Straight Talk From the Professional
Answers to the most often asked questions about my knives
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Do you make all these knives by yourself? Short answer: Yes. Don't even think about kits, pre-cut blades, or farmed-out components. Long answer: I make everything you see here, except (obviously) the knives in collaboration. I start with a six foot long bar of annealed and spheroidized high grade tool steel and a chunk of raw rock. I profile, drill, mill, grind, heat treat, finish grind, and polish the blades, I profile, shape, finish, polish, and attach bolsters and guards. I saw and slab gemstone, cut, grind, drill, shape, sand, polish, and attach gem handles. I do all the hand engraving you see here on this web site, I do all the machine engraving, I do all the high resolution etching, artwork, and design. I do all the chemical processes, including diffusion welding, etching, electroplating, electroforming, and two different types of professional hot bluing. I do the gas tungsten arc welding, the shielded metal arc welding, brazing, soldering, and multi-process welding.I sculpt and cast bronze, silver, brass, and nickel silver fittings. I make every part of the sheaths, the stands and the cases. No other hands are involved in my knives! I build, maintain, and repair specialized shop equipment, motors, machinery and controls, lighting, jigs, tools, and devices. I experiment with new techniques, apply creative technology, and constantly strive to improve my skills and product. I do all the photography, write everything on this site (except the testimonials), build and maintain this huge site with over 7000 pictures and over 100 pages, and the double disc high resolution CD ROM FlipAlbum catalog. I also vacuum the shop floor of the metal swarf. It is my full time job and has been since 1988. |
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How long does it take to make a knife? Short answer: As long as it takes. Long answer: This is the most often asked question to knifemakers. I can make a plain, basic knife in about 16 hours. Some pieces I've worked on for weeks, one in particular cost me a year and a half. It depends on how much work goes into a piece. Engraving takes extra days, filework takes hours, grinding through 12 steps takes many hours. Handle finishing is done by hand, often the sheath work and stand are not even considered by the curious when they ask the question. When you make everything by hand, including setting up, repairing, sometimes building shop tools and jigs from scratch, knife making takes a tremendous amount of time. Sometimes the person who asked about the time is considering just how much I get paid by the hour. You can see the little calculator clicking away inside their skull, trying to figure my wages. They don't know about materials and supplies, abrasives and electricity. They don't know about shop overhead, machinery cost, material prices, and failure rates (yes, things break, wear out, and are used up). Let me set this straight. I can make an inexpensive knife for about $8.00 an hour. Yep, that's not much considering the decades of practice I have. Also, making $8.00 an hour in a shop with maybe $100,000 of equipment and supplies (see the shop tour on the CD FlipAlbum here) and 30 years of training and experience does not make sense. That's why I make knives that start at about $600.00. This way, I can make maybe $10.00 to $12.00 an hour! You've got to love it; your not making knives to get rich. |
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How long will it take for you to make MY knife? Short answer: Get in line. Long answer: I used to joke about the time in my career when I received an order a day, and now it is a reality. There is no way that I can make a knife a day (see How long does it take to make a knife? above), so that means orders keep getting pushed back farther and farther. Considering the investment value and quality of fine custom knives, this is how it should be, and my clients are willing to wait for fine hand craftsmanship, not hurried, with attention to detail. Please see "Will you accept my commission or order?" below. A long time ago, I realized that if I hurry, I'll make a mistake, and the whole project gets pushed back or worse, has to be started over (eek!). In this world of instant gratification, I do offer a solution for those who are unwilling to patiently wait for their hand-crafted knife, sword, or project. Go to the finished knives for sale pages here and here. There you will find fine work that is ready to be shipped immediately. For those of you who've ordered custom work, the best thing you can do to help me out is to be patient, and know that it will be worth the wait. If I've given you a time frame for your project, please remember that it is just an estimate, based on the current work load (which changes almost daily). This is a hot topic, so I've given it its own page. Click here. |
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Short answer: Prices start at $600.00 and go up from there. Why? Details here. Long answer: There is no standard fixed price in the custom handmade knife world, all is variable. The first determining factor is, of course, the overall size and shape of the knife, dagger, sword, or artwork. Some blade shapes and sizes must be made from very thick or wide stock which cost much more to purchase and more to shape and tool and finish. Fullers, cannelures, and rip teeth add to the price. Once a style is defined, the cost of the knife then depends on four things: the materials, the finish, the embellishment, and the accessories. All of these points contribute to the cost of the knife and also to the overall investment value of the piece over time. The more one of my handmade custom knives cost, the greater the appreciation and value later on. Materials: Making the knife blade out of O-1 oil hardening tool steel costs less than high chromium high carbon D2 die steel, and stainless damascus costs much more. The addition of brass bolsters costs more than a knife without bolsters, nickel silver bolsters are more than brass, and 304 high chromium stainless bolsters cost more than nickel silver. Handle materials vary greatly in price, and this must be recovered in the cost of the knife. Micarta is less expensive than wood which must be hand-finished, and gemstone may cost more. Gemstones can vary greatly in price, too. Finish: The finish of each part of the knife contributes to the overall cost. A satin or bead blasted finish on the blade is less expensive than a mirror finish, and a textured bead blasted micarta handle costs less than a brightly polished glassy gemstone handle. Note: I only bead blast knives for military or tactical use where no glare is preferred. Embellishment: Filework on the edges of a knife blade add to the labor and cost, as does engraving, etching, artwork, carving, and specific techniques that make a knife unique and valuable. Embellishment cost and value varies greatly. Accessories: Often, potential clients don't even think about the sheath, stand, or case until late into the knife conversation. A plain tooled leather sheath is less expensive than an exotic inlay in carved leather. A military locking sheath with 38 components is more expensive than a tension fit kydex sheath. A stand or case may add a lot to the investment value of the knife, and as individual works of art, add more to the initial investment. Take a look at your options on the Custom Knife order form here. You don't have to fill out the form to get an idea of the range of value and options available in a custom piece. For more information on these individual parts of custom handmade knife construction with many examples, pictures and more in-depth details, here are some important links on this site:
Remember, there are many makers who won't even talk to you for less than $3K I know of one guy who does the same looking knife over and over, and he doesn't even consider making a knife for less than $7000! Important: I use a strict pricing structure. It's based on the size of the knife, the materials, the finish, the fittings, the handle material, the embellishment, the sheath work: all these and over 65 other factors are carefully figured into the cost of a knife. That way it's fair and uniform across the board. The prices of my current stock change from time to time. The utilities, supplies, and materials I use to make the knives go up constantly, as does the cost of keeping a piece current, maintaining it on this website, or the utilities of storage, shipping, and care costs as well as the costs of maintaining the storefront shop building, and this website. In addition to my costs, as my work becomes more popular, the prices go up. Simply put, the more in demand a piece of artwork is, the more valuable it is. This also helps my existing clients, who have pieces that they expect to increase in value over the years. Their investment value grows, and so does the value of my older works, whether in the hands of clients or waiting on the website for purchase. Incidentally, my pricing structure for new knives grows too, as does the basis and the cost of the 65 points I use to determine price. For a deeper topic: Price Justification, please click here to open a window to the topic on my "Business of Knifemaking" page. See long version answer to "How long does it take?" |
