Questions for a custom maker

F

FUBAR

Joined
Jun 12, 2001
Messages
78
Hi all, I'm planning on buying a custom knife in the near future and I was wondering if you all could give me a few pointers on what types of questions to ask of a knife maker. Keep in mind that I am totally ignorant when it comes to knifemaking. I need a few good feeler questions to check the maker out. If you folks in the know have any pointers or suggestions, I would be glad to hear them.

Thanks in advance

Woody

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Deny everything, admit nothing, make counter accusations.
 
Go here!!! http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum36/HTML/000408.html
I think you'll find the right questions in Les' book. I know I found all the right answers. LarryD

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What sort of knife do you want?

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Thank you,
Marion David Poff aka Eye mdpoff@hotmail.com

My website, guided links, talonite/cobalt alloy info, etc....
http://www.geocities.com/mdpoff

&gt;&gt;---&gt;Bill Siegle Custom Knives&lt;---&lt;&lt;
-http://www.geocities.com/siegleknives-

"The sun will rise, who knows what the tide will bring." from the movie "CastAway"

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Lao Tzu

"We will either find a way, or make one." Hannibal, 210 B.C.

40K Space Marine Army, For Sale or Trade for Knives or Gear http://www.bladeforums.com/ubb/Forum13/HTML/002045.html
 
I moved Les' thread on the book because I felt it was a little too commercial. Kind of wished he had posted an outline or something of that nature (Without of course giving out the actual detailed contents.) Because I know the book is important. Jerry O. has a great post on CKD on collection very well done and I recommend that you pop over there and check out their forum too. Just remember to ingone the anti BF stuff and drop back in here every once in a while
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.

From the point of view of information:
(I hope folks understand the point I am not trying to sell books for Les, since I consider Les a knife friend). Being realistic by the time he writes it has it printed and mails it to you we are not looking at a windfall
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. I happen to think it is pretty much a labor of love, but Les is not a dummy.

If I was a collector especially one starting out I would jump on it. The 10 bucks will most likely help you from making a mistake that could run into the hundreds or more.

Tell us what type of knife you are interested in. There are folks here that are quite open with their knowledge. Most serious collectors and user of Custom Knives do not want to see people unhappy with their decisions. You will get many valid answers that will help.

Spend some time looking at Custom Knife sites and follow the links on makers pages. You may want to start with the links section here. Check out the knives dealers have, these folks are making a living selling knives to collectors so in general they offer quality work. They are not going to be around long if they do not keep their customers and their makers happy.
You will find people like Larry, David, Les, Jay and Karen, Jeff, David, Kevin and others are a pleasue to meet and establish relationships with as well as many makers.

There are a lot of fine people that you will enjoy meeting and sharing information with (many participate here). Enjoy the search for the knowledge and use us on your questions. Take your time and things will fall into place easily.

My first advice is to avoid egos and pressured sales. Makers of quality work have a general tendancy to let their work and customers speak for them. Most are very humble and are never satisfied with what they know or what they have done.

Questions.
What type of materials does the maker prefer.
Does he or she test their knives (they may have established customers who actually put thier knives through paces.? If so how.
(Does the testing correspond to the uses you in which you would apply your knife.)
Does the maker stand behind the work? Will they refurbish the knife for a reasonable chagre if it has not been abused? Are there other people who you know that own some of the work?
Are you comfortable with the person you are talking too?
Does the maker put back to the industry? How do other makers regard him or her?
There are many more questions that could be asked or answered with a little research. When I like the answers to the above questions I have never gone wrong. Trouble for me is that I know so many I will never be able to afford work from all the makers that I have that type of respect for.
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" The real art of living is to keep alive the longing in human beings to become greater versions of themselves." Laurens Van der Post in memory of James Mattis

[This message has been edited by Gus Kalanzis (edited 06-27-2001).]
 
I am looking for a custom fixed blade fighter for EDC/PD. Needs to:
1. Have a razor edge

2. Have a max blade length of 4in. (max legal length in my area for a carry blade)

3. Offer decent corosion resistance ( I will be using it submerged on occasion)

4. Have a well concieved carry system

I have been to knifeart.com and robertsoncustomcutlery.com and looked through all of the "tactical" fixed blades. Of all those I have looked at Greg Lightfoot's knives are begging me to give one of them a home. The only problem is, almost all his knife blades exceed what I can carry legally. I have found a smaller custom maker through Bladewiz in the general forums and really liked the design of his knives as well ,and they come a tad cheaper than Greg's (around $250). I sent an e-mail to him yesterday and got a response in less than 24 hours. He answered all my questions with no pressure whatsoever. Should I give the guy a shot or save some more $$$ and hold out for a more widely known maker.

