Epic fail. Check your work!

jkf96a

Well-Known Member
Argg. Usually the FUF visits are obvious and bloody. This time she snuck in on me. I am working on learning slipjoints. I had three together, with geometry problems so that they wouldn't snap shut. Re-made the blades and got them snapping nicely. Heat treated them according to the recipe I remembered. Put them together, made nice knives.

Sold one at a knife show.

It returned to me in an envelope today.

Turns out the edge rolled cutting a zip tie. The customer was rich and friendly, much better than I expected. Expressed no concern whether he got the knife or his money back, just wanted me to know it wasn't right.

Took it apart and RC tested the blade. Turns out it's RC 56. No wonder the edge didn't hold.

Moral of the story? Check your stuff x1000. I apparently overshot my tempering temperature by working from memory. Check your notes! I RC tested at 62 out of the quench. Didn't test after tempering. Stupid mistakes, and now I get to redo the blades I've already re-done. Still haven't figured out the best way to make it right for the customer.
 
I hate to hear that! Mostly because I know from personal experiance how bad it feels as a knifemaker!

I cant agree more, check and double check.

Remember the old saying, "A happy customer tells 10 people how good you are, and an unhappy one tells 50 how unhappy they are" Id do my best to do whats needed to keep the customer happy.

God Bless
Mike
 
To echo what Bruce said.....it does happen. We are all human, and subject to mess ups all the time. Actually, I would rather see something like this than a few knives that I have gotten back, with nothing more than an explanation saying... "I'm not 100% satisfied, so I'm returning it." At least with that one there is a reason, that can be corrected. The smart thing to do is contact the client, apologize, and ask them if they want a new knife, or their money back.....and do whichever they desire. If the individual wants a new knife, he goes to the top of the list, and you get him a new knife "yesterday". If he wants his money back, send it back promptly, with a letter of apology, and offer him a discount on any future purchase(s).
Trust me, even if the individual doesn't want another knife, your effort to ensure his satisfaction will travel at the speed of sound, and it will enhance your reputation.
 
Back
Top