Week 2: New Makers (since Gus deserted us ;-) )

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I'm ready to start week 2. Anyone interested? Or should we wait for the Gusmeister???



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Peace

Paul
Custom Knife Purveyor
"We support the new maker!"
I take Paypal. ask me how??
Circle P Knives
 
Paul, start any thread you like, but don't go trying to take over GusK's job.
I knew GusK and you're no GusK.
tongue.gif
 
Was not trying to take over
wink.gif
just keep the momentum going.

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Peace

Paul
Custom Knife Purveyor
"We support the new maker!"
I take Paypal. ask me how??
Circle P Knives
 
V

viper5192

Joined
Aug 2, 2000
Messages
536
New Makers

The lesser known maker or "new maker" is always going to be around. The names may change, and the faces, but let's face it, without these new makers, the custom world would suffer.

Do we need them, really

Of course we do! New makers are where older more established makers come from. It's known as paying your dues. And all makers do at one time or another. All the well known extablished makers were at one time new makers, hoping someone would buy their knives, hoping that they could afford to make better and better knives, and that people would love their work.

New Makers are made not born

The one thing that is great about the knife making community, especially the more established makers, is it's ability to help along the new makers, giving them hints, opening up their shops, showing them how to do things they had never before imagined posible. This helps new makers to develop their craft. The Knife Guild is also a great resource for new makers.

Why it is so hard for new makers

If you look around, there appears to be no shortage of new makers, seems like everyone is doing it. There are copiers(those who copy the style of their "hero", and innovators(those who have the courage to make new and different designs.) There is room for both in the community, unfortunately there are only a certain amount of collectors and they want what they want, and if the new maker is not providing it, they will go elsewhere.

Word of Mouth VS Publicity

Many great new makers are falling by the wayside simply out of neglect. They neglect to let anyone know they are there. Content to sell their work for pennies to friends and co-workers some of the more innovative makers often get left behind unless, and until someone with an educated eye comes along.

The Internet: The great equalizer.

10 years ago, your only option as a new and even an established maker was word of mouth or a knife show, maybe with luck you would get your work into a magazine if you were very fortunate. The internet evened out the playing field so to speak. Makers can for little or no money get their works shown to an international audience in places like Blade Forums, Knife Forums, Custom Knife Directory, Rec.Knives newsgroup,etc. They can sell their work through CKD, Yahoo Auctions, eBay and Blade Auction, easily and without being a known maker.

Reach out and touch someone.

Also now it is much easier to get in touch with makers, established makers on the internet, now new makers can send their idols a message saying, how do I do this, and get an answer back. Try that with snail mail ;-)

Draw backs to being a new maker

The other day someone said, "It's all been done" I disagree. But the main draw back to being a new maker is to make something that has never been done, or appear to never been done before. If it looks like other knives, people will go elsewhere.

Online purveyors: Boon or Bane?

Many new makers wish they could have their stuff listed on a website, where many people can see them, but do not have time, money, expertise to set one up themselves. Established makers are also helped out by the Online purveyor(dealer). The online purveyor(yes I am one too ;-) ) many times are more of a bane than a boon to new makers. With most purveyors the bottom line is profit. Sorry that's a fact. With that in mind most purveyors look for established (known) makers, who are proven sellers. In the process they ignore the majority of the new makers. Only a few, deemed good enough to make money for the purveyor is given a chance to be shown to the higher end collectors who frequent the high-end purveyors.

New makers, is there a future in it?

Yes of course. No established maker starts out established, and the new makers, no matter what skill level, or country they come from, ARE the future of the custom knife making. So when you go look at a new maker, ask yourself, is there potential here? Is each subsequent offering from this maker show ing improvement. And importantly do I want this in my collection?

The future of Custom knife making is in the hands of the new makers, AND in you the knife collecting public.

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Peace

Paul
Custom Knife Purveyor
"We support the new maker!"
I take Paypal. ask me how??
Circle P Knives

[This message has been edited by viper5192 (edited 03-06-2001).]
 
Boy Paul, I couldn't agree with you more. We need new makers with new ideas and their great enthusiasm to come along all the time. Without them the knife industry would dry up and blow away. I would also not be able to get a lot of the great new knives that are available today.

I wish that more of these new knifemakers would get on the internet. Web sites are great and do not have to be that expensive, and the forums on knives can be great places to show the world your wares. Bladeforums is a place that can get the makers products(not just knives, but sheaths, swords, hawks etc.) in front of the most rabid knife people in the world. If you have a good product and you present it here you will have a great chance of succeeding.

