Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives

jay i am looking for a custom sword to spark fire in my eyes every time I look at it.
Suzanne E.

--actual complete email received, 2007

Jay,
I bet you never got a speciality knife request like this one before??? My name is D. and I am an amateur script writer who is working with South African actor, T. who is trying out for the NEW role of TARZAN in the up-coming U.S.film. To help T. better his chances we are working on a REVAMP of the Tarzan character. Instead of Tarzan's sidekick being a monkey named, Cheetah. We were going to have his sidekick be a talking knife named Cheetah! I wanted to throw this idea at you. Can you make a hollowed out PLASTIC knife with a battery light inside that can light up when a small button in the handle is pressed? The plastic knife only has to LOOK LIKE a 'real' knife. Doesn't need to be made with metal, to keep the price down and perhaps be in the shape of a bowie knife??    Let me know your thoughts? I've enclosed fan photos of T. that he graciously posed to dressed up as Tarzan

Yes, this is how it begins-

Hello Mr. Fisher,
I hope this mail finds you in good health and that the masterpieces are continuing to come out of your shop and plaster smiles on your client's faces.

I have a question I was hoping I'd get a proper answer from you. Surprised my by how all my Google search results just turned empty or irrelevant results and hence, asking this to you as a learner. Hope you don't mind.

I work in a company that builds special purpose machines for nearly all the major players in the automotive and emissions sectors. We typically work with mild steel, low carbon steel for basic structures and go for steels like EN36 and higher for parts in frequent contact, O1, D2 for tools, dies etc. I have some experienced tool and die makers (>25 years of experience) in my department who usually take a plate, move it around in their hands, feel the weight of the plate and conclude whether it is hardened or not. And I've checked that their observations are always right.

My landlord also works in a similar industry and he taps pieces against each other, listens to the sound and tells whether it is hardened or not.  Regarding the sound, I have at least some basic idea that the more 'glassy' it sounds, the harder it is (please correct me if I'm wrong) but I could not get any answers on the change of weight with respect to hardness.

Can you please explain this strange phenomenon? Or is it something basic that I slept through in class? This has been bugging me for quite a while and after many failed Google searches, I'm here hoping to get my mind cleared. If there's information regarding this on your website that I might have missed, please point me in that direction. Thank you very much in advance for your time.

Sincerely,
B.

Hi, B.,
What a great story; I had to laugh a bit at that.

I do understand the old practice of thumping a piece of steel and listening for a ringing sound. Steel crystalline allotropes are entirely different after hardening, and there is a bit of merit there, though not much, since tempering steel would take away some of the the extremely hard, brittle structure that causes steel to ring higher when hardened. However, there is a difference in sound that can be detected, so that’s not entirely off-base. Steel hardness is frequently checked by a dynamic ultrasonic hardness detector, if that answers your question. But the ear is not so accurate…

The weight argument is, however, ridiculous. There are dimensional changes in steel post heat treat, but they are literally microscopic, so that’s not it.

I’m guessing that while someone may think they are judging by weight (which does not change post-heat treat) what they are really doing is looking at the appearance of the part. Steel looks entirely different after heat treating. Areas that are not finished are darker, “muddier” and show signs of oxidation, no matter how pure the heat treating environment is. If the entire part is finished, some people well-versed in steel can tell a difference in the overall granularity and surface appearance, even without the aid of a microscope. They may think they are judging weight, but if you handed them two different pieces while they are blindfolded, their odds would no doubt be the same as random odds.

This is a magician’s feint, and this kind of stuff happens all the time to us, whether we know it or not. We have, after all, five known senses. Perhaps someone one day will claim they can tell the difference between hardened steel and soft steel by the smell.

Don’t laugh; I was at a knife show decades ago, and a guy was going around picking up knives, looking closely at the blades, holding them at an angle in the light. He would then breathe hard and slow on them, fogging them with his breath. He would examine the condensation on the steel with the blade inches away from his eyes.

I asked him what he was doing and he said, “I’m checking for hardness. If a blade is properly hardened, it won’t hold your breath.”

He nodded respectfully; I guess my blades passed his test. After he walked away, I had to pick up my spray cleaner and scrub all the spittle off of the blades… and he never even mentioned how nice the finish was!

By the way, no matter how “hard” a piece of steel is, does anybody ever consider its temper? I’ll bet you’ve never heard anyone ever say, “This steel feels about the right hardness by judging the weight, but it needs another temper cycle with a cryogenic hold to weigh the right temper for use.”

After all, no steel is used in its fully hardened condition without temper unless it’s a precipitation hardening steel or some bainitic steels for railroad rails and ship deck plates. And nobody is weighing them.

If you want to use another sense to test steel, try my “Carbon Steel Taste Test” for chef’s knives for a real eye-opener!

Jay

Hello;
I was wondering if you would like any of your knives to be reviewed. I am a gear reviewer on youtube with 13,900 subscribers and over 9 million views. ( https://www.youtube.com/user/G******** ) Upon receiving the knive(s) you'd like reviewed, I'll do a video and it will be seen by all my subscribers and a vast majority of the youtube community. I also own the site ( http://**********.com/ ) and if your product is a good quality product then you'll be placed under the knive section ( http://***********.com/Knife/ ). Please contact me back if interested.

Everybody is trying to make money on YouTube. They don't actually sell anything; they are using the products, creations, and input of others to enrich themselves. They typically don't have anything to offer, but they get views and subscribers, and that represents monetization for them. There is nothing wrong with trying to make a dollar, assuming you have something to offer others.

Like most of these "reviewers" this guy has nothing to offer. For instance, his "review" of a factory knife consists of a cell phone video of a salesperson at a noisy show, trying to sell him a factory knife that has a "blood groove." Hint: there is no such thing; it's sad that knife factories push this crap. He videos her sales pitch, and then posts it on his YouTube channel, calling it a "review." Sigh.

He claims that "it will be seen by the vast majority of the youtube community." Really? He's got 13,000 subscribers and thinks that he reaches the "vast majority?" He doesn't have a clue how big YouTube is, and doesn't realize that the vast majority of the world doesn't even look at YouTube. What? you heard it was over three billion? How many of those are watching movies, learning a language, fixing a car, repairing a home? There are close to 8 billion people in the world; the world doesn't center around YouTube.

Of course, the underlying goal is to get a knife (or two, or more). He's not offering to purchase these, he wants them for free, and he's looking for a mark who will be gullible enough to supply him with knives (and content, and sales talks, and content, and imagery, and content...). You get the picture. It's not humorous; it's rather insulting to think knifemakers are desperate enough to fall for this, but I suppose some of them do.

