An example......

EdCaffreyMS

EdCaffreyMS

"The Montana Bladesmith"
Of why it's so important to think carefully before you choose to mark your knives with some "pet name", initials, or obscure logo.

This is an exert from an email that I received this morning.....
Hi,
I just picked up a handmade knife at the XXXXXX gun show. It is clearly a hand forged knife but the only identifier is the name "BoB" stamped into the spine just in front of the handle. It is a drop point with stag handles. Any clue as to who this blade maker is? It's a very nice knife, and I was hoping get another one made similar to it.
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My response:
Hi XXXXX,
I try to tell Knifemakers to mark their blade in such a manner to be readily identifiable..... but so many want to do some pet name, initials, or some odd logo. Unfortunately, I have no idea who's knife that might be, and suspect that unless it's by blind luck, you'll likely never know.
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I suppose that if a maker isn't interested in selling their knives it's of no consequence, but if you do, or intend to sell our knives in the future, do yourself a favor and mark your knives in an easily identifiable manner. Most folks won't even make the effort to send an email such at this person did.
 
My knives are also plainly stamped with my name inside of a kind of pentagram, a couple months ago I got an email on my website from a guy explaining that he owned one of my knives and it broke while skinning a deer....that's right, skinning a deer.
he asked me matter of factly what was I going to do about it.
So I politely told him to send me a picture. it was a Miller knife alright, but not one of mine. I told him, look at ALL the pictures of knives on my website, you will see the logo I've been using for almost 29 years, what you have there is not one of mine.
I went the extra mile for him though by looking at the logo on his knife and found the maker in about 15 min. on the internet on facebook or some other place like that and pointed him in that direction. I couldn't believe that he SAW my website, SAW my logo....then told me he had one of my knives, it broke, and what was I going to do about it. :mad:
 
I am a member of some other forums that are completely unrelated to knives and many people know me as a knife collector.

I've had quite a few PM's on these forums asking the same question Ed got. Sometimes I can help but usually not.

Obscure logos are exactly that. Obscure.

I don't know if I'll ever start selling my knives but I still mark my blades with my name.
 
My knives are also plainly stamped with my name inside of a kind of pentagram, a couple months ago I got an email on my website from a guy explaining that he owned one of my knives and it broke while skinning a deer....that's right, skinning a deer.
he asked me matter of factly what was I going to do about it.
So I politely told him to send me a picture. it was a Miller knife alright, but not one of mine. I told him, look at ALL the pictures of knives on my website, you will see the logo I've been using for almost 29 years, what you have there is not one of mine.
I went the extra mile for him though by looking at the logo on his knife and found the maker in about 15 min. on the internet on facebook or some other place like that and pointed him in that direction. I couldn't believe that he SAW my website, SAW my logo....then told me he had one of my knives, it broke, and what was I going to do about it. :mad:
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I've had similar experiences. In your case although it caused a bit of footwork, I suspect it averted the individual going all over the web bad mouthing your work. I would say that having a clearly identifiable "mark" on your knives likely saved you more grief than it created.
 
Since we're on this line, here's an email that came in today....

My name is XXXX XXXXX and I really love the look and style of your Caffrey knives! I live in the metro Detroit area of Michigan. I am hoping that your company sells ‘seconds”. Or, knives that have blemishes, to the point that they cannot be sold as new. Or, even to the point that they cannot be sold at all, LOL. I am very interested in purchasing one of these knives, if they exist. I am not wealthy and I would much rather own an authentic Caffrey, than some China clone. It is good for the brand and good for America! At your convenience, please let me know if you have any knives that are less than perfect, that I could purchase from you. I am not a re-seller. I just absolutely love your AMAZING knives!
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and my response:

Sorry, I can't help you. Although "seconds" sometimes happen, I do my very best to ensure they never see the light of day. As an ABS Mastersmith, I have a standard that must be maintained, and is expected within the knife community. To allow a "second" of anything to leave my shop is to be self-destructive, and simply not in my nature. If/when I make a mistake in building a knife that cannot be repaired, the entire project is destroyed, and I start over again. I understand when you say you're not a re-seller, but in the past I have allowed myself to be talked into building knives that I knew were not consistent with my standards for individuals who have said the same thing....only to discover the knife listed for sale somewhere on the web within a a short time after delivery. In one case I purchased the knife myself, just to get it out of circulation.

