What If You Don't Want To Make A Certain Knife?

J

jawilder

Joined
Jun 27, 2006
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I got a request yesterday that I'm less than thrilled about. A good friend, who I did not think was into SiFi asked me to make him the following knife:
Aragorn__s_Elven_Knife_by_darthpayback.jpg


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(It's Aragon's Elven Knife from Lord of the Ring, or so I was told)

The blade is 15.75" long with a total length of 19.625". The blade itself doesn't seem impossible, but the brass fittings look darn near impossible without casting, which I don't do. I wouldn't even know where to begin with a sheath like that. I'm sure a project like this would be perfect for Tai Goo, but not me.

So what do you do when you get a request for a knife that you really don't want to make, but still like a good challenge? I'm thinking about giving a quote so high that if he does still want it, I'll have plenty of wiggle room to make mistakes and start over. I also might give a lower quote if he just wants something that looks similar, but with my own interpretations.
 
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Jason,I usually just say NO and refer them to someone who does the kind of knives they are looking for.I too like a challenge but it must be something I'm interested in doing or I will not be able to put my best into the knife.
stan
 
The blade would be easy enought, even the handle, but that sheave is ridiculous. Why not make it, but change it to your own style? If your friend doesn't like it you can always offer it for sale in the for sale forum.
 
There are several guys over on Don Fogg's forum that are into the fantasy blades, and do a heck of a job too. If you decide you don't want to do it you could probably help him find a maker there that would be interested.
 
I was asked to make that exact same knife in pattern weld a year or two ago- I think my response was to refer the person to Don Fogg's forum. I had no desire to make it. I threw out a quote for it though, and the quote itself was probably a good enough deterrent!
 
I just quoted him $500 and he backed out. I'm not all that suprised that he backed out, nor am I all that broken hearted.
 
Ask yourself what's in it for you. Consider the following:

Can I do it to my own high standards, or will it be a half-hearted thing I don't want my name on?

Do I need to establish my name as a guy who can and will make the stuff most guys can't/won't, or am I already so busy that doing this project would take up so much time that it would hinder me rather than help me?

Will I learn new skills and processes that will help me down the road, or is it just a huge pain in the neck?

Definitely quote high. Never do extra work for free. Quoting high has weeded out about 70% of the crazy off-the-wall customs I've been asked to do. On the ones I have done, I did not earn as much per hour as I do on the basic stuff.
 
Every time I see one of these threads it occurs to me to wonder ... who is asking for these off the wall customs and fantasy knives? Meaning no disrespect to those that like these sorts of things, I am still curious what the typical customer profile is for these knives that I presume are largely useful strictly as cotume components for ComiCon and the like.
 
Greg, this customer is retired, in his late 60's, very very very conservative, avid gun collecter, and into single action shooting. Shocked the heck out of me when he asked for it.
 
If a design dosen't turn me on, I won't accept the project. I have tried it a few times and found that even if the customer is happy, I'm not. I can't help but feel that it taints the piece somehow to not have my heart in it during the making.

Most reasonable customers will respect this if you explain it to them, although it has to be done with some tact-it isn't too hard to offend someone in telling them that you don't care for ther pet design.

But then a lot of these customers will back away themselves when you give them a price...whether you intend it that way or not.
 
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Could be worse. He could have asked you to make the "cloud" sword from the video games. :) The funny thing is, I've heard of several blade smiths claiming that a customer has, at one point or another, asked them to make it. The conversation usually begins with asking the customer if he has a ballpark idea of what a sword like that would weigh.... :)



cloud-strife.jpg
 
I've been asked to make one of those "Cloud" swords from mild steel. But he wanted one useable, that could be swung around. I simply laughed and said "I'm not making something that would weigh 20lbs and is supposed to be swung around."
 
That'd be one hell of a feat to make that big boy come in anywhere close to 20lb!! The guard alone looks like a metal cinder block :eek:
 
Honestly I would make thae sheath out of leather put in a kydex insert to protect the tip or the
 
If I get a request to make something I don't want to.... I simply don't take it on.

If I am willing to attempt it but have reservations about it fitting into my skillset... I tell them that I will try but hold the right to back out if I feel the project isn't going as I'd like.
 
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