If you are a knifemaker, don't ever, ever fall for this. You are giving away your work to someone who is trying to score a freebie, and in doing so, you're sacrificing your own work for no result whatever. If you need publicity, and want to use YouTube to get it, then build your own channel. If you think you don't have enough time to do this, think about all the time you put into that knife or knives you're about to throw away if you give them to guys like this. Spend that time doing your own homework on your website, your social media, your own advertising. People like this guy prey on the gullible and offer absolutely nothing in return. And the idiot doesn't even know that "knive" is not a word...

Hey,
I am a wing chun kung fu practitioner. At some point in the next couple of years I am going to have a pair of baat jaam do made for me (some people refer to them as butterfly swords).

In any case I was hoping it would be possible to have canvas Micarta handles made for them before the swords are constructed. I know that generally canvas Micarta handles are cut from slabs and either pinned or bolted to a flat tang.

I am inquiring to the company from whom I am going to purchase my baat jaam do as to the specifications of their ebony wood handles as shown here: *website URL deleted*. Is it possible for you to make one-piece canvas Micarta handles that are cylindrical as shown on the page above?

If you cannot could you point me in the direction of someone who can? If it is possible I will order a set of handles from them and send them to you so they can be exactly copied. The other option is that, if you have the ability, they could half finish the sword until just before the knives must have the handles fitted and sent to you for fitting and completion.

I thank you for your time and await your reply.
B. M.

I think it would be best to build the sash first, the one that dangles off of the sheath. Then, move backwards and build the belt loop for the sheath, then the welts, then the sheath front and back. At that time, you could begin to build the knife by first creating a pin for the handle, and then building a handle around the pin. Of course, you're going to run into trouble because before you can build a knife, you must first sharpen the edge, keeping with the theme of reverse building. Sharpen the cutting edge, then build each molecule of the blade onto it, floating around a handle that you have supplied from the company that makes the very handle you want, but in a different material.

Seems somewhat troublesome when the dude could just contact the company and ask them to make a different handle for his batt jaam and jelly knife.

Hi Jay,
I was checking out your website and I have some questions about a folding knife and need your input on it. Please get back to me and I will send you the pictures of the knife, opened and closed. This is very important to me. Thank you so much.

Kind regards,
M.

I need many photos of this knife, open AND closed? Who heard of such a development? Call NASA immediately!

Hello, I was wondering if you could make a custom pair of functional, durable, razor sharp wolverine claws. And if so how mug would it be?

Probably about a 20 oz. mug. I know, that's a lot of coffee, but the curve of those blades will be hard to fit in a tumbler or a travel mug, given the reduced diameter of the base. And, for sure, I would recommend stainless adamantium, since one bump in the road and you're in for a leak. I'd be very careful taking that first sip!

Also I was looking for a kind of subtle S edged Blade with a good heft in the front of the blade for hacking and a sharp tapered edge down the spine of the blade, as well as a blood groove incorporated into the blade, maybe like a very slight concave on either side of the blade near the mid front, to prevent it from binding when I try to cut or pull it out, finger grooves and maybe a loop for the index finger to rest in. And sharpened to almost a razors edge but with micro serrations like with 180 grit on an rc 60 blade and polished to a shiny finish, how much?
--ND

There are a lot of guys with ideas and schemes about knives. Many of them have unrealistic concepts about the shape of a blade, its purpose, and the myriad of parts, components, and uses possible. They can even visualize the action of the blade (note his reference to "binding when I pull it out"). Pull it out of what?

One can only guess, and though I'm intuitive to knife use, I'm not seeing a pretty picture here. By the way, there is no such thing as a "blood groove," or "micro serrations." These are clearly terms from a knife forum or Reddit, where guys go to discuss the finer details of hand-to-hand knife combat festering in their imagination after retiring from their marathon of Assassins Creed, version 7. That's why he needs a finger loop (no such thing) to help him maintain his grip because his thumbs are tired from fighting a worn-out game controller.

If I were to send you a strip of tungsten carbide metal, would you be able to replicate the KABAR Tanto Knife. Thank You
KM

In my understanding the technology to convert one steel type to another in such a fashion doesn't exist. To replicate means to create an exact copy, so I assume you want me to use a strip of tungsten carbide to make a knife that includes a blade, flat crossguard, and a thermoplastic elastomer (rubber-like plastic). You might as well ask me to take your steel and make a bar of gold.

Okay, so maybe he wants a knife based on the design of the Ka-Bar Tanto knife. Tungsten-carbide is the wrong material for any knife blade, it's a very hard, extremely brittle metal that would break in half if you dropped the knife on a concrete floor. The ultimate safe queen; it would remain sharp forever, because you couldn't use it without it chipping, breaking, or snapping to pieces.

I understand why guys put together the idea of extremely hard machining alloys and the idea of a knife blade. Many factors have to be considered, and one of the main ones is toughness, that is, resistance to breakage or fracture. Good knife steels are not only hard and wear-resistant, they are tough and hard to break. Toughness must be carefully matched with geometry and use, and a hard, brittle alloy of any kind can not be used to make a thin, narrow, useful blade.

You've seen our favorite Hollywood hero in action? Name one, doesn't matter. They kick the knife blade of the enemy and it snaps in half. This would be a total fantasy, unless you actually made a knife with a tungsten carbide blade like you requested.

Hello Jay,
I have emailed you before, I have an obsession with knife sharpening and with Japanese Water Stones, and I have my own little knife sharpening business here. I'm still in the Navy (35 years now) but absolutely love knives and especially sharpening them.

I have been reading from your website off and on now for over a year and I've learned so much from you, thank you for that. I have a question though and I know you will give me a brutally honest answer.

Is it possible for me to creat a hollow grind on a knife that currently has a flat grind using a belt sander with diamond belts in various grits? With practice, is this something I could try to do, or is it too difficult. I have been sharpening knives for many years, I'm very comfortable with free hand sharpening, but creating a hollow grind on a knife is something I have never done, I have a nice little belt sander with a variety of belts and a large assortment of water stones but I have no practical history in adjusting the profile of a knife. I think it would be easy to sharpen after that however.

I truly admire your work Jay, don't worry about replying if you are too busy, this is not exactly high priority.

Very Respectfully,
P. N.

Lots of guys throughout history have had an obsession with sharpening. This probably dates back to deep prehistory, when a caveman would bring his dull and maybe broken chipped flint to the local sage, who would look him up and down, frown over his degraded stone knife, and hold his hand out for a handful of berries, dried meat, or maybe a pretty seashell. Then, he would nod knowingly, and swish away his client with his hand. Maybe he would point at his wrist signifying to his client to come back later... wait, wristwatches didn't exist until 1868, so that didn't quite work...

The reason he wouldn't use words to tell him to come back is that edges and their creation predate actual language in our history. Yep, it's true; look it up. That's how long this sharpening thing has been going on.