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Short answer: In order of use, most of my blades are 440C, then ATS-34, then O-1, then D-2, then other exotics and damascus. Long answer: 440C High Chromium Hot Work Stainless Die Steel is chosen for it's machinability, ease of care, and long lasting value. 440C is one of the most often used knife steels in the handmade industry because flat out, it's a great steel. It's one of the most stain resistant of the stainless tool steels, with up to 8% chromium and up to 1.5% carbon. Not much will corrode this blade steel, and it's tough and hard and wear resistant. No tool steel is rust proof, but 440C is about the best you can get for a fine custom knife blade. Yes, there may be more stain resistant tool steels, usually tool steels that have less carbon. These steels may be more corrosion resistant, and are often used to make tough blades, not necessarily hard blades. I go into the "toughness/hardness" balance on by Blades page. For long lasting beauty, 440C has been the choice for most of my knives, and for nearly all high end and sculptural pieces. 440C is used in more of my combat knives than any other of the steels I use because it is proven to work well, limit corrosion, and be tough and hard enough for combat tactical and rescue operations. There is a reason that one knife blade analysis and testing site claims: Grade 440C is capable of attaining, after heat treatment, the highest strength, hardness and wear resistance of all the stainless alloys. They may be overstating things a bit, but nonetheless, 440C is a great steel. Just look at some of the finest knives made by some of the best makers in the world. Many are using or have used 440C. It is a beautiful steel, with a bright bluish chrome color when polished. ATS-34 is essentially the same as 440C, but 4% of the chromium has been replaced by molybdenum. So it's a little less stain resistant, but it's tougher. That means it's more resistant to breakage. This is one of the high "chrome-moly" steels everyone's heard of. The finish is a bit smoother than 440C, and because of the additional toughness, a thinner cross section can be ground for blades like double-edged tactical knives, without sacrificing strength. For the knifemaker, it's also harder to work with: harder on tools, abrasive belts, and is more expensive. O-1 is a great oil hardening tool steel and is a high alloy tungsten-vanadium tool steel that can be made tough, hard, and extremely sharp. O-1 blues well, so tactical models and art pieces that require a dark blade are possible. It's fairly easy to work, and prices are reasonable. Polishing it is difficult, and different than the stainless tool steels. O-1 will flat out rust if not cared for. But it's a great steel, maintains an incredibly sharp, fine edge and is easy to sharpen in the field. D-2 is the highest carbon alloy tool and die steel (thus the "D" designation) used in knife making. It has 12% chromium so it doesn't quite classify as "stainless" and will rust if exposed to corrosive moisture, acidic fluids (like orange juice or blood), and requires more attention. But at 1.65% carbon, it can be made very hard, and very wear resistant. The finish on D2 is somewhat "mottled" with an "orange peel" appearance. This is due to chromium carbides forming in the steel during heat treat, the very thing that makes this steel so wonderful (most steels form iron carbides). D-2 is very hard to work with, expensive, downright mean to abrasives, resistant to cutting and milling and fabrication. So it's usually used for extreme use knives. It has a reputation of "holding an edge forever, and being impossible to sharpen." The reputation is well deserved. Most people cannot sharpen D2 in the field, or without motorized equipment. I also use specialty steels, like stainless damascus and powder technology steel. Pattern welded Damascus is decorative and beautiful, but no matter how well it's made, those layers constitute welds, potential places of stress in the billet. Although most of pattern welded damascus is entirely usable, I don't use it in high strength tactical models, when a client requests "shove it in a rock and stand on it" tough. Learn more about custom knife blades here. The other specialty steels are expensive, hard to work, and have definite applications, but each has characteristics that I don't have room to go into here! They are RWL-34, W1, A2, BG-42, 440V, CPM440V, CPMS30V, CPMS60V, CPMS90V, M2 and more. Maybe I'll expand on these steels and properties later... |
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Short answer: They're the best. Long answer: Okay, I make a lot of gem handled knives. In fact, I make more gemstone handled knives than any other single maker in the world. That's rock, real stone, not the plastic stuff that is made to look like rock and then called "stabilized." That's one of my trademarks. I have a complete professional lapidary shop nested in the knife making studio, and I can start with a two foot diameter rock and cut it down to a beautiful handle, brilliantly polished, and luscious to hold in the hand. Stone is cool, hard, and dense, and the balance is perfect. I love gem for many reasons. It's impervious to all chemicals that a knife might be exposed to. It has the same coefficient of thermal expansion as steel (since steel is a refined mineral itself) and won't expand and contract and eventually loosen on the knife like horn, bone, wood, plastic, and ivory do. It doesn't absorb moisture, or oils, or corrosives that might stay there. It's hard, so it doesn't scratch. Some gemstone can only be cut by silicon carbide or diamond. Gemstone will outlast the knife blade in most cases. Some people worry about toughness; that is, if they drop it on concrete will it break? The knife blade tip is the most likely thing to break on any knife so you shouldn't be worrying about the handle. But just to soothe your fears, the stones are usually protected in the critical areas by bolsters and the tang, or they are nearly as tough as the blade (nephrite jades, flints, quartzes and jaspers). If the chunk of mineral makes it through the cutting, grinding, and finishing process, it will last on the knife. I thoroughly test the stone before using it on a knife handle. I've seen some beautiful rock that I can't use because it's too friable. In all the years and all the hundreds and hundreds of gem handled knives I've made (see over 1000 pictures of them in the CD catalog here), I've only had one small chip reported after a knife dropped onto a stone floor, which was repaired like brand new. Stone is tough. I had one knife client return a knife to me for sharpening and reconditioning after years of use and abuse. The blade was scratched and beaten, but the gemstone handle looked like the first day it left the shop... amazing. And stone is beautiful. Nothing can match the geologic creations of our planet for color, pattern, and texture. One of my complaints about jewelry is that you can only see a small piece of stone, not getting a real feel for the full pattern and characteristics, and you can't hold it. Gripping a dense chunk of polished gemstone and steel in your hand is a wondrous feeling. When you pick it up, it's cool and solid. After you put it down and pick it up again, it's still warm from your hand. The feeling is delicious, the color exciting, the finish glistening. The methods I use to attach gemstones to the handle substrate are both mechanically and adhesively secure, in the thousands of knives I've made, I've never had one standard gemstone handle fail. NOT ONE. Read more about that here. There are other Knifemakers who work with stone handles, and there is a lot of poor work out there. Guys try to finish the stone without lapidary tools or knowledge and burn and pit the finish. They misidentify inexpensive common stone as valuable, such as telling a client that a piece of serpentine is jade (I've seen this a lot). They might finish a piece without rounding and finishing and attaching the handle properly, that is, with cohesive methods of jewelry bonding. I've even seen plastic rock identified as real gemstone, and plastic amber called "reconstructed" because it has 10% "real amber dust" in the acrylic! Real stone has millions of combinations of play and color and light. It has imperfect lines, seams, and occasionally inclusions of other material. You know it when you feel it, it's cool to the touch (or warm if it's been under lights or in sunshine). To find out if it's real, you can tap it with a piece of steel and it "clicks;" a piece of plastic will "thud." The ultimate test is heating up a needle to dull red, then touching the handle. Plastic will melt and smell, stone will laugh at your feeble attempt to burn it. Learn more about gemstone use on a custom knife handle on the "Gemstone Knife Handles" page here. It will link you to over 180 pictures of finished gemstone handles. Learn more about knife handles in general on the Knife Handles, Bolsters, and Guards page here. |
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Testimonial: Eridanus
Jay,
the one thing you still can't get off
of the internet is the way a knife feels. I wish anyone
thinking of buying a Jay Fisher knife could hold Eridanus in
their hands for just a few moments. Then there would be no
doubt that buying a knife from Jay is the right thing to do.
