2nd year full time and "Slow Summers"

Frank Hunter

Frank Hunter

Well-Known Member
This is the second year I've been a full time knifemaker - I've learned a whole lot and have a great deal to pay forward from you all helping me out. It's definitely doable as a career, I'm not going to be buying a brand new truck anytime soon but I can get by, and the harder I work the better it goes. That's a nice change instead of shoveling my effort upstairs into an owner's pocket. The biggest hangup I've seen so far is the summer slump - every other weekend is a scheduled "Go outside" holiday and with Blade show in the middle, which I've not had the inventory in stock to attend, seems to really try to sink me in both 2012 and 2013.

I know Blade is a lot of it, many higher end collectors and enthusiasts know it's coming and save some money for it and I'm not helping myself by not attending, but otherwise my internet and local sales have been dead flat from April-July for two years now. Is there anything else going on with that or is it just a yearly dead spot that the rest of you full time guys noticed back in the 80's?
 
Summer has always been "dead" for me. I've been at it full time for 10+ years. What you have to do is find another income avenue for those times....for me it's giving Classes, Demonstrating at gatherings, and offering other items besides knives (grinder platens, forge plans, Damascus ink pens, etc). As with most businesses, diversifying helps greatly in the "slow times."
 
Thanks, Ed. Glad to know it's something predictable. If I know it's coming I can deal with it. I had sincerely hoped to have a better spring than I did, to provide some money to draw off of during the summer. With Google Adwords cancelling my ad package due to selling combat knives and a few less than profitable promotional jobs over the winter it was pretty touch and go but I think I've got it handled. My first couple of shows are coming up this fall, one in Lewistown here and one in Billings and I'm finding it interesting to manage the funds to build enough knives and fitting the time in. I've been thinking a great deal about diversifying and will double down on it.
 
Frank,
Yep!
Summers have always been on the slow side. About now or definably after 4th of July weekend sales go south.

Like Ed mentioned you have to find other avenues to pick up the slack or in the years that Winter & Spring have been solid enough I just Build, Build, Build for inventory for the fall.

This years I hope to take at least a few extra days off and enjoy some of the summertime easy living down by the ocean I have four blocks from my shop/store.

If you are getting ready for your first shows this fall set a goal of say finishing one knife a day?

I always have many going, I suffer from ADD, but if you have at least three going?
Each day you can grind a blade, epoxy a handle and finish the handle on the one you epoxied yesterday. If you are making sheathes? Just fit a quota of that in for each day too!
I am sure you get the idea.

Things usually start to move well again approximately the end of September.
after Labor day people are done with their summer vacations and their kids are back in school etc.
This is also when the stock market starts to move again.

The one thing I am always looking for is a good product to sell to other knife makers.
Its like the gold rush here in 1849 most of the fortunes were not made by mining gold, Levi Strauss, Wells Fargo and many more made their fortunes mining the miners!

So keep your eyes open and best of luck to you!

Laurence

www.rhinoknives.com
 
Ed and Laurence are right.
I'm not full time but I've puttered consistantly since the mid 80's. The web really opened things up. Every year the Cabella's fall catalog kicks things off. That disposable income gets unlocked for the upcoming hunting season and people are making their wish list. I'm sure it's not a regional thing and I've always listened to and geared my work towards the hunters. Like Ed said, you have to diversify. I made my own knife vise out of necessity in '87 and it's been a consistant mover since then. It won't keep me in tenderloin but beans are better than nothing, you get used to it. The odd forge now and again helps too. Like Laurence , I learned early on that making things that help people make knives is a good hole to plug. The last couple of years has me seriously questioning the future of straight blades unless they're collector quality.:les:

Rudy
 
I know this is last year's thread, but it is seriosly slow for me right now. Not much moving, just some cheap stuff here and there. May have to squeeze in a show in September or October, because I'll sure enough have knives on hand.
 
As you might expect, a little slow in the supply business too. Thank goodness. Year end books - inventory. Business might be slow, but it sure isn't in idle. :)
 
I closed my large shop and was outta there on July 15th. I've got my one car garage shop almost set up now and have done one culinary knife so far for a customer. I'm feeling a little better since I've cut back and am not making a knife a day anymore.

The doctors say I have Carpal tunnel in both wrists and pinched nerves in both elbows, That's from 17 plus years of blade grinding. I've got a bulged disc in my neck too.

I'm not out for any sympathy I am just sharing that one of the ways I modified my work schedule is I've signed up to do Knife & Scissor sharpening at the Malibu Farmers market. Yep! Where all the beautiful people live!:3:

I start this sunday and will be allowed to sell my custom knives there too so that's how I am adjusting to pickup some slack so maybe you guys can land some sharpening work locally to pick up on some down time.

Sharpening work has led to knife sales too guys cause you are getting your face out there and if they are super happy with you're sharpening work they are more inclined to get a knife as a gift for a friend or just for themselves.

I just finished up building a portable Frankengrinder with my 2 x 72" Coote machine. I am going to do a picture exposé on it next week. "I've got to use those cool sounding words now that i'll be in Malibu every weekend! :big grin:

I'm going to get my left arm operated on first to relieve some of my pain and loss of movement on the 3rd of September. The Right arm will follow later. The surgeon says I can work the next day. I sure hope so:les: I can't miss seeing all of the movies stars and nice pretty clean smelling women on Sunday in Malibu that need their knives sharpened!:53:

I need the money to pay for all of the surgeries. LOL
 
Last edited:
rhinoknives said:
I closed my large shop and was outta there on July 15th. I've got my one car garage shop almost set up now and have done one culinary knife so far for a customer. I'm feeling a little better since I've cut back and am not making a knife a day anymore.

The doctors say I have Carpal tunnel in both wrists and pinched nerves in both elbows, That's from 17 plus years of blade grinding. I've got a bulged disc in my neck too.

I'm not out for any sympathy I am just sharing that one of the ways I modified my work schedule is I've signed up to do Knife & Scissor sharpening at the Malibu Farmers market. Yep! Where all the beautiful people live!:3:

I start this sunday and will be allowed to sell my custom knives there too so that's how I am adjusting to pickup some slack so maybe you guys can land some sharpening work locally to pick up on some down time.

Sharpening work has led to knife sales too guys cause you are getting your face out there and if they are super happy with you're sharpening work they are more inclined to get a knife as a gift for a friend or just for themselves.

I just finished up building a portable Frankengrinder with my 2 x 72" Coote machine. I am going to do a picture exposé on it next week. "I've got to use those cool sounding words now that i'll be in Malibu every weekend! :big grin:

I'm going to get my left arm operated on first to relieve some of my pain and loss of movement on the 3rd of September. The Right arm will follow later. The surgeon says I can work the next day. I sure hope so:les: I can't miss seeing all of the movies stars and nice pretty clean smelling women on Sunday in Malibu that need their knives sharpened!:53:

I need the money to pay for all of the surgeries. LOL
Click to expand...


good deal with the farmers market. my local one is tomorrow morning. worked on utensils(spatulas and spoons) today. will have my sorta portable disc grinder ready soon. i already do hand sharpening at the market.
 
scott.livesey said:
good deal with the farmers market. my local one is tomorrow morning. worked on utensils(spatulas and spoons) today. will have my sorta portable disc grinder ready soon. i already do hand sharpening at the market.
Click to expand...

That's great Scott,
I left my set up to run on Household 115V so I can take in the truck to folks houses and just plug in there with a heavy 100 footer cord i bought.
I also purchased a gas powered Generator for Farmers market. A small disc would work for sharpening.

I can now go grind & sharpen knives in the middle of nowhere with all of the gear I built and bought! lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top