What do people think of the quality of this filework?

[danbot]

The gap in the liner/scale interface bothers me more than the filework. I think of free hand file work as an art form, which is rarely symmetrical. I'm not a fan of file work to begin with.--KV

Why aren't you a fan of filework? I'm just curious. I personally love some good filework. Especially the vine patterns.

 

[WValtakis]

This would drive me nuts...but I'm super OCD about things like that. There used to be an for Mel Pardue in Blade magazine with filework about like that...I could never understand why he chose that knife to showcase his amazing talent.

~Chip

 

[W. Anderson]

I don't care much for filework so I can't give much of an opinion on the quality, but since its YOUR knife and YOU find it unacceptable, it is something that should be mentioned and hopefully rectified.

 

[danbot]

I don't care much for filework so I can't give much of an opinion on the quality, but since its YOUR knife and YOU find it unacceptable, it is something that should be mentioned and hopefully rectified.

Why don't you care much for filework. I'm curious. Is it something you can't explain? Like just the way it is? I actually do understand that.

 

[WValtakis]

For reference, this is some filework I did on a Knifekits kit probably 10 years ago in my pimpin' days and it bugs my OCD a bit



~Chip

 

[W. Anderson]

Why don't you care much for filework. I'm curious. Is it something you can't explain? Like just the way it is? I actually do understand that.

There are a couple reasons for my dislike of filework. I'm purely a "one-off, custom" guy at this stage of the hobby, and I find that to my eye, all filework (specifically vinework) looks more or less the same and can take a bit a unique-ness away from a piece. I also find it gaudy. Lastly, this is a personal issue, I suppose, but when I see filework I subconsciously imagine all of the Pakistani "damascus" with horn handles you find on all those bad websites...

Though, I suppose this is filework...on a piece I commissioned from Dylan Farnham in '16. I like it here. I suppose I'm just picky.

 

[danbot]

Thanks for the explanation. I also like one off customs, but I admire nice filework too. ^^^this one looks like a tapeworm! A very awesome tapeworm!

 

[KnifeWish]

At that price point, that filework would not be acceptable. The excuse of it being too difficult by hand is also invalid (handedness, CNC always better, etc), because using difficulty as an excuse is a victimizing cop out. Either do it right or don't do it at all.

 

[sabre cat]

I've seen better on less costly knives.

 

[Natlek]

There are a couple reasons for my dislike of filework. I'm purely a "one-off, custom" guy at this stage of the hobby, and I find that to my eye, all filework (specifically vinework) looks more or less the same and can take a bit a unique-ness away from a piece. I also find it gaudy. Lastly, this is a personal issue, I suppose, but when I see filework I subconsciously imagine all of the Pakistani "damascus" with horn handles you find on all those bad websites...

Though, I suppose this is filework...on a piece I commissioned from Dylan Farnham in '16. I like it here. I suppose I'm just picky.

It looks like Pterosaur claw

 

[JParanee]

Why don't you like filework?

File work was popular many years ago and these days is usually only done on kit knives or cheaper import knives

If you like it that’s great but good filework will lesson the value of a knife and bad will only hurt it more in my opinion unless we are talking about a piece from a well known maker from long ago

 

[danbot]

File work was popular many years ago and these days is usually only done on kit knives or cheaper import knives

If you like it that’s great but good filework will lesson the value of a knife and bad will only hurt it more in my opinion unless we are talking about a piece from a well known maker from long ago

Interesting. Thank you for your reply!

 

[Kreyzhorse]

Get a different photo and ask a few questions.

Not sure of the size of the knife, but in actual size, the differences may not be noticed.

 

[kvaughn]

Why aren't you a fan of filework? I'm just curious. I personally love some good filework. Especially the vine patterns.

Filework seems to me kind of dated and and unnecessary IMHO. It seems to break up the flow of the knife. ==KV

 

[midnight flyer]

For those saying this filework is sub-par, I'd be really interested to see similar photos (at similar magnification!) showing what they deem acceptable.

As a self employed custom cabinet maker and fine wood worker, it nauseates me when people demean craftsmanship with excuses to cover a bad job. Poor work is poor work. Just because any of us craftsmen make anything by hand (custom cabinets, custom guns, custom leatherwork, etc.), it doesn't mean that is an excuse for mistakes and lack of attention to detail. A high level of quality and attention to detail should be demanded of the craftsman of himself and by himself without the client prodding him to do a good job.

I wish I had the kind of clients that are responding here. My clients pay a lot for me (and yes, a 1K is on the upper end of custom knife, and yes, I know you can pay thousands more) and my work, and they are paying for 40 years of me doing custom work. The aren't paying for a roughly assembled pile of firewood. They are demanding, and they expect that I "get it right" without their input from the start of hand selected material, execution of design, hardware installation and final finishing. They aren't paying for someone that whines about hard it is to get things made by hand, or someone that excuses beginner's work with the difficulty of the task. Quality and craftsmanship are built into my price. And if you are going to pass yourself off as a professional craftsman, no matter the discipline you have chosen, you should strive for perfection without letting yourself off the hook for lack of knowledge or skills.

So you want to see "good file work" applied by skilled craftsmen? Work with delicate curves (BTW, the rudimentary vine pattern is considered a beginner's stroke) and pefect margins, file work of intricate designs with perfect dimensions, depth of cut, and no file marks showing? Pictures that were not taken in a studio with perfect lighting or given any other excuse?

How much time do you have? Here's a few hundred:

https://goo.gl/XZLisg

and a few more: https://goo.gl/U94UGN

Don't forget to scroll down the pages.

Robert

 

[katanas]

Many of the shown knives have file work much like those in my "accumulation" . I never had to say to any of the makers "please make sure the file work is even and tasteful". As you said, it was expected. Thanks for the pics.

 

[vanadium]

After these comments, and especially the poll results, I may not pursue things further with this maker. I didn't want to bias the discussion with my own opinion too much, but this photo gave me serious pause. It's surprising because the maker seems to be unanimously praised, here and elsewhere. I could probably work with them, finding flaws and asking for changes, but I'd rather find a maker who sends me photos that make me think "craftsmanship", not "hmm".