If it's ABS Mastersmith level knives you are interested in, I would suspect that you will have a difficult time finding any Mastersmith who would be willing to put their reputation and/or business on the line by allowing anything less than the best they can do out of their shop.
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The knife I refer to in my response was a "custom" order that I let myself get talked into....from a guy who wanted a 6" handle on a 6" blade....his logic was that he was 6'9" with "really large hands, and it will by my forever knife". I made the knife, shipped it, and within a month found it on a re-sellers website. It was just plain ugly in my eyes, so I purchased it myself, just to get it out of circulation, and learned a good lesson in the process.... If those "red lights" every go off in your head when discussing a custom order.....PAY ATTENTION TO THEM! :)
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Since we're on this line, here's an email that came in today....



and my response:



The knife I refer to in my response was a "custom" order that I let myself get talked into....from a guy who wanted a 6" handle on a 6" blade....his logic was that he was 6'9" with "really large hands, and it will by my forever knife". I made the knife, shipped it, and within a month found it on a re-sellers website. It was just plain ugly in my eyes, so I purchased it myself, just to get it out of circulation, and learned a good lesson in the process.... If those "red lights" every go off in your head when discussing a custom order.....PAY ATTENTION TO THEM! :)
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I remember this story when I was asking about custom knives for individuals.
 
Gliden07 said:
I remember this story when I was asking about custom knives for individuals.
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Ed's shared a couple different story's like this that are similar. Guys trying to get the "name" for free so they can profit later....I suppose in 30 plus years you'll get a few...kudos on the kind reply.

This is precious, "Or, even to the point that they cannot be sold at all, LOL."......yeah...lol. Good for the brand and good for America....knot-head.
 
I have given away a couple screw ups to co-workers to use for scraping epoxy coated pipes, but without handles ever installed and my mark completely ground into oblivion.

When I do get the occasional question from someone wanting to buy a second I tell them they go straight in the trash....
For some weird reason a warm feeling comes over me when I see the look of disappointment on their face.

To me that's akin to going to a fine steak house, looking at the menu and saying to the waiter..........
say, my fine friend, I'm really interested in that $30.00 filet mignon, but per chance....do you have any that are burnt to a charred
crunchy black crisp or have possibly hit the floor and slid under the grill? I really would rather buy one of those at a greatly reduced price....
you'd probably get the same answer from him......sorry sir, but we don't sell seconds here.
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Since we're on this line, here's an email that came in today....



and my response:



The knife I refer to in my response was a "custom" order that I let myself get talked into....from a guy who wanted a 6" handle on a 6" blade....his logic was that he was 6'9" with "really large hands, and it will by my forever knife". I made the knife, shipped it, and within a month found it on a re-sellers website. It was just plain ugly in my eyes, so I purchased it myself, just to get it out of circulation, and learned a good lesson in the process.... If those "red lights" every go off in your head when discussing a custom order.....PAY ATTENTION TO THEM! :)
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Rhythmically....
Show a pic.
Show a pic.
Show a pic.

Lol
 
I have a question for you professional knifemakers. As a hobbyist newby who considers himself to be above average in the learning region, what should I be doing with my “learning knives” you know what I mean, the first several you make as your figuring things out, should I trash them or box them up? Give them away? I doubt that electro etching will be in my near future as belt grinders and the like are way higher on my priority list of things to build or purchase first.
 
I always suggest to keep the first knife or two you build. Then when you build #10, compare it with #1. Then as you get further along, when you get to feeling real cocky about how good you are.....take #1 out and give it a good look..... and remember where you came from. :) Even after 30+ years of doing this, I still have #1 in a drawer in my finish shop.......whenever I get to thinking I'm all that..... I pull it out and take a look at it.....helps to keep things in perspective. :)
 
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