Not really customs

A

Asbetos socks

Joined
Sep 29, 2008
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Come on guys. You are handcrafting knives, but you can't really call them "custom" knives unless you taylor them to your customer's requests, now can you?

"Custom" means customized for a customer's demands!


Let's discuss it.

Thanks
 
Hm well in the business world there are 2 types of customers. Internal and external. I guess you are talking about external customers and building knives to their designs. Ok. What about the internal customer? I make knives for my own use. I "customize" it to my needs. Anyway the word custom is thrown around too much. And what is this discussion but a question of semantics. To finish :jerkit:
 
Well Asbestos, I consider all my knives custom, since no two are really the same. They may be close but not exactly the same. All my knives are forged and made to my specifications or a customers. So there you have Steinerj's internal and external customer. It is either made for me or for another customer per their request. Kind of picking nits if you ask me. It might be better to say handmade versus production, although that is opening a whole nuther can of worms.
 
Bruce Bump said:
With all the starving people in the world we really ought to try to solve that instead.
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amen brother, im thankfull every day for the job i have. i support 9 lives with my paycheck every week, and times are tough now, i couldn't imagine how people are making it on minnium wage, and supporting families.

as for the thread i consider my knives more one of a kind thanm custom. when im making what i wanna make and sell but order knives are more custom i guess.

andrew
 
A handcrafted knife is a custom. When you show it to the world the person it was made for will step forward and buy it. It was custom made for that person. You just didn't know who they were until they bought it.
-Ben
 
I'm still struggling to contain my mirth that the OP has seemingly misspelled his own user name. HahaHahaha...see what I mean? :rolleyes::D
 
Asbetos socks said:
Come on guys. You are handcrafting knives, but you can't really call them "custom" knives unless you taylor them to your customer's requests, now can you?

"Custom" means customized for a customer's demands!


Let's discuss it.

Thanks
Click to expand...

This isn't the 'custom knife threads area', this is the "Shop Talk - Bladesmithing Questions and Answers' threads area. This should be moved to a more appropriate area of the Forums.

We don't debate custom vs. handmade vs. factory vs. etc., etc. here. We actually try to help each other here!

This is my one and only post to this useless thread. At least it's useless in this particular forum, but might not be in another forum topic. Besides, this horse has been beaten to death in other threads. Who cares what we call them. They're unique, high quality and put smiles on peoples faces. Call them custom or handmade or unique or a green cow. Who cares?
 
Asbestos:
I guess the proper word would be handmade:rolleyes:. But since most makers are willing to make knives to satisfy a customer's request then said handmade knife would be custom made to that customer. Let's say Joe Knifemaker normally makes a 4" 154cm blade drop point hunter with a brass guard and Maple handle but Jimmy Customer wants the same knife but with a 6" Damascus blade, a SS guard and a Stacked Ebony and Ivory handle. Now that would be a custom knife built to Jimmy's specs. Another would be that the customer brings a design of his own or wants a knife made with a handle from an Antler or horn that he harvested, etc.
Custom made has become synonimous with a handmade knife of exceptional quality.

Regards

Shike
 
fitzo said:
I'm still struggling to contain my mirth that the OP has seemingly misspelled his own user name. HahaHahaha...see what I mean? :rolleyes::D
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ROFL.... Yep. Oi!

Custom is used as a synonym for handcrafted. It is also defined as made in similar fashion as "to order." Dictionary entry below:

Adj.
12. made specially for individual customers: custom shoes.
13. dealing in things so made, or doing work to order: a custom tailor.

What difference? Each piece is handcrafted, unique. I make furniture and scabbards. If I make two hardwood scabbards for two swords of the same type, each scabbard will be unique. As a matter of fact, if you switch them, they probably will not fit the sword well, or even at all. Do not confuse handcrafted with "interchangeable parts." Swap the bolsters or scales from one finished knife to another similar one, and you will see the "custom" nature of someone's work.

Is all your work "Custom" in the sense you mean when you use the term? No disrespect intended, just curious.

Balin
Pithy tag line to follow, when I think of one...
 
I'm going to go with merriam-webster here:

1 : made or performed according to personal order
2 : specializing in custom work or operation <a custom tailor>

All of my knives are custom made to my own order or others. Many knifemakers are "bespoke" makers who tailor a model or one-off knife to the individual. I think either way the knives apply to the definitions above.

Also lol @ name fail.
 
scottickes said:
This isn't the 'custom knife threads area', this is the "Shop Talk - Bladesmithing Questions and Answers' threads area. This should be moved to a more appropriate area of the Forums.

We don't debate custom vs. handmade vs. factory vs. etc., etc. here. We actually try to help each other here!

This is my one and only post to this useless thread. At least it's useless in this particular forum, but might not be in another forum topic. Besides, this horse has been beaten to death in other threads. Who cares what we call them. They're unique, high quality and put smiles on peoples faces. Call them custom or handmade or unique or a green cow. Who cares?
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For sure, I agree, WHO CARES?
 
There are a zillion other forums on this site to debate, berate, and make yourself feel superior on. I implore you not to waste the time of some of the best knife artists around (not me of course) This area of BFC is for sharing knowledge, experience, and technique. Contreversy (sp?) shows up here all on its own without us having to conciously seek it. Please feel free to show us some of your work tho, maybe we have something to learn from each other. :)
 
Hmm, would you believe "Asbetos" socks is the custom way of spelling asbestos?:confused:


Didn't think so.

I was just interested in what the definition of "custom" truly was. Just for fun. Thanks for the feedback.
 
messinger said:
A handcrafted knife is a custom. When you show it to the world the person it was made for will step forward and buy it. It was custom made for that person. You just didn't know who they were until they bought it.
-Ben
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I like this one the best!:thumbup:
 
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