What should i look for when getting a custom knife?

D

DavidL41

Joined
Oct 12, 2014
Messages
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What are things I should look out for and what are some questions I should ask the custom knife maker so that I know that they are making a great quality knife.

The knife Im looking to buy is a kiridashi thats thin and has a 30 degree angle to it and a low angle bevel like 20 degrees or lower. The use is for cutting out patterns on leathers that have stretch, so sharpness is a must. Durability is not an issue, all it has to be able to do is cut into a poly board and trace against a ruler, only rule is not chip its edge and has to be razor sharp.

What do you recommend for a chisel grind kiridashi blade:

1.absolute thinnest and sharpest blade.
What thickness of metal?
how high of a grind?
2. Type of carbon metal
3. angle of point

Im interested to hear what you have to say and from there I can have a bit more input when getting one custom done for me. Also for these cheaper 20-30 dollar kiridashi's are they good quality and why are others 200 - 300 dollars - Are they water stone sharpened and hand forged.
 
I don't know much about a kiridashi technically but I know what you need to cut leather:]

1.)If you want chisel ground I wouldn't go more than a .125 thickness, preferably a bit less.
2.) Whichever you feel will hold an edge the longest. It's subjective and you will get a lot of advice on this one.
3.) I would go somewhere between standard tanto and the angle of a basic X-Acto blade.

Cost is like anything else, generally the higher the "better" the knife.
 
Take a look at Knipschield Custom Knives. He specifically makes a line of custom leather knives for very reasonable prices. Just google "Knipschield Custom Knives" - I don't know if he's a paying member here or not, so I'm not allowed to provide a link.

In general, the best way to start the process is to contact a knife maker directly; let them know what you're looking for and ask questions. If they can't help you, they'll likely know someone who can.
 
How long it's really going to take to get the knife. I ordered a knife from someone and it was supposed to be 4 months (midtech, not custom). That was in march. He's come out with a bunch of other midtechs, whole new designs, but nothing about the model I ordered(I'm not the only one waiting).
 
dejard said:
Take a look at Knipschield Custom Knives. He specifically makes a line of custom leather knives for very reasonable prices. Just google "Knipschield Custom Knives" - I don't know if he's a paying member here or not, so I'm not allowed to provide a link.

In general, the best way to start the process is to contact a knife maker directly; let them know what you're looking for and ask questions. If they can't help you, they'll likely know someone who can.
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I actually own one of his knives and it wasn't what I was expecting. I never bought a proper knife and had nothing to base it on. Now I know more or less what I'm looking for in a knife with some feedback from the forum and personal experience on what i don't like. I may need to spend 200 dollars on a custom made one from carter cutlery or a japanese made one. Any other makers you can suggest with great knowledge of making kiridashi knives preferable if they know about the nuances like grind heights, thickness, and edge angles.
 
DavidL41 said:
I actually own one of his knives and it wasn't what I was expecting. I never bought a proper knife and had nothing to base it on. Now I know more or less what I'm looking for in a knife with some feedback from the forum and personal experience on what i don't like. I may need to spend 200 dollars on a custom made one from carter cutlery or a japanese made one. Any other makers you can suggest with great knowledge of making kiridashi knives preferable if they know about the nuances like grind heights, thickness, and edge angles.
Click to expand...
Unfortunately, I don't know of any makers with those skills. Hopefully one of the many BFC makers here will chime in with a suggestion. Good luck.
 
You may want to ask on the knife makers forum. I've seen several here for sale on the knife makers section. They should be able to help with what you need
 
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