I've bought some other blades of the internet that photographed
well, but when you got hold of them, they didn't feel or handle
like much. Eridanus just feels like it belongs in your hand.
You can get a knife anywhere, but this is a work of art.
Thanks Jay.
Oh and by the way the sheath alone is worth the price.
-Rick Stuart
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What about horn, bone, ivory, hardwood, and plastic handles? Short answer: I make those, too. Long answer: Horn, bone and ivory can be described together. They are porous, so require some care to prevent moisture absorption and drying. Continuous wetting and drying caused only by changes in the weather will eventually lead to cracking and checking. Don't even think about using them by the ocean! Some of the material can be stabilized or surface sealed, and in ivory this is undesirable. Ivory ages gracefully to yellow and check, which can be beautiful. There is also a difference in the coefficient of thermal expansion between steel and horn, bone, and ivory, so this will eventually take its toll. Keep them in a stable environment, and out of hot, dry light. beware these characteristics, and your knife will be fine. Mastodon, mammoth or "fossil" walrus ivory are a bit more stable due to infiltration of minerals while buried. The "fossil" term is used loosely in knife making, these are not true fossils, because they are not fossilized, that is, replaced over millions of years by stone. A real fossil is a rock, with all the characteristics of a rock. When modern knifemakers use the term "fossil walrus tusk" or "fossil ivory," they are referring to ivory that has been buried in the ground for thousands or tens of thousands of years and has absorbed some of the mineral stain and is lightly impregnated with minerals that change the color and hue of the original ivory. This hardens it somewhat, but it is still ivory. Hardwoods can be magnificent on knives, and are the choice of many owners and makers, and I use them too. They are tough, resilient, and some are very hard. But they, too, can absorb moisture, liquids, corrosives, and have a different expansion coefficient than steel, which may lead to changes over time, and if severe, loosening of the handle. So it's good to opt for stabilized hardwoods, or sealed hardwoods, or extra oily and resinous hardwoods like cocobolo, rosewoods, ironwoods, and lignum vitae. Hardwoods are comfortable to hold and most of them are light in weight, helping balance a knife. They need to be attached with pins: for mechanical as well as adhesive fixture. The can be scratched, dented and dinged, and some darken with age and exposure, but most of this change is moderated if the knifemaker practices good application and sealing and finishing techniques, and the user routinely cares for them (see "Care of your Custom Knife" here). Learn more than you ever wanted to know about hardwoods and stabilized woods used in modern custom knife handles on the "Custom Knife Handles: Woods" page here. I use plastics also, but usually only on request, and I never use "plastic rock." Most of the manmade (plastic) material I use is Micarta®; it is tough, hard phenolic originally created as a high strength electrical insulator, and sometimes reinforced with linen or paper. This is usually used on military knives and it is bead blasted or sandblasted, for a rough, textured grip. Micarta is impervious to everything but heat, and it is lightweight. But it is not exactly what you could call beautiful. It attaches very well, is strong, and long lived. I've also used pure nylon on special projects, pure acrylic, delrin, vulcanized fiber, carbon fiber, and even Teflon. These can be a good choice for tactical knives. I haven't used "soft" grips like Kraton, because it has to be molded onto the knife, and flexibility might lead to durability problems. Not many of my clients ask for that type of handle, either. It seems weak and short lived. I use Kydex® for combat and tactical sheaths, which is a mixture of acrylic and PVC. Colors available are black, gray, camo desert, and camo forest. I also use the polished form: Concealex® These repel just about anything except high heat, and might become brittle in Antarctica (see "Care of your Custom Military Knife here). See all the types of bolsters, gemstones, hardwoods, plastics, horn, bone, ivory, and shell I use here. |
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Short answer: You'll be handing it down to your grandson. Long answer: My handmade custom knives are fine, well-made instruments and tools. The fit and finish are excellent, so corrosion won't start. The materials are impervious to just about anything you can throw at them. The woods are either decay-resistant or pressure stabilized and sealed. See a list of hardwood materials here. Gemstones are sealed and impervious. See over 280 pictures of gemstone handles and lots of info here. Most of the steels are stainless, the guards and bolsters are corrosion resistant or corrosion proof, and attached with at least two zero-tolerance peened pins. Guards are closely fitted and dissimilar metals are soldered. Pommels are tapped, threaded, and every piece is assembled with jewelers quality water-clear epoxy. See more about knife handles, geometry, construction and materials here. Most of the knives will last 3 generations or more, with reasonable care. See "How to Care for Your Fine Custom Knife" here. It is interesting to note that if you have one of my knives that has a stainless steel mirror polished blade, with 304 stainless bolsters/fittings and a gemstone handle, the most ambitious care requires only an occasional dusting. Most gemstones will outlast the blades. It gives me great (if somewhat apprehensive) satisfaction that ninety percent of the pieces I make will still be admired centuries after my bones are dust! They will, however, continue to appreciate in value.