Our modern friend is a fan of Japanese water stones. These are actually a misnomer, since nearly all of them are not natural and not distinctly "Japanese." This is the same trope of "superior" Japanese technology that we all grew up with, a common theme detailed in quite a few places on this website, sprouting from the myth of the samurai warrior promoted by 1960s to current media fantasy creations.

Anyway, these "stones" today are actually aluminum oxide or silicon carbide, held together with a rather loose binder, so they can break down quickly and expose new and sharp cutting edges of the abrasive. This way, they don't "glaze over" and dull, and will bring up a sharp edge quickly with fresh abrasive. People who don't quite get the concept are amazed by them, and because of their high wear, frequent purchases are required, which is always good for the company that makes them. They wear out quickly, folks, that's the downside, and they are just standard sharpening stones or hones... nothing really special, no matter what you may read.

They are also limited in their abrasive ability. The abrasives are not as hard as diamond, and harder, more wear-resistant knife blades will wear out one of these quickly. That's why I recommend diamond sharpening stones in every use. You simply won't wear one of these out, and, in the long run, that will save you money. They don't cup, shrink, change geometry, and require no water, oil, or special sauce to do the trick. More about sharpening on my Knife Care page at this bookmark.

I did look this gentleman up, and he has a successful business sharpening knives. He's using silicon carbide and aluminum oxide stones, as he described, and that's really okay for most knives, because most knife blades are soft and actually not wear-resistant. So, you can do well with these stones evidently, but clearly there is an easier, faster method.

The tradition of constant sharpening continues, as cheaper and cheaper knives are brought into the mainstream. The sad part of this entire affair is that a really good knife blade, made of a high alloy, hypereutectoid stainless steel, can have a cutting edge that outlasts the most common knife blade edges by a factor of 10. But you can only reasonably sharpen them with diamond.

Now, the hollow grind. You probably could regrind a finished blade with a flat grind to produce a hollow grind. First, the blade would have to be thick enough in the midline to have enough "meat" left over to support the center of the blade. Any decent flat ground knife would probably NOT have enough metal left. But say it does, and you want to regrind this.

Diamond belts are incredibly expensive, and they are not the abrasive used to grind steel. What? Jay has just claimed I should use diamond on the sharpening stone! Why would diamond be wrong for the blade?

Well, it's not the diamond, it's the belt. Any belt that has diamond means that the diamond particles are adhered to the belt with some type of adhesive. Or they are embedded in a resin slurry that hardens somewhat, that adheres to the surface. The ONLY way to use a diamond belt, ANY diamond belt is WET. That means you'll have to have a wet grinder. This is a lapidary setup and they aren't made to grind steel, particularly hardened steel. Also, diamond does not have the abrasive "clearance" to actually dramatically change geometry. The particles aren't large enough and there isn't enough space between them to clear the swarf. This is best achieved with ceramic metal abrasives, which are relatively inexpensive. So save the diamond belts and the lapidary machine for the rocks and ceramics and glass; they work well there.

Additionally, the machine used to grind steel is a belt grinder, not a belt sander. A belt sander, no matter the size, is a woodworking tool, has a high surface per minute (SPM) speed, and has play and slop, and unruly control of the belt, soft and floppy contact wheels and pad, and poor tracking. A true belt grinder is a precision machine, and at the skilled hands of a trained person, can produce incredibly accurate and regular grinds. This is why every knifemaker alive must, sooner or later, buy a belt grinder. Good ones are not cheap.

Remember that all knives will lose their temper if they get too hot, and that critical tempering temperature is probably a lot lower than you think. Just getting the blade too hot to touch has an effect. Having to remove enough geometry to create a hollow grind will take an incredible amount of time; you'll find yourself holding the blade in cooling water longer than actually grinding. It's a long arduous process, taking many hours, for a flat-bladed knife that is worth, what, $100 max?

If you're going to make knives, start with new stock, learn how to do it right. Trying to save a badly ground knife is like trying to darn socks. You can do it, but, really... why?

Dear Jay
I am looking for assistance in the design of a finger knife (ring), to be used as an aesthetic looking, concealable defence tool for women in close combat. I can commission a concept if you are interested in attempting this.

Kind regards, A. T. (India)

Oooooohhhhhkkkaaaaaayyy. Let's examine this idea. Finger knife (ring) = finger ring = ring. For the finger.

A ring is a very, very small piece of metal. No matter how many "World Champion" NFL Super bowl wins may be the foundation of a large hunk of gold with inlays of enameled glass, encrustations of sapphires, rubies, and diamonds—this is not a defensive weapon. It's just a rather small hunk of expensive metal and maybe rock.

Side note: "Jostens" makes a bunch of these, and Jostens is the company in the awards industry that encourages recognition by starting with high school yearbooks and every college you can think of. They make plenty of money in the awards and recognition field, selling everything from diploma frames to yearbook plans, from school jewelry to letter jackets. --Sorry, just an interesting diversion.

A small piece of metal isn't likely to protect you in a close quarters combat situation. The Jollywood trope of a hefty fist equipped with a good-sized ring leaving a crippling dent in the skull of a potential killer is just that—a fantasy trope.

It isn't even remotely possible, so first, you've got to add more metal. How do you do this? It's not a ring anymore, it's a knife with a ring attached. So much for the "aesthetic looking" aspect; only a knife lover would gasp in admiration. Others might like to have you arrested.

Maybe there's a needle involved. Sure, another trope, that an injection of some substance would instantly bring down a large male, like a tranquilizer dart. Midazolam is the fastest acting of its class and it takes "a few minutes" to take effect. A few minutes is a LOT of time in an emergency situation. Try to hold your breath for a few minutes to get a real appreciation of this interval length. And if you're packing this dangerous thing, how do you protect yourself from accidental injection? Please don't tell me you stay jacked up on amphetamines to cover that unforeseen condition.

And then there's the other condition, "concealable." What? How do you conceal something on your hand? Maybe you keep it in your bag or under your clothing, but how fast can you get to something like that during an attack? And how much force can be supported by a woman's fingers?

The average diameter of the proximal phalange (the bone in your ring finger that would bear the force) is 3/8" (9.5 mm). But a female's skeleton has only half the mass of that of a male's, so we would expect a woman's average hand to be closer to 1/4" (6.4 mm) in the same phalange. That's not a lot of tiny tender bone supporting a piece of metal, any metal. I really don't see how any lethal degree of force could be effectively applied through this mechanical arrangement. 

I've seen these claw-things sold to gullible women for years, and several of them even claim that their benefit is to "collect offender's DNA" for later analysis. What? Is that before or after they find your body in the cattails at the local pond?

Okay, forgive my insensitivity about your genuine concern about your safety. But what if you have this imposing (and fashionable) weapon in your hand, and the guy is coming at you with a pipe... a chair... a bat... or a large blanket? What if he keeps his distance and has a Taser... or a pistol?

