- Joined
- Dec 7, 2000
- Messages
- 5,179
[I posted this verbatim in Steve Johnson's forum so if you read it there you should just blow right by it here; there's nothing new or very interesting. 
]
How many times is that the first question someone asks when they first pick up one of your knives?
And how often can we give them a satisfactory answer? This is one I've never known for myself but I always kind of estimated that it took me 20 hours to build a basic knife.
Recently I decided I'd keep track of my time on a, for me, fairly large project. I wanted some "inventory" to keep around for when I get a request and thought making six of the most-requested knife would be a good start.
First off, let me say that I don't think making six of anything is very satisfying, particularly all at once. The creative aspect of the work tended for me to become simply, work. But it did end up with a whole bunch of knives that are not pre-sold, which is a nice feeling.
So I kept pretty close records of my time and what I was doing, from painting layout fluid on the stock to filling out paperwork at the end. What I made is a straightforward average-sized knife with a tapered tang and bolsters; the standard stuff. In fact, for want of a decent name I call this pattern "Standard Tanto." (I'll present my normal offer here: If anyone comes up with a name for this pattern that I use, I'll give them one of the knives they named. I prefer names from literature, a character who might reasonably be expected to have used the knife in question. But there are no hard rules here. Anyone have any ideas?)
Anyway, here's how it broke down:
At 12.5 hours per knife, I got a pretty good raise! I finally broke the minimum wage barrier.
Here are the knives, just for proof this isn't a crock. My pics suck and I know it, for which I apologize. One of these days I'm going to break down and create a decent dedicated photography space. But for now the backyard and ambient light are all we get. We're getting a decent Christmas bonus at work this year and I'm going to spring for a camera with some reasonable resolution; at least the pics won't be so foggy anymore...
]How many times is that the first question someone asks when they first pick up one of your knives?
And how often can we give them a satisfactory answer? This is one I've never known for myself but I always kind of estimated that it took me 20 hours to build a basic knife.Recently I decided I'd keep track of my time on a, for me, fairly large project. I wanted some "inventory" to keep around for when I get a request and thought making six of the most-requested knife would be a good start.
First off, let me say that I don't think making six of anything is very satisfying, particularly all at once. The creative aspect of the work tended for me to become simply, work. But it did end up with a whole bunch of knives that are not pre-sold, which is a nice feeling.
So I kept pretty close records of my time and what I was doing, from painting layout fluid on the stock to filling out paperwork at the end. What I made is a straightforward average-sized knife with a tapered tang and bolsters; the standard stuff. In fact, for want of a decent name I call this pattern "Standard Tanto." (I'll present my normal offer here: If anyone comes up with a name for this pattern that I use, I'll give them one of the knives they named. I prefer names from literature, a character who might reasonably be expected to have used the knife in question. But there are no hard rules here. Anyone have any ideas?)
Anyway, here's how it broke down:
At 12.5 hours per knife, I got a pretty good raise! I finally broke the minimum wage barrier.
Here are the knives, just for proof this isn't a crock. My pics suck and I know it, for which I apologize. One of these days I'm going to break down and create a decent dedicated photography space. But for now the backyard and ambient light are all we get. We're getting a decent Christmas bonus at work this year and I'm going to spring for a camera with some reasonable resolution; at least the pics won't be so foggy anymore...
I'm a middle aged fat man. She just liked the idea of having a knife. Her dad rolled up, and he had good taste but no money to salve it with. But he did approve my suggestions and tried to get her to buy a knife right then; good dad! But we didn't have what I convinced her she wants, so we'll see if she shows up at the next show to buy what we ordered for her.
I estimate anywhere from 10 to 20 hours, some longer. I probably end up making $5.00 an hour