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Short answer: It's a knife. Of course it's sharp. Be careful. Long answer: All knives have cutting edges. But so does an ax, a hand plane, and a chain saw. Even factory knives have edges. What's the difference? The difference is in blade geometry, an often neglected factor of knife making. In order for knives to be sharp, they must be thin where the edge is relieved and maintained (that's the cutting edge). So pay attention to the thickness right behind the cutting edge. The blade should be strong enough to take some use, but not abuse. It's a knife, after all, not an axe. The key to good thin hollow-ground blade geometry lies in the skill and practice of the knifemaker. Factories grind with CNC machines, or with jigs, or with little kids in Pakistan, so they leave the blade thick. This makes for a tough-looking knife, but after three sharpenings, it's so thick that it now has a "chisel" edge, unsuitable for cutting. Factories think that this is when you'll just go buy another knife. A properly hollow-ground knife blade is thin throughout most of the blade, so that repeated sharpenings will still leave a usable, thin geometry. Another factor of good blade geometry is in the method of grinding. If the maker uses a jig, or has bad technique, he grinds straight across the blade, neglecting the curvature or "belly" of the blade shape. This leads to thick and thin areas of the blade: not good. Particularly noticeable with this method is a very thick point, exactly what you don't need in a knife! Why have a point if it's not thin and sharp? A skilled knifemaker grinding offhand follows the curvature of the blade with the hollow-grind perpendicular to the edge all along the edge, leading to uniform thinness all along the cutting edge. This makes devastatingly sharp bellies for skinning, dressing, or tactical knives. It also makes thin, aggressive, extremely sharp points. Take a good look at that bulky factory steel. Isn't it just a bar of metal that's dressed up to look like a knife? See detailed drawings about cutting edges, relief angles, and custom knife blades here. Learn more about sharpening and just what constitutes a razor-sharp edge from the master of sharpening by linking to "Knife Sharpening - The Authority" on the links page here. |
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Short answer: Not if you take care of it. Long answer: Different steels are different (see "What's it made out of?" above). There is no "rust-proof" tool steel. The addition of carbon in iron (to make steel) means that it can corrode. Steels that are "rust-proof" do not classify as tool steels (like the 420 series steels used in knives sold in late night infomercials), and they can be used as knife blades, but they are weak and short lived. Sure, you might see one of them cut a soft tile then a tomato, but their ability lies in the thin edge, which quickly wears away. They are very tough (that's flexible, with resistance to breaking), but so is a spring. In fact, that is almost exactly what they are: soft, thin stainless springs. You wouldn't take one on your favorite deer hunt, or into the combat theater, or hand it down to your grandson. Other corrosion-proof knives are dive knives. These are often made of 316 stainless steel, which is used in making stainless pipes to carry chemical corrosives, such as acid. These won't corrode, but having nearly no carbon, are also soft and weak and do not classify as tool steel. So some corrosion may occur on fine stainless tool steel knives, but only if you let it (see my number one complaint below). A high quality 440C stainless knife steel will only corrode if left exposed to sea water (for a long time, longer than a day or two) or orange soda pop, or battery acid, or left in a wet leather sheath (acids are used in tanning leather) or stored long term in the sheath and not allowed to breathe. ATS-34 is a bit less corrosion resistant, so blood, orange juice, etc. will also stain it. D-2 is even less corrosion resistant, and I've seen peoples acidic fingerprints etch into the blade finish. And O-1 will flat out rust, unless you keep it coated with car wax, or Break-Free®, or silicone-based polish-sealants. A high mirror polish on knives can help, as debris cannot cling to the blade. So what to do? Clean your knife, keep it reasonably dry, and it will be just fine. See more about knife care here. |
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What about blued blades and coatings? Short answer: They're dark. Long answer: Several clients have asked why active duty military would carry mirror finished blades into combat where they lack "stealth." I explain that some of them are spraying the knives with camo paint, sheaths and all, then washing it off with lacquer thinner when they return from their deployment. This way they've protected the finish somewhat, and had something very nice to hang on their wall afterwards, eventually to hand down to their children. Others leave the blades polished, and figure if they have to pull their knife, the situation has already gone to hell and some shiny high-chromium tool steel might make an influential statement. At present, I do not coat blades, because that would hide the grinds, hide any potential flaws, and eventually chip and peel. Bluing is a process of oxidizing ("rust" is a form of oxidation, uncontrolled and irregular). Hot bluing (which is what I do) is a controlled, deep passive oxidation process whereby the steel is cleaned thoroughly, chemically and molecularly, then immersed in a superheated boiling solution of sodium nitrate and other salts for 40 minutes or longer. This oxidizes the first several thousandths of an inch of the steel surface, which is a very deep penetration. The bluing process is the same used on all fine firearms, that black dark look that takes years to buff, scrape, or polish off. My process excels in penetration, where most firearms might be blued for 10-20 minutes, I start at 40. To give you an illustration, when I cut my makers mark into a blued blade using a diamond point engraver at 50 pounds per square inch, it takes three full passes to cut through the bluing to achieve a bright cut! To sum, hot caustic bluing is a well-recognized, time-proven method of inhibiting corrosion (not eliminating it) on the surface of steels. My own son (in the 101st Airborne) has carried a hot-blued skeletonized knife in combat in Iraq. So has his squad. They're very happy with the performance. That being said, please remember, there is NO corrosion proof tool steel.
Even 440C, which contains 17% chromium will rust and corrode in salts or acidic
environments. Please look at my "Care of Your Custom Military
Knife" page on this website and "Will it Rust?"
above. |
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What about blued stainless steel blades? Short answer: Can be done, but why? Long answer: There are several methods for bluing stainless steel. They are complicated and expensive, compared to the standard process of bluing carbon steels (see "What about blued blades and coatings?" above). First, please consider why stainless steel is "stainless" in the first place. It's because of chromium, and we're all familiar with the permanence of a chrome plated bumper of a car (though newer cars are plastic, yecch!). Chromium steels are resistant to corrosion because they form a passive oxide coating at the surface as soon as it's exposed to the atmosphere. Aluminum has a similar property. So corrosion (rust) does not easily start. The most common reason to blue a blade is to impart a corrosion resisting "controlled oxidation" to the surface of the steel, that way it inhibits further corrosion. Since true stainless steels contain a lot of chromium (more than 13% to be classified as "stainless"), they are already more resistant to corrosion than a blued steel. So the only reason to blue a stainless is for color and appearance. Currently, I do not have enough requests to add an additional and expensive bluing bath for stainless steels to my already huge list of processes. I get requests for blued stainless about six times a year, and that is not enough to offset the cost of the chemistry, tanks, and process, a cost that ultimately, I would have to pass on to the clients. Also, from what I've determined by study, the blued stainless tool steels have a questionable and variable appearance. Perhaps in the future it will be worthwhile to blue stainless tool steel blades. Right now, it's not just cost effective, and no advantage for corrosion resistance is obtained.