Of course you are "looking for assistance!" If there was a useful tiny device you could use to protect yourself, it would have swept the world by now. We know a lot about weapons... an incredible amount learned through history, and there isn't one (other than a firearm) that trumps the others. And even then, the larger, farther-shooting firearm trumps the smaller, easily concealed and carried one.

The best thing I can think of is preparation. It's called "risk aversion," and it's detailed all over this beautiful internet. Here's a summary:

1. Do not walk or run alone.

2. Always be aware of your surroundings.

3. Do not use headsets or earbuds.

4. Use GPS tracking and let someone know where you are and when you are expected

5. Stay in populated areas.

6. Try not to be out at night.

The idea that you carry, wear, walk, or run with a weapon in hand is a bit silly. If you fall on your Wolverine claws, you'll hurt yourself. By the way, a set of keys in your fingers may make you feel good, but they're not going to stop an attacker. Sorry, just reality. Your phone is too slow, your screams not loud enough or paid attention to, and you'd look pretty silly running with a Mark VII .357 Magnum Desert Eagle in your hand. And you might get shot by the cops by accident!

The most important thing: Number 1: try not to travel alone, especially in scary places.

Final thought: I'm probably on someone's watch list now for looking up all this information on the internet, and can only hope to fly under the radar...

Hello Jay
Your knives are amazing pieces of functional art! I am reaching out about custom wa style handles. I am a chef and avid Knife collector. I like to customize my blades with one of a kind handles for my own private collection and use. It is impossible to find wa handles made with stone/gemstones and I would love to have some made. Do you make custom wa handles that could be made to a certain spec? I have done many handle swaps and installation. I would very much like to get some wa style handles made so I could install them on some of my chefs knives. Preferably some agate, turquoise, jasper or similar. I feel that this is a HUGE untapped market for custom knife handles that nobody is doing! I have searched near and far throughout the knife community and asked around at several gem shops with no success. So many handles are made with resin or fake stone like materials and it’s just not the same as the real thing. These blades mades by master blacksmiths deserve a handle that can match their quality. The photo below is an example of the types of handle and designs I’m looking for. Please let me know if you have any other questions and especially if this is something you would do. Thanks very much for your time and consideration.

Regards A.

The photo this emailer included showed a traditional octagon or hexagon shaped tapered hidden tang or rabbeted tang handle, where a stub of handle is shoved down inside a stack of handle material and glued there. This is a fine handle for this type of knife, but I did notice a black and nasty looking hand-forged blade and, for once, I felt a bit "talkative" and tired of these generation-long misconceptions about knife blades and handles. So I answered him, just so at least one soul could have some direct input from lifelong career of making fine knives:

Hi, A. Thanks for writing and thanks for your interest in my knives.

Thanks also for your kind words about my gemstone handles; I've made more than anyone who has ever lived, many hundreds to date, all made by hand, all individually. I know that's a pretty bold claim but I believe it to be true, unless someone can find someone crazier than I am!

Gemstone is the ultimate natural handle material, and will absolutely outlast any knife made. By the way, I've also made every knife blade for every gemstone handle you see with my name on it, and I consult and speak at University level to professors, teaching assistants, and graduate students about modern metallurgy and cryogenic processing, specifically on knife blades. I also actively consult in legal matters about knives, knife use, design, heat treating, and manufacturing practices and methods.

The issue is that you have blades that you like, and you claim they are made by "master blacksmiths." I've got to be open here, and claim that I'll put my high alloy blades against any blacksmith's blades, since the finest high alloy steels cannot ever be hand-forged, ever. When someone hammers out a blade, by definition, that is an inferior steel. Just think about this: no modern machine or cutting tool for industrial use is ever hand-forged, ever. That's because we have tremendously superior alloys today, and they cannot be forged simply because a forge cannot reach and maintain a temperature for forging these exotic alloys, and the contaminated atmosphere of a forge will be destructive to these alloys. Consequently, they are heat treated in a controlled atmosphere furnace and cryogenically processed. Incidentally, very, very few blacksmiths are cryogenically treating their blades, and most of the higher carbon steels they might use absolutely require sub-zero or cryogenic treatment to properly harden and temper them for maximum performance.

There is a lot of interest out there driven by "old-looking" steel surfaces that are blackened and not food-contact safe, in that they can't be cleaned and often corrode, but that doesn't stop their popularity... go figure.

My point is that if you think my gemstone handles are good, I'll claim that my blades are even more advanced. I'm using extremely high alloy martensitic stainless steels, and they will flat out perform circles around hand-forged blades, only requiring sharpening maybe once or twice a year, compared to hand-forged carbon steel knives which require honing and steeling sometimes before every use.

Please forgive this usually long email, but I'm feeling talkative today... Anyway, I've got some tremendously thin and hard Sushi-Kiri, Yanagiba Sashimi, Chinese vegetable, custom chef designed, and wonderful knives coming in my upcoming works, and look forward to you seeing those when they are finished. They will have gemstone handles; jade, Pietersite, agates, jaspers, and maybe even inlaid faceted gems just for a touch of brag... and some will have cast silver fittings.

My short answer is this: I don't make handles for other maker's knives and I don't know anyone who does because of the reasons I've stated above. Making a gemstone handle is often more labor intensive and expensive than the knife blade, and only an extremely superior blade should have them.

Thanks for your interest, A.,
Jay

I know of some good vendors, people who sell knives and do pretty well. They are always listening to their clients and judging the market and its direction. This company was inquiring if a new knife steel type might be in the future; clearly many clients are not happy with the performance of the majority of knives made and sold, figuring the performance was directly linked to the steel type. Here's my response:

"There are numerous steels used in knives and numerous people and companies who claim to fabricate new steels, hoping their "invention" will overtake the market. Most of the industrial machining world knows what steels produces the toughest, most wear resistant, and most durable steels for things like high speed planer blades, milling cutters, drills, broaches, punches, and cutters of every kind. We do not lack a plethora of steel types. What we lack in the tradecraft is knowledge of proper application of those steels, and a large part of pedestrian results is due to faulty or inefficient heat treating.

Just to cite an example, blackened blades are all the common rage: people falling for the “handmade look” of unfinished, pitted, and blackened surfaces on blades as it’s some advantage or creation of a master in his art. Yet that type of blade is, frankly, unfinished junk (and is food contact unsafe). It’s because so many manufacturers and makers are completely neglectful of the proper handling and treatment of these steels, not even mentioning the finish, which is clearly the most time-consuming effort of any metal project.

