Knifemaking problem

Whit

Whit

Joined
Dec 27, 2001
Messages
729
I love making knives, don't we all? That's why we're here. But I have a serious knifemaking problem. Saying "I make knives" goes over SOOOO badly on the first date! Does anyone else have this problem? Chicks are not impressed by the size of my anvil. They don't appreciate a nice temper line. Telling them that I bought a 21" walrus penis for handle material gets me absolutely no points! When I meet one who appreciates these things, I'll marry her. Does anyone have any advice on how to deal with this very serious problem?? I can't be the only one facing it! Thanks!
 
LMAO! That's great! You'd be much better off telling them you're a artist who does scuptural work and jewelry for men. Then make her something cool like a pair of damascus or titanium earrings. Check out Rio Grande for parts.
 
Hey dude ! Try and find one like her :
S_dsc00030.jpg

S_dsc00031.jpg


But you can't have her, she's mine... as a matter of fact.. she got me into knifemaking in the first place.

But I tell ya.. a good literate dude would say he "has an interest in historical weaponry and it's manufactering" or "enjoys to let the tongues of fire from the forge dictate the final shape of the cold steel" or "has always been inspired and interested in sharp edges"... besides the smooth talk..

Show her your Anvil... sjeezes... that's a cold piece of steel. Show her the fire insted ... mix in some bad charcoal, gives nice sparks. Show her hot steel man ! Knives.. which girls cares for knives?

You can forge blades right? Well then.. you can make jewlery too..

Make her a mokume-gane ring, tell her what it is and that you made it. If she decides to look it up on the internet, she'll find that a mokume-gane rings easy runs in the 1000 's of dollars. You'll have trouble getting rid of her :D

Greetz and take care, bart.
 
Hey Bart,
Thanks for the smooth lines, I'm writing those down. "I make knives" is the best I can do for some reason. I made a nice little folder for a girl recently, still waiting for her to call...
I have figured out that a nice kitchen knife usually wins over the mom, and I had an ex call me up because she had lost the knife I gave her and wanted another one (for free of course). So, the woman in the picture... does she have any sisters??
 
You can make folders???? damn.. be sure to check out making some jewelry, I'm still trying to get my forgewelding right here.. not to mention folders.

I got some more smooth lines I can think of... always been good with the smooth talk on women :D

And yes, she has sisters, two of them even.. one is 10 the other is 15 :D
But they don't even resemble her. She's a work of art.. she is a fully trained physical therapist (free massages :D ), now specializing for working with disabled kids. She bought my first jackknife, which started this whole knife madness.
What can i say.. I love her.

By now I'm awaiting some Ti to make rings and other Juwelry, and she has started to make knives too : here are the two she has finished :

http://www.student.khleuven.be/~0101747/girlfriends knives/Tamara2.jpg

This is the knife she's pounding on in the pics.

http://www.student.khleuven.be/~0101747/girlfriends knives/tamara.jpg

Both have 5160 blade, both made under my supervision - but I didn't make either of them.

Greetz, Bart.
 
Now that's funny s**t...LOL ! Basically when I talk to a new woman I treat the Knifemaking aspiration as an art career. I mean it is if you're good enough and hey, we all love making these babies. Usually I have a knife on me by another maker or even one I've made. If it's pretty enough, say a damascus piece or just something that is truly beautiful as opposed to a more utilitarian look they can arrpeciate it . You approach it artistically, saying that it's like sculpture or painting which it really is. It's so close to those things, even like making music. When you make the comparison's people (women) warm up to it. They still find it unusual but they can dig it atleast a bit in the end. Talk about it in a very professional but enthusiastic manor and then offer to take them to a Knife show so that they can see the amount of work and artistic ability it takes to make a knife. It's an art and a science (those being the same really). Before you know it, they are asking you questions about it and want to know more as you have now peaked their interest. As for showing them a knife you are carrying, ask them if they want to see it. Don't just wip it out, that would appear too anxious and even threatening to those afraid of blades. Or ask out some female officers or military or martial artists. They are often in need of a knife of some kind. I've been fortunate enought to date a number of women in recent times and it work out in this respect. Good luck, it ain't easy this knife thing we have in us but it is fun. It's true alot of people can shy away if they know you're into knives. It's dependant largely on calm, be calm and communicate the finer points of the process, they'll bend in the end. .....RDT
 
To paraphrase an episode of Seinfeld...