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Short answer: NO. Read, study, ask, learn, and make the best purchase you can afford for your intended use. Long answer: Lots of claims have been made. Since ancient times, man has marveled over the properties of the cutting edge, and then sadly, discovered its limitations. I can imagine that the first obsidian swords made by Meso-Americans were incredibly scary, until they hit another rock, or sand, or dirt, or Spanish armor, and the sharp flakes of obsidian were broken off. Early steels seemed wonderful, but wore down easily, and rusted, and bent, and broke (often in battle ...oh, crap!). Sure, we all hear of near-magical properties of Japanese swords, until we realize that they are folded 80 gazillion times to get the grain to run straight in the metal, because it's so crappy and random to begin with. And that they used differential tempering because the cutting edge would be too soft, and the spine too brittle if they didn't. We've heard of magical blades of the Persians, Arabians, Chinese, and (let us not forget Excalibur) the British. Most of us know this is fairytale stuff, but some hold out the hope that there will be a "super material" that will someday be the ultimate last knife you ever need. It will stay razor-keen forever, be feather-light, be super-tough, never break or bend, never corrode, and never be lost, staying by your side like a perfect extension of yourself, like an accessory of your hand. But until that day comes, ceramics, titanium, super steels, and experimental blades will all have their limits. Every edge dulls. The pressure per square inch that is placed on the cutting edge can be enormous, the abrasion horrific. Even the hardest titanium-nitride coated ceramic metal cutting tools will dull (and they are extremely brittle). There is no alloy strong enough to lift a truck, yet light enough to weigh a feather. That's science fiction. Oh, yes, additionally, we would prefer our super material be cheap-
So we're all adults here; we've used knives to cut. Some are much better than others, and they cost more, some are more beautiful and comfortable to use, and they cost more, some are cheap and ugly and common. There is an entire range of types, anything to fit the value you place upon your knife. Just beware all of the hyperbole. Knives and magical properties seem to go hand in hand with snake oil and cures. It's simple enough to know that there are only a handful of fine tool steels used to make high quality custom knives, mainly 440C, D2, ATS-34, RWL-34, BG-42, A-2, O-1, W-1, S30V, 440V, S90Vand custom Damascus. They are the most commonly used steels for fine knives for a reason. Read, study, ask, learn, and make the best purchase you can afford for your intended use. Read more details than you probably ever wanted to know about custom knife blades here. |
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Short answer: Why toss your weapon in
the direction of your enemy for him to pick up and use?
Long answer: "Projectile" tools. "Throwing knives. You will hear all kinds of hype about super-duper knives that can be thrown, but this is Hollywood cowboy talk. I would begin to question why you would toss away (perhaps even in the direction and to the benefit of your opponent) your edged weapon in the first place! I don't make knives for throwing. The reasons are these: Throwing knives are usually "throwaway" knives, in that they're made of a cheap and soft steel, so that when you hit that occasional rock or concrete (which will inevitably happen if you're practicing throwing a knife), then they will just bend, not break. That requires them to be soft or springy steel. Imagine if the first time you threw a knife and hit a rock, a chip of metal broke off your blade or point! The proper temper of a true knife (in layman's terms) is for the knife to just get to the point of bending when it breaks. Often, knives are tested this way: the knife blade is clamped in a vise, pressure is applied to the handle sideways until the knife bends enough to snap the blade in half. Around the break, there should be just the initial signs of permanent bending, and the break should be clear, fine grained, gray metal. This is a simple old test, that generalizes the hardness and temper of the blade. Nowadays, knifemakers should grind the knife for the best cross-sectional geometry of the knife, considering the use and steel type and manufacturers design data. The results are the same: for a knife to be hard, the steel will sacrifice toughness. Get details of the hardness-toughness relationship on the Blades page at this bookmark. For the knife to be tough, hardness must be sacrificed. It is a careful balance, as there is no material that is both very hard and very tough when ground thin enough to be sharp. To understand this better: hardness is the resistance to penetration, and toughness is the resistance to breakage. A tough knife is a soft knife, so that the steel can bend instead of breaking. A hard knife is a brittle knife, so that the steel cannot be penetrated. Both extremes cannot be achieved, but only balanced as closely and carefully as the particular tool steel will allow. That is my job. So if I made a knife for throwing, it could not be hard (throwing knives are usually butter-soft), and if I make a proper hardened knife, it would be too brittle to throw. The only way to possibly balance this is to leave the steel thick, and then it cannot be made very sharp, and future sharpening would be impossible. Now, that does not mean that a knife couldn't be thrown in an emergency. Just like chopping (which should be left to an axe), it might occasionally happen with a custom or tactical knife. I simply cannot guarantee a knife that will be thrown or used for heavy chopping. Ultimately, if I make a knife for you, it's your call how you use it. I'll just make the finest knife for cutting, slicking, and stabbing (in combat knives) that I can make with the available materials. I do not make knives specifically for throwing. If you must have a throwing knife, you should make one yourself out of a piece of rough stock, as it will probably be ruined anyway the first time you hit a piece of concrete or hard wood. Or you can purchase them cheaply from numerous import companies here on the web for cheap, just do a search. Read more about professional steel treatment, grind geometry, and custom knife blades on the "Blades" page here.
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How important is heat treating? Short answer: Very. It's the whole banana. Long answer: The reason I started making knives is because when I was young, I heard of the secret of steel: The fact that steel could be heated and cooled at different temperatures and rates, deriving a piece of metal that was dozens (sometimes hundreds) of times softer or harder than a piece cut from the same bar. It amazed me and an old welder said, "If you want to learn about heat treating, make a knife." He was right. I started annealing springs and "found" steel stock, and every piece of steel I could get my hands on. And I studied. (I've done a lot more, too. Read a bit about my past here.) What I found was that there was an entire science of the crystalline structure of steel: how it forms entirely different components based on metallurgy, mixtures, exposures to heat, duration, and more. Tool steel is not just steel, it's martensite, austentite, pearlite, cementite, and trootsite. It's carbon, chromium, silicon, manganese, magnesium, tungsten, vanandium, and sulfur. It is a complex scientific field of study and practice, and as a knifemaker, I'd better be trained. So I studied, experimented and learned some more. I've built half a dozen modified ovens over the years, and I realize that the heat treating is still the heart of knife making. I heat treat in vacuum-nitrogen quenched inert gas electric high-intensity rapid ramp ovens. I heat-treat specifically as the manufacturer requires, and modern tool steels are made in laboratory-like conditions, so that is how I treat them. You might wonder why I do all my own heat treating and don't trust it to an outside contractor, as most knifemakers do.
