Jay Fisher - World Class Knifemaker
|
|
Jay Fisher - World Class Knifemaker |
|
|
...to the most helpful page on my web site.
When I first started building the web site in the mid 1990s, I had a few pages, a few pictures, and not much web site traffic. Everyone had hopes for the internet back then; it was a relatively new technology, and we (as knife makers and artists) could envision the time when we could simply make and sell knives from the web site. Frankly, I had no idea how big this all would become.
As my web site traffic grew, I answered every email that came in. The more email that I answered, the more that came in, until I was spending four to five hours every day just answering questions. I found myself repeating the same answers about my work, materials, finishes, value, sheaths and accessories, and so on, so I built pages on my site where clients and interested people could get answers without having a personal and time consuming email. Pages like the FAQ page and the Blades page were big hits, as the detailed information I put there was much more than could be provided in a simple email conversation. Traffic continued to build and it became clear that most of the questions that were not answered on my pages were not related to purchasing knives I make or relating to the services I offered, so answering everyone's email was costing me a tremendous amount of time and money.
If you are familiar in any way with custom and handmade knife making, you know that it is an extremely labor-intensive tradecraft and art. Every hour spent answering questions was an hour that I fell behind. I had to direct the traffic in a substantial way, a way that would clearly describe what I do and don't do, what services I offer and what services I do not. This page is the result.
This page has been very helpful because people looking for specific and detailed information that is not related to what I do can clearly see what I don't do. If, for instance, they want a group of factory knives custom etched with a corporate logo, they read that I don't do that. Every topic you see here is because of multiple inquires about that specific service.
I've tried to inject some humor about the topics, and perhaps some worthwhile advice on the topic. I've even included some helpful links to other professionals who may be able to provide the service requested. For some closely related pages on this site, please visit my Funny Emails, pages One and Two. There, you can see a wide range of some of the emails that I receive and have a chuckle or two.
Thanks for your understanding.
Thank you for having a sense of humor while reviewing this list. The list was created from the numerous and frequent requests I receive by email for specific services that are not in my scope of work or interest. From the content of the list, you can see the scope and range of interest people have in knives in general, and this is a great thing. I encourage you to keep searching on the internet for the service you desire, for it is a very big world and your best chance of finding your answers or service are here on the net. Please be sure to consider your library, book selling sites, and local book stores for more detailed, valid, and professional information.
The source of all information is in print, being printed, or about to be printed.
--Jay Fisher
Guys sometimes ask why I've spent hours putting all of this information on this page, when that same time could be spent answering their questions, rather than building a page that describes in detail what I don't do. This illustrates one of the misconceptions of the internet and just how powerful it is. At the time of this writing, the site is receiving over 100,000 hits a day, over three million hits a month. What would they think if they personally received a couple hundred emails a day wanting advice, services, or response... every day? Take a couple weeks off a year and you fall behind over 1000 emails! This is why I had to construct this page and continue to add to it as topics come up. This page has redirected or eliminated most of that for me, so works well.
Occasionally, I get negative or hate mail from the content of this page. Please think about that. When a large and faceless company simply does not do what an individual asks, the individual simply shrugs and moves on to the next company. Instead of simply moving on, I've received hate mail, threats, and been called names simply because I do not provide the services that people ask for. Strange, isn't it? More on that topic on my Business of Knifemaking page.
Don't forget to visit my Funny Emails, pages One and Two to see many humorous examples of these requests.
Some of the most frequently asked questions are, "How do I learn to make knives?" and "Do you give lessons on knife making?" and "Can I be your apprentice?"
I'm sorry, I do not teach knife making. I'm so busy and stay so buried in orders and projects that any time taken away from my paying customers who are waiting on their work to be finished would be unfair. I appreciate your interest, but I simply don't have time to teach.
There is no easy answer for those who wish to learn knife making, as there is no recognized organizational reference for knifemakers, no official license requirement for making knives. There is also no complete thorough text of information to detail all the facets of this skill. Even universities with metal arts degrees do not engage in the business and art of making knives, man's oldest tool.
