Rough Knives?

oic0, That's pretty much my line of thinking. Some people pay huge green fees to pay golf on the weekends, some spend tons of money on lures and other tackle to fish on the weekend. Me? I like to make knives.....and golf....and fish....and hunt... Wow it's started to add up quick;ly now. :)
 
Justin this post is spot on. As you gain more skill you start to change the style you started with a little bit. I know I have changed from what I considered good enough to how can I do it better.

But on to the OP there is a place for the basic rough finish knife. Those are the ones that get used the most. Like you said not shoddy just not cleaned up with the finer grits.



Justin King said:
The thing is, knifemakers usually get into the hobby/business because they have their own ideas what a knife should look like, feel like, and how they should perform. These ideas tend to develop and mature as they learn and progress, and they naturally begin to hone thier skills, and improve their work, in the process. The view of pure utilitarianism, if it ever existed in any given individual, usually goes out the window at some point as they realize they are capable of so much more. We develop our style of workmanship over time, and it usually encompasses more than what we envisioned at the beginning. If you start making them yourself you will get some first-hand insight into what I'm saying. Your first few knives may look like what you're picturing now, but if they still look like that 5 years down the road, you've probably missed the whole point of the handmamde knife.
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oic0 said:
My day job already job has me used to working at almost slave wages, so none of these numbers really sound all that bad to me lol. Especially if you waited until you had several to heat treat at once and were just doing it on the weekends.
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That might not seem too bad when you are starting out. I did the math, and realized to equal my current living, I would have to make AND SELL a $600-$700 knife every day, 5 days a week. This is just my wages and benefits, not including overhead. On the other hand four $150-$200 knives per month as a hobby will cover my materials, utilities, and pay for beer and cigars. A good all around deal for a hobby. The problem is, who wants to buy a knife from someone they never heard of before? Looks like selling at a loss for a few years is part of the plan, so people can see what I have to offer. I am almost at the point where I will be ready to list a few and see what happens.
 
This all depended on how much grit there was left on the used 40 grit belt he used to grind the blade post heat treat to the actual edge (not kidding)
He also textured the flats post heat treat in the same method.

Daniel Fairly Knives said:
They have to be purpose driven...

Hartsfield made knives that sometimes had rougher finished flats and grinds, they are some of my all time favorite knives.
I also love a forge finish, textures, etches and more.


This year my goal is for no grind lines anywhere. I can still get a great user finish with no grind lines too.
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Thanks Pohan! I loved the way Phill finished his blades.
Hey, I canceled my A2 order, do you have a piece for me?
rolf
 
There are a lot of guys who have made careers for themselves by producing "rough knives".

I like mine with a finer finish, but I have seen a few knives in the "rough" style that looked very interesting.
 
Thanks! ^
One of my favorite knives is from a maker who actually pointed out the flaws in this knife but it is still a cool, cool knife! Even the final edge is kinda not straight.
 
Willie71 said:
That might not seem too bad when you are starting out. I did the math, and realized to equal my current living, I would have to make AND SELL a $600-$700 knife every day, 5 days a week. This is just my wages and benefits, not including overhead. On the other hand four $150-$200 knives per month as a hobby will cover my materials, utilities, and pay for beer and cigars. A good all around deal for a hobby. The problem is, who wants to buy a knife from someone they never heard of before? Looks like selling at a loss for a few years is part of the plan, so people can see what I have to offer. I am almost at the point where I will be ready to list a few and see what happens.
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I would only need to sell one ;) 600 dollar knife a week and I would be doin alright. I need to move somewhere with better wages! Just last week I had an offer from a hospital wanting to hire me. The position required my degree. They said after a year they would give me a raise from 8.50 to 8.75. I had to politely decline and suddenly felt better about my current crappy job.
 
oic0 said:
I would only need to sell one ;) 600 dollar knife a week and I would be doin alright. I need to move somewhere with better wages! Just last week I had an offer from a hospital wanting to hire me. The position required my degree. They said after a year they would give me a raise from 8.50 to 8.75. I had to politely decline and suddenly felt better about my current crappy job.
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The problem for me is that I am a Family Therapist, have 20 years in my profession, am at the top of my pay grid with full benefits (Really good benefits- full medical, dental etc), and 6 weeks of vacation per year. I actually like my job, and am going through the educational upgrading to go into private practice, which is the next step career wise for me. I would have to be a Master Blade Smith with an excellent customer base to match my living :(
 
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