Who knows about any of these items? I don't, so I trust myself to do this critical set of processes, not an outside heat treating contractor. Most heat treaters set the blade at one hardness: 58 on the Rockwell C scale. I have blades that range from 54 Rockwell C for heavy choppers that must be shock resistant and tough to 55 Rc for springy, flexible fillet knives, to 56 for very thin ground moderate light trailing point blades, to 57 for standard but thinly ground knives with a light cross-sectional profile, to 58 for many standard knives, to 59 for harder, thicker tactical models, to 60 for short and robust small folders and heavy-spined knives, to 61 for special purpose cut off blades for hazardous materials rescue and light metal cutting. I even have blades that are differentially heat treated and tempered, for a range of hardnesses along the blade! Where I set the final temper depends on three things: the manufacturers type of steel and his recommendations, the geometry of the grind and the cross-sectional area, and the client's intended final use. I can't see an outside heat-treater working with a hundred custom knife blades all from different makers knowing these details. Read more about the Rockwell hardness scale on the Blades page at this bookmark. And factory knives? Makes me growl. A group of USAF Pararescuemen brought me some factory made knives they'd been issued. They claimed that the edge "rolled" when used. I'd never seen such a thing, so I got permission to do a diamond penetrating hardness test on them. They were 100 times softer that they should be, that is: they weren't even heat treated! Then, a friend took one to a metals analysis lab, and found out the steel (which was marked right on the blade "ATS-34") had none of the percentages of alloy components of ATS-34. They didn't even know what the blade steel was! And this factory sells thousands and thousands of knives a year. By the way, there is no law preventing a factory from stamping anything on a blade (except gold "kt" marks). Read more about knife manufacturers' dirty little secrets and custom knife blades here. Look, there are a lot of good heat treaters out there. Several can do a splendid job, producing repeatable fine results. I just don't like my blades leaving the shop and not knowing just what someone is doing with them. So, since heat treating is a very important part of knife making, I learned how. The buck stops here. I buy my steel from a reputable supplier, and It's done right here in the shop, it's tested for certainty, and it's done right. I guarantee it. |
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Short answer: Don't. That really sucks. Long answer: I've heard guys say for years that they won't buy a fine knife, because they'll just lose it. Why is that? Perhaps they lost some knife in the past and were heartbroken about it. I'd look at that heartbroken emotion with a little more intent. The knife they lost meant something, maybe it was irreplaceable. Perhaps it was a knife handed down through the family, or it dressed a particularly fine animal on a mystic hunt, maybe it still had the tobacco stain that grandpa left on it, or maybe it was just the right shape, or had a really nice edge, or was just plain sweet. What did they do, set it down on a rock and walk away? Did they have it in their shirt pocket and bend over and have it fall into the lake? Did they shove it in a locking sheath, but not tug it to make sure it's locked, and lose it while crawling through the brush in a combat training exercise? All of these have happened with fine custom knives I've made, so that's why they're cited here. For every knife lost, there are thousands and thousands that are still in use, so the chances are slim. Besides, what other tool might you carry and lose? A compass? A fishing rod, a rifle? Not likely, because you've got a good hold on them, you check to make sure they're secure, you value them. Just keep this in mind. If you're lost in the wilderness, with only one hand tool, what would that tool be? How important is your knife? How important is your life? You might want to think about the knife you carry and it's quality now. And don't use that lame excuse for not owning a fine knife. It's just another way of saying "I'm too irresponsible to own a fine custom knife." Ouch! |
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Short answer: Somebody wants your knife. Lock it up. Long answer: Knives are an "attractive" nuisance. This has been illustrated several times by gallery owners who refuse to display knives in their showrooms. Knives are frequently locked in display cases, secured behind glass, locked in vaults, covered, hidden, and protected. It might be that they're small and easy to carry away, but that's not the whole story. Knives are valued by everyone. Not everybody can fence a diamond tiara, but everybody wants a fine knife for themselves. The knife is universal, beautiful, and handy. Fine knives by custom makers are some of the most valuable small non-jewelry items made. And some of them are jewelry, with gold, precious gems, and exotic metals dripping with elaborate embellishment. I've seen it at every show, people drool over fine knives. Someone wants your knife. I remember a particular show in Colorado Springs where 80,000 people strolled by my table over one weekend, all with lust in their eyes. There were constant attempts to divert my attention for the quick grab and smooth blend into the crowd, but I was extra vigilant. It was a truly awful show. It was like bringing your teenage daughter to a biker bar. I also know of entire collections being stolen. Fine custom knives by a well known maker are one of the highest appreciating investments one can own. They typically appreciate 10-25% a year or more. I sold one knife for $750.00 and the next year a gentleman told me he purchased it from a dealer for $4000.00. This also illustrates the point that the cheapest place you can buy a fine custom knife is from the maker. After a dealer gets his hands on them the price goes up, up, up. Knives are valuable. Custom one of a kind handmade knives by a well-known established maker are irreplaceable. Keep an eye on them. Learn more about "What is the value of investment knives and why?" here. |
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Short answer: They're used for different things Long answer: Knives come in thousands of varieties. That's why I've got over 300 patterns on this website. You can see them all right here. When you think about how you might use a knife, and how many types of knives you would like to own, multiply that by how many people are using knives. Think about how another professional might use a knife. Someone once said that everything we eat, own, or use in any way has been touched by a cutting edge. So there are blades for each of these tasks. In custom handmade knives, each handle must fit a different hand. And the balance must vary, depending on the use. A heavy blade (blade-heavy) knife might be used for rescue work, light chopping, and in a pinch, digging. A handle-heavy knife usually denotes delicate work, a light thin blade, scalpel-like tasks. There are different grind geometries, like hollow, convex, and straight. There are a large variety of teeth, hooks, and serrations. Some people might prefer a long handle, some a short one. Knives might be held in a variety of ways in the hand, and there are different hands. It is absolutely bewildering the different kinds of knives history has given us. Knives may range from a simple shank of metal with a cutting edge, to high art sculpture that is based on a knife, but will never be used to cut. Read more details than you asked for about custom knife blades, geometry, manufactured knives, cutting edges, and everything pertaining to the custom knife blade here. Then, if you ever get through that page, come back here to browse through the hundreds of patterns I make here. |
