Knives with custome lettering

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Dec 9, 2003
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I was thinking about gifts for my police recruit class staff.
We gotta give them gifts when we graduate so i was thinking about knives with some sort of letters on it saying out class name and date. I looked at kabar but you gotta order 50 or more, and 1095... im not sure if thats great in a more humid climate. Kinda expensive too. Next i though about spyderco, but i dont know if they do anything like this.

Anyone know of a service where you can get knives personalized like this?
Anyone got a good idea for what kind of knife can be comemorative?
Something under $100 and made in america,
 
You might want to check with Buck. I know you can get stuff engraved on the blade of a customized 110. I don't know if they will do that for other knives.
 
Almost any knife with a relatively flat stainless steel handle can be engraved at your local engraving shop. So something like a Kershaw Leek or a stainless steel Spyderco Native would be a good candidate.
 
Would engraving damage the blade at all? Maybe some chemical etching i can get at a craft store?
Do jewelers do etching? Ive never had to get something etched before.
 
Would engraving damage the blade at all? Maybe some chemical etching i can get at a craft store?
Do jewelers do etching? Ive never had to get something etched before.

As long as you're etching instead of stamping, then the blade won't be hurt. The only reason that I suggested that the handle might be a better choice is that it's much softer and that a local engraving place might have a problem engraving the harder steel of the blade.

Acid-etching can look great, you just need a stencil for it.
 
I've seen kiosks in the local malls where they sell knives or lighters or bracelets or other small trinkets, and they engrave them right there.
 
I've seen kiosks in the local malls where they sell knives or lighters or bracelets or other small trinkets, and they engrave them right there.

True, i've had a few things done at places like this, like knife handles, pocket watches etc. Sometimes it turns out pretty good, but not always. The last thing i had done in a place like that was a silver alox Vic farmer. I only had 3 letters put on it and it looks a little crude, like it was roughly scratched in with a pin. Maybe i shoulda chose a different lettering style.

Oh well, still a nice knife.

Cost was 70 cents a letter.
 
Last year I ordered three identical custom knives for myself and my brothers. I took the finished knives to a local frame/art shop for engraving the year and "1 of 3". The lettering came out very nice and was definitely worth the small price.

One thing I was careful about, picking a spot on the knife where the engraving wouldn't detract from the overall knife aesthetics. The spine worked very well.

-Bob
 
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