated he had a lot to learn about knives. I found out that this was his first knife show, and he had no idea what to expect. He was totally impressed with the knives and the willingness of the makers to spend time with him. I think he will be back.
I will sometimes invite an individual to pick up a knife, because I see an interest and reluctance on the individuals part to ask. I never know what kind of response he just received from someone else and want him to feel comfortable in dealing with me. In no way do I feel that my offer should obligate him to do anything. It's just hard to look at both sides of a knife unless you pick the dang thing up, although many try.
As far as not handling knives because they might be damaged, that is something only a knifemaker knows for sure about his knives. We don't mind if our knives are handled at all. The one pictured below spent about as much time off the table at a show last year as it did on the table, and didn't get a scratch. It went through hundreds of hands and still sold.

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To change the subject, as a show visitor, rather than exhibitor, I make it a point to not handle knives that I know for a fact I'm not going to buy. I don't restrain myself if there are things I cannot see from a few inches that I feel would be useful, but otherwise I don't pick up a kni9fe just to handle it.
 
Always ask first. I cannot see that this is anything but common courtesy, whether the blade be a mid-range production knife or a mastersmith katana.


IN many cases, handling a knife is not just a matter of purchasing at the show. A customer may have committed all of his funds, and is interested in handling the knife to see if he is interested in placing an order from the maker in the future.

Most folks recognize that there is an element of risk when people handle knives. I have heard about the Mastersmith specializing in blued damascus whose knife was dropped on the hard floor at Blade 06 by a customer.....

I have not encountered the "please don't handle the knives" thing. My experience is more like passing a table that you have a little interest in--maybe not sure- and the maker says something like "c'mon--pick it up. Feel the balance. Get to know her a little...."

A number of makers have told me that they prefer to keep their own chamois and do their own wiping. They have no way of knowing what might be on the customer's cloth.

If any maker had reservations about selling a knife to a guy who dressed in a ratty t-shirt and cutoffs, they would lose a sale to me. I have never seen it happen--after all, knife show attendees are not exactly candidates for the cover of Vogue. And, come to that, neither are knifemakers.:D Might be an issue with 20-year olds, though. I couldn't say. Still, one can imagine a group of gangbangers with their baggy pants barely on, caps turned sideways, etc etc going up to Butch's table to look at the "switchblades".:D
 
Hmathews said:
I love what Kevin said. Everybody should be treated with respect. You absolutely can't judge a person by his looks...

Sir, I respectfully disagree with your statement above. Don't you judge people by their looks every time you are out in public places? I think you are being extremely naive if you don't. How do you think law enforcement professionals and many other people make a quick "threat assessment" of someone who is in close proximity that they may have to interact with?

It's not just a person's age or the way they're dressed, though, that enters into one's perception of them. Cleanliness, grooming habits, hair, piercings, tattoos, speech, manners, the way they carry themselves, and, especially in the case of people who attend gun and knife shows, the level of responsibility and respect they display.
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Dr. Mudd said:
Hmathews said:
It's not just a person's age or the way they're dressed, though, that enters into one's perception of them. Cleanliness, grooming habits, hair, piercings, tattoos, speech, manners, the way they carry themselves, and, especially in the case of people who attend gun and knife shows, the level of responsibility and respect they display.
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As far as cleanliness and manners go, I agree.

I know several folks (some of whom I have learned a great deal about knives from) who have many tatoos. Not my taste, but judging people by piercings and tattoos is judging them by the fashions of an earlier time. Same with weird-assed hair and piercings.

I know for a fact that there are students at Ivy league medical schools who look like they shouold be hanging around some public restroom panhandling for drug money, yeat are bright, highly motivated, and will make excellent clinicians (if they don't give their patients a hear attack during the first consultation. Presumabley, they will clean up their acts then.) The point is that the knife commnity has a huge proportion of eccentrics and others who definately dance to their own tune. Excluding these folks would be a mistake; happily, I've not seen it happen.
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I think the gun and knife shows draw the dirty 'switchblade' crowd. Those are the shows where I have also had worse experiences with vendors. Those attract more of the weapons crowd then the art admiring crowd and I understand their concern with the first appearances of some people. It seems to be the more old fashioned vendors with slightly older customs who are more worried and those are the guys I seem to see at more gun shows.
 
I just wanted to pop in here and give a thank you to everyone who has posted their opinions in this thread. I have never been to a big knife show ( just the local gun & knife shows ) where custom makers show their stuff. I plan on making the trip to Blade in the next few years and now I have some idea as to how to properly conduct myself. I could have seen myself doing some of the things that makers do not like, just out of ignorance not from any kind of bad intentions.
 
Dr. Mudd said:
Hmathews said:
I love what Kevin said. Everybody should be treated with respect. You absolutely can't judge a person by his looks...

Sir, I respectfully disagree with your statement above. Don't you judge people by their looks every time you are out in public places? I think you are being extremely naive if you don't. How do you think law enforcement professionals and many other people make a quick "threat assessment" of someone who is in close proximity that they may have to interact with?

It's not just a person's age or the way they're dressed, though, that enters into one's perception of them. Cleanliness, grooming habits, hair, piercings, tattoos, speech, manners, the way they carry themselves, and, especially in the case of people who attend gun and knife shows, the level of responsibility and respect they display.
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I have to respectfully disagree with you. I go out of my way to be courteous to others, but there are many who are put off by my physical appearance and everything they read into it. I recently had a young girl and her mother come up behind me in line at Walmart. The little girl said, "Look at that bad man, mommy. He has tattoos." I thought it was sad that her narrow-minded mother had brainwashed her into making a snap judgement based on something so superficial. BTW, I was at the store picking up some supplies that one of my children needed for a school project. Pretty threatening behavior, eh?
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I don't have a problem with you disagreeing at all Dr. Mudd. It has just been my experience that it takes more than looks to judge a person and if that is all you go on you will miss meeting some very interesting and often wealthy people. Some of the most untrustworthy people I have ever met were in a corporate board room and wore a coat and tie every day.
 
Hmathews said:
I don't have a problem with you disagreeing at all Dr. Mudd. It has just been my experience that it takes more than looks to judge a person and if that is all you go on you will miss meeting some very interesting and often wealthy people. Some of the most untrustworthy people I have ever met were in a corporate board room and wore a coat and tie every day.
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I could not agree more.

Roger
 
When I go to a show I take a cotton glove and an old chamois. Use the chamois to wipe my hands (NOT THE KNIFE AS YOU MAY SCRATCH IT), and put the glove or gloves on to pick it up. A lot of fuss for many but I think the maker and eventual purchaser deserve that respect. If a maker is particularly sensitve, or the knives are of a very high value or delicate nature, they could put a couple of gloves on the table for visitors to use.

Stephen
 
RogerP said:
What the heck is there to wipe off? When I am examining someone else's knife - whether it be a maker at a show or a fellow collector showing me his knives - I don't grope and paw the blade. I hand it back it the same condition it was handed to me.

Roger
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Roger,

If you let your breath onto the knife it may have droplets that you cannot see and they will turn into spots that cannot be removed without regrinding the knife.

Every knife that is handled and also those that people bend over the table to look at need to be polished with a clean chamois. Never, ever wipe someone else's knife on your shirt or pants.
 
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