Your thoughts on a maker reworking another makers blade. 🙄

I am sure I have read in some fantasy type fiction where either the Dwarvish (or Goblin) smiths view all their work as theirs for ever, it is only temporarily rented by the first customer and certainly does not belong to them to do with as they please. Some kindred spirits to be found here ;)
 
From a practical standpoint when someone buys a knife it’s theirs to do with as they please. As a maker, the main thing that would bother me is if it’s drastically modified by someone else and my name is still on it. At that point it misrepresents my work good or bad.
 
I'm gonna have to weigh in on the side of the customer...
Once that knife has been purchased and money has changed hands, that knife isn't the maker's knife anymore.
The customer can do whatever they want to, it's their property.
Just like your labor is yours. If you don't want to work on others stuff, it's your choice.
 
Some of us actually do own our maker’s mark, have gone through the expense of establishing LLCs and spent considerable money (to us) on branding though…. It’s not about ego it’s about courtesy. If someone re-grinds one of my knives I really don’t care as long as they indicate it somewhere on the knife. I don’t want false representation of my work nor do I want someone grinding my mark off a knife I made. A few of my knives are starting to move on the secondary market at regional shows. I’ve gained new customers that way. It’s important to me that my work is represented accurately.
 
Would this include getting a regrind on a custom knife? I have had Tom Krein do that a couple of times because I just hated the hollow grind on it & I wanted a FFG.
 
I'm just wondering how often this is a issue. ONE in a thousand. ONE I ten thousand. IDK. I'm betting one in one hundred thousand. If you didn't like the knife why did you buy it?
 
ScarFoot said:
Some of us actually do own our maker’s mark, have gone through the expense of establishing LLCs and spent considerable money (to us) on branding though…. It’s not about ego it’s about courtesy. If someone re-grinds one of my knives I really don’t care as long as they indicate it somewhere on the knife. I don’t want false representation of my work nor do I want someone grinding my mark off a knife I made. A few of my knives are starting to move on the secondary market at regional shows. I’ve gained new customers that way. It’s important to me that my work is represented accurately.
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But once you sell a knife the customer can do what they want if you like it or not.

I have defiantly pissed off a few makers in my day! 🤣
 
LCoop said:
I'm just wondering how often this is an issue. ONE in a thousand. ONE I ten thousand. IDK. I'm betting one in one hundred thousand. If you didn't like the knife why did you buy it?
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There are certainly more bad or mediocre knives out there than good knives.

The reason why it’s bought is because it’s difficult to know from images and videos online if they would like the knife or not.
 
So a friend of mine sent me a boning knife. He is a popular maker with $350-400 knives. I saw a better way the knife could work for my family so tragically altered the perfect creation for a knife we regularly use.

I have not told him until tonight because I was feeling a little guilty because of this thread. 🤣

Unfortunately we may no longer be friends...

Definitely a defiant move for this crowd!
 
I believe in ownership of property. If I sell someone a knife, they own it, I do not. Would I appreciate a heads up if they felt it needed to be changed in some way? Of course. And I would do it for them if that is feasible and acceptable for all involved. If not, then I accept that it is now their property to do with as they please, and not mine.
 
David Mary said:
I believe in ownership of property. If I sell someone a knife, they own it, I do not. Would I appreciate a heads up if they felt it needed to be changed in some way? Of course. And I would do it for them if that is feasible and acceptable for all involved. If not, then I accept that it is now their property to do with as they please, and not mine.
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They might want an alteration you do not want to perform, then what?
 
I think people are missing the point. I among others on here literally own my maker’s mark. It is part of a brand of a legal company. I don’t care about a knife I made being modified. I’m the world’s worst at leaving things alone. But, when you start to see your stuff moving around on the secondary market I think it’s important that it’s clear if a knife has been modified from its original form. It represented my brand when I created it and sold it. If it’s drastically modified it’s similar to another maker making a knife and putting my mark on it. It’s not about the knife, it’s about the brand no matter how small and insignificant that brand seems to you.

TL:DR buy a bunch of bottles of Coca-cola. You own them you can do what you please with them. So, dump the coke out, get a Soda Stream, make your own soda, put it in the Coke bottles, leave the Coke labels on and start marketing it. Let us all know how that works out.
 
ScarFoot said:
I think people are missing the point. I among others on here literally own my maker’s mark. It is part of a brand of a legal company. I don’t care about a knife I made being modified. I’m the world’s worst at leaving things alone. But, when you start to see your stuff moving around on the secondary market I think it’s important that it’s clear if a knife has been modified from its original form. It represented my brand when I created it and sold it. If it’s drastically modified it’s similar to another maker making a knife and putting my mark on it. It’s not about the knife, it’s about the brand no matter how small and insignificant that brand seems to you.

TL:DR buy a bunch of bottles of Coca-cola. You own them you can do what you please with them. So, dump the coke out, get a Soda Stream, make your own soda, put it in the Coke bottles, leave the Coke labels on and start marketing it. Let us all know how that works out.
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I would own those Coca-Cola bottles and could put orange juice in them if I wanted too. The issue that you are describing is selling the Cola Bottles as an actual Coca-Cola product.
If I say I’m making cola from my Soda Stream and selling it and if you have your own bottle then I will fill it for you, no problems.

People can modify their knives however they please. It becomes an issue if they SELL it as the work of the original maker.

If you buy a car, can you put a spoiler on it? Can you jack it up and put mud tires on it? Can you change the brand of the brakes? Can you do some body work and change the appearance? Can you make a different style bumper and put it on?
 
ScarFoot said:
when you start to see your stuff moving around on the secondary market I think it’s important that it’s clear if a knife has been modified from its original form
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That’s a separate issue from the OP. He is exploring the idea that it is bad ethics to modify another maker’s work without permission from the maker. An idea I reject because that maker gave up ownership of the item in exchange for money. I do agree that it may be a laudable courtesy to contact the maker first but the situation specifics should inform this, not a blanket notion that another maker’s original creation is inherently sacrosanct.
 
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