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Short answer: One folds, the other doesn't. Both are nice, one is stronger. Long answer: Okay, this one has inspired argument for decades. Here's the straight skinny. If a knife is to be strong, very strong and tough, used in tactical, rescue or lifesaving operations where the durability of the piece is tantamount to survival, a full tang knife is the only way to go. That's because it's one solid piece, from tip to tip. It is usually reinforced at the critical points, the bolsters. It usually has a fully tapered tang, making the blade tang (the metal under the handle scales) lighter at the carrying end, but thick and strong at the spine (the thick part of the back of the blade). A folding knife has one major deficiency: the pivot. History and experimentation have given us many ways to reinforce, strengthen, make rigid this tenuous pivot, but let's face it, it's still a tiny piece of steel holding a long levered blade. Also, no matter how it's done, the handle is always longer and larger than the blade. That's why you don't see any huge folding knives, because a handle-heavy knife is usually used for light, scalpel-like cutting, and a blade-heavy knife for stout work cannot fit into the handle (see "Why are blades so different?" above). Also, the locking mechanism which should reinforce the pivot must move, and be moved by simple finger pressure, so it cannot be too large or apply a lot of mechanical pressure. Numerous tests, like applied pressure, palms on the spine, spine whacking, and torque pressure have been devised to make sure that a folding knife is not going to close on your fingers in a critical situation, but why even take that chance? I cannot imagine a folding knife even being called "Tactical." And I can't imagine a folding knife rated as CQB (close quarters battle). That is why you won't find any folding knives on my tactical, combat, or military knives pages here. Picture this: your life depends on your knife. Situation A: a neighborhood criminal or perhaps even an enemy combatant or terrorist wants to kill you. You whip out your- folding knife? Flip and click and he's facing a 3" blade secured by a 1/8" (or less) thick spring and a hollow handle... what then? Situation B: You've somehow got lost in the woods, and need to find or build a shelter. You might be there for several days, it's raining, you're hungry, and there are nothing but big thick trees around and a lot of silence. You whip out your 3" folding knife... oh, yeah, you're not alone. A family member is with you and they're depending on you to save their life- The best thing to have in both these situations is: a concealed firearm in situation A, and a full set of woodworking tools (chainsaw, axe, firestarter, etc.) in situation B. Barring that, you'll have to do with what you carry. Why do I bring up situations that probably won't ever happen? I've got news for you, my friend. Both situations have happened to me. In situation A, I happen to have a machete nearby. Guess what? The standoff ended immediately. In situation B, I had a sheath knife, big enough to hack away some small branches, build a fire to keep us warm, and eventually build a signal fire days later. Now that doesn't mean that folding knives are useless, quite the contrary, they have been refined to wonderful and beautiful instruments, deserving fine art status. Some of the most valuable knives of collectors are folding. But the difference is clear: they're weaker at the pivot, and the handle is larger than the blade. So the fixed blade knife is stronger, period. And the blade to handle length can be varied for proper balance. |
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Short answer: One tends to be rounder, one flatter. One is stronger. Both are nice. Long answer: A full tang knife is a solid piece of steel from tip to tip (see "Folding or Fixed Blade?" above). The full tang is usually bolstered (reinforced) at the critical points, mainly the ricasso (where the blade joins the handle) and sometimes at the butt (where it might be bumped or tugged out of the sheath, or a lanyard tugs at a hole). The full tang is tapered in most fine knives to reduce weight, align the balance, and look really neat. Handle "scales" are attached with pins, rivets, or screws to the flat side of the tang between the bolsters. The bolsters are usually dovetailed to lock the handle material under an angle and to strengthen the whole handle arrangement. A full tang knife is a strong knife, but it is usually "flatter" in the handle due to the design of scales, and the need to balance the tang weight against the handle material. The hidden tang has two basic types, both of them make the tang invisible. One type has the tang extending down through a milled guard which is sometimes pinned and/or soldered against the rear of the ricasso. The tang is either threaded or a threaded rod is brazed or welded to the blade tang, and the threaded rod extends down through the handle material(s) into a threaded pommel. This allows a more "sculpted" and rounder handle, and the handle may be made of one large piece of material that can be seen "in the round," or many pieces of material stacked like doughnuts onto the tang thread and then finished at once (some makers call this a "stacked tang"). Because of the reduced tang size, and sometimes attached joint, the hidden tang is somewhat weaker than the full tang. It is usually used on non-combat, non tactical knives that are not expected to suffer great stress. Skinning, field dressing, utility, and light duty where a round, comfortable handle is desired necessitates this design. Another type of hidden tang does not have a pommel. The handle material is drilled, the tang is shoved into the hole with plenty of epoxy, and sometimes a pin is driven through the hidden tang cross section. This method is used mainly on handles like stag horn, where the shape of the butt must be left natural. It is the weakest of the tang types but can be quite beautiful and functional. |
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How do I fit the handle to my hand? Short answer: Size does matter... Long answer: Most hands are close to the same size. Sure, there are differences, and occasionally a client wants a knife to match his hand precisely, usually on tactical or advanced bladed weapons, combat, or rescue knives. These are situations that require a locking fit between the fingers. I had one client, years ago, that was a boar hunter. To the unanointed, these guys corner the boar with dogs deep in the southeast U.S. swamps, then rush up with a knife to finish it off. Sometimes the knife is lashed to a stick, but why bother, after all, you're not there to be safe... I like the up-close, personal nature of this encounter. The boar is fighting for his life, the hunter is just out for a day of sport. Anyway, the knife had to fit his hand precisely; as you can imagine, a dropped knife in this situation is .... embarrassing. So he came into the shop, shaved off each thirty-second of an inch to get it just right to fit his hand. But he was the exception. Most of my knives fit most people's hands rather well, as there is a lot of experience from your knifemaker having to do with balance, feel, texture, and a host of manual artistic adjustments that are too deep to describe here. Let's just call it practice. I see the pleasure in their eyes as soon as the handle hits their hand. Occasionally, a client does need a specific adjustment to fit his hand.