Purchase and read every book you can find on the subject, apprentice under someone if you desire, and start making. Feel free to read the information on this site, though, as you will surely become more knowledgeable about custom knives from this site than any other single knife maker's site on the internet! Watch for my new book coming out. I'll offer a lot of advice and guidance based on my own experience.
By the way, if you have access to the resources, a Metal Arts Degree is something that many colleges offer. You'll pay them for this instruction, of course, and hopefully it's worth it. Expecting the same information from a professional metals artist for free at request is completely unrealistic. If you don't think so, simply contact any successful professional metals artist and ask him for his advice and time, for free, any time you ask.
There are an endless amount of questions about knife making. How to heat treat, what steels are best, how to make a sheath, how to finish a handle, how to attach, shape, grind, machine, and create. This is not a how-to site, this is a detailed explanation of my own work about my own knives and professional knife making business. You can find many answers to these questions on the many knife making forums here on the internet, and maybe meet some pretty nice people in the process. Give it a try! You can also purchase many books on knife making, certainly more than were in publication when I started over 30 years ago.
With over 370 copyrighted designs, and accepting new designs with the input of clients, I don't copy other makers' work. Designs I do accept must be new, not a copy of someone else's design. If you want their knife, why not buy it from them? It's usually because an interested person likes a design, but does not like the quality of what he sees on the other maker's work, or because he doesn't want to pay that maker's price. There is probably a reason my knives don't look like other makers'. I make my own knives.
Knife design is done as part of a custom project. You can read why I don't design knives for free on the Custom Knife Design page.
Occasionally I get asked this by hobbyists or beginners who are not confident in their own work. To them I say practice, learn, study, make, and grow. If you make good blades, you'll have knives that you can be proud of. Much of the art and science of knife making exists in making the blade.
I know guys who will tell you that if you don't make the blade, do the heat treating, and finish the entire knife, you can not reasonably call yourself a knife maker. Something to think about-
I don't work with any of these parts of kit knives; I make all my own blades, handles, fittings, accessories, sheaths, stands, components and everything related to my profession, so I simply am not familiar with parts, kits, and pieces sold by suppliers. Therefore, I can't recommend or endorse any. When I started there were no such things. From what I've seen of the kits, they are poorly constructed and designed, but may be a simple way for a hobbyist to get started and find out if he has the patience and interest to be a knife maker.
I encourage you to make every single part of your own knife; the satisfaction, knowledge gained, and pride will far outweigh the investment of time and materials. When you put your name on it, it will mean something.
This one has been asked by promotional companies, or sometimes by dealers who want to do the finish work or handle a knife themselves, and then put their own name or company logo on the blade. You might find some struggling maker to make blades, but I doubt you'll find any quality there. Most makers who can make a good blade are already making their own complete knives and are not interested in this. That's why knife kits are sold.
If you make your own good blades, you'll have knives that you can be proud of that are uniquely your own. If you don't make them, then your knives are just like kit knives, of little value. See previous topic.
My handles are beautiful, and the fit and finish is excellent, so it doesn't surprise me that someone asks this question. I'll try not to be insulted, but why would I put one of my beautiful handles on what I may consider an inferior knife blade? My blades are some of the best in the world, period. I will absolutely put them against any other maker's in the world for quality in finish, grind, and accuracy. Often, this request is an attempt to gussy up a poor knife. I won't do it and most other makers won't, either.
Just as with the blades, if you make the entire knife yourself, you will have something you can be proud of and call your own.
If you can't make the parts or components to your own knives, please make an effort to learn how. It is an exciting and rewarding career, and you'll be more proud of something you make than if you have just assembled it. If you have a creative spirit, you might come up with something that not only is unique and worthwhile, but maybe even help to shape the direction of modern custom and handmade knives.
The sheath is part of the knife.
--Jay
I actually get this one a lot. Though there are a lot of knife makers, only a few of them in my experience are well-trained and skilled at making durable, worthwhile, and well-crafted knife sheaths. This has been a complaint of mine since I started in this field decades ago. A knife is simply incomplete without a sheath, stand, case or way to carry, store, or display it. Sheath making is part of this career field, so any effort to make a knife should be accompanied by the same effort to create the knife's sheath.
