What inspires your designs?

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I'm sitting around, and thinking about what profiles to make with some 10v I've got sitting around. Since I'm going to be sending this stuff off to someone to heat treat for me, (at probably around 20 a blade ). I'm thinking I really want to make these count.

Usually I just kind of go with the flow when coming up with something, but I'm going to put a bit more planning into these. So I'm just wondering what gives you guys inspiration on your designs? Other makers, utility (edc oriented in my case), looks, etc.? Is there something that helps you guys when trying to think of something new?

 

[David Mary]

Performance, ergos, aesthetics.

 

[David Mary]

But inspiration for a blade profile can come from anywhere from the shape contraints of a scrap piece of steel, to a design from another maker.

 

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But inspiration for a blade profile can come from anywhere from the shape contraints of a scrap piece of steel, to a design from another maker.

Yeah. I've made a couple that were based around the size of the steel I've had left.

Ergonomics, perfomance, and aesthetics are definitely big though.

 

[David Mary]

Have fun with it. Knives are fun. I had fun with a carbon steel batch in January. I cut 18 small knives out of a sheet, gave each one slightly different handle shapes, and left the blades rectangular for heat treatment. When they came back I only then decided what I wanted each one to be. I didn't look up designs, I just set about cutting, and here is some of what I ended up with. I put a fob on the ends of them and sent them out the door.

 

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That's not a bad idea. I may do something like that, if nothing comes to me.

 

[Horsewright]

Have fun with it. Knives are fun. I had fun with a carbon steel batch in January. I cut 18 small knives out of a sheet, gave each one slightly different handle shapes, and left the blades rectangular for heat treatment. When they came back I only then decided what I wanted each one to be. I didn't look up designs, I just set about cutting, and here is some of what I ended up with. I put a fob on the ends of them and sent them out the door.

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Thats pretty darn cool David!

When I first started making knives (remembering that I come from the cowboy culture), I went up to the punchiest cowboy I knew at a branding and asked him what the perfect branding knife was. He unfolded the pointy blade of his large Case trapper and said: "This." I've been making non folding versions of that ever since.

 

[Hengelo_77]

I make mostly small and medium sized knives. I like knives that you can discretely cary on you and use.
Every now and then I make a puukko because I enjoy making a scani sheath.
As a knife maker you have to make at least one bowie.

But moslty, what can be used in life as I know it

 

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I make mostly small and medium sized knives. I like knives that you can discretely cary on you and use.
Every now and then I make a puukko because I enjoy making a scani sheath.
As a knife maker you have to make at least one bowie.

But moslty, what can be used in life as I know it

That's definitely a big part of what I've been putting into the knives I've made so far. They're fairly small to medium in size. I go for as thin behind the edge, and as hard (as is reasonable) of a blade as I can. Because in my daily use of knives, I'm just using it for cutting, and slicing. I feel like that's what most people will be using the knives I make for too.

I feel like aesthetics is just a bit tougher. Because it's so subjective. I personally think i make knives that are pleasing to the eye, but others could find things that they don't like about how they look.

it's also hard to do something completely "original" . I mean all my knives have been things that I made up on my own, but I'm sure if I looked into it, I could find other knives with the exact same lines.