• The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
    Price is $300 $250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
    Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.

  • Today marks the 24th anniversary of 9/11. I pray that this nation does not forget the loss of lives from this horrible event. Yesterday conservative commentator Charlie Kirk was murdered, and I worry about what is to come. Please love one another and your family in these trying times - Spark

My custom work...In Over My Head?

redhat6161 said:
Did you have a question or was that a statement? How did you spend $2k on Beckers?
Click to expand...

I didnt spend 2k on beckers, I meant that with the cost of tools, materials, the knives themselves and shipping its like $2000. And it was a question saying that do people like my stuff and reckon I should continue or give it a break.
 
If you just like the modding, sell the ones your done with and buy more to play with. I think your stuff is pretty kick ass
 
Unlikely you'll make back the cost of your equipment selling mod'd knives, or mod services.
Wow, if I had $2k... I'd build a KMG and buy an oven (ok, that might be $3k).

Start making your own designs. When you get good enough, sell. Steel is inexpensive compared to finished knives, and you'll make more on the job. And jeez louise, steel is WAY easier to work when in its annealed state!!
See Tiiiiiiiiim here on BFC - he's an Aussie maker. There's a HUGE community of custom makers here, of all ages. Go check out the shop talk subforum.

-Daizee
 
I really dig your stuff man. You just need to pick a specific kind of service you want to offer, do you want to set up a service where if people send you their BK14 you will attach permanent awesome G10 scales? Do you want to do blade re-profiling? I could see you making money if you decide on a niche you want to pursue.
 
RogueBowie said:
I really dig your stuff man. You just need to pick a specific kind of service you want to offer, do you want to set up a service where if people send you their BK14 you will attach permanent awesome G10 scales? Do you want to do blade re-profiling? I could see you making money if you decide on a niche you want to pursue.
Click to expand...

No, I'm cool with most custom work, I dont wanna pick a particular field cos it gets boring after awhile.
 
daizee said:
Unlikely you'll make back the cost of your equipment selling mod'd knives, or mod services.
Wow, if I had $2k... I'd build a KMG and buy an oven (ok, that might be $3k).

Start making your own designs. When you get good enough, sell. Steel is inexpensive compared to finished knives, and you'll make more on the job. And jeez louise, steel is WAY easier to work when in its annealed state!!
See Tiiiiiiiiim here on BFC - he's an Aussie maker. There's a HUGE community of custom makers here, of all ages. Go check out the shop talk subforum.

-Daizee
Click to expand...

Most of it is shipping...BOOM! 70 bucks, 50 bucks, 60 bucks...Everytime I get the stupid total its the shipping that kills. It will be worse if I bought from Aus though, One piece of micarta is like 25 bucks (US price: $3). But I dont wanna make my own designs because I suck at it. I prefer to just customize them cos it gives you limitations and makes you think harder about what your going to do.
 
So far I've spent over a grand just buying Beckers and tools in the last four months. It's an expensive hobby, but it's worth it. I never would have had the courage to deface a knife and modify it to suit my needs before I stumbled across the Becker forum. Now I strip, mod, and actually use my fancy knives. I practice bushcraft, get some extra exercise, and get out into the sun more now than I have in the last five years. It's healthy, both to the mind and body.

If your hobbies are enjoyable and make you happy, then go for it. All hobbies cost way too much money. If you want to make money at them, then by all means do so, but don't think of your Becker habit as a waste of money that you need to recoup. This is a hobby that makes you into a handier and more skillful man, and it helps you decompress and seperateyourself for a time from the workaday world.

And a Becker obsession is still cheaper than a girlfriend. ;)

I do think you really need to move Stateside eventually, just to be closer to the action. It's cheaper to do this stuff here.
 
wasatchdan said:
So far I've spent over a grand just buying Beckers and tools in the last four months. It's an expensive hobby, but it's worth it. I never would have had the courage to deface a knife and modify it to suit my needs before I stumbled across the Becker forum. Now I strip, mod, and actually use my fancy knives. I practice bushcraft, get some extra exercise, and get out into the sun more now than I have in the last five years. It's healthy, both to the mind and body.

If your hobbies are enjoyable and make you happy, then go for it. All hobbies cost way too much money. If you want to make money at them, then by all means do so, but don't think of your Becker habit as a waste of money that you need to recoup. This is a hobby that makes you into a handier and more skillful man, and it helps you decompress and seperateyourself for a time from the workaday world.

And a Becker obsession is still cheaper than a girlfriend. ;)

I do think you really need to move Stateside eventually, just to be closer to the action. It's cheaper to do this stuff here.
Click to expand...

Makes alot of sense, thanks Dan :).
 
If you have the tools already then hopefully the extra expense will slow down. And for raw materials like g10, just save up a little longer and place larger orders to reduce shipping charges per item. :D
 
If thats what you enjoy doing..then do it. When you get older, you will regret not seeing this hobby/adventure/journey to the end. Nothing in life is free...I used to fly remote control helicopters and jet planes. Still have two sitting here with the radios all valued at about $2000 each when I bought them. I modded them and made them better which meant more $..and i questioned it everytime i placed an order. But i remember the joy i had with them and its priceless.

As for your mods.........they are unique and creative. I actually think you should try your own designs. Its actually
cheaper than you think. Get a notebook of graph paper and a nice set of pencils..and get to designing. It all starts in
your head with a vision and then put it on the paper. Now if you make a design ya like..then you gotta cough up some money to get it done lol. In other words..keep doing what your doing, just slow down a little and FOCUS all of that energy you have. As for me..im going to go put the engine back in my old bmw 5 series. And you think what you like to do is expensive lol.
 
emperorvince said:
If thats what you enjoy doing..then do it. When you get older, you will regret not seeing this hobby/adventure/journey to the end. Nothing in life is free...I used to fly remote control helicopters and jet planes. Still have two sitting here with the radios all valued at about $2000 each when I bought them. I modded them and made them better which meant more $..and i questioned it everytime i placed an order. But i remember the joy i had with them and its priceless.

As for your mods.........they are unique and creative. I actually think you should try your own designs. Its actually
cheaper than you think. Get a notebook of graph paper and a nice set of pencils..and get to designing. It all starts in
your head with a vision and then put it on the paper. Now if you make a design ya like..then you gotta cough up some money to get it done lol. In other words..keep doing what your doing, just slow down a little and FOCUS all of that energy you have. As for me..im going to go put the engine back in my old bmw 5 series. And you think what you like to do is expensive lol.
Click to expand...

Hmmm... But what I do is already expensive enough for me without adding steel and heat treating into the mix. I've only customized about... 6 Knives so I dont have the skill yet for full on customs anyway.
 
CamH_16 said:
Hmmm... But what I do is already expensive enough for me without adding steel and heat treating into the mix. I've only customized about... 6 Knives so I dont have the skill yet for full on customs anyway.
Click to expand...

Exactly why i said paper and pencils are cheaper. Focus on one design..modify it until its " you". Visualize CamH on the blade of your future design. Use wood models to experiment on. You have the time to learn the skills needed, dont rush. Show your designs on paper or cad..build a portfolio of your work. Find the CamH niche....before you actually put actual design into effect. Example- i have a 1993 bmw 5 series. Bought it new when i returned from "adventureland". I am not a mechanic..but now i can take the car apart and put it back together in 3 days. Because everyday i learned something new thru trial and error..a lot of error sometimes. IE: Dont give up on something just cuz you dont see the fruits of ur labors right away.

As for the shipping costs of supplies and products etc.......I can see how that ads up and becomes an issue !
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top