When is it good enough?

amcardon

amcardon

Joined
Jun 29, 2009
Messages
942
So, I've posted a few comments here and there and I'm on here nonstop (just ask my wife) and have ready every thread that has come up (in the Shop Talk forum) since I joined. I have started about 7 knifes so far, the first one was a factory blade to try doing a hidden tang handle, the others are stock-removal. I just finished my first sheath and the hidden tang knife (it's a bowie, big surprise) is all glued up and curing right now.

My wife and I had a conversation last night and I had one of those "realization" moments where you find something out about yourself that you either never accepted or truly understood/realized previous. I can't finish anything. I can never say "it's done" (unless it's homework) and I'm always picking at it. I pick at stuff so much that I'm really good at ruining it due to it never being perfect. Take this first sheath for instance. It looked alright, especially for my first sheath, but I kept trimming a bit here and there and now it's all buggered up. One of my stock removal blades will be a hidden tang because I never got the handle contour just right and ended up grinding off too much in the middle...

The reason this realization really struck me is because I don't think anybody, most of all me, would ever call me a perfectionist about anything but for some stupid reason I can't put these damn knives down and call it good enough. And I should have put them down a long time ago because we live in an apartment where we're not allowed to have power tools and I have a grinder and drill press on our balcony and have been fined 3 times so far (moved here in October) by the apartment manager because of complaints from other renters for being too loud and disruptive, so now I will have to work on these with hand tools which I just don't have the time for being in graduate school.


So, after all this pissing, when the heck is it "good enough?"
 
I struggle with this as well. Being a new maker, there is always something that can be improved on. I think you will get to the point where you just leave it be, and if you really want it to be better, you'll build another with that in mind. If it's not a major change overall, then it's easy to justify polishing or sanding a little more or what have you. I'm much like you in the sense that I'm not a meticulous perfectionist in the vast majority of the things I do. For me though, knifemaking is one of the few ways I can express the creative elements, and as such, I want to do the best I can. It's hard to think good enough is really good enough, but I think calling a knife "done" helps build the motivation to start the next project. There are so many gifted makers that make flawless pieces, it's easy to want our own to be at the same level. The reality is, they all started somewhere too and had to call some early projects "good enough".
 
i agree, i have built a few. I struggle with the fact that the knives i like are no the knives i build. Its funny i like tactical stuff like Hortons and busses, wilsons, zero tolerance and like,but the stuff i make looks more like a hidden tang ground down file???

Knife makeing is a art. When a abstract painter wants to express a idea he dont really know what end result he wants. "It" flows to him/her while they are in their expressive mood.

It is sort of the same when i build a knife, i dont exactly know what i want so i just start building and hope to god what i make can be called a knife.

In the odyssey of building a "Good Knife" many of use screw up a few in the process, we/you just have to learn to leave well enough alone.

Good luck with your knives!;)
 
In my 26+ years of Bladesmithing/Knifemaking, I have never "finished" a knife. That may sound like an odd statement, but its very true. Being a Knifemaker is not about being perfect...its about the journey/endeavor to create a "perfect" knife . Every knife that I have ever created has always had something about it that I would have liked to improve.

As I always tell my students....The difference between a Knifemaker, and a good Knifemaker is that the Good Knifemaker knows how to minimize or hide their mistakes. Any Knifemaker who claims they do not make mistakes, is simply not being honest with themselves.

Knifemaking is about constant learning, and the passion for that learning. Most, who have been at it for any length of time would likely agree that they never "finish" a knife.....sometimes the trick is know when to "give up" on a particular piece, and utilize the knowledge you've gained on that one, to make the next one better.
 
I've been making knives for a few months, and have the same inability to leave well enough alone at times. I'm like that in most aspects of my life, not just making knives. Yeah, I'm that OCD guy who wants perfection.

I've realized that certain aspects of the knives I make are "perfect", but the minor flaws are just part of learning to make knives.

I'd rather have a knife with a minor flaw or two than another piece of scrap steel rusting in the trash. After a certain point, I make myself move on.

Luckily, the more I make knives, the better I get. I've made fairly dramatic progress over the last month. The more you practice, the better you will get.
 
I actually took my first knife I made and just said, to hell with it. And did the heat treat before I had the scratches out. I just figured, close enough and wanted it finished before I left for the holidays, so I could use the knife.

I just did a sheath two days ago. I finished it, then decided to add two grooves on to the edges of the belt loop. Oops, hard to groove leather around a curve.
 
Well put Ed. :)

I wish I had a good answer for this that I actually followed. I literally have drawers full of projects that never quite seem up to snuff and rather than plow through my frustration and finish them....... they sit.

