Life Experiences That Affected The Way You Make Knives

[james terrio]

I think the best you can do at the time is good enough, but it won't be good enough next time.

That makes a lot of sense. I suspect you're saying we should keep trying to learn more and improve... heck yeah!

 

[ERIK KNIVES]

That's what I'm saying, James. But, I would replace "trying" with "striving." It sounds more successful.

 

[Kentucky]

Well I started making them because I used them...I was a blacksmith a good while before I ever made a knife...So of course forging was no stranger to me..I live on a farm so bladed implements are in every shed and barn..Knives in the feed house, knives for butchering, knives for hunting chores, etc...I figured I could make a better knife than was readily available...
Ive always geared my knives for the working man.I grew up with case pocket knives and old hickory butcher knives that were worn to the spine from years of use and sharpening.Those knives have a lot of character to my eye. How many hogs has that old knife scraped, or how many squirrels has that pocket knife cleaned? Id much rather see a knife buried in a hog or deer than on a shelf..A beautiful knife will turn my head fast but a knife is still a tool to me..

 

[james terrio]

That's what I'm saying, James. But, I would replace "trying" with "striving." It sounds more successful.

Again, well-said, sir. I also like the word "endeavor". Has a sort of adventurous and strenuous feel to it, like "explore", "struggle" and "travail". :thumbup:

A beautiful knife will turn my head fast but a knife is still a tool to me..

Quoted for truth. I hope I never forget that.

 

[Jason Magruder]

Life experiences that affected the way I make knives eh...

When I first started I forged most of my knives and heat treated them in my forge. I made myself a chopper to play with and everything seemed fine with it. I used it for a week or so without any issues then one day I pulled it out of the sheath in 2 inch chunks. That led me to give up on heat treating and carbon steels. After that I used cpm3v and 154cm almost exclusively and sent them all to Paul Bos. I am now getting back to heat treating myself but with a lot more control and much more testing to do before I send anything out into the world to be used.

I guess that's not much of a life experience but a "knife" experience?


Okay, how about this: starting my own cabinet shop really changed the way I look at my knife shop.
I was always really cheap about knifemaking. I didn't invest much money in tools and I never put much effort into making my workspace usable. I had a real problem with doing things the "right" way for some reason. I would put 40 or 50 hours into a knife but when it came time to make the tools I used to make them I always rushed and did a pisspoor job.
When I moved back to Oregon 4 years ago I pretty much stopped making knives and focused on my woodworking skills. I built a shop and bought or made all the tools I needed for making custom furniture and cabinets. But I did it with a lot more care and effort than I ever did in my knife shop. Every tool that I made was built as if it was a project for a paying customer. I didn't even realize I was doing anything different until recently when I started spending more time in the knife shop again. I learned that I had two completely different attitudes about my two shops. The knife shop was just a means to an end and I didn't really care about anything in it except for the knives. The cabinet shop however was an end in itself. I look at that shop and all of the tools and fixtures and I am proud of what I have created. The knife shop is slowly coming around now, but if I'd had the right attitude about it ten years ago I would have one hell of a nice shop by now.

I still haven't figured out how I can make a $5,000 custom cabinet in the same amount of time it takes me to make a $500 knife. Better tools will make me a little more efficient, but not that much. Damned cheap knife collectors

 

[Core Knife Co.]

I have always been a certifiable gun and knife nut. Being in the construction field since I was 18 years old and knowing how to work with my hands, making my own knife was always a goal of mine. It was something I wanted to do once. I found Blade Forums in 2009 which was pretty much the beginning of everything for me. I stumbled into the "Shop Talk" forum and began to read through all the stickies. I spent close to a year reading and asking questions. I was really blown away by the generosity of the blade-smiths and the amount of information that was so freely shared. That was just one more thing added to a long list of why I wanted to be apart of this community.

The list of makers who I hold in high regard would be way too long to list and I'd be sure to leave someone out. There are a four however who I really spent a lot of time reading their posts and studying their work. Andy Roy, Matt Bailey, Jonny Mac, and Rick Marchand. After I completed my first, using only a file, hacksaw and a cordless drill, I was pretty much disheartened. I knew I had more ability than I showed on that first knife. I just didn't understand the process as well as I thought I did after all that research. It isn't a math test you can just study for. So I started picking the brain of the one knife maker I had a relationship with, Keith (KR) Johnson. Keith is half a country away and unfortunately I am unable to spend any time with him in his shop just observing, but he has helped me more than I'm sure he knows. I owe so much to Mr. Johnson. So I kept going. I could see improvements from knife to knife. I started subscribing to Nick Wheelers threads and trying to find more "tricks" and techniques. I was hooked.

I want to produce a product that does the industry proud but my focus is on something my grandfather told me when I was a kid. A knife is a tool. It's always stuck with me. The focus is on producing a tool that is the proper tool for the job, correct geometry, comfortable to use, and finding the proper materials that are able to withstand the abuse for its intended use. What's driving me the hardest however is producing a knife that a person is proud to own. I know my work isn't on the level of some of the amazing pieces I see everyday right here on Blade Forums, but that doesn't stop me from trying to produce the best of my current ability. Each and every maker here had to start somewhere and was a beginner at some point.

 

[Jack O'Neill]

I got fat and my hips have disappeared . Had to completely change my stance and approach to the grinder .

