Problem with Knifemaker

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Andy I dont think I could have handled it as good as you have , my hats off to you.

To whoever the lowlife is (I dont know who you are but I bet you are reading this) contacting his customers is not cool at all and an apology would be the first thing, second is you could have done a Google search and found that beer, oak leaves, dirt, miracle grow, water, and darkness would be a starting point
 
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OK fellas, this is getting out of hand.

I'm the knifemaker in question and it looks like I need to address this.

If Andy wants to take this public, so be it. Awhile ago Andy posted a nice knife - I like and respect Andy's work....this particular knife, I don't recall which one it was, had what he called "Spalted O-1" - very cool in my estimation. In the thread I asked him how he spalted his O-1 - I wanted to try it out on some of my bushcrafters. He indicated in the thread, "sorry fellas, it's proprietary." I sent Fiddleback a PM and spanked him - basically I said that it has been my experience that fellow knifemakers share their knowledge with others. Fellows like Charles Vestal, Marcus Lin, Steve Johnson, RW Wilson, Schuyler Lovestrand, have graciously shared their knowledge with me, etc.

I also indicated that he (Fiddleback) was in the minority by maintaining this posture, that I would continue to help others with what knowledge I have, and had recently given free knifemaking lessons to a fellow in my shop with my equipment and materials. Didn't call him any names, wasn't abusive, etc. - all private. Well, it infuriated him and he went after me - wanted to fight in public, go to the Pirates Cove and "wrestle in the mud" so to speak. Jesus, I thought, all I did was say to him that "you are in the minority" for not sharing your knowledge. So, I decided to ignore him - there was no talking with this guy - he went ballistic.....really thin skinned was my perception, and that he would never see my side of it. I placed this knifemaker on my ignore list and moved on.

As an aside, I received four PM's from other knifemakers, all precipitated by his thread response, "sorry fellas, it's proprietary." They were quite disdainful of his response, rather uncharitable so to speak, and shared with me their views on how to "spalt O-1." You all should notice that none of my knives have this finish - I do this out of respect to another knifemaker's wishes and I would prefer not to infuriate this fellow any further.

Now, this issue about going after his customers is simply not true. What I did do, was point out to one knifemaker, by PM, a knifemaker who sent me one of those disdainful PM's about Fiddleback, and said: "I see you bought one of Fiddleback's knives." His response was, " I bought two - I like his style." I left it at that, but frankly, I am surprised that after all the unkind things he said (by PM) about Fiddleback, that he would buy two of his knives.

I don't go after another knifemaker's customers and denigrate that maker's work - not my style. Besides, I think Fiddleback makes some pretty good looking packages, to be frank.

While I'm being frank Andy, you should let this go - that thin skin of yours will kill you - all that hate and infuriation isn't healthy. If it'll make you feel better, kick the crap out of me publicly for telling you privately that "you are in the minority." Hammer away - maybe I should have responded to your PM's, but rest assured, I have not or will not go after your customers......I moved on a long time ago.

So, as a gesture of reconciliation - I'm owning up to what I did do, and if you want to PM me, I've taken you off my ignore list.

Best regards,

TK Steingass
 
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I actually came onto this thread to post that I wished I had stayed out of it because there's always 3 sides to every story and we only got one. Not to take anything away from Andy--- I like him and his work! :)

But when I realized who the maker was, I also realized I know NOTHING about him. So jumping on the bandwagon of "what a douche" seemed too harsh to me. Kind of like when you freak out about the jack-ass in the car in front of you on the highway, then realize later it's your best friend's mom or dad. :eek: ;) :)

I appreciate TK coming in here and standing up for his side of it. That probably wasn't too easy considering the four pages of nasty comments.

To TK, I gotta tell you that you are wrong about that putting Andy in the minority. New makers want to think that everybody tells everyone everything. I know for a FACT that most all of the top makers have tricks in their bag that they do NOT SHARE. I did a thread (the link is in my signature and it's had over 100,000 views) where I showed a TON of methods, tips, tricks... but there's still stuff I have come up with on my own that I am keeping to myself. I'm doing this for a living. If I come up with something, I don't owe it to ANYONE to share it. I owe it to my family to put food on the table and pay the bills.

