What to ask a maker?

H

Hornet

Joined
Nov 18, 1999
Messages
99
Recently I have attended some knife shows in the area and found what appear to be some nice customs by makers that are not well known. My question is, how do I learn that the knife is of good quality? I realize that the fit and finish are important, and that is relatively easy to determine. But what about the things that are not easy to see? (heat treating, etc.)

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Kirk
 
Kirk, Get to know something about the maker from an outside source such as dealers,or collectors who know about the maker. Until you get some experience at buying knives, take your time about the purchase. Customs cost quite a bit so be sure of what your getting before you lay down your hard earned money.

Hope this helps

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old pete
 
Not all knifemakers have the budget or inclination to spend the amount of money required to make them well known so don't go by their reputation.

As far as details on the knives just ask, there is nothing that a maker would like to talk about more than his knives. Secondly accept everything on face value, they have no reason to misrepresent the product. After all the work speaks for itself, if a great deal of time was spent on detail work to make an excellent piece and the maker assures you the steel is BG42 it probably is since the cost of steel or heat treating is usually insignificant in the overall cost of the knife. The biggest expense is labour.


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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com


 
Hornet,

Pete and George make some valid points.

You have made the first right move, by asking this question here. In addition I would recommend reading everything you can, visiting web sites, talking with knowledgeable people in the business (fellow collectors, makers, dealers, even suppliers) I would attend a few major shows, ask lots of questions (Take notes if you have to) and most importantly leave your money in your car or hotel room. Do your homework before you buy your first knife, or second, third, etc. This will save you thousands of dollars long term.

I do disagree with George in one area. I have found to a large degree, that the makers who are around for a long time. Generally, are those who have the inclination and some how find the money to make their name known and enhnace their reputation. This is especially important to the collector who will, over time, sell or trade a large portion of their collection.

In a business where your word does carry some degree of weight, your reputation, good, bad or indifferent will be an important factor.




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Les Robertson
www.robertsoncustomcutlery.com

"If you are out to describe the truth, leave elegance to the tailor"
Albert Einstein
 
Pete, George, and Les,

Thanks for taking the time to help. It is nice to have a place to come for expert advice.

Kirk
 
Kirk, If the knife maker is a member of the Guild or American Bladesmith Society, these two organizations have required levels of quality to meet in order to be at their level of skill. A Guild member applicant is required to have at least 3 (I think) Guild members to sign their application to join the Guild. In the American Bladesmith Society, a Journeyman Bladesmith has passed the tests necessary to attain the rank and a Mastersmith has been a Journeyman bladesmith for at least 2 years and passed even harder tests.
This doesn't mean that the other makers knives are not up to standard, it means that they haven't the documentation. If I know only that about the 2 knife organizations, I know I can buy a knife from them and it will perform. Fit, finish, and details will usually determine the price. A slab handled piece of good steel that has been heat treated correctly, will perform just as well as the most beautiful knife in the world but there will be a significant difference in the balance of your check book.
smile.gif

You got a nice name.

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Ray Kirk
http://www.tah-usa.net/raker
 
I know what question not to ask,
"Ahhhh...how long did it take you to make that knife?"
Ken Onion and several others a while back said that really gets their shorts twisted.
 
I usually try answer the "how long" question, but since I and many other fulltime knifemakers make our knives in batches, doing different tasks on each batch at the same time, it is sometimes difficult to add up those pieces. Another thing that makes that question difficult is that the actual work time may not seem large enough for some. That's because the actual work time excludes such ancillary tasks as drinking coffee, answering the phone, responding to email, posting on BladeForums, and taking a leak.

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
The Tom & Jerry Show
 
Hello Kirk,

I would recommend the above and read this article by Darrel Ralph, "Evaluating a Custom Knife"
http://www.knifeart.com/evcusknifbyd.html
It has some good guidelines for both folders and fixed blades.

About performance of a custom blade:

Ask the maker how he tests his knives.
Ask what the best use for a particular knife would be.
Ask others how particular knives have performed.
Ask about heat treat - in-house or contracted.
Learn about steel characteristics.
If possible attend a hammer-in and watch a cutting contest, that should teach you a lot about performance.

Good Luck,

Larry

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KnifeArt.com - Fine Custom Knives
KnifeDirectory.com - Online Knife Guide
 
All,

Thanks for all of the great advice. Now for the fun part, buying some knives!

Kirk
 
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