The "F" word...

Sam Salvati said:
Hahah I was only semi kidding hehe. No I am of the philosophy of, make what you want, customers will come.

"If you build it, they will come"
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That philosophy works well when there is another means of support. That said, if one wants to make only what they care to, saying, "Do you want fries with that," to feed yourself isn't the worst thing in the world to get to pursue an artistic dream.

As with many paths, there are different ways to approach it.
 
To paraphrase a famous quote: Knives are never finished, but sooner or later they escape from the bench.

The day I'm actually "finished" is the day I stop making blades...

I agree with some of the sentiments expressed about polishing, but I also realize that as I become a better maker, every part of the fit&finish gets better. I'm not a professional maker, but all of the improvements I've made to my technique over the years tend to show up in the most obvious ways in the finish of my blades. When I buy blades from the real professionals, I see even more experience shining back at me from the surface of those blades.

If mirror-polished blades were as easy to make as a bead-blasted surface, we'd probably care less about both of them. It's not just an arbitrary aesthetic thing; we reward makers who put time and energy into making knives.
 
fitzo said:
That philosophy works well when there is another means of support. That said, if one wants to make only what they care to, saying, "Do you want fries with that," to feed yourself isn't the worst thing in the world to get to pursue an artistic dream.

As with many paths, there are different ways to approach it.
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Yes of course, you can make all that you would like til you rot if no one buys then hopefully there is other means of support, day job, independantly wealthy, sugar momma/daddy:). So both parts were part of one, make what you want to feed your creativity and motivation, to help with making what the market will buy(unless what you happen to like to make is what the market wants), so you can have your cake and eat it too. Going full time is tough, if i have learned anything about it it is to learn what people like and want, then do that with your own touch of style.
 
Sam Salvati said:
Yes of course, you can make all that you would like til you rot if no one buys then hopefully there is other means of support, day job, independantly wealthy, sugar momma/daddy:). So both parts were part of one, make what you want to feed your creativity and motivation, to help with making what the market will buy(unless what you happen to like to make is what the market wants), so you can have your cake and eat it too. Going full time is tough, if i have learned anything about it it is to learn what people like and want, then do that with your own touch of style.
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That's why I got a day gig, to make it possible to eat and keep the bill collectors at bay and still be able to make art.

-Page
 
The only other source of income I have is teaching bladesmithing privately at my shop.

The funny thing is that, you can try to cater to the market, or predict what people will buy, follow the trends etc... and it still may not work. Then you lose coming and going...

If there is a "rule", it's "To be true to yourself". People will pick up on your sincerity and enthusiasm, it will show and the odds of selling your work will go up. :)
 
If bladesmithing ever turned into a chore, I would probably be better off getting a real job. There are other ways to make money. If it wasn't fun, why would anyone do it? I see my "job" as a professional bladesmith to do what ever I have to in order to keep the work fresh, exciting, interesting and fun! That's my only real motivation at this point. That's what keeps me going…

If it becomes routine and boring,... I'm not doing my job.

One thing that really helps is variety. I don't want to get so locked in, or boxed in that I can't experiment, learn new things and do a variety of work. Over the years folks have come to expect variety and innovation from me. I'm glad about that.

"Tai is one of the true artists in this craft. His work is constantly evolving and changing. Creator of the NeoTribal metalsmiting movement, he has stimulated a revival of interest in hand made knives." Don Fogg
 
Glad to see you posting more here in BF Tai. We need more weirdos ( meant in agood way). :D

Was getting abit lonely.

Post some examples of the finishes that you like.

I've always enjoyed the looks of a knife with what I call a rough finish. Removing all the textures made by the fire are boring to me.
 
Mark and Tai,

Knowing both of you, my bet is that a friendship may start. It would be way too awesome to meet up with both of you at a hammerin or demo some day.

Not sure I would survive it, but what a way to go!
 
I wasnt that rough on you when We hammered out that knife , was I ?

It would be a hoot for Tai to come up my way. I could ask the "sky possum" and Burt Foster, and Charles Vestal and whomever else to come on up. Lost of makers in the SW Virginia area.

Just need to get those cabins built :D
 
Thanks Mark.
You know I'm a big fan of your work. That recurve piece Buddy brought down for the full moon was outstanding!

