Built in 'dings'?

T

The Tourist

Guest
One of the biggest challenges I have with my EDCs is actually using them for the first time. They come out of the box so perfect, and I polish the edge and then "promise myself I'm actually going to use the thing." And as you can imagine, then I get that first ding...

This has gotten so bad for me at times that I have a ceremony I call "mayonnaising." It relates back to an issue several years ago where I had to slice a sandwich and I got mayonnaise all over an EDC. The sky didn't fall, the knife didn't instantly corrode and none of the 2012 Mayan prophesies came to pass.

I'm not the only one who feels this way. Ove the past weekend my best client drove in from Milwaukee to buy some knives. Among the items in this sale were several Emersons, including two of my own. One was a pristine HD-7 still in the box. The other was the same model of the HD-7, but one that I had carried for over five years.

Now, this guy has enough money to buy what he wishes, but he bought the scratched one so he "could use it right away." He also commented on the worn grips. He paid full price.

You guys are professional cutlers, and I've seen your engraving and precision liners. But many of you must make EDCs for guys who can pay for the privilege. Here's my question.

Do any of you make the same knife--precision assembled, with blades utilizing precise grind lines--but with little or no thought to that final lick of polish? In other words, "pre-dinged"?

If you suspect I'm OCD, you're right. I have a new CQC-16 that has already cut a cheeseburger, but I'm still at the point where I'm checking for scratches.
 
Some makers apply a forced patina to carbon steel blades, does that count? Others offer excellent user-grade knives with a very basic machine finish at a lower cost than their hand-rubbed or mirror polished knives. Nick Wheeler comes to mind.

"Pre-dinged" is an interesting idea. Fender sells new, "distressed" or "Road Worn" guitars that are carefully beaten up in their custom shop, to look and feel like they've been played for years. They charge extra for this service.

If you like, you can send your knives to me and I will beat the heck out them, for a small fee :D
 
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If you like, you can send your knives to me and I will beat the heck out them, for a small fee :D

I know that you're joking, but you should have seen the things we did to clothes in the 1960s and early 1970s.

No biker wanted to show up in a saloon with pristine boots or jeans. So we would don our Frye boots and new Levis and then go take a shower. The clothes would dry when we rode or walked to class here in Madison. I even slept in a new pair of jeans for two weeks before I washed them.

I cannot figure out people. Now the trend is for shiny new boots, and yes, I rigorously buff mine when I get home after a ride.

But the fact remains, I like faded jeans, I like comfortable old EDCs. In fact, I order my pistols from Terry Tussey with the edges polished in a way handgunners refer to as "buttered" or "melted."

I do have a tad bit of 'seller's remorse' over that old HD-7, but like my wife reminds me, we are sellers not collectors. In one week I turn 60 years of age, so I'm not going to change my thinking. But I'm holding that new CQC-16 as I type this. At the very same moment I am unhappy with its sharp edges, and yet afraid to scratch it.

I will research your suggestions, maybe the concept will sink into my thick skull.
 
I know what you mean. When I was in high school in the 80's, the "cool" kids were paying extra for jeans that were not only already faded, but all ripped up. Then and now, my jeans get beat-up the old-fashioned way.

An old drummer of mine bought a gorgeous new Pearl kit, and wiped it down meticulously after every practice and gig. For weeks it looked like it just came out of the factory. Then he finally put a scratch in one of the toms loading it... he was mad as heck for a couple minutes, then calmed down. "Whew," he said, "now I can quit worrying about it so much."
 
james terrio said:
wiped it down meticulously

I know the feeling. I have no idea how many pounds and/or gallons of Windex, de-greaser, Swirl Paste, carnuba, Bug Slide and micro-fiber cloths I have sacrificed for the name of vanity.

When the Tiger Woods scandal broke, my wife opined that it was probably cheaper to keep a woman than a Harley...