If you are looking for a sheath for a factory knife or knife made by another maker, go back to the maker or factory, demand a better sheath, and perhaps you'll encourage them to improve their sheaths and actually help their business in the long run.
You might notice that I do not recommend any sheath makers to construct a sheath for an existing knife. This is my own preference, as it has been my experience that sheath makers are not knife makers, and may be unfamiliar with the knife in the realm of compatible materials, design concepts, storage and longevity, mechanical, chemical, and even physical interactions between different types of metals and leather, kydex, nylon, or other textiles, and seldom are concerned or knowledgeable with the final knife owner's and knife user's needs for carry and use. If a knife is designed with a client and made by a knife maker, the sheath is simply part of the knife and should be constructed along with it as part of the entire ensemble.
If you have a sheath and no knife for it, I will not make a knife to fit and I've never heard of anyone else doing this either as most sheaths are less valuable and of shorter life than the knives that go in them. This may be asked because a favorite knife was lost or stolen, and the sheath was left behind. All I can say about that is don't lose it!
In technical terms, this is not a reasonable request in any case, as the sheath is (or should be) custom built around the knife. It would be like owning a gun holster, and asking a custom gun maker to build a gun to fit.
There are professionals that do this for a living, and they will usually charge you a modest fee. You're in luck; the best appraiser and historian of knives in the world, Bernard Levine, has an internet site, and I've thoughtfully included a link: Go here for professional knife appraisal services.
I once had a link to a guy that could do this for you, but he's gone out of business. If you are a knife repair person, and wish to have some business steered your way, and you do decent work, and have a website, send me your website link for consideration. Thanks!
There are some concerns with knife repair and I elaborate on some of them on this topic on my Business of Knifemaking page.
I don't refinish knives, no matter who made them. Even if it's a knife that has my maker's mark on it, it is the owner's responsibility to take care of his knife. Some people think that once I've made a knife, I own all of the care, refinishing, and/or modifications of the knife forever. This is as ridiculous as saying a custom home builder must refinish the floors of a home for as long as it exists. I can only be responsible for my own workmanship, not the care of a knife that is out of my hands. How do you care for a knife? Please read my knife care page at this link.
Please, do not refinish old or antique knives! You can absolutely destroy their value. Get and appraisal first.
I used to have a link to a guy who offered this service, but he went out of business. If you are a knife repair and restorations person, and wish to have some business steered your way, and you do decent work, and have a website, send me your website link for consideration. Thanks!
There are some serious concerns with knife refinishing and I elaborate on some of them on this topic on my Business of Knifemaking page.
I wouldn't dare put my name on anything but the highest quality art and the finest tactical, combat, investment, or working tools. If you are another knifemaker, please consider where your name goes.
Frankly, the person looking for this kind of work usually has a meager budget idea for his project. There are plenty of companies that deal in this sort of junk, you can find them all over the internet. The knives and swords are usually made overseas and as you can imagine, they are cheaply made and poorly constructed. By the way, they have no collector's or investment value, and will be almost worthless the minute you purchase them. If you want to wait for them to appreciate in value, you'll be long ago turned to dust before that happens, my friend.
Just like the knock offs, imitations, replicas, and novelty items above, these are passing fancies, mere points of interest until the next warrior, alien, sci-fi, or medieval movie comes along. And they aren't worth owning, much less making. Just so you know, they have very little collector's value in short or long term.
High quality knives should never be thrown; this is Hollywood and county carnival hype, and the myth is so prevalent that I've included a special section on my FAQ page detailing this ridiculous notion.
I don't know why people ask this, but they do. Perhaps there is a great need for custom handmade chisels, tools, and saws that is not being filled.
Yep, factories and other interests have contacted me to ask if I'll make a couple hundred knives for them. It's probably the Internet presence of this website that has them confused; maybe they think this is a big company with dozens of employees.
Could it be that they know they make a lousy product and are hoping I'll help them with their profit margin while being paid peanuts? If you are one of their purchasing agents reading this, you need to quit your job, because they're not paying you enough money either.