There's an easy way to do this, which is usually only necessary on a handle that has front
and rear quillions (that's the part that stops the fingers from sliding forward onto the
blade). Here's how to adjust it for you: wrap your fingers over a ruler, as if you were
wrapping four fingers over a horizontal rope. Measure the width between your center
knuckles (the ones you would knock on a door with). This measure is the quillion width. |
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Short answer: In a sheath, of course. Long answer: If you carry a fine knife, the sheath is the most important thing! What? How can this be? (We'll exclude folding knives for this conversation) So what's a sheath for? A sheath's number one purpose is to protect the wearer from his own knife. Surprised? You thought it's number one purpose is to carry the knife, right? A knife, a good knife, is a sharp instrument capable of vicious damage. It will cut you if you drop it, fumble with it, let it slip, fall, trip, bump, or even touch the cutting edge (you do keep your knife sharp don't you?). So it's important that it stays sheathed until you're ready for it, then it must be immediately accessible. This is actually quite a task we ask of the modern knife sheath. And believe this: most modern Knifemakers have woefully neglected this most important part of their trade craft. Learn more about custom knife sheaths here. If fine art is your interest, learn more about fine knife stands here. What are the characteristics we should look for in a modern sheath? We want the sheath strong, so that it doesn't bend. Don't buy a knife sheath that is flexible, it will give, and the knife will not, and the knife will poke through right into your fleshy parts! That's why I use 9-10 oz. leather shoulder in most of my leather sheaths. It's just one step below shoe sole leather, and I stiffen it as much as possible. In my military and professional tactical knives, I use Kydex®, but not just Kydex alone, I make the sheaths with aluminum welts, bonded with waterproof cement and Chicago screws. Our sheath must also hold the knife. Leather has it's own frictional component, usually bearing on the bolster area of the knife, snuggling up the knife in it's cozy "sleeping bag." Military grade knives can utilize Kydex the same way; the Kydex is hot-formed around the knife and can actually be formed to "lock" the knife into the sheath with an audible "click." Some military grade sheaths use an additional snapping retaining strap of leather or ballistic nylon or other material to secure the knife. The ultimate knife retainer is a positively locking mechanism in a combat grade sheath; mine are made of stainless steel, milled and machined right into the aluminum welts, reinforced with the Chicago screws, and are waterproof (but then, I've got the best locking sheaths made, period). Learn more about custom knife sheaths here. If fine art is your interest, learn more about fine knife stands here. The sheath must resist the elements. With a leather sheath, there are a few things that the professional maker can do; I seal mine with waterproof lacquer, and use artificial sinew (100% polyester) to stitch the sheaths. But leather cannot be made waterproof, only water resistant, so that is it's limitation. On my military and tactical sheaths, Kydex, aluminum, and nickel plated steel Chicago screws are waterproof, so that's that. The knife must also allow accessibility. The design of the knife helps, a "hawks bill" rear finger quillion at the end of the handle allows easy removal from the sheath. The sheath may be worn in a variety of ways, even opposite side cross-draw at an angle. Snapping flaps of leather sometimes are used to protect the handle, but ease removal. The ultimate accessibility is the locking sheath, because it exposes the entire handle, and just sheaths the blade. The sheath must also protect the knife. That is why the most protective sheaths are deep, that is, the knife drops way down into that pocket, and that keeps brush and materials from bumping, snagging, and bruising your investment. The flaps (if used) must fold to the back of the wearer, so they don't catch on tree limbs and open up while the wearer is moving through brush. The belt loop must secure the sheath close to your body, for the same purpose. Some long knives have angled belt loops to prevent the handle from jamming up under your ribs when you sit in a vehicle. The sheath must protect the cutting edge. Yes, that's why you have the knife in the first place, so how is that done? In leather sheaths, the welts (the layers stitched and held between the front and back of the sheath) are thick and stout, mine usually have several layers tapered into the deep well of the sheath, with a visible "ramp" of welt to protect the sheath and blade as it is inserted and withdrawn. The military types have welts of .1875"-.250" thick corrosion resistant aluminum. And the sheath must look good. For me, that means commensurate with the quality of the investment of the knife, featuring inlays of exotic skins like ray skin, snake skin, hippopotamus, gazelle, antelope, and shark, with fine tooling, airbrushed finishes, and some carving. The military models often have descriptive removable engraved lacquered brass flash plates designating operational units or slogans matching the knives. A significant thing to remember is that the sheath is seen more often than the knife, so it very important to pay attention to the aesthetics. How many makers apologize for their sheaths? Learn more about custom knife sheaths here. If fine art is your interest, learn more about fine knife stands here. |
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What is the value of investment knives and why? Short answer: Try to make one and you'll see. Long answer: Fine custom knives by well known makers are some of the most valuable collector's pieces. The custom maker makes everything by hand (assuming you're not fooled by small production shops using a makers name). He may produce 10-100 knives a year, and his life is limited. There will never be thousands of a particular model, and some makers never even make two knives alike. The value is directly attached to the maker's name, and the name is the most important thing. So what's in a name? There are many makers in the world. Some say as much as 3000 in the US alone. Though that number seems large, let's really look at it. That means that .0012% of people are Knifemakers. That's one in 83,000 people. Of these, most are "garage" makers, that's beginners, hobbyists, or retired tinkerers who've made a couple of knives, or made for a year or two, and nibbled around the edges of knife making. About 300 of these are serious, committed, professional makers who are at the "top" of the collecting desires. That means one in 830,000 people. If that maker has a career that lasts 20 years, and he only makes 50 knives a year (that's probably more than average), that leaves 1000 knives with his name on them. If we figure ONLY the collectors in the US, their chances of purchasing a knife from this favorite single maker are 1 in 5,000,000 in any given year. Wow. And what collector only wants one knife? As collecting of fine custom knives grows, these odds are bound to decrease (Incidentally, what do you think the worldwide odds are?). So there are some numbers, but it's not just numbers. As technology increases, and "works of art" are cranked out by computer assisted devices, the desire for handmade objects carefully crafted with attention to detail, high beauty, and originality increases. I call it the "too-tech" effect. Mass machining, mass marketing, mass appeal leaves a hole in the collector's soul. This rebound effect is no better seen than in the millions of mass-produced factory knives touted as "collectible" because they feature a cheap cast version of a popular motorcycle brand (made in China), or a factory etched "commemorative issue" design on the blade, or because they follow a design that was popular in a recent motion picture action or sci-fi film. How will these knives appreciate over the years? You'll have to live two hundred years to cash in on that, friend. Custom handmade knives, however, appreciate 10-30% a year, and many dealers and purveyors make a fine living from buying and selling them (see my personal details in "What if it's stolen" above). The truth is, if it were easy everybody would be making them, and there aren't many really fine knives out there. Here are a few pages on this site where you can see the artistic skill and craftsmanship that goes into investment knives, swords, and weapons: Museum Quality Blades and Sculpture |
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What makes your knives different from other makers? Short answer: I make them. Long answer: Every knifemaker is different. Some make only folders, some make only tactical knives. Some forge, some hand grind. Some heat treat, some don't. There are many beautiful, functional handmade custom knives out there, and each one displays the maker's own individual artistic style (that is if the maker isn't just copying someone else's work). The difference is in the whole "package," that is, what the maker as an individual brings to the table. Often, an enthusiastic individual will come to a Knifemaker's table at a custom knife show, or art and craft show, and stand gawking at the beautiful finishes and glistening steel. He sees a clean, apparently simple knife offered for $600 and gasps. After the usual questions, some silent mental calculations about time and value (see "How long does it take?" above), and he'll proudly boast, "I can make that!" The knifemaker might have some pet phrase all set for the reply, like "Crap! I'm found out!" or "You flattering me?" or "Bring me one, I want to see." Some stupid fools might even look at a piece of carved and polished damascus and gemstone with intricate titanium filework and state, "I can do that on a CNC machine." The knifemaker usually shows great restraint at these comments, having burned or cut every finger on both hands as proof of his practice. The most enthusiastic of these spectators will go on to be Garage Makers. They are usually men, usually retired or hobbyist types, intent on making a chunk of change in their spare time, envisioning perfect knives cranked out in a manner of hours in their spare time. After all, what has the professional knifemaker got that the garage maker doesn't? (Hell, he's got an old drill press and a hand plane...) So they try, sometimes for years, to make a dent in the knife market and earn some beer money on the side and supplement their retirement.... but Garage Makers are a flash in the pan. There are hundreds of names on knives that have faded into |