But back to the main idea, do we have a cutler here who speicalizes in 'dings.' I mean, intentionally.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb231/TheTourist_bucket/DSC00492.jpg
 
It's a fine line, isn't it? As for me, I'd be happy to provide a knife that;s not highly-polished, and expected to be used hard without much regard to the dings that will happen. I would never sacrifice overall quality, it's just a matter of polish. I bet most makers who make "users" would agree.

Such a knife would be of the same quality and carry the same warranty, just wouldn't be as pretty out-of-the-box. I would recommend tough but not-all-that-pretty materials such as micarta or G10 for the handle, for instance.

Many highly-respected custom makers offers knives like that, that are designed to be used hard and withstand abuse, but are still very well-made and offer superior cutting performance, with very low maintenance.
 
I'd be happy to provide a knife.

Gee, since you're a local boy, I'll bet you can find Madison's one and only Harley dealer. In the mean time, do you have any pictures?

Who knows, you might have just created a hot new trend--"Distressed Cutlery."

I can just picture the brochure: "We carefully craft our Distressed line of cutting tools so they pass our stringent quality parameters. Then we drop them on the concrete floor and kick them over to our shipping department..."

I wish I had one right now.
 
LOL don't think that didn't occur to me!!

Funny thing is, folks who buy hard-use knives generally prefer to beat 'em up themselves :)

Here's an example... a K-bar blade I bought circa 1987, put a pakkawood handle on, and have beaten the snot out of on many a camping trip... including batonning firewood, leaving it in the original leather sheath when wet and dirty just to see what would happen, pounding tent-stakes with the butt, etc. The handle is scuffed and the blade has stains and minor pits that don't stop it from cutting one bit. I still have it and would be happy to have it if I was lost in the woods...

I'm currently working on a batch of knives that are also meant to used; some will be a bit fancy and some will be plain-jane. Keep yer eyes peeled! ;)
 

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I believe a lot of the edcs are made with the idea, of corse , that they WILL be used. The quality is there because that's what it should have, and the materiuals may be man made ones because they will take more of the use thing. Prices also reflect that will many will collect these pieces, that price came about by making a good knife for a certain price that fits edc thing, Frank
 
James and Frank, clearly we agree. The problem here is how the idea of "quality" translates to the guy who uses it.

For example, I try my best to make the sharpest edges I can provide. However, I often hear a client remark, "Gee, it's too pretty to use."

Now James says he's working on a "batch" of knives. Obviously I'd like to bid on one. But how would he feel if he busted his butt to make the best "Sturgis Special" blade on the planet, and then come to find it laying unused under a glass display panel in my den.

To honor the craftsman and the knife he built, I want to unfold it, and slice open that muddy UPS box on my porch. The next time the cutler sees me I want to show him that I cannot live without his creation.
 
I'll make a knife to the best of my ability. What my customers do with it is up to them.

I may do a "working" 400-600 hand finish or a satin machine finish on a heavy use blade, but I don't think that really falls into the "pre-dinged" category. One of the things I always admired about Jay Leno is that he has a crap load of cars that individually cost more than I've ever made or seen in my life, and yet he still drives them. Good man.

--nathan
 
Now James says he's working on a "batch" of knives. Obviously I'd like to bid on one. But how would he feel if he busted his butt to make the best "Sturgis Special" blade on the planet, and then come to find it laying unused under a glass display panel in my den.

Honestly? I think cars are meant to be driven, guitars are meant to be played, and knives are meant to cut things. I don't fully understand the collector market.

But as Nathan says, whatever the customer wants to do with it is up to them. They paid for it, it's none of my business. It's also worth noting that some collectors keep their knives in pristine condition as a "snapshot" of what makers in a certain period were capable of. In a hundred years those "snapshots" will still be around and that's cool. Museums are great fun!

One of the first knives I sold still hasn't been used. The owner is afraid of scratching the finish or dulling the edge, despite my assurances that I resharp for free and will touch up the bluing if it gets scuffed. This irks me to no end, because I'd like feedback on how it actually performs. But I keep my mouth shut because it's his knife now.
 
