There is no guarantee either way.
If you show prototypes, some folks will really love it - others not so much. Plus, if you ignore/exclude people's suggestions they may be 'put off' or believe their idea's weren't good enough, etc. Not happy campers.
Otherwise, you design a knife that includes reasonably popular features that you yourself would love to own and make it with such high quality (and price reasonably) that people want to own one.
Or, make a couple different-use designs/prototypes and then ask folks what they think or which one(s) they like.
Post some video of you using them (or if practical - bashing on them). That is how Guy Seiferd from the GSO knives fame got going with his knives iirc.
True, and making people feel ignored, or that their ideas aren`t good enough is not my intention
I do my system more like option 2 (I don't do any CNC or anything though). I take a few orders of set designs and then let the customer choose their handle material and blade finish. Once they complete their choices I update them along the way and share pictures of the progress on instagram or email if they don't have an account. I think people like seeing them come to life and when they see how much work goes into one, they're much more likely to enjoy their knife.
Checked out your instagram, amazing work! Love it!
Though I dont think taking orders when nobody knows you, or your work is the way to go. Gotta have a name first!
Baby steps
Have you made any knives?
If so - What did people think about them?
If not - You need to learn knifemaking and a lot more before you start deciding how to market them.
Filling out your profile with age, location, occupation, hobbies, etc., will help others give better answers.
Made a few for friends and family (not CNC though), they`re nowhere near the perfection or quality that I see some of you guys make but I was happy with the result! Much to learn and improve ofcourse
Make a few first and get them in some folks hands that will put them to work. Looks good and performs good are two different things. You need to make sure your heat treat and design are up to par before you make a bunch of them. Start small and go from there.
Could not agree more with you, definitely start small!
I think you are doing it backwards. Make knives because you like to make knives.
Can`t argue with that
, though I`d be sad if nobody liked em :S
I see this a lot. Just because a knife seems like just a sharpened stick doesn't mean that's all it is. To the casual observer a knife is deceptively simple. Some new guys want to crank out knives and start selling them. Hey, we all want to do that. You can make a sharp stick and you might sell a few, especially if they look "cool". But to make a great cutting tool you need to start with only one question. What will this knife need to do? All other questions will follow. Start with the mission objective then formulate the plan to realize it. Just a few very basic questions might be:
What kind of work is the knife being designed to do?
In what kinds of environments will the knife be asked to do this work?
Will the knife have to endure heavy shock, prying, twisting, penetrating hard materials?
Will the knife be subjected to salt water, chemicals, temperature extremes?
Who will the end user be?
What experience does the end user have using knives?
How much importance will be placed on edge retention vs ease of sharpening?
What importance is placed on size of blade vs ease of carry?
Will someone's life depend on this knife design?
The answers to these and many more questions will give you the information you need to determine:
blade length and thickness
blade grind/geometry - flat, hollow, sabre, scandi, chisel, etc.
blade shape/profile/taper
blade steel, hardness/temper
blade finish/coatings
handle size,shape/ergonomics/material
knife construction - full tang, hidden tang
Put your plan on a side burner for a little while. Study good knives. Do some research on knife design. Ask lots of questions. Draw up some designs and post them here. You have some of the most knowledgeable knifemakers here who can help steer you in the right direction. Make some knives by hand then test them. Your background should help here. Once you have a couple of designs that you have made and they passed all your tests then you can use CAD to speed up production of those tested designs.
:O
You sir, you are amazing!
That is a very well writting checklist of questions that I should be able to aswer for myself, I can aswer most of them, but slack on some!
Do you have some suggestions "must read/study" books, pdf`s about the topics you mentioned, where it is well explained?
Everything you plan may go out the window as soon as you actually make a knife. It is likely that the first one you make will not be exactly what you envisioned when you started. I suggest that you make a knife that you think you will like and when it's finished compare it to what is already for sale. I hope you do not expect to make a living doing this because most knife makers do not make enough to call it full time enterprise. If you make something nice it will sell but you may have to make several knives before you get one you really like. Good luck. Larry
Just a hobby Larry
, if I can make somebody happy with something I made I`m a happy beaver
Basically Nate the machinest beat ya to it.
And it would be hard to turn people away from him here .
Beings that your basically printing out knives people won't be as passionate for your product because they figure with the right tools anyone could. It might be perfect but it might not have as much "soul" if that makes any sense.
So you will then be competing with other midtech production co.s
Basically I wouldn't put all your eggs in .........
One might argue about that
gotta have dreams you know
It's also good advise to keep your business ideas to yourself. If you talk about a good design here, and this place is very big in terms of the readers, they may take it and market it before you ever get past the first stages of development.
Just a thought.
Never thought about that :S, thanks!
I'm still in the "development" stage of knife making. I make a knife, pass it around to folks, maybe give it away and have people report back to me on their thoughts. I'm about fifteen years from retirement and hope that by the time I retire, I have a good handle on how to make a pleasing knife.
I have knives that I wasn't happy with that I gave away and the owners rave about it being the best knife they've ever held and used. I have knives that I absolutely love that don't get much more than a polite, "that's nice". I'm 80% forging and a little stock removal and I know that the development stages of a CNC blade are completely different and have an eye to production so this may not help much.
Nathan the Machinist was mentioned. Find his account, find his videos and process descriptions, and then make sure that you give him credit for the two-year CNC knife making degree he just handed you for free.
Quite the timspan! :O
I`ll check out Nate, see what he`s all about! Learn a thing or two
As a new knifemaker, you will likely not create a perfect knife, even with involving people in the design. You certainly won't create a perfect knife without involving others. One of the most fundamental aspects of improving your knives is to put them in the hands of others. Showing your knives to skilled makers and asking for feedback will help you more than all your skill at writing code.
I think the others have pretty much covered everything but, I want to comment on John Grimsmo's business model since you mention him. I followed John in the very beginning when he was using a converted mini-mill and breaking cutters every Tuesday night. I wasn't even thinking about making knives back then, I was making motorcycle parts and trying to figure out my Matsuura RA-1 VMC. John has a unique situation in that he is a YouTube personality. He gained a following and then found sponsorship. He has made some moves that most knifemakers would consider to be very risky; namely the pre-sale. I am impressed that he has been able to pull it off multiple times but that is a tribute to his status and following on YouTube (edit-and his very hard work). Many a maker has crashed and burned by taking money up front for a knife they never made or made poorly. Tread very carefully!
Bob
Could not agree more with you! The presale bussiness model seems a bit "scary" to me
Showing to a skilled knifemaker as in him (or her) looking at pictures etc. or actually hold/have the physical knife?
As a strictly knife buyer but one who has always wondered how it's (the whole process) done, I'd say there is encouraging but sage advice in this thread from some wise and successful gentlemen. Good luck Spartan16.
Thanks! And indeed, pretty good advice/thoughts in the thread, seems like nice and helpfull community
