3 flat files, 6 little knives

[pfrsantos]

Have you looked on the possibility of making/having someone make nice leather sheaths for your knives? Maybe an investment of $5 in a sheath can result in an increase of $10 in the final price.

 

A friend is doing leather work for me, he's made sheaths for the first 3, rest to follow next week.......but his pricing is a bit of an issue,  For these small knives and very simple sheaths he wanted to charge about 30% the price of the knife, and that's simply too much.  Also, he made one lefthanded and another way too large, and he expects me to pay for two of his mistakes....

I already don't have time, new norm is having dinner at 10pm after standing the the workshop till 8pm, if I had to make sheaths myself.... 

I'll be working halfday/halfpay from next Friday, so maybe I'll get some tools and spend some time in youtube university 

Really?! Better get an enemy to do it, then...

 

[Gerhard Gerber]

Really?! Better get an enemy to do it, then...

 

I hear you, and my current emotional state is rather volatile, zero filter, zero tolerance for BS 

Not a bad oke....just a better business man than a friend.....

[pfrsantos]

Really?! Better get an enemy to do it, then...

 

I hear you, and my current emotional state is rather volatile, zero filter, zero tolerance for BS 

Not a bad oke....just a better business man than a friend.....

Well, turn yourself into a better business man, too.

   

[Gerhard Gerber]

I think it might be a flaw in the brain of people with the inclination to fix things that they are fixated on the fixing and not very good at getting paid 

I'll try......

[Aloha]

Its either a hobby or a business.  Either it makes money or it doesn't make sense ( if its a business ).  I've done a lot of "favors" ( charged less ) for friends.  It NEVER makes sense.   

Business and friendship can coexist when there's respect for the financial aspect.  Learn now and save yourself a lot of bitterness towards friends and yourself. 

Side note,

While I like many of the sheaths that came with the fixed blades I have theres nothing special about them.  As long as the hold the blade like it should and stay put on my belt I'm happy.  There are custom sheath makers that go well beyond the basic and for some thats the route they'll go.  Kydex looks to be somewhat simple to do with simple equipment.  Unless the sheath is truly a custom not just folded over stitched leather then I'm not paying over 30% the cost of the blade.  You'd either have to break even on the sheath or charge a bit more after paying for the sheath which drives your knife price up.       

Thats my 2c.         

[AimlessWanderer]

It's easier to become friends with people you do business with, than to do business with friends. Two different mindsets, with two different priorities.

I'd also echo Aloha about deciding if it's a business, with all the trappings and additional responsibilities that come with it, or a self sustaining hobby. Twice in my life so far, I have refrained from letting an "interest" become a "job". I found that once the interest moved from "I want to" to "I have to", it was suddenly a lot less enjoyable than it was before.

As regards not having time for sheaths, whether you're bashing metal with a hammer, grinding it, or cutting and stitching leather, you're working - and that time comes at a sales price. Same applies to whoever you're buying from. If you don't want to make sheaths, then you need to be prepared to pay the rates of someone who does. Do you want to earn X per hour for making that sheath yourself, or pay someone else that X per hour? If you don't think the customer will pay the end price, the sheaths need to be better, or produced quicker. Same applies with doing the books, sourcing materials, marketting - which gives best value, you doing it, or someone else?

I'm not trying to teach you how to suck eggs, Granny  just chucking in ideas that might help you focus on the best way forward.

[Aloha]

Thats good stuff AW. 

 

[Gerhard Gerber]

While I like many of the sheaths that came with the fixed blades I have theres nothing special about them.  As long as the hold the blade like it should and stay put on my belt I'm happy.  There are custom sheath makers that go well beyond the basic and for some thats the route they'll go.  Kydex looks to be somewhat simple to do with simple equipment.  Unless the sheath is truly a custom not just folded over stitched leather then I'm not paying over 30% the cost of the blade.  You'd either have to break even on the sheath or charge a bit more after paying for the sheath which drives your knife price up.       
   

My youtube research  seems to show that's changing.....you can probably blame Bark River for that 

It's easier to become friends with people you do business with, than to do business with friends. Two different mindsets, with two different priorities.

I'd also echo Aloha about deciding if it's a business, with all the trappings and additional responsibilities that come with it, or a self sustaining hobby. Twice in my life so far, I have refrained from letting an "interest" become a "job". I found that once the interest moved from "I want to" to "I have to", it was suddenly a lot less enjoyable than it was before.

As regards not having time for sheaths, whether you're bashing metal with a hammer, grinding it, or cutting and stitching leather, you're working - and that time comes at a sales price. Same applies to whoever you're buying from. If you don't want to make sheaths, then you need to be prepared to pay the rates of someone who does. Do you want to earn X per hour for making that sheath yourself, or pay someone else that X per hour? If you don't think the customer will pay the end price, the sheaths need to be better, or produced quicker. Same applies with doing the books, sourcing materials, marketting - which gives best value, you doing it, or someone else?

