Custom Knife Orders that NEVER Appear?

great topic.

Rough subject

I have a suggestion

If your list is longer than a year out.....close your list

We are living in a world of instant gratification

If I called a maker and they told me I could possible not receive the knife for a few years I would pass

If they asked for a deposit .... I would laugh :)

The reason......people's interest and tastes change very rapidly.... a maker can not possible price an item that far out with out figuring in some kind of consumer price index etc.

Couldn't say better!

I consider myself a hobbyist maker. I always have 2-5 ongoing orders. Almost every order is paid in full before i start (if not a deposit). The buyer then gets to see daily progress pics of his order and gets to be included in decisions each step of the way. Most orders are shipped within 2 weeks of payment.
 
I'm a part-time maker and a collector so I can see both sides. I have had customers waiting on me to finish their knife. I have waited for the phone call or email telling me that I finally made it to the top of the list. Then I have worked with the maker and waited for the project to be completed.

With that in mind, let me make the following observations:

All of the people/makers I have been exposed to in our knife making and collecting community are honorable people. I don't believe that anyone places an order or accepts an order and does not expect to fulfill their end of the contract.

Buyers some times place an order or fail to claim a knife because life has happened. It could be a job change or being laid off. A family situation such as a divorce or an elderly parent diagnosed with dementia could quickly wipe out the knife fund. They themselves could have suddenly become seriously sick or injured. If the buyer is a well known member of the knife community or has purchased multiple knives from you, then perhaps you will learn if something is wrong. However, in the case of a first-time buyer whose spouse or child has just been in a serious accident or diagnosed with a serious illness you might never hear from them again.

As makers, everything written above also applies to us. When life throws us a curve, our first inclination is not to call everyone on the list and tell them that it is going to be even longer.

But, as makers we have another issue. We are perfectionists and artists. I think that when calculating our time, we estimate the time it takes it takes to make an order knife is the same amount of time it takes to perhaps make a similar sized knife that we have made before. The problem occurs because often times an order knife is in some way "special." Special takes time. The artist comes out. We take the time to learn a new technique or skill. It's perfect for this knife! But now it has put us behind.

And, we are all part of the knife community. We are all passionate about knives. Making/ordering a custom knife is the beginning of a relationship.
As in any relationship, it will fail without communication.

just my 0.02
 
From a collectors pov, this is something that has already left a sour taste. I think time is irrelevant under certain circumstances. Two things that particularly pop up are if money has already been exchanged, and what outlines the maker has already given.

I have seen instances where a maker has a backlog/closed books, but someone gets in contact with them and throws a number out there to make them a knife "right now" and the maker does it. That took me by surprise as the other folks waiting for a similar piece have obviously been waiting, and the maker pushed them aside for a quick buck.

Another instance of another maker taking the full amount of an order, giving a general timeline, then later giving exact dates but poor communication and continually failing on those promised dates yet still able to make random pieces for companies or other individuals. Come to find later that the maker was telling others it was due to "communication problems".

Money shouldn't be exchanged unless the project is ready to start, or if specific materials need to be ordered then there can be a deposit for something the maker can't recover from if that buyer flakes out. Communication is really important for both sides
 
There's been very good, productive and cordial discussion both here and on Joe's accepting deposits thread.
It's important that knifemakers and collectors discuss and share opinions on such topics that really impact the future and growth of the custom knife community.
 
Lot of freedom in being a (relatively) underground, hobbyist maker. One huge difference is no backlog. When I start a knife, its completed grossly under given time.
 
I once waited three years for my turn with a knifemaker who was very popular with tactical folders in times past. By the time my turn came up I did not like the blade steel the maker wanted to use and the design he wanted to make. But I was locked in on a great price so I had it made and flipped that knife really fast. I have never ordered a knife since that I can't get in a years time and prefer to buy off the table at a show.
 
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