Name for your forge/buisness?

S

S R Floyd

Joined
Feb 28, 2010
Messages
84
I have officially named my homestead/buisness.

Cutler Tigh Farm and Forge

What do you guys think?

Cutler Tigh in Welsh/Irish means knife makers house. Since I opperate a small hobby farm and make knives I thought it to be fitting.

S R Floyd
 
Scott, I like it!

Is your new shop finished?

Mine is Potomac Forge, mainly because I live on Potomac Ave.

Steve
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Potomac Forge
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IN GOD WE TRUST
 
Based on your description I would call it 'Cutler Tigh Forge and Farm'

It's more congruous and relevant in description. The word 'farm' before forge becomes a disconnect.

You asked. :) Good luck on this!

Coop
 
SharpByCoop said:
Based on your description I would call it 'Cutler Tigh Forge and Farm'

It's more congruous and relevant in description. The word 'farm' before forge becomes a disconnect.

You asked. :) Good luck on this!

Coop
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Ditto on this small detail, hope it helps.
 
I would humbly suggest that unless you are planning on selling your business at some point that you be sure you put your own name on your knives--that way when your knives start hitting the aftermarket it won't be a guessing game on who actually made the knife.

There is publicity value if your name and address are on your knives--for example, "R. W. Loveless, Riverside, CA", "Randall Made Knives, Orlando, FL", or "Gerber Legendary Blades, Portland, OR".

It is hard to argue with success.
 
^^^ I agree with this completely. As a knifemaker, your NAME has to be the ultimate focus of your marketing strategy. By applying a quaint, attractive, romantic - but ultimately obscure - name to your business you are diluting the marketing potential to a significant degree.

Tying your business name to your place of residence? What happens if circumstances force you to move?

Take a look at THE most successful bladesmith from a marketing standpoint (and a great many other standpoint): Jerry Fisk. His knives aren't sold under "Coonfinger Forge" or some other witticism. There is one name by which his knives are known and one name with which they are marked: his name. When his knives are referred to in publications, sold on the aftermarket - or what have you - the buyer / reader doesn't have to make an informational jump between the name of "his forge" and the name of the man who made the knives.

Roger
 
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Mine are A.J.N. knives( my initials).

That's all I mark my blades with....not much else is usefull really.
 
If a maker moves, then make a new stamp and put your new address on it.

You have instantly created a category, a collecting niche, and maybe stir up some more interest.

For instance, R. W. Loveless, Lawndale, CA handmades bring a premium.
You can date a Gil Hibben, Manti, Utah, or Gil Hibben, Alaska marked knife, and those knives have demand.

Things like will attract vintage knife collectors too.
 
S R, what Bruce and Roger said. Besides, few of us speak Welsh or Irish and would just mispronounce it. We certainly wouldn't know what it meant.

Bladesmiths seem to like specialty names for their businesses. Twenty years ago when there were far fewer makers I'd see name like "Bunny Run Forge" or "Swamp Rat Forge" and wonder who was making knives. Now with so much competition you'd get lost in the crowd.

My LEGAL business name is Broadwell Studios LLC. It's one thing to use a special name on your DBA or your tax returns, but put your name on your knives, at least until you become famous.

David
 
Even if by some chance you were planning on marking your knives with your name rather than 'Cutler Tigh Farm and Forge', having your business identified one way and knives marked another would be very confusing.

As Roger and Bruce stated, seems most successful makers have marketed their businesses under their names. The only exception which immediately comes to mind would be 'Ashley Forge', the business name that Hugh Barturg used.
 
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TennKnifeman said:
For instance, R. W. Loveless, Lawndale, CA handmades bring a premium.
You can date a Gil Hibben, Manti, Utah, or Gil Hibben, Alaska marked knife, and those knives have demand.
Click to expand...

For those makers, the location was always secondary to their names. "Manti Knives" wasn't ever a stand-alone business name for Hibben, to my knowledge.

And in any event, I would suggest that those are the exceptions that define the rule. IF you achieve the hall-of-fame success of a Loveless or Hibben, those idiosyncratic differences in the marking may well provide added spice for rabid collectors. But they are not, in and of themselves, contributing factors to that stratospheric level of success.

For the maker of more modest reknown, having named his business "Grand Canyon Forge" will be a little bit awkward if he and his forge relocate to south Florida.

Roger
 
dbl-edge said:
My LEGAL business name is Broadwell Studios LLC. It's one thing to use a special name on your DBA or your tax returns, but put your name on your knives, at least until you become famous.
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A very good practice. I took a tip from Les Robertson years ago when I started legally, and the official name for my business is 'SBC Enterprises'.

It's different from your craft, but it opens the door for me to be a dealer, photographer, advertising company, or produce Chinese clones. :D Why limit myself. ;)

Coop
 
Excellent points!

You guys sure did make my decision easy!

My name on the knives and buisness.

Just a sign at the end of the lane with Cutler Tigh Farm.

Thanks everyone.

S R Floyd
 
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