Knife makers:what do YOU do with blades & knives that aren't quite "perfect"...?

I have a nice little fixed blade knife my dad made with Mother of Pearl scales and engraved bolsters. One of the scales ended up with a gap of about a 1/16" that had to be filled, so my dad would not sell it. He had to show me in person the "flaw" not just tell me about it. Its a knife I am not afraid to use or carry. I am also not ashamed to show it as a Second that my father made, because the quality of his reject says so much about the knives he does sell! I promised when it was given to me it would never be sold.

On a structurally sound knife designed to be used, with a minor cosmetic blemish, please don't hesitate to put a second stencil that says 2ND on top of or under your maker's mark and sell it for the cost of the materials at least. Someone will be thrilled to give it a good home and might even come back for a marketable one later. These might be the only custom knives some people ever own. No knife that isn't a safe queen remains "perfect" after even moderate use, even with being taken care of.

Art knives are a different story!

They aren't customs, but Cold Steel puts out a catalog of nothing but seconds. They wouldn't do this if there was not a market for them! Please don't let these treasures go to waste. How many shop knives does one guy need?
 
I'm with Rock on this one " How many shop knives does one guy need " . I've had a few I couldn't fix. If its a handle problem I'll grind the handle off and put a new one on. If its a blade blemish , and I cant get it out without destruction , I'll finish it and give it away. I mark em but on the "off" side.
I recently had one that about 3/8" of the blade was a bit thin going into the oil and it warped. Not real deep , but where it was at , near the ricaso, it couldnt be ground out. I wen ahead and finished the blade. I did the rod test on it and it passed NP. I sharpened it and it took a scary sharp edge. I had to show my son what was wrong with it , he couldn't find it. I decided to go ahead and finish it , I'm giving it to my best friend for BFFE day , lol.
 
With fixed blades I trash them or they become shop knives, with folders I just replace whatever got screwed up, it's not a huge deal to make a new blade in most cases. I think I have only sold one as a second, I did not mark it and it was a second for strictly cosmetic reasons.

I see nothing wrong with selling cosmetic seconds with no mark unless it's a certain model that you make regularly, then there could be some problems or confusion down the road.
 
Personally, I just can't bring myself to put the effort into a piece that I know is flawed. It's not so much an etchical line in the sand, as a lack of motivation to put 100% effort into a piece of work that I know I can only bring to 90% of its potential.
It is easier for me to justify starting over, unless the issue is minor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top