Makers who no longer do customs

David Mary

David Mary

pass the mustard - after you cut it
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I have heard of a lot of makers saying that they used to do customs for people, but then as time went on they stopped, and instead started making only what they wanted to, and putting it on the market. I was wondering if I could hear from some makers who have gone that route, maybe a little bit about why, or what situations prompted it. The reason I ask is I have increasingly found myself declining jobs that are perfectly well within my means to complete, but got a feeling that I should not take the job for one reason or another, always having to do with how communications with the potential customer went.

Also wondering about any situations where you did take a custom job and regretted it afterwards. Not asking for names, but maybe situations and red flags to look out for that maybe were less obvious at the time.

Don't get me wrong, I love offering people customs, and want to continue doing so, but I want to do it with my eyes open. Thanks for any wisdom y'all can drop.
 
Less pressure and far less headaches. I have had many great clients and a few that just made it not worth it. If someone wants something that I make I will entertain what they want and they can decide once I make it if they want to purchase.
 
What he said.

TBF I never really offered a customer design option...I sketch what I like and make what I want. I will offer pieces with handle/pin options though.
 
I have thought about this alot too over the years....... I flip back and forth with what I believe.....
In my opinion, I like it when Makers offer custom work, because then its Custom. Some people do have special Needs. Size, material, type, hardness, etc.
_Heck..... I started making knives, because I wanted larger handles than what I was able to generally find on the market.

If it's just making what the maker Wants to make, then it's just low volume production. Not necessarily what another person Actually wants or needs. Maybe not a "Custom Knife" ?

I'm curious to what your reasons for saying No to a project that you felt were in your means?

I've only said No to someone once so far. That was recent, here in the forums, publicly. I was sort of shamed, I felt? maybe I missed the context, but still I felt good about my decision because the individual came across as a person who was just naturally going to be difficult.
And I make things for fun. I didn't want the drama. But maybe I could of handled it differently, idk?


In (My) mind, I am thinking if I ever stop with customs, I'll still make exceptions for those whom I've already built a relationship with over the years.... Sort of like a preferred customer/Friend. ;)
 
Speaking as a non-maker...

When you become well known and successful, it's a lot easier to just make the patterns you like and maybe offer some customization, such as scale material, steel etc. If you have enough of a work load, demand and the reputation, you can do as you please. No reason not to, I suppose. There are no rules against doing as you prefer.

It is often disappointing to customers when makers stop doing custom work per se, but usually understandable given the way things work in the real world.

I can remember several conversations with well known makers I knew at the Blade Show or Guild Show where I discussed with them various future custom projects. You could always tell when it wasn't something they were keen on...either at the time of the discussion...

...or if you never heard back from them some years down the road. 🤣

Follow your muse.
 
I could very easily be tempted to go in that direction. My main headache is telling folks there is about a two year wait, based on current workload, and are they ok with that? I get the thumbs up and one month later I get a call or text: "So where are we on my order?"

"Well bud, I got a hundred or so in front of you....want me to call em and see if it's ok to move you ahead of em?"
 
I'm still doing full customization. In fact, I'm finishing up 3 customs today. The only issue is that it's so time consuming. Back and forth going over endless options, ordering materials that I don't stock, and then I have to make a one-off knife which takes extra time. I keep wondering if it's worth it (yeah, I know it's not).

I've not had bad experiences. One order out of a couple hundred fell through after the knife was finished, but other than, that the only issue has been the extra time.

My plan going forward is to scale back on customization. Maybe limit it to 2 or 3 a month.
 
I make what I like because this is a hobby, creative enjoyment, and an outlet for certain PTSD conditions. When I start taking on custom orders it loses some of that and becomes more...business like.

I may take design inputs (like with the most recent 4.5" hunter pattern) but it will still be my designs. A few have asked me to copy other makers styles and I turn that down outright. If someone likes a pattern of mine, they can always open a discussion about certain aspects of the knife (like handle length, blade length, handle material). But at the end of the day...still my hobby.

edit to add: I don't make batches at one time from waterjet patterns, each is cut out one at a time on a bandsaw. So, I can easily change a designs measurements.
 
