To Commission a Knife??

nervous

nervous

Joined
Nov 19, 2001
Messages
37
I have a stupid question.. whats the best way to commission a knife? Find the guy for the job? Is the job at all negotiable? Or is the quote given usually "it" (ediqute in price issues)??
Would it be good to post my idea here and see who offers to do it for me?? If so which forum?
The only "customs" I have were bought at shows.. and i have never really delt with some one one-on-one, so any general info.. or common knowledge ppl here could share would be helpful.
Thanks
 
I’m willing to bet that if you post what you are looking for (and be as specific as possible), and what price range you are interested in, you will get a very large number of suggestions and probably some offers to make it as well.
 
I usually scour the internet to find pictures of makers work. I think about what style I'm looking for and whose work would be a good match...you wouldn't want to ask a maker to make you something he/she doesn't really want to do, or when interpreted by the maker might not turn out how you want.

There is a tradition that you should not try to bargain down a knifemaker. You either like their price or you don't. I have found in most cases you get what you pay for...sometimes more, but one rare occasion less.

As StJames points out, posting here will probably get you some starters. I've found many knifemakers to be pretty good with email.

~Mitch
 
Nervous, I think you should look through some of the knife magazines and Knives Annuals and see if you find a maker whose style you like.

I'd then email or telephone the maker to discuss your ideas. You'll find that most are quite receptive and friendly.

As you give the maker your ideas you'll be able to get a firmer idea of what such a knife would cost to create.

Go for it. You'll enjoy it.
 
If you are looking to have a certain kind of knife made for you then this is as good a forum as any to try to find that maker. You might also want to try the Shop Talk forum as a lot of the makers hang out there.

I would post what kind of a knife I was looking for and ask who would be interested in making it. I would also ask for recommendations as to who the members here think would be able to make the kind of knife I was after.

There are many makers who do commissioned work. One that I think does this that does excellent work is R.W. Clark.
 
Gents let's try to give general advice and guidelines and take specific endorsements to email so that we don't get any hurt feelings.

There are a lot of fine makers who spend time here and many of them would be a great choice.

Nervous, you might also want to visit The Gallery for ideas as to the types of knives various makers have done.
 
I've had a couple of knives made to my designs, and it started by knowing what I wanted made. Next came the looking around at makers work, in person or websites, and making a Short List. Price and time frame were a consideration, but more important than that were makers I felt comfortable with working with and who actually were interested in the projects. BFC is an excellent place to get to know the makers here and the work that they do. The only word of caution I would offer is make sure the knife is within their comfort range, meaning that they're working with a style they like and with materials they are familiar with. You may find it surprising, but not every Custom maker makes custom knives.
 
Thank you for the info thus far.. I definately understand keeping the job/knife within limits...Ive seen some stuff drawn out on papper that would confuse a Clingon (sp?? dont watch much tv much less star track) .. you know the six bladed double sided, semi-oliptical multi thinginy do-dad jiggy....haha..
Seriously.. what i want is somthing to the effect of the knife ive posted here..or I hope it posted.. Its a 92' model 8 Black Jack Mamba.. to buy one as a 'user' would be a shame.. sinces its such a collectable.. plus i would like some changes, mainly a scaling down.. around the neighborhood of a 5" blade.. I have very small hands so some scaling down of the handel would be wanted as well...
But as you can see (again, I hope you can see) its pretty basic as far as fixed blades go.. I want it as a user not a wall hanger or a show peice.. I want the knife 'finished' but not to the degree of a presentation peice. I love the nearly "weehawk" style of the blade on the early Model 8. Oh yea.. the sheath... fa'ghet about it! somthing more rugged and less pretty.. say... Kydex?? Im easy to please.. Thus far the only person Ive concidered contacting is Charlie Porter because Ive heard nothing but good about a knife of his I love "The Friend" and it is similar in style.. and the price on that knife is very reasonable.. I just am a little sheepish (dare i say..nervous? :D ) about doing so with any maker because i have never worked one on one with anyone before.
Thanks again.. and if you know of someone that might be interested in somthing like this feel free to email me ... if nothing else id love the oppertunity to enteract and get a feel for this business is about.
BJ_mamba2.jpg
 
Sorry Blues, I was just trying to give some advice and not to hurt anyones felling. I know that there are many fine makers here who would make an excellent choice for making a commissioned knife.
 
I'm sure you're going to get lots of e-mail offers :)
Next use the search feature and read the posts from the guys that made you offers. Kinda like getting to know them.
It's also a good way to see their work.
The search is half of the fun!
 
:D Thanks Ebbtide.. I hadnt thought about that... kind of a "background check" of sorts..excellent idea indeed :D
 
Most knifemakers don't bite. One I know can be a little ouchy at times though - not mentioning any names here Blue! :)
 
Nervous,

Please check to verify that the email address as listed in your profile is correct. I just sent you an email and haven't received a "bounce" message, but another individual has reported that an email sent to you was "returned".

Since we cannot use the forum as a substitute for your own private email, it may be worth ensuring that the address listed is correct.

Thanks.
 
I've had very good experiences with knife makers even when the knives haven't exactly worked out. I'm willing to play a little loose with specs in the sub-$150 range because most of the time I'm going to like the blade, and if I don't all the knife makers have been very good about returning my money with no hard feelings...

I won't mention any names but here's how my last few deals went...

I saw a knife maker's page on the web and liked his style, so I emailed, called and talked. We discussed specs and a price. I gave the go-ahead. The knife that arrived some months later was a beautiful knife, but not at all what I ordered. I went over this with the knife maker and sent him a copy of the original email containing the specifications. He agreed that he erred, and cheerfully refunded my money. Of course I sent him back his knife.

I ordered a second knife from another knife maker who said he would be able to meet my specification. I haven't seen the knife yet, but I've seen pictures of the work in progress, and it looks really good. In the mean-time, a third knife maker who saw my specifications said he had something in stock that might meet my requirements. I looked at a picture on his web site which appeared promissing, so I sent him a check and received the knife. Again, a beautiful knife, but it did not really meet the spec for reasons you couldn't see in the picture. I sent him back the knife, and he sent me a refund, no problem.

Bottom line here is that sometimes, for one reason or another, maker and buyer mis-communicate. I've not experienced any hard feelings from these knife makers when asked for a refund, and I understand both have since sold the knives to others so there hasn't been any problem either way.
 
I wasnt aware of any issues concerning my email addy.. I have been getting email from this Fourum and Im currently in contact with several ppl that reached me from here... I will see if there may have been some issues with the servers on my end.
 
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