Re: Flaming new guys

primos

primos

Joined
Jan 27, 2000
Messages
615
I'm not trying to sound like some sensitivity training knothead, but I feel we should show a little more compassion for new makers visiting here. It bothers me that a guy working on his third knife gets blasted for asking a simple question.

I don't care if it's been asked a thousand times before, nor do I care if it was posted in three or four forums. That which seems mundane, boring, or lame to someone with 10, 15, or 20+ years experience, is completely valid for someone working on his third knife.

When we are first starting out, we are extremely vulnerable to harsh words from those that we hope will be our peers. If someone asks me if he can heat treat his blade with a BIC cigarette lighter, I'm not going to make him feel like a fool. I'm going to take a few moments to explain why that would not be a good choice and try to help him in the right direction.

There's a handful of us that post here all the time. There are thousands out there that just come in and read the threads. How many of them are just starting out, hoping to find an answer, but are afraid to ask it themselves for fear of public ridicule?

I guess I've said enough -- maybe too much, but I'm quite serious about this and needed to get it off my chest.

He who asks is a fool for five minutes.
He who never asks is a fool forever.

Terry Primos http://www.shreve.net/~primos
 
Good grief,
I pondered a long time about whether or not to post the item above. I finally did, and now I see that what was bugging me has already been addressed and resolved.

Hope I didn't make anybody mad.

Terry Primos
 
I agree with you terry
i am new to making knives and
have ask some of the so called
good guys questions
It was like I was not worth
answering,when they did answer it
was rude and cold.like they
had not the time for such petty
questions.
so you hit the nail on the head
i almost quite before I got started because of some clicks going on in the circle
of freinds.
 
I agree with the treatment of newbe questions. One of the things that I like about this list is that I reread the basics often. I have been making knives and swords for several years and forgeing for about a year but "going back to the basics" is not a bad exercise for me.
Thanks for all the help, Lynn
 
Darrel,
Hype? Me? That ain't gonna happen. I make knives because I want to. I'm not in it for the money. Perhaps I'm reading that the wrong way. You don't feel that I've been guilty of any hype do you?

The fact that this forum is for education was exactly why I started this thread.

Terry Primos

[This message has been edited by primos (edited 07-16-2000).]
 
The one secret that no one will tell the new guys is this;

Always refer to your knives as "ART Knives". This way, if there is an irregularity, a flaw , defect, or glaring screw up, you can say " I INTENDED to put that there!"
biggrin.gif


None of you Famous Bastids will tell the young punks that will ya? Well there it is, I've let the final secret outta the bag
tongue.gif


I know that I'll be blackballed for life from this forum and most likely HermanKnives will release my police record, but I don't care, I've freed myself with the truth.

One more tip for new guys, Buy a copy of Blade magazine and copy a photo of a really nice knife. Use photoshop to remove the makers name and insert your own logo, then come here and tell everyone that you did it. The money will pour in for orders. You can then fill the orders with knives purchased from Home Shopping Network and include a note saying that they too are ART KNIVES.
biggrin.gif


All the best to all you new Bastids



[This message has been edited by Jim Harvey (edited 07-16-2000).]
 
Well, i'm a newbie knifemaker here and I know i've asked a few questions over again. I also scan the archives, but sometimes it's hard to search for a specific thing with the search feature, so it is a lot easier and faster to ask a question here and get a quick answer. I was looking for info about 0-1 and got a lot of results, but most were saying the same thing and not what I was looking for. When you post a topic, you can ask whatever question you want, so you will get info that you can use, like when I was having trouble with the "2 inch line" on my blades. I looked up grooves in the archives and got stuff for finger grooves and feeling the groove in grinding, but not what I needed. Plus, people don't know the specific term to what they are doing, so it is impossible to search, like with dealing with plunge cuts. If you are working on a blade and don't know what one is, how can you search for it? It may be the same old question, but it might be something different. As for the ridiculous questions, many people not on the forums think they know things about blade making and give bad advice to newbies instead of admitting they dont know. I was told i could heat treat with a torch. I didnt know if this meant a little butane torch, or a big propane torch, etc. Also, my budget is very limited, so I am looking for ways to do things for less money. I can't afford to buy a $900 oven, $2000 grinder, etc. If it is an odd question, there is probably a reason for it. Some people don't know any better. i was totally new to knifemaking, and asked a lot of questions and emailed several people, like Mr. Blackwood, Paul Bos, L6steel, Ed Schott and a few others to learn about how to make a knife in more detail than what I ask on the forums. I have always been treated patiently and never had a bad experience here at all and have been grateful for all of the help I have gotten.

One thing I don't like about this forum is that some people joke around and it sounds harsh, but a newbie doesn't know they are joking and can get the wrong impression, like the Tom and Jerry show and how Tom likes to post his TNT pics constantly. I like those aspects of it, but when someone is new, they don't understand them and why Tom and others are always yelled at for posting pics. Often times, I feel it is appropriate for them to post pics here and there. I would love to see more pics of knives in different stages to give me an idea of what to aim for. For one, I love seeing pictures of people's stuff, good or bad. It gives me soemthing to shoot for and design ideas. Well, enough rambling. it's sunny today, so I am going out to grind. Just remember, play nice because everyone was once a newbie!
 
I think we need to let this one just fade away. I spoke up about something that I was not even involved in. And when I spoke up it was already over. The thread is not educational and shouldn't have been posted here -- if at all. Carrying it any farther is non-productive. Let's let it go.
 
jim harvey you secret revealin bastid! its called "artistic license" hehehe

mayo i am not insensitive, that really stings
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i am always willing to help new guys or old guys with anything they want to know that i do know, which aint much. just gimme a call on the phone and ask whatever you want. i am glad to help. anyone that wants to, email me for my phone # and call me.

to all fng's, sorry if i come on too hard and scare you off, but i really never considered myself a top maker as i still have tons to learn.

herman the insensitive bastid
tongue.gif


[This message has been edited by HermanKnives (edited 07-16-2000).]
 
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