What Frustrates Custom Knife Makers?

MTF3

MTF3

Joined
Aug 1, 1999
Messages
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With the Blade Show in Atlanta just around the corner and even with the Mississippi Knifemakers Show coming up May 4th & 5th, I got to wondering.

Just what frustrates a custom knife maker the most?

I have the greatest respect for custom makers and have always found them to be openly friendly and helpful. So guys (and some very talented ladies now) after hours, days & weeks of cutting, grinding, hammering, polishing & sweat, what drives you crazy about the knife business?

Just thought I would ask for educational purposes.

Thanks, Melvin
 
Being in the hospital with pnemonia with the Oregon Show only a few weeks away.
 
Not enough hours in the day (am working on that one) :)
Oh yeah...not having a workshop proper...working on that one too. And while I'm whining, a cancelled/changed order once the work is done goes across well.
 
Nothing frustrates a custom knifemaker. Knifemakers are the calmest, coolest, most even tempered group of individuals that ever were.
 
Well Tom, I guess I am one of those guys:rolleyes:

but I only have changed once or maybe twice;)


and whats the diff if you have not started the blade:confused:



besides that I also mentioned that "IF" you had already started it to disregard any change requests I made and ship that puppy to me so I could give you all that moolah!!!!:D


edited to add:..RESPECTFULLY yours, :D
 
Now that Matt mentions it, yeah I'm lousy at those administrative tasks. If there were a piece of this job I'd like to give to someone else, that would be it.
 
I agree with Jerry Hossom... nothing, or I wouldnt do it.

I'm not more than a hobbyist with it, actually... but its the truth, if I found it frustrating, I wouldnt do it. (Not into having to deal with book-keeping and so on too awful much, so its not anything that bothers me.)

The closest to frustration I have is not having the equipment I would like, and wanting to do something, but not having the right materials handy.
But thats just mild annoyance, and I deal with it. :)
 
About the only thing lately that frustrates me is finding good Stag. Seems like all the customers want to change their order to stag now that it so hard to find. :(
 
Originally posted by Kit Carson
About the only thing lately that frustrates me is finding good Stag. Seems like all the customers want to change their order to stag now that it so hard to find. :(
Click to expand...

Hey...I resemble that remark. You mean I'm not the only one?

:D
 
I would say the thing that frusterates me the most is slipping and putting a scratch on the blade during the final sharpening. Creates alot of extra work removing the scratch. But other than that I love it!
 
What frustrates me is finally finishing a knife and looking it over and not knowing if it's good enough to sell and if it is, whats a fair price to ask for it. I sure wish someone would write a tutorial on those two problems! Oh yeah, also taking for ever to finish a knife, ughhh! Seems like the more knives I make, the longer it takes to make them.
 
I'm not a real knife maker, but I play one on t.v.

Well, actually I have made 5 knives and 2 more will be done this week. After I have calmed down, I realize that I frustrate myself. I'm the one who gets mad at my equipment (or lack of), or I get mad at my non-superstar technique, and so on. But all of these problems, really, are MY problems that re in MY control. If I can give up the frustration, I'll have half of the battle taken care of.
 
Thank you for all the responses.

This confirms my belief that knifemakers are true artists.

Keep up the good work and remember that while you are inside setting up for a show, several people are anxiously waiting to get in to see, handle and buy what you work so hard to create.

Thanks.
 
Frustrations slowly become challenges and are contolled by technique. My greatest challenge has been finding that ---- . It was right there, I know I just laid it right there and it is gone. They don't usually dissapear, just circle around in never never land then one day appear, sometimes right where you left them, but sometimes where you can not figure how they got there. I have been looking for a knife, my gentlemans pronghorn that I carry at shows. It was gone --- I looked in its place many times --- then yesterday there she was, right where she was suposed to be. HOW? No one else was in my shop, it had to have been there all the time, I think.

I have now made a game of it. When ever I put something down, I tell myself where it put it several times, then look back over my shoulder to see if it is still there, sometimes it is.
 
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