I've worked very hard to make my marking methods some of the best in this business, and that doesn't go unnoticed. Companies and individuals have offered me serious chunks of change to sell the details to blade marking companies, and I've refused. My lithographic etching took six years to perfect, and I'm not giving up those years so that a company (or individual) can make an easy buck. The methods are proprietary (that means not patentable or protected by copyright) and they can learn them if they want to spend their own six years researching and experimenting. But will they? Probably not, and I won't help them.
Like my marking methods above, my detailed filework, gemstone handles, and workmanship hasn't gone unnoticed by individual collectors, knife owners, dealers, factories, and suppliers. If you've read the points above, you're beginning to understand why I don't work on other's knives.
Want knife customization? Go back to the original maker or manufacturer and ask them to improve their services. If you are one of those makers or manufacturers, please try to make a better product, don't recommend another maker to do it for you or your clients.
Because I make more gemstone handled knives than any other individual knife maker in the world, my gemstone handles have gained a lot of attention over the years. Gemstone handles are nothing new; the ancient Persians created some fine jade masterpieces.
Factories and other makers may want to capitalize on the popularity of gem handled knives, but are not willing to invest in the education, machinery, and skill necessary to create fine lapidary work, so they've ask me (and other makers and lapidary artists) to do it for them. Frequently, owners of cheap knives want to improve their investment with the addition of fine gemstone. But adding a gem handle to a factory, manufactured, or poorly made knife does nothing to make the knife a better knife or a better investment. No thanks.
I've included a highly detailed segment on this topic on my Gemstone Knife Handles page.
Good bluing is an easily accessible process; it's not cheap, and most makers don't do it. If you really want to have a knife professionally blued, contact a local gunsmith, as any professional gunsmith shop should have complete bluing tanks. But don't expect them to take your work. The blades have to be of a certain type of steel, and no fittings, handles, or any other type of metal (brass, aluminum, solder, hardware) can come in contact with the bluing bath, as it will ruin the bath. So the knife has to be completely stripped of handle material and the bath is about 300°F and boiling caustic salts. Also, hardened and tempered blades have a different and distinctive bluing regime from the low carbon steel components of a typical firearm, so the gunsmith is usually not versed in these techniques.
The best bet is to order a knife blued from the maker, and he can take care of all that for you. Who blues their own knives? Why, I do.
If you are knowledgeable about modern knives, you probably already know how poor factory sheaths and some other custom knife makers' sheaths are. You can learn about fine sheaths here on this site on my Sheaths page, on the Tactical Knives page, and on my Locking Combat Knife Sheaths page, for free, and then take that information and apply it to your next selection of a factory knife. Ask them why they don't make a good sheath, because the sheath, scabbard, display stand, or case is part of the knife.
This is a joke, right?
I don't know how I could be more clear, but someone will email me, asking about something I hadn't detailed, so here's the broad, clear statement.
In the topic above, I detailed how I don't refinish knives, so guys started asking if I could just tell them how, and then they could do it themselves.
If knives do have some collector's or historic value, a repair might destroy that value. Don't work on or have work done on old, antique, collector's or historic pieces without a complete appraisal! Also, knives may have no value if they've worn out and failed. You can get an idea what a knife is worth by contacting a professional appraiser, then ask him if it's worth repairing. Get a professional appraisal.
This is not a how-to or tutorial site, no matter what you may see here. There are a never-ending amount of questions people have, and they figure that since I have such a voluminous site, I'm bound to know the answer to their technical knife questions. If I answer any of those emails, to be completely fair to everyone who writes, I'll have to answer them all. This will invite a flood of questions requiring answers, all which cost precious time and do nothing but benefit what could be a competitor! How crazy is that? Look, I'm a nice guy, but the website traffic and amount of email I get can be overwhelming.
Here's a humorous blip: a guy wrote, calling me profane names, insisting that I tell others what they want to know. This genius claimed that because I was skilled that I was obligated to teach others (I get this quite a bit). He told me that I didn't like to share and was overwhelmed since I'm "such an expert." After all, he took an oath to help and teach others... and then he accused me of only being a capitalist.