Here’s a fun fact: ANY steel that has more than 0.3% carbon MUST be quenched and held to below zero degrees Fahrenheit for complete martensitic conversion. Most of these “blacksmith” type blades are simply quenched to room temperature, and most of them contain much more carbon than 0.3%! I wouldn’t even consider any steel suitable for any cutting tool that isn’t at least hypereutectic, that is, containing more than 0.8% carbon. And those steels ALL have to reach cryogenic temperatures JUST TO HAVE FULL MARTENSITE CONVERSION!

Mostly, this inattention to heat treating is the most common flaw in all modern knives. Even industrial knife manufacturers are doing as little as possible to make their blades salable. It’s very expensive to do a proper cryogenic heat treatment, and since heat treatment isn’t something the client can actually SEE, it’s easier and cheaper to forego any complex process and instead make claims of superiority based on myth, innuendo, or faith on the part of the customer.

So what does a properly treated high alloy stainless steel offer that factory or blacksmith made common knives offer? Here’s a simple concept: sharpening once or twice a year vs. sharpening weekly, daily, or at each use.

There are new steels made all of the time and NONE of them are taking over the market. Until knifemakers learn to properly heat treat, it really doesn’t matter much of what steel is being used by the consumer. My opinion is that any high alloy hypereutectoid martensitic stainless steel can make an excellent blade, if it’s properly heat treated. Sure, there are superior performers in the field, and they can be much more expensive to make into a knife. Then, it becomes a matter of expense vs. sales… you know that tune!

A guy contacted me yesterday and wanted me to put fine gemstone handles on blackened knives (made by “master blade smiths”). He thought the most important thing missing from knives was the gemstone handles: the Next Big Thing (see Vince Gill and note the bellybutton ring…)

Best,
Jay"

Dear Mr Fisher, although you may not fine this question a serous one, my wife of 45 years really does.  You see she is a great cook and she has this small kitchen paring knife that happens to be about sixty years old and she dearly loves it and.  The handle has broken and she says that she cannot find another to replace it. My question to you is would you even consider making a handle for this small knife if I were to send it to you, or could you tell me where could I locate someone who could make a handle for this small treasure of my loving wife.

Any help would really be welcomed. Thanks, B.

Clearly, this man loves his wife; as it should be. 45 years is a long time. But the knife she loves is 60! Why would someone love a knife that is 60 years old? Is it "worn in" in a perfect fashion? Is it "just right" for her preference? Is it a family heirloom that she can't let go? Maybe, it's all of these together. People can be very possessive and protective of their knife relationship.

But the handle is the problem. It's broken. That means it's wood, or plastic, because metal or stone won't break. Knives all decay; it's a matter of longevity, something very few knifemakers or companies talk about.

When I started making, I wanted to make a knife that I would never have to see again; one that would outlast my life and, believe me, I was very young (19). So I started building with high alloys, stainless steels, including all fittings, and gemstone handles. This would never happen to this couple if her handle was stone; stone will outlast the blade.

What about this guy's (or rather his wife's) problem? Take the knife to a knifemaker; have him make another knife of the same design. Don't repair a paring knife; it's too small and any knifemaker worth his salt can build another that would be better. But maybe it's mojo or some special woo sauce in the blade, and it could never be reproduced. Don't laugh; people actually believe that stuff. After all, just put the word "Jasper" in any AI search engine and watch how many crystal healing power sites pop up.

HI there.   I have a set of six silver and horn handled steak knives.   The horn has started disintegrating and I wondered if you were able to re-handle the knives for me.   They were given to me as a wedding present in 1970 and have sentimental value.   Please advise.   E. L.

Again, here we go with the handles. Silver is good; it's antimicrobial, it's fairly durable, it can be pretty if you keep it polished. But horn? Nawww.

Horn is compressed hair. Have I used it before? Sure I have but only by request, for the precise reason she describes. A little water of food juice in the porous horn at a crack or seam or imperfection and all the silver in the world won't stop the smell and decay.

But she wants a new handle put on. A lot of people do; people have written me continually through the decades wanting new handles on old blades. I could get rid of all my blade equipment and heat treating furnaces, cryo freezers and machine tools and just slap new handles on old knives. That is, if I could make a buck at it, and I can't. This is because it takes just as much effort to re-handle an old knife as it does to put a handle on a new knife, sometimes more, since the old knife may need repair and adapting to a new handle. And, believe me, she won't want to pay the price of that effort; nobody does.

So there we have it. Old blade, old handle, handle falls apart, owner thinks handle is simple and cheap to replace, owner is wrong. That pretty much sums it up.

Hello, Jay.
I stumbled across your web site while searching for custom knife sheath makers. I have a knife that someone custom made for me, but just do not like the sheath he made. I think he is more rugged and practical than fit and finish and I do not want to bother him or offend him. It is an interesting design. There is a piece of leather that comes down behind the sheath and it has a slot for a little belt that comes across the front, so I can remove it from my belt without taking my belt off. I can send you photos if you reply to this and are interested.
Thanks,
Tony

I'm not real sure what this guy wants. He stumbled along and stumbled into my website while stumbling for custom knife sheath makers. On every related page I make it crystal clear that I don't make sheaths for other people's knives, in a bold yellow box with a red border. He missed it.

Then, he goes on about a sheath he had made (with a knife, I suppose) that he doesn't like. He says the guy is more "rugged and practical" and not "fit and finish." The guy himself? What, was this a date?

Anyway, he doesn't want to offend this maker of poor sheaths and would rather offend Jay Fisher by offering to send me photos of this guy's poorly made sheath...why? So I can copy it? Make him a better sheath?

I've said it over and over again: go back to the maker of the knife and sheath and demand satisfaction. If you purchased a custom firearm and holster, and the holster was poorly made, you would certainly go back to the source and demand better; why is it in custom knives that people want a knifemaker to fix the mistakes of another knifemaker? It's just plain weird, and I've never heard of it in any other tradecraft.

Email title: I get the feeling this is the first time you've gotten this

Hi Jay,
I have a request to commission a very special knife:

Special is my thing; I'm very excited about how this starts out!

I want it to have a simple non fixed, single edged blade of under 3 1/2" (legal requirements for it to not be an illegal concealed weapon here in Seattle), and for the blade to lock back, and have a hole or stud to ease the flipping out of the blade.

Okay this doesn't sound too special; it's a folding knife.

Basically a standard pocket knife, but with one very important difference, I want the blade to be made of bronze, not painted, but actually made of bronze (and to keep a good edge it'll probably need a relatively high tin content, probably around 20%)

Okay, that's just foolish. Why make a folding knife with a bronze blade? And I don't care how much tin you put in the copper, it won't hold an edge. It's copper and tin, bronze is, and while it may have been a breakthrough in 6000 B.C., it's not so notable now, now that we have steel blades that are dozens, maybe hundreds of times more durable.

The guy who made my bronze swords only uses ancient archaeologically based molds, non of which can create a blade which would be legal to carry on my person.

