If I only knew then....What I know now

EdCaffreyMS

EdCaffreyMS

"The Montana Bladesmith"
I'm sitting here at the cancer treatment center with a needle in my arm, and bored, and after reading a number of various threads/post, I thought of what might be an interesting thread.

Whether you be a Bladesmith, Knifemakers, Buyer, Supplier, or anything else connected to Custom Knives, What are some of the things that...
Make you say: "If I only knew then, what I know now" ? No limitation on your level of experience.... what you have to say might be a valuable gem to someone else.

Personally I have a ton of them, but also have 30 years of knifemaking under by belt, so I expect that I've had many more of the "Duh!" moments then most.

For example... I wish I had know that a "belt splitter" is about the biggest waste of money ever.... I can do a better job with my bare hands, faster, and it's free! :)


Share you insight, and hopefully we can help each other!
 
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Great thread idea!

1. You don't need belts in every grit made
2. You don't need sandpaper in every grit made
3. There is zero money in making one-off customs. In fact you usually lose money.
4. Invest every dime you own in a paper towel company, so at least you can look at your overflowing trash can and think of it as paying yourself in 30 years
 
if i only knew i would have learned to make something that more people would really buy, cell phone cases,selfie sticks stuff like that.
 
I wish I knew about 'used' Tapmatic's on ebay when I started making folders instead of snapping countless expensive taps.

I hope your OK Ed.
 
Thanks Steve! I got a good report today.... my lungs haven't changed in the past 6 months, so after today's treatment the Doc is stretching treatments out to every two months, with CT scan every six months. He tells me that the "growth" of this stuff in my lungs has slowed to a crawl, which is a load off my mind. :)

That brings up another thought.....
I wish way back when.....that I would have understood that when you take a respirator off, and you still have those black lines near your nose.....that respirator IS NOT doing it's job!
 
Good news Ed! If I'd only knew.... To all you brand new guys, do not start taking orders after you've only sold a couple knives! It's very tempting, but take the first year or two to learn and explore. Once you have a list of orders, it takes the creativity and fun out of it really fast. It can start feeling like a job more than a hobby. I made that mistake and after having made about 30 of the EXACT same knife I get sick thinking about it. I'm not saying don't sell, just don't take orders and build up a big list. Too much pressure. Just make a knife and offer it for sale, then move on to the next one with no commitments.
 
Glad to hear your doing better Ed. It must feel good to know things are moving in the right direction.
Anthony I was just thinking about the problem with taking orders. I thought that it would be awhile before I started selling knives. I posted a WIP of the last knife that I made on Facebook. Someone asked if I could make them one and how much. Well it must have been to cheap because now I have more work than I want. With only small changes to the knives. What I feel is different is that some people with my experience wish they could have my problem. So I am counting my blessings and looking forward to the challenge. So.... Be careful what you wish for! It might just run away from you.
 
Self Made Knives said:
Good news Ed! If I'd only knew.... To all you brand new guys, do not start taking orders after you've only sold a couple knives! It's very tempting, but take the first year or two to learn and explore. Once you have a list of orders, it takes the creativity and fun out of it really fast. It can start feeling like a job more than a hobby. I made that mistake and after having made about 30 of the EXACT same knife I get sick thinking about it. I'm not saying don't sell, just don't take orders and build up a big list. Too much pressure. Just make a knife and offer it for sale, then move on to the next one with no commitments.
Click to expand...

This is a great one!
 
For me... if I would have known how much I would enjoy knife-making, and how fast my body was going to fall apart, I would have started the hobby about 20 years sooner. But that's hindsight for you, and I'm still thankful to be able to do what I do. I'm not whining, but more just admonishing anyone that's just thinking of getting their feet wet- to jump right in with both feet! --sooner rather than later.
Good to hear of your good report, Ed. -and great idea for a thread -I'm all ears!
 
I wish I would have stumbled upon the wonderful world of knife making a little earlier as well. My body is fine (for the most part), but I'm sure we all wish we had an extra 10 years of experience (and TOOLS!) under our belts. Kind of wish I would have held out for a house with a pole barn too. I'm running out of room in my garage!
 