I'm not trying to teach you how to suck eggs, Granny  just chucking in ideas that might help you focus on the best way forward.

 

I asked him for a quote on a sheath, he knows the knife, its size and what I want...........his first question was how much am I charging for the knife 

This time I told him "none of your business, make your own price...."  I still don't have a quote, I have somebody waiting for a knife, so I'll have to make a plan....

The timing sucks, if I don't have sheaths for everything I'm missing a big opportunity this coming weekend.


Hobby vs. Job....

Up until middle August all I needed was for the hobby to be self sustaining, to slowly learn, improve and enjoy....the hope being knife making will put food on my table during "retirement"

With my latest dance with redundancy I came up hard against the fact that in the current political and economic climate there are no more jobs for people like me.....  I had one interview, actually got the job offer, low-ball salary offer for most likely an even more soul-killing job....

"Fortunately" I have a half-day contract for the next year starting Thursday, just enough salary to keep me going and a year to make a new plan at age 43 


So what's the worst that can happen?  You start to hate that hobby.....

Well, I can honestly say the hard work and having a product at the end has been my saving grace the past two months.

I took leave, planning on going camping......just to get out a away from everything......  I was stopped dead by the lack of charged AAA batteries for my headlight, so I stopped packing and spent a week in the workshop.

I can't enjoy camping, or fishing, or anything in my current mental state, but when I'm done with a knife it seems life has a purpose......

[pfrsantos]

Thats good stuff AW. 

 

+2

[AimlessWanderer]

 

I asked him for a quote on a sheath, he knows the knife, its size and what I want...........his first question was how much am I charging for the knife 

This time I told him "none of your business, make your own price...."  I still don't have a quote, I have somebody waiting for a knife, so I'll have to make a plan....

The timing sucks, if I don't have sheaths for everything I'm missing a big opportunity this coming weekend.


Hobby vs. Job....

Up until middle August all I needed was for the hobby to be self sustaining, to slowly learn, improve and enjoy....the hope being knife making will put food on my table during "retirement"

With my latest dance with redundancy I came up hard against the fact that in the current political and economic climate there are no more jobs for people like me.....  I had one interview, actually got the job offer, low-ball salary offer for most likely an even more soul-killing job....

"Fortunately" I have a half-day contract for the next year starting Thursday, just enough salary to keep me going and a year to make a new plan at age 43 


So what's the worst that can happen?  You start to hate that hobby.....

Well, I can honestly say the hard work and having a product at the end has been my saving grace the past two months.

I took leave, planning on going camping......just to get out a away from everything......  I was stopped dead by the lack of charged AAA batteries for my headlight, so I stopped packing and spent a week in the workshop.

I can't enjoy camping, or fishing, or anything in my current mental state, but when I'm done with a knife it seems life has a purpose......

So he's proved himself (again) to be an unreliable supplier, and a liability rather than an asset. Ditch him. Simple sheaths are easier to make than knives. My first attempt at both is in the pic below. The knifemaker had to step in a couple of times to stop me cocking up the knife, but he didn't have to do so with the sheath. Use a stitchmarker, and predrill the holes, and the stitching will look fine. Use veg tan leather so you can wet mould the sheath, and it will fit fine. Who knows, you might even enjoy that as much as the knifemaking 

So you've got six months to make this part time job pay better than the other part time job, plus six months to either fix problems with this job, or find an extension of sorts for the other. That sounds like a decent time frame, and a better buffer than a lot of people moving to self-employment get. Just remember that your new gaffer is an idiot who doesn't know what he's doing yet, but he's willing to learn, so don't be too harsh on him. Lots to learn. You know how to make knives, now learn how to run a business 

You have a fantastic opportunity here with the 12 month overlap. Run that other contract all the way through, even if it is damn tedious and loathsome on meagre pay. You'll have something positive to look forward to at the end of the shift, which will help those days pass, and you need that contract in place to ride out the bumps in the road while the other job is coming together.

Lots to be positive about by the sounds of it 

[Gerhard Gerber]

We were 5 on the chopping block, to make matters worse one of the 5 is now acting CEO and the previous smurf was escorted from the building Monday last week 

There are rumors that the whole process will be reversed, hopefully not because that would leave me in a very bad spot....

I can still do my work and assist my colleagues, but I've lost all respect and tolerance for the company and its corporate BS.....my only remaining loyalty and sense of duty is to people, not the brand.......

I will not be able to carry on like nothing happened....but the person who signed my severance and new contract was chased away like a dog........who knows.

The severance package would pay off what's outstanding on my car, and my car is good enough to last me till my expiry date rolls round....so yes, hopefully a simpler and better, creative life to follow.....

.....not sending emails to make sure people can carry on sending emails 


I need 4 sheaths this week, considering I need to buy and learn the lot I hope he comes through.


I'm busy with a knife for my dad, they did leatherwork at school and apart from making his own sheath he's eager to help and get involved. 

 

Thanks AW, time to pull finger and learn leatherwork I guess