I love the work of the established knifemakers, but am not afraid to purchase a knife I like from a new maker. You usually get a good to great knife for a bargain price. Since these makers are new, they do not yet charge the prices that most of the established knifemakers do. Being of Scottish heritage, thia appeals to me very much. As time goes along their work will improve, their popularity will increase as will the price of their products.

Another nice thing I like about new makers is that you usually do not have to wait long to get one of their knives. That is nice considering that some of the established knifemakers have waiting lists of many years. I want my knife before I die and with new knifemakers a few months is the normal waiting period.

I hope other people have some comments to make here because this topic is a very important one. We must do all we can to encourage good new knifemakers and make sure they stick around.

Keith.
 
Actually Wiht Circle P Knives, I am giving new makers a place to put their work up to be seen and bought, it gives them a place to be on the internet. A home, a place where their work can be seen as a whole, not just 1 piece. Yes I know new makers have to pay their "newbie" dues by going to shows. Some of these makers CAN'T afford these shows, and therefore get no realtime exposure, is there a good reaqson why they shouldn't use the available tools that are becoming more and more prevailant on the web.

I for one welcome new makers on my site, and although it is a new site (1 month) I have already had over 3000 hits and 4 knife sales. Man I wish more of the new makers would come to me, I see them selling(auctioning) their work on eBay and Blade Auction and other places and tossing the dice. At least with me, they have a permenant place to show their work.

Too many makers stay local because they are not given a chance. Yes pictures are cold and stale, but I don't know of any maker/dealer who won't work with you if the work does not suit you when you get it.

People are not willing to face the fact that the internet is going to, and has actually change the way collectors and makers interact. While knife shows will always be around(thank god) the age of the digital image and Paypal, makes it easier to get the knife you want.

I am staking that many new makers will become established makers, and am willing to help them as I can.

Come join me ;-)



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Peace

Paul
Custom Knife Purveyor
"We support the new maker!"
I take Paypal. ask me how??
Circle P Knives
 
Paul,
Who freakin' died and made you king? You sort of have a vested interest since you are trying to promote your own business here as a new maker knife purveyor. This fact is not lost among the faithful. Please be wise and learn the lessons from the likes of others who have over-promoted themselves on this forum. Let Gus do his job and let things fall naturally. Archive what happened to Lynn Griffith here over too much self- aggrandizement. I am a major custom collector and hope to do business with you in the future. Don't let stuff like this stand in the way of those of us who do active trading here. Chill out and give things a chance to follow their natural course. You have already sewn some oats with the fact that disagreement with you lead to the resignation of a well respected moderator on the forums. Things will happen here, but not specifically to your timetable/agenda.
David


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AKTI# A000150
NC Custom Knifemakers Guild member
NC Knife Knuts member
 
No one died and made me king, if you wish to discuss this take it to email, I am here. And no Para did not resign because of a disagreement with me a fact you seem not to understand. If you don't then I'm sorry you feel that way. Send me an email, don't get vitriolic in this thread, it isn't about Para or anything Para and I discussed.

Don't turn me into the bad guy, because I'm not.

Email me, it's much more interesting to read what you REALLY think of me.

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Peace

Paul
Custom Knife Purveyor
"We support the new maker!"
I take Paypal. ask me how??
Circle P Knives
 
Come on guys, take it easy. Let's not turn this into a pissing match. If Gus wants to do another topic when he gets back that would be great, this one can just go on as it is. I do not find the fact that Paul has some vested interest in this topic to be bothersome at all. When knifemakers take part in these topics that we will be discussing they will have a vested interest as well. That is just the way it goes. You might think that Paul had no business starting this topic with Gus gone, but it is done now. Let's just wait for Gus's return and let him sort things out.

Keith.
 
First off, I was told I could do a topic on new makers by Gus, just not when, and I also asked for discenting votes, and I got none, not even you Dave. And if you read my reply to PhilL I siad I didn't want to take over, just keep up the momentum GusK had started with the weekly topic.

If that is becoming King, I guess I am guilty and I apologize to anyone who thinks I am usurping GusKs power, I did not mean to.

------------------
Peace

Paul
Custom Knife Purveyor
"We support the new maker!"
I take Paypal. ask me how??
Circle P Knives
 
<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Keith Montgomery:
Let's just wait for Gus's return and let him sort things out.
</font>
Click to expand...

I think that's why Gus needed a vacation?

I made my original post on this thread with tongue in cheek, however David has a point.
Paul, the purpose of all of your posts is very clear, you're not exactly subtle about it. Tooting your own horn is fine just change the note every once in a while. After a while it does get old and may have some negative effects in the long run. Ask LG.
 
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