If you figure this out, or find a magic pill that helps... let me know :)
 
I agree. I have never finished a knife that I didn't see something that I could do better, and will try to do better on the next one. That's a good thing. It would be pretty devasting to me to say "That's it. That's the best I will ever do." I always hope my best knife will be the next one.

A handmade knife will never be "perfect" in the sense of everything being perfectly symmetrical and absolutely flawless. Nor should it be. That's what gives it it's character and makes it yours.
 
Ed Caffrey said:
Most, who have been at it for any length of time would likely agree that they never "finish" a knife.....sometimes the trick is know when to "give up" on a particular piece, and utilize the knowledge you've gained on that one, to make the next one better.
Click to expand...

Ed, almost word for word, summed up "words of wisdom" I received early in my knifemaking career .................

A knifemaker never finishes a knife, he just stops working on it ;)

That being said, it seems like you're progressing in a normal fashion amcardon :D :thumbup: :thumbup: ;)
 
Ed hit the nail square on the head.
The best way for me to leave them alone is to be so dang busy that I have to move on to something else.
Jerry
 
I will. Have to agree with what everyone else has said. I'm like this as well but I notice that what I pick at is drastackley diffrent then what I picked at when I first started. I look at things like grain flow of handle material and how better to use it to flow with the overall look of the knife. I am usley happy with the profile and basic design of the knife as a lot of though goes into it befor I even walk into the shop. I did not use to be like this though. I use to just grab some steel and start grinding and hope for the best. I found that when I did things like this then I did allways want to tweek the shape a bit here or there. I really injoy the design process and think it's very important in creating a knife your happy with. My knives never leave my shop unless I'm happy with them and even though there might still be somthing I could pick at or refine even more I have to look at the overall project and see the goal of what I was trying to make. I think once you get the basic skills of great fit and finish you will notice you pick at the knife alot less. So if you put effort into coming up with in your mind or on paper a good design and you are able to do the required fit and finish you will be happy. You might never consider it done but you will have a very nice knife that most anyone else will look at and think is great.
 
I recently found this quote by Albert Einstein:

"The Three Rules of Work"

1. Out of clutter, find simplicity.
2. From discord, find harmony.
3. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

This doesn't answer the OPs question but it has helped me see my work in a different light.

MBehnke
 
Real perfectionism is (IMO) just an excuse for not finishing....and sometimes
not trying...( since it will never be perfect )...

The craftsman simply has to accept that nothing we do will ever be perfect...
yet even understanding that, we should want each effort to be better than
previous efforts.....a little closer to the unattainable.
 
As a newbie (nearing my 1 year anniversary) I'll add my two cents worth. I think anyone who ventures into knife making is probably a perfectionist. I enjoyed competitive rifle shooting for many years, and still do to a lesser degree, and certainly was plagued by perfectionism. I never got there! I did as best I could given the skills I had. I was occasionally the best of the day, but there was usually someone better than I.

I know a knife maker who is as good as they get. He is a perfectionist, and I have seen his proof that there is perfection in life. But, it got the best of him, and he hasn't made a knife for 12 years. I have "finished" knives that were far less than perfect, but they were the best I could do at the time. I promised myself to pursue knife making only as long as it was fun and gratifying. I will endeavor to retain that perspective.

Milt
 
I set goals for each knife that will improve my skill and review the knife and goals when finished to see if the goals were met. If not met I will usually give the knife away or add it to my extensive collection of custom knives (99% mine).

This way I can impove and finish a knife and be proud of the results.
 
I can't imagine I will ever sell anything I make; I started this hobby with basically 2 driving forces: I wanted to be able to make/give knives to family members and I was a scout leader with 2 brothers whose father was put in jail and they were having a rough patch and needed to put their minds on something besides their dad and they were both very interested in knives. So its not like these even have to be "sales worthy" but since I'll be giving these away I think there's a good chance I'll be more picky than if I was selling them.

Anyway, thanks for all the replies, a little encouragement was nice. Now if I can just convince my apartment manager to let me work on the knives I'm trying to get finished!
 
Ed is right and this is true not just of knifemaking but of all art in general. An artist is never "finished," he simply gets tired of working on something and moves on to something else.

Amcardon, I feel for you with the apartment balcony thing. Reading that brought back some memories. I used to carve fountains out of featherock before I started making knives. Had the whole operation on the apratment balcony. Don't worry, you'll finish grad school and eventually get a garage where you can run your grinder and not get fined.
 
When my wife likes it its good enought to sell ;) Find yourself an impartial judge :thumbup: After working on a piece for 20 hours your just gonna see everything on it.
 
Good stuff and some eye opening philosphy as well. I am inspired to finish my KITH knife (I was before, but this helps). It will be as good as I can make it.

Dang it, I'm good enough I am smart enough and people like me (sorry for the Stewart Smalley reference). :D:p:p
 
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