Honestly? This irks me to no end.

I agree. Oh, I have some safe queens. But to be honest, those were knives I purchased to be deliberate collectibles. When I buy a knife for the expressed purpose of being an EDC, I want to be able to rely upon it and enjoy it.

You bring up 'museum quality' items, and you have a point there. I searched on YouTube under the catch phrase "Japanese Sword Polishing" and found one of those three-part day-in-the-life specials. The polisher they interviewed stated that all of the swords you know as "samurai" swords were actually decorative. The swords used in combat were mostly destroyed in actual use and ground up in repair. Few exist.

I still want to see one these dingers out of your "batch." Let the museum buy its own stuff!:D
 
I still want to see one these dingers out of your "batch." Let the museum buy its own stuff!:D

I take that as a friendly challenge! I will finish one as a test piece and beat the crap out of it. That's generally a good idea anyway. Here's the batch as of this morning, in various states of completeness... the reason I'm doing a batch is cuz they're all the same steel (CPM154) and will be sent to Peters for heat-treat when they're ready. This is cost-effective and good for consistency.

EDIT: yes, I know nails aren't the best way to secure a vise. After building the new bench and battening down the grinder and drill press, I ran out of bolts :eek: I'll get around to fixing that one of these days. huh1
 

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Oooooh, that little one with the flat wharnecliffe edge looks like a fun project. I currently use a Graham Stubby out of S30V.

I do think the powdered steels of Crucible polish up very nicely. I shall count the days...
 
That was left at the end of a bar after I cut out the others. I hate to waste steel, so that seemed like a good way to make use of it. I like wharnie blades too, and intend to make that my shop knife.
 
end of a bar.

Ya' know, when I fantasize about all of the knives I want, I wish/imagine knives like the Stubby were more popular. By that I mean a tough knife-knife, not a neck version, but portable knives built tank tough, just as you would produce a traditional knife.

For example, I just saw a soon-to-be released knife called a Boker Pry-Bar. Granted, I have never handled one, nor do I know much about the quality or ergo features.

Still, the idea has merit. When most of us say "pocketknife" we mean something to always have with us for chores. Not a silly "tactical," or a Kabar for a beach landing, but just a sharp, useful tool sitting cozy in a pocket so light and handy it is almost forgotten.

For example, I'm enjoying a latte' in crappy basketball shorts I use as pajamas. I have a three inch low-rent version of the Spyderco Native in the pocket.

I probably use these types of knives more than any other of them over four-inches. I'd like to see your "shop-wharnie" when it hits the light of day.

Edit: This is my Native. Always handy, and a dinger that is more used than most things I own.

http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb231/TheTourist_bucket/001-6.jpg
 
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I like big knives a lot, but as someone else said, the older I get, the shorter my blades get. At least when it comes to EDC/shop/camping/general-use blades. I find 3-4" is plenty for almost any task I typically encounter on a daily basis. All the experienced deer/small game/bird hunters I've spoken with, agree.

If it ever comes to self-defense (which I honestly hope it never does), I know darn well I can cut through a bad-guy's clothes and open an artery with a 2" blade if I have to. Yes, I'd prefer a 10" bowie in that scenario, but I'd prefer a 12-ga pump even more. I don't carry either on a daily basis.

This may sound like heresy coming from a knife knut, but the single knife I've actually used the most over the years at work is a basic Stanley utility knife. It's no good for peeling apples, though. :D

Sorry for drifting so far off-topic :eek:
 
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I'm no where to the point where my knives are a complete mirror. And I would rather have a 400-600 grit, hand rubbed or machine finish than have a scratched almost mirror.

If I wanted to make the prettiest knife I could, I would use a stainless steel and not worry about hardening it, because I would never use it. I could use a 300 series for the blade, spend hours finishing it up, and put it in a frame on my wall. But, I'd much prefer a knife with a dirty look to it that I can do more than spread jelly onto toast with.
 
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