Oh yeah.......the specs of the knife I'm lookin at are:
Blade: Double hollow ground D2 (4in.)
Handles: G-10
Sheath: Custom lined kydex (silent draw) and optional shoulder rig.

Thanks

Woody


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Deny everything, admit nothing, make counter accusations.

[This message has been edited by FUBAR (edited 06-27-2001).]
 
Sounds like you know what you want, so if you have found a maker who can provide it in your price range, I say go for it! Consider how quickly you want to feel that baby in your hands as well, because some will be longer in the coming than others.

Corey Smith
www.smithandboltonknives.com
 
I think Greg's work would be an excellent choice.

Some other thoughts:

Check out some of Bob Doziers work.

His standard knives are about the length your are needing they conme in a wide variety of blade shapes and sheath configurtions. I will not part with mine it is a heck of a knife and the price is very reasonable. I also feel that his teatment of D2 (still one of my favorites) is second to none. You can pick up a couple of extra sheaths and still not spend much.

I spend a lot of my spare time in white-water. Talonite or stellite may be an option for you to consider. I have a knife that Neil Blackwood, a fellow member - HJK and I got together on order from Neil in Stellite. I also hear that Neil makes some very well done sheath systems.

I think there might be a couple of Simonich knives around at purveyors at the moment. I picked up a small one from Les last year and I love it.

There are quite a few excellent makers working with these alloys.

The list of makers is pretty much endless. You already have picked out a good one in my opinion.

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" The real art of living is to keep alive the longing in human beings to become greater versions of themselves." Laurens Van der Post in memory of James Mattis

[This message has been edited by Gus Kalanzis (edited 06-27-2001).]
 
Fubar,

Gus hit the nail on the head with an earlier post. What kind of knife are you looking for?

Deciding on one, style, maker and only a few materials can be extremly difficult. However, it can be done.

I agree with Gus, read Jerry O's custom knife collecting in a nut shell. At a minimum.

Regarding my book, yes it is a commercial venture. So I understand why it was moved.

As Gus points out, it was written more to help collectors, especially new collectors. If I was really looking to make big bucks off of the book I would have charged $12.50
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For those interested this is a basis outline (as per your request Gus).

Chapter 1: Why we buy custom knives. Different people by for different reasons. But most of us end up as collectors.

Chapter 2: Buying Skills:

Skill 1: Ability to determine the makers versatility. The 7 questions to ask every maker.

Skill 2: Ability to determine the makers position in the current market. Do they own it? Are they new to it? Should they even be in that market?

Skill 3: Ability to determine the makers position in the after market. This may not be important to the maker, but it most certainly important to the collector.

Skill 4: Knowing the cost of materials.

Skill 5: Which knife do I buy? Featuring 5 rules every buyer should understand.

Chapter 3: Custom knife makers. A little insight as to reality of working with custom knife makers.

Chapter 4: Custom knife dealers. As with custom knife makers, there are advantages and disadvantages to working with dealers.

Chapter 5: Tips and Suggestions.
Having problems with a Custom Knife Maker and delivery times? Here is the answer.

Want to Haggle? I tell you why makers and dealers should not and the 3 reasons why they will.

This and a few other insights.

Fubar, Gus is also correct regarding many of the members who post here. There is a lot of expertise in the custom room.

However, on occasion there are those, who may be well meaning. But really don't know what they are talking about.

Example, there was an individual in the custom forum who was making recommendations to the members here. When I asked him what his background was, he confessed that he had never actually held a custom knife.

So before you spend several hundred dollars (which will more than likely become several thousand dollars) find out the back ground of the person your talking with.







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Les Robertson
www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com
Custom Knife Entrepreneur
 
Everyone, thank you for all the advice. I'm gonna be a novice reguarding custom knives for a long, long time, but you've all given me a lot more direction than I had 2 days ago. Again, thanks a million!

Woody

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Deny everything, admit nothing, make counter accusations.
 
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