If I'd have known how much immediate improvement in the quality of my product it would generate, I'd have gone variable speed much earlier. More than any other progress step regarding equipment, including jumping from a 2x42 to a step pulley 2x72, going to full variable speed made an immediate and large impact.
 
If I had known that joining Knife dogs and beginning a networking process with other knife maker's would accelerate the journey, I would have signed up a long time ago!

DeMo
 
In almost every endeavor in life, that was ouside the standard 9 to 5 mindset, I wish I had not listened to the naysayers. I started my shop when I was 40 instead of 25. Why did I listen to people with little ambition, vision, and courage!!!???

Even at age 40 there were detractors. I told very few people what I was doing. I was surprised where some of the negativity came from. One relative by marriage tried to talk me out of business while standing in my shop watching me make $60/hr....A YEAR AFTER I HAD BEEN OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!

I realized then that most people live their life like a hen seeing the constant shadow of the hawk.

Freedom comes when you become deaf to the nervous cackle of the hens...

Uhhh...yeah....maybe got carried away here. But I wasted YEARS listening to well intentioned people.
 
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I agree! There's a HUGE heard of "sheeple" out there who have been programmed to believe you can't survive if you don't stick to what they believe is the "norm".

Although any sole proprietor endeavor can be tough, the rewards far out weight the risks in my book. As with most things, you get out of it, what you put in it.

Personally, I did an entire career in the military, so I could be a full time knifemaker someday...... and it worked well for me. I do have to admit though....on those days when I have walk in clients, the phone ringing, and work that needs to be done.....it can get a bit tense. :)
 
Years ago I started locking my door...so that ended the walk-ins and Friends that want to burn your time.(and ask for favors) I had little kids that needed a dad. Coming home at 11pm 'cause folks didn't value my time didn't cut it. Once I took control of my schedule I was home at reasonable hours. Did lose a few "friends" though. Couldn't understand my insistence of no visits during shop hours.....why?

cause I didn't have a REAL job....lol

Hey...wanna visit? Let's do a B-B-Q....not sit in a shop that I've already put too many hours in for the week.....any of you had to go through this?

....and here in Montana if you don't have an open door policy you're downright rude. (Just another weird guy from California....)
 
Good to hear your doing good and can keep sharing wisom with us longer.
If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought the electric motor and wheels to build a 2x72 grinder. Instead of the stuff to build a vacuum chamber for stabilizing that sat and didn't get used at all.
 
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Ed--I will be in prayer for you.

I always look forward to your posts, and as it turns out, have at least one mutual friend with you up in MT, Pastor John Capen.

I hope you keep getting better. Just keep fighting.

The thing that I wish I would have know then what I know now is this: Get a house with a shop so I would have a place to forge. As it stands now in suburbia, I am stuck with stock removal, as to not upset the natives...:)
Some day...

Hang in there big brother. We are pulling for you.
 
Like most threads You postet, I also really like this one.
At the age of 54 and 25 years making knives as a full timer the strongest realization was how often I had been wrong.
Because making knives is a transparent action similar to everything we do in our lives.
Expectations are mostly intended to be dissappointed, but without expectations our lives would be very different.
Dosen't matter if we are in an expecting position or surprised by the unexpected ....
What is good for me is good for other people,I thought so before...and I was wrong, but...I never had expected old toothbrushes to have such an utility value for my knife making
We, the world, the finish on a knife and everything else is finite,...this is what I learned and this is what I know.

good to read You get better, Ed.
..a wishing well and good luck from my deepest heart.

Jeremiah
 
Lighting!

When I put my shop together lighting was almost an afterthought. I gave lots of consideration to every piece of equipment I put in my shop. Except lighting. I thew up a couple florescent lights and figured I was good.

Nope.

I found that good lighting is essential when trying to finish a blade. What looked good in one light looks like a scratchy mess in another.

I've got some 6500k bulbs now and they're better but sunlight seems to be the best.
 
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