Thanks and Best Regards,
M. F.

Okay so you're proud of your bronze swords and I guess "the guy" who makes them does junky, ancient, lousy castings of open face molds, absolutely a poor and antiquated way to make any bronze casting, much less a tool or weapon.

This is part of a longstanding problem in the knife world. Guys like this think that because someone is using antiquated technology, the products of that technology have some intrinsic or physical value in our modern world. If it were a true archaeological creation, a real ancient sword, well then, that would have actual value. But a recreation of an ancient sword made with the same technology of the ancients has little to no value in either collection or use. This is like someone handing you a carved stick and telling you that they carved it with a jagged rock and because he used old technology, the stick is worth something. It's not. Throw away your bronze sword "made in the ancient fashion," since, simply put, it's been done before.

This should make you think a bit about the value of a hammer forged blade. Maybe the blacksmith didn't  use an electric blower motor for his forge, or an electrical trip hammer, or a gas forge and went for hand-mined coal and a bellows operated by the foot of a slave under the whip. Maybe he didn't use sandpaper to finish it but used ground-up rocks and sand and a block of wood with some fat from an old goose as a lubricant and as a sticky medium for the sand, again, operated by a slave under a whip. Would that make the blade (and knife) more valuable? Believe it or not, people are fooled by this kind of thing in our tradecraft far too frequently. Makes you think, doesn't it? 

And bronze is great for casting art stands, sculpture, or maybe even bushings for hardened and inexpensive electrical motor shafts. But it makes horrible blade for use. And we don't use tin bronze much anymore, we use silicon bronze for that stuff.

But maybe I missed the point. Maybe knife laws for concealed carry in Seattle only apply to steel and this guy has bad intentions... who knows? Who cares? Carry a sharpened stick; I'm sure it's legal. Just make sure it's made the "old way."

Dear Mr. Fisher,
I have bowie knife with a custom made leather sheath something like your desert wind except that mine is for a Bowie knife with a 12" long blade. Instead of a S.S. clad top and bottom; mine is engraved Sterling Silver. The Leather was sliced at the bottom to fit into the tapered point, but was never sewn together. I am hoping you can help me out.
Sincerely,
C. F.

That's an easy one, C. Just get a leather needle and some heavy duty nylon or polyester thread. Or you could lace it with leather or sinew. Be creative and have fun!

Jay,
I will be brief. I plan to order a knife in the next month or two. I am designing it right now. Serious intent. You have true talent.

Okay, this is a bone thrown to the old knifemaker, to make him run after it in frothing greed and capitalistic desperation. I'm not falling for it this time. "Serious intent" is the giveaway. Then the gratuitous "true talent" phrase, at this point just sprinkles... on the transparent icing... on the cake made of wishes.

Quick question: Your page of do's and don'ts said you do art projects on occasion.

It does not. I wrote it; couldn't find it anywhere. I do write that I create works of art that appreciate in value over time, but that's under the topic of making knives. "Art projects" does not appear. If I did want to do an art project, maybe I'd make a macaroni montage glued to a paper plate... but it would be in the shape of a knife.

I want a chalice made of green malachite.

Ahh... to drink the sacrificial waters of Shangri La, no doubt. And gain eternal life!

Completed this would be absolutely gorgeous, worthy to have your name on it.

And a blatant poke at my bloated ego, which needs no help from you, sir.

Would you consider this request?

I will consider it. Considering now...

If not, a one word email, "no", would suffice.

No.

This is a serious inquiry, with serious cash behind it.

One last attempt at basic greed.

Thanks,
Z.

Your attempt has failed. The green goblet of Grokenstein will escape your grimy gropers once more.

Jay,
My name is K. W., and you're a busy man, so I won't mince words and waste your time.

Thank you for your direct and determined admission; I'm sure this is about purchasing a knife, since I only make knives and sell them. No mincing is appreciated!

I am a young man (21) in a very difficult world to be a young man in.

Oh, I don't know about that. It's a pretty easy world here in the United States of America. Other places are markedly more difficult, say, for instance, being an orphan in Bangladesh. We've got it pretty good here; any young man who tries to find work generally can, and then he can work his way up through whatever field he chooses. Even it it takes decades of discovery, study, effort, and application, a young man of any type in the US has it pretty darn good. There are currently no drafts into active warzones, no pandemics, no direct threats to a young man's future, only his own limitations. Compared to our past, we've got it pretty good. I'll even state that young men today have an open field, to do just about any legal and moral thing they want, if they will just try, and keep trying.

I'm a hard worker, I am determined, driven, and motivated, and most of all intelligent.

See? You've got it all, it seems; nothing will hold you back, so bully for you, charge on with gusto!

I want to learn your craft.

I assume he means knifemaking, since this is the subject of my profession. But would it surprise you to know that I wear many hats, some that are totally unrelated to and independent from knifemaking? Like professional audio science and technology, like photography, sewing and jewelry, research and writing, animal husbandry and gardening, plumbing and maintenance; these are just some of the crafts I partake in.

There are few to no true craftsmen left in today's world, and learning an art I love from a master would be an honor.

Okay, stop that; it's just not true. While there are many hobbyists, posers, and forum wizards who have little to show for their boasted knowledge and claimed skill, there are plenty of men (and women) who are true craftsmen. They are just getting harder to find, because they don't often rely upon social media self-promotion and are far too busy to have the time for it. But they are out there, working, creating, "craftsmaning" every day. Do some research, look for the results of their craftsmanship and you will find them.

I do not want, or expect pay, or even your time.

Now it's getting ridiculous. No pay? You work for free? How long could you survive like this? You'll get hungry the first day. And then to go on and claim you would not even expect time from a teacher? After all, this is what you're asking, right? So how would you expect to learn, by osmosis? By some special alpha-wave artificial intelligence-driven master mainframe that plugs into the back of your skull?

I would gladly be a shop helper, I'll sweep, do whatever you need. As an intern, for free.

Uhhh, interns usually get paid. And I don't sweep anymore, I use very fine Ridgid brand and DeWalt brand vacuum cleaners. Of nearly all vacuums, I'll do a shameless (and unpaid and unsolicited) plug for the Ridgid. I've had them for years and they just won't quit. Great vacuums.

I have a computer sciences degree, and I have metalworking experience.

Okay, this is getting silly. You've got a degree; are you telling me that doesn't work out for you? And metalworking experience? Here's a useful tip. Get a job as a CNC Machining programmer; you'll use all of that training you've paid for. They are in extremely high demand and they get very high pay for rather regular 40 hour work weeks. From there, you've got enough time and money to start learning your own knifemaking skills; this is how most of us did it when we were young. I worked over 100 hours a week with a "regular" job (as an electrician) and my knifemaking job together, until I was able to leave industry and never look back. When you are young, it's incredible how much energy and time you can put into life, and you'll need to, because you'll want to make your own mistakes and learn about life your own way. I'm actually getting excited for your future; go, man, go!