This is an unfortunate, ignorant person, and it saddens me. First, this is the site of a business professional, and I do, indeed, have direct competitors who would love to see me completely out of business. They know that capitalism is how I (and also this ignorant man) feed our families and keep a roof over our heads and the wolves at bay. On no place in this web site do I claim to be an expert on anything except the very knives I make and I simply compare these knives to other knives. And I must have missed that part of my oath that requires me to answer everybody's questions and spend countless hours teaching others for free. Perhaps this fool needs to build a web site where he gets over 100,000 hits a day and he can spend 6-12 hours each day answering everybody's questions over and over while his family starves to death outside in the cold.
Fascinating, isn't it?
Yep, they ask this, too. This website is all my own work, and I invest hours every day on its maintenance, growth, traffic, construction, and repair. It's probably the best single knifemaker's web site on the internet, and the reason is that I work very hard on it. I don't have time to do that for others, and I'm not interested in doing it for others.
If you want a good, powerful, substantial website on the Internet, do what I did: read, research, learn, grow, and do, and you can have a viable, essential, decent web site on the Internet, too!
This request usually comes in the form of a
simple question:
"Hey Jay, what do you think about-" or
"Jay, how do I-" or
"Jay, just one simple question-"
I receive lots of requests, and any time I take to answer them is time I've taken away from my paying clients, and that's not fair. Also, if you're researching a term paper, roll up your sleeves and do the research yourself, don't simply compile answers to questions you email to professionals over the internet. Gees, is every student lazy nowadays?
Because I use rare and exotic woods, handle materials, hides, skins, inlay, adornment, embellishment materials, rare gemstones and minerals, steels, metals, and techniques, I often get asked where and how to locate these items. If you are reading this, you have the start to the same access to information that I do: the Internet.
This is a great place to start your search. Identifying specific dealers, sources, and methods to purchase these rare items is a time consuming affair, often fraught with financial perils. To ask me to do this work for you or give you (for free) the results of my efforts (continuous and ongoing) is not fair to my paying clients, who have invested their hard-earned money in my work and are waiting on their projects.
However, if you know of a source on your own for rare and exotic materials, and would like to trade info or contacts, I'm willing to talk. After all, you've invested your time, too!
I don’t offer discounts, wholesale or otherwise, because it isn't fair. How would it appear to say that an Army soldier must pay more for his knife than a wholesaler because he can only afford a single knife? How fair would it be to sell knives at a lower price to a dealer who makes his living off the labor of knifemakers (and their reputation), than a young man who is defending our country (and my family) against terrorists with his life on the line?
For me to discount would also suggest that the knife is not worth what my pricing structure has assigned, or that I can’t sell within that structure's framework, or that the knife has some flaw or defect. This degrades the piece, its value, my craftsmanship, the client, and all other clients who purchase custom knives.
Professional knife users, knife collectors, and knife aficionados don't haggle about price. In some cultures haggling is expected, but this is not a produce market, and I'm not desperate to make a sale.
By the way, this is the cheapest place to buy my knives, as the first reseller will mark up the price, sometimes considerably.
This usually comes up because someone has stumbled on my Gemstone Knife Handles page and seen the over 400 examples of gemstone I use on custom knives, or because they've come across the Wood Knife Handle Materials page where I detail and have information on the 50 most commonly used hardwoods on custom knife handles. They think I'm a supplier, because I have so much information there. They'll even ask for kydex, G10, or manmade handle materials! But I don't resell any supplies or raw materials and only describe and detail my use of these materials over the last three decades of making knives.
Sometimes people are fishing for information: about knife shows, other knives, forums, people, processes, or anything they might think I know. I try to stick to my own custom and handmade knives in the interest of expediency and professionalism. I even get personal questions from complete strangers, and that is downright inappropriate. If you send me a question like this, your email is simply deleted and your address forever blocked to the purgatory of junk mail.
Since I've been in this field professionally for so long, I'm bound to know old so-and-so and his knives, and if they're any good. I probably do know so-and-so, and his knives, and if they are good, or worth your money or not. But I won't tell you.
