Would this be considered cheating?

Chuck Gedraitis Knives

Chuck Gedraitis Knives

Joined
Dec 10, 1998
Messages
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I have noticed that knifezilla.com sells benchmade balisong parts, handles, blades, piivots ect. If I bught the handles and made my own custom blades would it still be considered a custom, even though I didn't make the handles. They are a lot cheaper than the custom handles available out there, $75 instead of $175.
Just wondering,
Chuck
 
Hi Chuck,

The answer is NO.

Meerly putting together a knife that others did all the work on, does not constitute a custom (MARKET BRAND NAME) knife.

However, it would be good experience and give you some idea of what's involved in putting one together.
 
These would not be considered custom knives by the Knifemakers Guild, if that matters to you at all.

Are you planning on doing any final finishing to the handles or just leaving them as you got them?

Les, Chuck did mention that he would be making the blades himself, so he would not just be assembling a knife that had been produced by others. I do understand exactly what you mean though and agree that to me at least, this would not be a true custom knife.

I do not think that this matters though. Just be honest with the people that are looking at purchasing the knives. Tell them where the handles came from and charge a reasonable price and I don't think that most people will worry about whether the knife is a custom.
 
Hi Keith,

My mistake, I mis-read the part about the custom blade.

I further agree with you, if your honest with your construction methods, price the knives accordingly and don't try to sell them as something they are not. You should be fine.
 
Hey All

Let me throw this out here. Frist let me say
that I`m a knifemaker,well that`s what some people
say any way. There has been alot of talk about
what is an what`s not a custum knife. So why can a
gunsmith take parts an build a CUSTOM rifle?? an
get big $$ for it. But let someone build a knife
from parts an it`s a mortal sin.

After all the gunsmith buys the action,barrel
stock, an so on an so on. Oh! I also built
custom rifles for a spell. I never had anyone
come up to me an say, well this is not a custom
because you did`nt make all of the parts.

Now that I have stired the pot I`ll leave now
 
Sylvester,

There is a lot more involved with custom gun making per say that just putting all the parts together. You as a former gun smith know this. There are many things that must happen for the gun to function properly and be accurate. Headspacing must be correct, dovetails for sights must be cut correctly, the stock must be let properly ect. If you are not competent you can get someone seriously hurt or even killed.

Where as you can buy a knife kit, slap some scales on it and do some dress up work. In the end you have a functional piece that may look good but the major hard stuff was already done because it was a kit. You dont have to worry about it killing someone if the mechanism fails.

Basically your camparison is like apples and oranges. Anyone can buy a kit knife and make it, not just anyone can get all the parts for a custom rifle and put them together for a functioning piece.
 
I don`t disgree with what you are saying.
I was just stiring the pot some. But there
are custom guns an then there Custom guns.
I have seen custom rifles an I said you paid
What for this?? Headspace was of sightbase
was not true an so on,an not just one time.
But I have also seen some kits knives that
if I was not told that they were kits I
would not had ever known. I guess what I`m
saying with kit knives or guns you can build
you can build them danm good or danm bad.
I don`t use kits I make the knives from the
ground up. Well anyway like I said I was
just stirin the pot


:rolleyes: :D
 
Chuck, I think that is a great idea. You do great work and benchmade handles are benchmade handles (you can't beat them) So I'm sure they will be very cool and people will buy them.
 
I don't make balisongs but at one time I entertained the idea to make quality damascus balisongs. I also thought about having the handles waterjet cut. Everything but the pin holes. If I had ordered about 500 pairs of these things, and I think that both sides are the same, so we may be talking about 1000 handles. If I had done the ordering, would that make it a custom knife, or as they say, a hand made knife? I am not advocating that all people buy the parts and become home assemblers. There isn't much you can change in the area of the hinge pin on a balisong. It will either work or it won't and only the size of the blade will make much difference in the placement of the pins.
As said before, be honest in the presentation of your product and if it is a quality one, be prepared to make a lot more :)
 
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