ANY way I could make myself useful to you would be an amazing opportunity. I just ask that you give me the chance to show that I can be an asset to you..

Sincerely and with respect,
- K. W.

Here's my challenge: make yourself useful to our whole country by working hard, building your own business, and making your own way. We, as other citizens, will be proud of your progress and you have your chance right in front of you! Whereas, I, having no degree, no mentor, no teacher, had to struggle harder to simply survive, without the obvious advantages you have listed.

Hi,
i ran across your website and i would like a price to make a sheath for my knife. I have included pictures with dimentions. I would like a black sheath. I also want the sheath made so the handle
JW

That's the whole email. I understood the general request (not something I do), and I understood the first part of the email. But here we have the unfinished last sentence, which leads into the idea that the handle must have some important bearing on the making of the sheath, but we will never know what, since the email just truncates. He even goes on to close the email with his initials, but no idea what he wants the sheath to do for the handle- So let me include the photos he sent so maybe you, the reader, may understand the mystery of the handle and sheath function. You can click on the thumbnail photos if you're brave, but be warned, this is not a pretty picture:

 It looks to be a pattern welded blade, with some strange groove in the thicker area (I assume it's thicker, since there is no obvious grind line) and the blade just kinda meets up with a piece of what appears to be Sambar Stag. There are no bolsters, no guard, no reinforcements of the handle-to-blade area, so I assume this is a rabbeted tang, where a stub of tang is shoved into a hole in the horn and held there with glue. The maker didn't know what to do with the front of the handle so he kinda just ground a little taper on the stag. The entire thing is way out of proportion; the big hunk of round stag crown way overshadows the dinky blade, and it's clearly an amateur knife. Just so you know I have something positive to say: at least it's not mule deer, whitetail, or elk horn as those are completely unsuitable for a knife handle unless they are pressure-stabilized with phenolic, and nobody does that because it's like pressure-stabilizing a piece of old denim pants, only the denim pants are more durable, since horn is just compressed hair. The good thing is that it's Sambar stag, which is about the best you can do if you want a stag horn handle, since that type of horn is harder, tougher, and more dense and solid than other types. More about stag and horn.

Anyway, I don't know what to do with the handle-sheath mystery, so it's anybody's guess. Maybe he wants the sheath to attempt to make the handle look better, like maybe with an actual guard, or maybe look like something better than horn, or maybe he just wants the sheath to hide the whole affair and make others believe he has something of actual value in his fancy new sheath rather than the amateur hobby knife. Which is way beyond my capability.

Hi Jay
I am a surgeon (doctor) and my question is: What is the best blade type to cut through fatty tissue like human breast tissue manually and what is the best if motorised and with using diathermy? Like plain, serrated etc
Thanks H. M.

What? What? WHAT? Okay, this is wrong on so many levels. Let's see if we can identify the unusual facets of this email and dissect the reasons why it is so... disturbing.

• Starting with the format and email itself, there is a distinct lack of proper punctuation, which is not something you would expect from a professional like a "surgeon (doctor)."
• There are no introductory comments, like, "hey, I see you understand about cutting edges," or "I know you don't make scalpels, but-" or "because you make beautiful collectible working knives, I thought it would be a good fit for my question," or "can you direct me to a professional resource that can educate me on medical cutting edges." Instead, he just goes right into, "What is the best blade for cutting breasts?"
• WTF?
• How in the world would I know what is the best thing to cut breasts with? How stupid and offensive is this question?
• And motorized? Really? You want to go after a delicate part of the human body with a whirring wheel of a rotary cutting tool? Ghastly!
• And then he asks for more vicious and horrifying detail, "Like plain, serrated etc"
• And with "diathermy?" That's using high frequency to vibrate and heat tissue for "therapy." I actually had this done on my shoulder when I was young. They put the "zapper" (transducer) on my shoulder joint and proceeded to cook it from the outside in like a microwave oven. All it did is make it hurt worse, and for a week afterward, toasted inside for a new type of pain that I hadn't experienced before. And he wants to do this on breasts? Brutal!
• WTF?
• This is obviously a joke. Surely someone put his cousin up to this fake email to see if he could make it to these very funny pages, maybe embarrass the knifemaker, maybe even claim in some hobbyist forum that the cousin stumped the knifemaker because he wasn't able to answer the question of "WHAT KNIFE CAN I USE TO CUT BREASTS!"
• Or maybe, just a dark thought here, he's some twisted true crime sicko that needs to be locked up.
• WTF?
• Okay, so it's just a silly email, right? Hold on, I'm going to knock your socks off (dated phrase for you youngsters; go look it up). This guy is a Ph.D. at a National Research Center in the Middle East. I won't tell you which country, since he's still there, researching away. He's also listed as a Specialist at a National Health Service hospital in Great Britain! This is a real doctor! Asking a knifemaker how to cut breasts!
• Seriously, WTF?

Jay,
My name is T. D. and after looking at your website and understanding your philosophy about what a knife sheath should do, I'd like to ask for your assistance. Last year I purchased a knife and when trying to put it into it's sheath, it cut through the sheath, then through my hand (in one side and out the other). This was a production knife from one of the big manufacturers that was actually made in China.

I know you are very busy, but if you could take a look at some of the photos of the sheath and the knife, I really would appreciate it. I have a couple of local sheath makes as experts in my case, but I if I could use someone like yourself as a expert, it would make the case easier.

Please let me know if you are interested in helping. As a result of this manufacturer cutting corners and producing a poor sheath, my hand is permanently impaired. I'd like to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else. Your assistance would be greatly appreciated. My phone number is (deleted) and email address is: (deleted). Thank you for your consideration.
T. D.

I'm so sorry that this happened to this guy. He buys a knife with a sheath, the sheath is poorly made and the knife is sharp (as all knives should be) and it cuts right through the sheath and into his hand. He's left with a life-changing injury that he will probably never recover from. This is why I state on my Knife Sheaths page that the most important function of a knife sheath is to protect the wearer.

But this does not help the writer of the email. Unfortunately, he contacted me about this issue long before I started seriously consulting about knives (this email was written some years ago), and emails like this are one of the reasons I started Knife Consultation. Since I started, I've consulted on many cases, some involving injury, to try to educate others about knives, which is all they really ask for, my knowledge and connections. But this email predates that time.

I don't offer consultation for criminal cases, though. They are often about a client trying to get out charges from illegally carrying a knife, and I'm not wasting my time on that. And I don't appraise knives, either. But I've consulted in an advisory role for medical industrial clients, class action lawsuits, and product development advisories. More on my Professional Knife Consultation.