Let me ask you this. Is there any kind of timing correlation between when they start losing interest, and you start talking about oosik? :D

In all seriousness you guys are doing a great job where ever you are, and we appreciate it. Thank you.
 
...or you can take the Bruce Evans approach...
"I talk to my blades like they are a bee - U - tiful woman!" However in your case, it may be more beneficial to talk to beautiful women more like they were your blades! :D

C Wilkins
 
Woman ....Who can figure them out anyway...
I had to laugh CL..
Woman Do love the rebel-artist in us but not the big amount of money we don't make..
Bruce
 
Whit, best of luck to you in the 10th Mtn., have skied many times where the WW2 10th trained in Colorado, its one of my favorite places.

Single here, I've found the ladies very interested in someone who makes knives. My current girl friend thinks they are erotic! Not telling her any different! And, I sure haven't muddied the water talking about any long ossik stuff either! Her friends recommended "Girl on the Bridge", a french movie about a knife thrower, which she liked, I got tired of reading the sub-titles.

I have found; talking about grinding, wearing respirators, anvils, finger guards, buffers, tool steel types, heat treating, buffing, NONE OF IT seems to go anywhere. She does seem interested; in watching cryo-treating, must be the smokey looking vapors, the ringing of the anvil and in the fact that the wood handle slabs came from a big tree.

Showing a profiled blade, a completed knife and letting the ladies sample a kitchen knife or two and compare the edge holding to their old favorites seem to work wonders for me.

Best of all, my girlfriend loves selling them at shows and can sell more than I in a weekend, but I think she just likes being closer to all those Wild West Cowboys out here!
 
Hmmm. I had this problem too. My buddy kept trying to set me up with some babe who had little interest - he calls me "Dave the Knifemaker," and her son would say, "Yeah Mom, just what you need, a knifemaker."

But eventually she saw photos of an alien armilary I'd built, and she realized knives are just another sculpture.

...It took about 8 years for her to get tired enough of me to let me back into the shop... :rolleyes:

Dave
 
i am sooo blessed that i was lucky enough to find someone who supports me 110% ..
(though having a make-shift anvil sitting in the corner of our family room and a hide of leather hanging over our sitting room lounge has brought a certain amount of ... tension... at times)
:D

but given that the last time i told someone i was a bladesmith they promptly replied with a cold stare and said:
"you people are the reason so many people are attacked and mugged with knives you know ... "
and while i stood there dumb she just calmly walked away from me shaking her head ..
(and all i was doing was renewing my drivers license!!!)

i came home and gave my wife a great big hug.

D.
 
Oh just tell 'em that you are a "cutler"! They'll have no idea what that is and too embarrassed to ask.

~or~

If they are bold enough to ask, you can reply,

"You mean you have no idea what a cutler is?!?"
"Have you ever heard of cutlery?"
"Geesh, you need to get out more!"


C Wilkins
 
CL that was kind of what I was thinking..Man I am glad I am married and not out there trying to meet someone new...
Bruce
 
I've always been straight-forward about it.... if someone cant handle it.. neh *shrugs*... their problem... if they see that as a big enough deal to cause any sort of problem, I'm sorry for them, but not gonna let it get to me.

Then again, this is just my experiance with meeting new people on a friends level...


I'm not in the dating game, I'm already in a relationship with someone who (A.) Likes knives as much as I do, (B.) Likes the same types of knives that I do, and (C.) Has an interest in making knives, like I do! :D :D :D
 
This is a good post. What you do is art, for it's sake or your own. Talking to women is a good way to develop more skill at general self-promotion, and I think a lot of new makers are too humble to consider themselves artists.

When all else fails, resort to your order book and sales receipts. They haven't made one yet who doesn't like cash.
 
Were supposed to making MONEY....Dang I think I missed that....
If I had to show mine,she would run away..Good thing I am married to a great woman that supports me and my knifemaking..
Bruce
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top