I more or less have a list of people who want 'hunters' and 'kitchen' knives as that is primarily what i make. I make what i want, then call the first person on the list. If they dont want that, i move down the list. Got tired of the "well, i wanted a 4" blade and this is measuring 4.3" or "i wanted the spalted maple with more spalt/darker maple/etc" or "can i get it with XX steel instead of XX that you used cuz i read it was actually better". Maybe if my livelihood depended on making knives id feel different, but it doesnt so i make how i want and have never had issues selling
 
When I was starting out I talked to as many makers as I could in person and the one piece of advice every one of them gave me me was “Don’t start a book and don’t take orders.” They mainly felt like they weren’t able to be as creative as they wanted to be and therefore it wasn’t nearly as enjoyable. They were essentially locked in to a small handful of patterns. Many of them are full time makers too so I took that to heart. I’m only doing it as a hobby so I pay attention to what people seem to like when they’re looking at my knives but I’ve already turned down a few people in the short time I’ve been making.
 
I no longer do custom work. My time is valuable, and I can waste a lot of time trying to figure out a customer wants. When I did custom work I had customers call up every few days and change what they wanted. I also had customers cancel the order just as I was finishing the order. I know I could take a deposit, but I don't like to do that.
It's just not worth the hassle.
 
I'll occasionally do a custom, it's interesting working with someone to design the knife, and I find it pushes me out of the usual space i work in
It is a lot more work though. I only ever make spaces for one or two custom orders at a time, just to avoid the stress of having work to finish
 
CWendling said:
I more or less have a list of people who want 'hunters' and 'kitchen' knives as that is primarily what i make. I make what i want, then call the first person on the list. If they dont want that, i move down the list. Got tired of the "well, i wanted a 4" blade and this is measuring 4.3" or "i wanted the spalted maple with more spalt/darker maple/etc" or "can i get it with XX steel instead of XX that you used cuz i read it was actually better". Maybe if my livelihood depended on making knives id feel different, but it doesnt so i make how i want and have never had issues selling
Click to expand...
"I want my knife to have THIS wood on it" referencing another knife. That exact wood. "You do know all wood is slightly different from the next piece right?"
 
I occasionally get asked for a custom but don't seek it out. If I have a handful per year that's OK but I wouldn't want more than that for most of the reasons already mentioned. If it was my job I might feel differently, and I don't want another job.
 
Custom handmade knives are an emotional purchase. Most buyers want to have some personal connection with the maker. They want to like the knives and the maker. A custom piece can do that for the buyer. Lots of people go to knife shows hoping to develop a relationship with a maker or manufacturer.

It takes extra time to make custom knives specifically for one buyer. It can payoff in the long run but usually doesn’t.

There are lots of times where what the customer wants is not in the style that you are known for and the finished piece will have less value on the secondary market.

It’s usually good to have several standard models that you make because over time they take less time and thinking than a custom piece.

It’s annoying when a customer keeps bugging you about when their knife will be finished.

Just some random thoughts here.

Hoss
 
For a variety of reasons, I started as a full time maker. While making blades that I liked, and refining my style, I was always on the look out for custom work. I have always enjoyed working with people to bring their dream knife to fruition, and I still do, and some assurance ofvgetting aid is always nice. Though as I've pursued this work, more and more I have been disheartened by the constant hustle. Always looking to make someone else happy has made it hard for me to stay emotionally invested in my work. Recently I made the decision to make what I like, almost exclusively, and join the knife show circuits. As working with no pay has its drawbacks too, I'm willing to take on a custom order if it's something that excites me, and I can turn it out quickly. I recently finished up custom order, but freeing myself from the search of custom work has made a huge difference in my production times as well as my enjoyment in what I'm doing.
 
I'll do whatever "custom" comes my way.
But I won't take work that I would not do on my own anyway.
I will not take on work that I would not put my name on and lay on my table at a knife show to represent me.
 
Lots of good perspectives on here. To me a huge factor is whether or not you're making knives as your primary source of income or not. If you are, then it is hard to turn down custom work until you have a large enough base of support to just be able to make what you want when you want. However, myself, and many other makers just makes knives as a part time job or purely as a hobby, so it's very easy to choose whether or not to take on custom orders because we are not relying on the income. Personally, I don't like feeling obligated to make a knife, even if I haven't taken a deposit, so I very seldom take custom orders. I do occasionally though, especially if it's involving more expensive ingredients like Damasteel or something, because then I don't have to worry about taking a loss on it.
 
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