 

[Josh Mason]

I've seen Rick change the title to this one a few times, but I'll give it a shot:

Belts - I stopped buying a billion belts in different grits due to some experienced makers showing me grit formulas that worked well with each other. Namely, Steve Johnson's 50grit to 400grit jump, and Ray Laconico's 60 grit to 180, then fine scotchbrite jump.

Which leads to -

Machine finishes - I've always hated the look of a horizontal 400 grit hand rubbed blade, and I hate doing it worse. It's not that I can't, I've been restoring different knife, and non-knife projects for years, I just like the look of a machine finish on a knife better. I like the repeatability, and the ease of maintenance. For me, it's the way to go.

Sharpening - On my first knives, and the bazillion other factory knives I've sharpened, the edges were relatively thick. This meant hours of sharpening with various gizmos, and expensive stones. I've learned to grind THINNER in the first place, and I've reduced sharpening time to mere minutes (sometimes seconds) with just a few inexpensive hones. Reduces screwups during final sharpening too. I've scrapped whole knives because I marred my nice finish irreparably by spending a F'ing hour on grinding some fat bevel with a DMT coarse hone.

(note* I've stopped using a belt for sharpening. Sad to see all that hard work/money turn a hot rainbow of disastrous colors.)


Safety - Lungs feeling like punching bags, and fingers chopped up from helicoptering blades in drill presses will make you take safety seriously. In the beginning, knives were first on my mind, then safety last. Now, It's the opposite. With no knifemaker and his parts functioning, there can be no knives.

Steel type - I'm learning right now that I don't really want to deal with, or babysit another 10x series, or A2 carbon steel knife ever again. I can't seem to keep the rust off of them. Maybe it's this good old Kentucky rain or something. Specialty stainless is in my near future.

Oh....and masking tape is your friend.

 

[Bailey Knives]

I have changed knife designs over the years several times. Every once in a while, I see one of my early knives pop up here and kind of cringe. One of the main things that effected my knifemaking lately was something that I originally hated to do, and something that a lot of knifemakers seem to hate...making sheaths. I used to make what I thought was a decent knife and be prepared to charge between one and two hundred dollars for it, then I would throw together some crappy sheath from cheap leather bellies and saw nothing wrong with it. I dont remember what changed, but I started seeing the knife and sheath as one unit. A fixed blade knife without a sheath seems kind of odd to me. So I bought Paul Long's basic sheath dvd and watched it a couple times.
In his dvd he said "If you are going to take another man's money, then 'good enough' had better be perfect." that really turned a light on for me with both sheaths and knives.
I have been pouring more time and energy into the sheaths lately and it seems that when I focus on it, it gives me the same "high" that knifemaking does. I get to start with raw materials and finish with something that I feel is beautiful and functional. I stopped dipping my sheaths into hot beeswax after I deep fried a couple of them and almost didnt realize it before I shipped it off. I squeezed the loop for some reason and it snapped like a potato chip. I got some satin sheen and super sheen after that and have not looked back since. I guess to answer the question, I changed my mindset in regards to sheathmaking and started making better sheaths. (Paul long still makes my sheaths look like a neandertal put them together)

 

[Frank Niro]

I was at a knife show with a few other maker friends in a large city. Sales of straight bladed hunters were almost non exsistant for any of us. We were talking of what would we be trying next. I had a few plain looking liner locking folders on my table. Harald said "why not give those a big try, I believe their sales are on the increase". Since six months after that, that's all I have been making. Frank

 

[blgoode]

Packed my truck in 2000ish and moved to Oregon. Went to dry out....but it took about a year to get to that point. While I was there I saw them filming "The Hunted". I sobered up and went back to my roots where my hobbies were concerned. KNIVES -

Moved back to NC and placed an order for my Beck WSK (Still have)

Joined this forum - in 2003

Was at work ordering supplies from McMaster Carr - Saw 0-1 Bought a piece.

When my WSK from BECK arrived I had my own knife made - Mine worked better except for the saw of course. Mine didnt and wont have one. I dont like saws on knives unless its a leatherman tool.

Sold my first in 2004

My background for work was signage and display / print work. Being exact in production and repetition of that product is what drove me to try stock removal.

Now my energy is still put into making knives and not self destructive habits. Ill be sober 10 years this December.

 

[Rick Marchand]

Now my energy is still put into making knives and not self destructive habits. Ill be sober 10 years this December.

Energy well spent, my friend! I have always liked your work. Sorry I didn't get much of a chance to talk to you at Blade this year... busy, busy, busy.

 

[blgoode]

I'm so "talked out" from everyone at blade coming by so I don't think I make good conversation after the first day. I start getting the feeling like my head has been opened up and stirred like a witches brew anyways Rick so you haven't missed much im sure. Ha ha! Stop by anytime my friend.

 

[raylaconico]

Hey Brian, I sold my first knife back in 2005. You were one of the big influences that pushed me to try and sell my knives. I thought, if you guys can do it, so can I.

Two years ago, I met Mike Vagnino. My knifemaking has taken a new direction since. Now I make mostly folders which I find more challenging and fun.

 

[blgoode]

very cool Ray!! And you are surely doing it my friend!!

 

[Burl Source]

I was abducted by aliens.

Nick, you have been warned about the area where you choose to live.
Grays, Reptilians and a variety of the subterranian types.
They are all around you. Heck, the aliens even abduct whole herds of elk in your neighborhood.