I like a variety of finishes,... but for rough finishes, some of the classic African Mangbetu sickle knives really do it for me! Here's a few (I didn't make them, but...). Keep in mind they're all hand forged with very simple tooling, minimal stock reduction, no power grinders or power tools. They show the hammer work and process very well... something to shoot for.

ph-0.jpg


0159.jpg


0059.jpg
 
Tai,

Those are pure art to my eye. Be Nice to have a couple of those guys at the forge for a few days.

Looks to me like there would have to be some good'ole grant money just dying to be spent on getting together a group of bladesmiths from around the globe. Call it a culteral sharing and preservation summit :)
 
Tai Goo said:
Is too much emphasis being placed on "surface treatment", rather than geometry, balance, form, design, performance etc...?

Who can make that call?

Does the general standard make any sense, or is it just an artificial tend of the day?... with absolutely no meaning at all except in the current marketplace?... monkey mentality,... swarm psychology!
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this all, IMO is the product of a cookie cuter civilization in the most part ..

I have to separate a few things to function, and at the same time infuse my art from and with what my customer wants.. there is a art from with-in many of them also treing to get out it's just that their art can't get out to their fingers so well as others we call artist so they settle to buy instead of make.

I could just say as a maker this is what I make and it's what I sell no more or no less.
or I could do as I do, looking through the eyes of the customer for what he or she wants as well as taking those ideas to explore new things .

you know the ole saying that the customer is always right? well I don't always agree with that nor do I always agree with an artist if I don't care for his or her work,, it all really comes down to ones taste, his idea of art.
but we can meet in the middle many times..
art is truely in the eyes of the beholder, be it shinny , be it just a functional piece of work,, I use the word, Just, very loosely, a foundation just holds up a house too..but with out it what do you really have,

I never limit myself to what I think because in the long run of it, it don't really matter.. what I am is what I've learned and what I've learned in past years comes from everyone else around me and before me.. I'm no more than thoughts of the past expressing myself and hopefully my thoughts will be thoughts in the future of others to learn by...
:o
 
Hi Knifemakers! This thread reminds me of the time I went to Buhl and there was a guy who was retired and made knives in his own shop and everything. I was excited hoping we would be peas in a pod and he would take me under his wing as I have been searching for a mentor in knifemaking for many years after seeing I wasn't improving anymore and thought I could use some accountability from someone who knows knives and the work into them. He used to calibrate hardness testers for a living. His method was using a hardened blade blank of D-2 and grinding in the blade bevels with zirconia belts. Jantz was his main supplier for knifemaking supplies and he had a lot of wood around the shop like Cocobolo. he would go to craft fairs like where retirees can go and get a handmade quilt for a Christmas gift to thier granddaughter and sell his knives there. He had a newsletter telling of as many craftfairs as they knew or heard about. He had a few dozen knives waiting for the next trip in the front of the shop. Well he showed me his Wilton Square wheel and talked about his method and then showed me how he used a cutt off wheel /chop saw to slot naval brass for guards. I was really enjoying myself. Then he got to the front of the shop and showed me his knives. They were really rough and scratchy. Kinda shiny from all the scratches. I think he used a 36 or 60 grit belt and stopped after he got the blade bevel in enough to put the edge on???:confused: Then i pulled out two that I had made and I had used dymond wood for the handles. They had a handrubbed down to 2500 grit polish and flatground bevels. He didn't take the knives from my hands he just said " With that handle material they look like kit knives"....... dead silence. I belive he thought they were too shiny and uniform to be handmade and the handle material did go with alot of the kits from Jantz. He never invited me back . I wrote him a letter later saying thanks and if he wanted some help cleaning or painting or doing yard chores I would be glad to help ( he was kinda older). I guess he thought I lied about having made them myself from scratch? Well this thread made me think of that time and how machine made my knives must have looked to him when he had made so many knives with his method. I have ground knives that looked so cool and they didn't after getting polished. I heard in the '70's that collectors would order knives in a lower stage of polishing so they could see the craftsmanship of the grinder. I have wanted to experiemnt with 440C and do an as ground finish in 150 grit. But I think it would be great if it was uniform and lengthwise of the blade not as it is off the belt. I like the Case knives with the AS GROUND FINISH alot more than the regular ones..they seem more honest somehow. Maybe experiments and throwing out rules is cool..but traditionalists will always cling to their values for what was spent to make them a tradition. ----Joe
 
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