"Sole Authorship"

[Karl B. Andersen]

This is a very good and constructive thread. :thumbup:

I strongly agree Nathan, anyone making damascus or forging steel should be able to properly heat treat.

I'm always impressed when folder makers make their own screws, but is that an efficient use of their time? Do I want to pay for that?

Above, you said "That's a great point. In my opinion, all fittings, pins, componets have to be worked, shaped by the maker. "
??

 

[Kevin Jones]

That's a great point. In my opinion, all fittings, pins, componets have to be worked, shaped by the maker.

This is a very good and constructive thread. :thumbup:

I strongly agree Nathan, anyone making damascus or forging steel should be able to properly heat treat.

I'm always impressed when folder makers make their own screws, but is that an efficient use of their time? Do I want to pay for that?

Above, you said "That's a great point. In my opinion, all fittings, pins, componets have to be worked, shaped by the maker. "
??

Yes Karl, I did say that and stand by it. I would perfer the maker of my folder to make the screws if he had the ability. Thus my question marks above asking for other's opinions.
Sorry, I may have not been clear.

 

[Don Hanson III]

I make the solid gold screws on my higher end folders. At $50+ per screw, it's not worth it to most, but is to some. I feel it's unwise to spend the time making the screws that I use on most of my folders. I do however, saw the slots deeper, turn the heads down, file work, polish and heat color them.

 

[Ed Caffrey]

I am a big advocate of "sole authorship". That being said, the line is generally drawn at the point where the maker can produce a piece that is distinctly their own, while at the same time not taking sole authorship to the point where the knife/knives become so expensive that nobody could afford them. Were sole authorship taken to the utmost degree, there would be few who could afford that particular piece. Suffice to say that with the base components, one individual produces the knife.

The simplest terminology I can think of is that all work that concludes in the production of a knife , is accomplished by one individual. That includes ALL the necessary steps in production.

My biggest reason for being a "sole authorship" maker is heat treating. I could never get over the situation where someone puts their blade(s) in a box, ships them off to someone, and then has no idea of exactly what those blades where subjected to between the time they left the shop, and the time they returned. My mind set is that if my name (and reputation) are going on that particular knife, then I need to have total control over it, from beginning to end! That way I can ensure that everything is as it should be, and on the other side of that coin, there's nobody to blame but me, should something go wrong.

 

[NStricker]

We hashed this out a couple of months back. Several of us over at KNet talked about some of the definitions that apply to knifemaking. This effort was directed at all knifemakers, but especially Newbies to the hobby/craft/profession that assemble kits and want to call themselves knifemakers. One of the terms we discussed was "sole authorship." That definition, along with several others, can be found on the first page of this thread: http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41921

NJStricker
(aka Armory414 on Knife Network Forums)