Knife makers ARE a great lot overall and are VERY willing to share most information. But at the end of the day, we are competing with each other. You can say that we're not, that we all hold hands, and sing "Kumbaya"..... but we are. If a guy builds hundreds of knives and comes up with a technique that gives him an edge, why would he be obligated to share it with anyone, let alone on a public forum where any jack-ass can see it?
 
Well after having followed this thread, and deciding to not take sides I think this is a civil response from you, TK. Honestly when I went back and found the thread in question, I didn't see what was being touted as a big brawl. So I am assuming what you said, all communication was via PM, is true. I cincerly hope you two can shake hands, agree to dissagree, or whatever you feel to be an acceptable resolution to your situation. I am a fan of both of you guys, and admire your respective work greatly. I would hate to see either one of you guys get a bad taste for this and leave.

All the best, and play nice. Both of you! ;-)


-Xander
 
I have to admit I jumped on Tk (a little on the harsh side) when I heard about this.

Maybe I was a little too harsh; I am not sure at this point, but I do hope this works out for the best. Too many things here just do not fall in line with the community of makers I have come to know.
 
Good for you TK. Right, wrong or indifferent sounds reasonable to me. I think Nick is spot on about keeping things close to the vest vs. generous sharing, and he presented the thought in a reasonable way.

Take care, Craig
 
Nick:

You make some fine points.....I respect your position......I stand corrected.

TK
 
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I forgot to mention that I have already had several Mastersmiths tell me I'm an idiot for sharing all that I did in that thread.

After long discussions on this topic with my buddy Mike Quesenberry, I have come to the point that I am glad to share basic information and advice with anyone, but if it's something very specific or special, I will opt to share it with friends that I know will appreciate the information. I think this is where many makers (especially full time makers) stand.

I did not want it to sound like I don't think we should share knowledge!!! I think anyone who clicks my sig line would know I don't feel that way.

Kudos to you again TK for posting on this thread.
 
Kudos to you again TK for posting on this thread.
Click to expand...

Nick: I really don't deserve any Kudos here - I caused the whole mess......I won't make the same mistake again, rest assured.

TK
 
I don't have a pony in this race so I won't comment on good or bad behavior by anyone here.

I will say this. There aren't many things that are secret in the custom knifemaking business, and generally people are willing to share their knowledge. But we also should respect that the work that many pro makers do is critical to their livelihood, whether it be a design, a finish, or even placement of a hole.

Andy--you claim the process is proprietary. You've used the term "spalted steel" to describe the resulting finish. Your bullseye lanyard holes have become one of the several features that identifies your knives as being "Fiddlebacks."

If these things are that important to you and your business, protect yourself. If it is truly proprietary, then get a patent, or buy the patent rights if someone else developed the process. Trademark the term "spalted steel" and your bullseye lanyard holes.

While knifemakers are generally a courteous lot and most will respect your wishes to not use your design features for profit, you know from experience that is not always the case. Your designs have already been ripped off by a maker across the pond.

If this is important to your business, make a business decision and get the legal backing to protect it.
 
What we have here is failure to communicate...

I joke about "spalted O-1" and have a good idea of how it's done. That's Andy's gig. I shared Blue/Bleach etch because, frankly, it wasn't mine to begin with. A quick search on etching/acid patina and you'll stumble across many different techniques. I share my wrap, because again, I found it on the internet easily. Where it becomes "original" is how you package several techniques together to form a "look". You can always tweek things to make it your own.

I too asked Andy how he got that etch.... after a couple guesses, I just gave up and he gave me a beer out of pity, I think. It's all good.

TK seems to be straight forward. I don't know how the PM's went. I don't think it is worth anybody losing anymore credibility on these forums. If someone is being dishonest here it will surface... and if folks are just having a miscommunication problem, it will fade away.

Rick
 
I have been waiting for the person to post.
Now that all the cards are on the table I will lock this thread. Shop talk isn't the proper place for any further conversation on this issue.

As a moderator, I will say that this thread shows that most things have two sides.
 
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