It's just not professional for me to evaluate another maker's work, and if you're inquiring, you must have your doubts or suspicions. You can find a lot of information on this site that will help you determine what kind of quality goes into a custom knife by a knife maker; feel free to read and learn before you invest. I'm working on a book right now to help the collector and user of modern knives to make just such determinations, because there is a huge need for one.
I often get asked to evaluate or critique other makers' knives to help them in their journey and skill to create a fine handmade knife. I'm honored that they ask; it means that they've seen some value in my work on this very website, and that recognizes my effort and labor in this whole creative process. But if I offered it to even one person, to be fair, I'd have to offer it to everyone, and at over 100,000 hits a day on this site, I'd be doing nothing but critiquing and evaluating, and probably never get into the shop!
The certain direction of critiquing would be then to request
from me specific instructions on how to make any corrections,
modifications, and techniques to improve the creation of a new
knife. For example, a guy asks me to look at his knife and I
tell him that his grind termination should be radiused, not
squared and angular. Of course he's going to ask, "How do I
do that?"
And I'll be expected to give detailed instructions on
grinding techniques, something that takes hours to describe
and years to master. Not only is this unreasonable, it takes years
to perfect the skill and it can not be offered by simple illustration in
email or even in video form. Any effort would cut into my paying
client's time, and I simply don't have the time.
Where to learn? As I did, I can only recommend books and practice. There are a good deal of books in print about knife making, certainly more than when I first started making knives. There are also DVD instructional videos, tutorials, and quite a bit of discussion here on the internet. I encourage you to look around, and with each of these sources, please consider carefully their content, recommendations, and the person who offers the training and instruction, as there is a lot of misinformation and a few crooks out there who simply want your money. Here's an interesting related topic on my Business of Knifemaking page.
By the way, if you have access to the resources, a Metal Arts Degree is something that many colleges offer. You'll pay them for this instruction, of course, and hopefully it's worth it. Expecting the same information from a professional metals artist for free at request is completely unrealistic. If you don't think so, simply contact any successful professional metals artist and ask him for his advice and time, for free, any time you ask.
Sometimes dealers are starting or expanding their business and want to know what a good factory knife would be to carry and resell. It's not professional for me to recommend any knife that I wouldn't carry myself, so I don't. It's important to remember that all factory knives depreciate in value the instant they leave the manufacturer, and fine custom knives appreciate. That should tell you a lot.
This is not a knife buying or knife dealer's site. If you're looking to sell your knives, try Ebay or Craig's list for the cheap factory knives, and if you have more substantive or valuable knives, use the Internet to search for a professional knife dealer. Don't forget to get a professional appraisal first, and don't expect to receive the apprised amount as the dealer or reseller has to make a profit, too.
Once in a while, a previous client has to liquidate his knives he purchased from me, and asks if I would be so kind as to buy the knife from him to resell it. It makes sense to the client, after all, Jay Fisher has access to many interested buyers via this very website. I don't know of any maker who does this, and know of no company that purchases items they have sold to resell them again. The best place to do this is through a verified and established knife dealer, and they can be found right here on the internet. Be sure and get an appraisal to understand the market value of the piece, and remember that a dealer may offer it for less, so that he can get his cut and the ultimate buyer can have an attractive break as incentive to buy. More information can be found on my Business of Knifemaking page at this subject.
Some of it gets through, but my delete button works flawlessly, and then your address is permanently and forever blocked.
Before I updated this page, I had a funny comment that said:
"No matter how much you beg and plead, I can't answer your request unless
it is about ordering or purchasing one of my custom handmade knives."
I went on to joke: "for God's sake, be a man and do your own research."
And then, a woman wrote me and told me I ought to make an exception for her as she was not a man...
Sigh.
For all the requests, needs, information, desires, and interests you have, I do thank you for being here, and sincerely wish you luck in all your endeavors. I'm not a mean guy, just dedicated to making fine knives, swords, and artwork for my clients and hope you can understand that.
I thank you for your interest and support of knives in general. Please don't forget to thank your country for the freedom you have, your mother and father for your life, and God for your universe!