Mr. Fisher,
My name is Staff Sergeant A. and I have been looking for a sheath for my Puma Tec Kukri the blade is nice but every sheath for it has been cut and will not stand up to the sharp blade and I was wondering if you could make me a sheath that is heavy duty and multi cam with the molle straps on it where the blade stands up right with handle to the sky. I also need it to be completely secure where it cannot fall out on rough terrain. I also need to know what kind of price we are looking at.

I have heard great things about your work and I hope your reputation proceeds you. If you cannot do this can you please refer me that may be able to help me out with this issue thanks in advance. Thank you so very much for your time.
God bless and Have a Great Air Assault Day!!

Here we have another typical "bad sheath" email. I get many, many of these. Why do I get them? Because, in all my decades of making knives (I'm close to 50 years in knifemaking at the time of this writing), very few knifemakers or knife manufacturers have improved their sheaths.

Sheaths are still considered an afterthought by most makers, when in reality, they are more important than the knife. How can I say that? Because without a safe, reliable sheath, your knife cannot be worn into the field. That's any field, in battle, or on the street, or in the woods, or at the lake, or even around your property. It saddens me that knifemakers and companies don't supply a good sheath, ever, and that's stating a fact as plain and clear as I can state it.

It's unlikely this will change in my lifetime. Why? Because making a good sheath is difficult, challenging, and expensive because it takes time. And time is money, you know. And this guy (I thank him for his service) would not want to spend several hundred dollars (modest quote) on a knife sheath for a knife that is made of crappy 420 series stainless steel (the absolute worst steel to manufacture any knife with), is actually classified as a machete (by the manufacturer), and costs less than $40.00.

Want to know what a really good sheath is and does?

Hi,
i was interested in the "Viper" Skeletonized Tactical Combat Knife and i was just wondering if you could just buy the knife holder by itself or you have to buy the knife as well with it. Thanks.
H.

Ahhh, another sheath question. At least I think that is what this inquiry is about. Just a note: it's a "sheath" not a "holder." The holder is your hand.

The Viper is a skeletonized knife, which means that it is the least expensive type of knife I make, simply because the complete knife is a piece of machined, hand-ground, plainly flat-finished, hardened and tempered high alloy stainless steel blade. There are no fittings, bolsters, guards, pins, no handle material, no filework, no embellishment of any kind, just a bare bones (and effective and lightweight) piece of serious cutting tool.

Of course, it has to be paired with an effective, reliable, durable, and safe sheath, and in this case, I make the Vipers with a hybrid tension locking sheath, which is actually a bare bones, lightweight, waterproof, durable, and safe knife sheath.

Let's just say I make a sheath for a Viper, and then I sell it to H. I don't believe for a second that H. could afford the sheath, much less the entire ensemble, but we'll ignore that. What would H. do to fill the sheath? Because each hybrid tension lock must be custom fitted, within several thousandths of an inch, to each knife.

It gets wearisome trying to figure out what these people are thinking. That's why the very first subject on my "What I Do and Don't Do" page is about making sheaths for knives other than my own.

I don't.

I have a friend who has an old Henkel knife whose handle has literally fallen apart from use. He is interested in getting it repaired. Do you do that type of work and how much would it cost to put on a new handle? Thanks.
J.

The information transmitted, including attachments, is intended only for the person(s) or entity to which it is addressed and may contain confidential and/or privileged material. If you are not the intended recipient, please delete the e-mail and notify us immediately. No agreement, amendment, waiver, consent, modification or other action shall be effective or binding on Gobsmacker Group, or any affiliate or associated person of Gobsmacker Group (together, "Gobsmacker"), unless it is executed in a formal written instrument signed by an authorized signatory of Gobsmacker and not by any other action or communication, verbal, written or otherwise (including email).

Good grief, I thought companies quit using these stupid, useless, and offensive disclaimers in their emails. It was a fad for a while, until they realized they couldn't make a one-sided contract with the approval of the (unsolicited) recipient. For more detail on this, here's a worthwhile examination of the subject of disclaimers: read it and hurry back.

Just for fun, I substituted the made up the name "Gobsmacker Group." It was called something else in the email . My apologies to any real Gobsmackers who may be offended.

But the subject! Henckels are cheap knives; there I said it. I've heard for years how chefs crow about their cheap Henckels like they are some holy grail of chef's knife. News flash: Henckels are $50.00 knives that can't be made any harder than 56C Rockwell. They are made of a low alloy low carbon hypoeutectic stainless, and lightly treated for a bit of steel improvement, and are markedly inferior to any good handmade knife. Their type of steel alone is the reason people learned to hate stainless. They are factory knives that have been eclipsed even in the industry of factory knives by many other manufacturers. But like so many advertising efforts, people remember the name and equate this with some value. They are not worth putting any handle on, and the fact that the handle "fell apart" perfectly describes their place in the knife world. In the nearest wastebasket, where you would place any object that "fell apart." Want do do a deep dive on Zwilling J. A. Henckels and impress your fellow chefs?

Hello
my husband purchased a set of knives and when we moved the moving company broke the stones on 2 of the handles. I have attached a picture of the knife that wasn't broke. Would you please be able to tell me how much you would charge to make a knife like this because we are having problems finding someone to appraise the knives and the moving company needs to know a price that it would sell for if not the value of the knives. The stone is lapis lazuli. Thank you in advance.
Sincerely,
B B.

Okay, this is clearly not an inquiry about making a knife, but an attempt at getting a free appraisal because a moving company broke a knife and the customer of the moving company has to come up with a value so the company can reimburse them. This happens frequently, not typically with knives, but I know of several circumstances where a moving company destroys valuable antiques and has to pay the cost of repairing and refurbishing them. It seldom works out for the customer who has what was a valuable piece, but is now nearly worthless because it has been modified by a repair. For curiosity, let's just take a look at these valuable knives to see what she's wanting "repaired."

And what do we find? A very cheap and poorly made tourist knife, with a poorly finished piece of lapis on a cheapo blade made of unknown but poor steel (note the crude engraving and the rusty troughs cut into the soft metal with a hammer and chisel). It's got the English-ized version of the country name (typical of all tourist knives) and a suitable sheath, all resting on the bed of a beat-up pickup truck. I'd guess the whole ensemble could be acquired from its original source for less than $10, or a couple packs of smokes. Tell the moving company you got took. Sigh.

How can I get a knife makers symbol. I am starting out as a custom knife maker in the greater Arkansas area and am wanting my own symbol but don't know where to look. Any ideas would be helpful

That's the whole email. No heading, salutation, closing, or signature. Just the deep and thoughtful question (without a question mark). Sigh. The greater Arkansas area will be much greater indeed when he gets the coveted knifemakers symbol. He doesn't know where to look for his. As if he will one day find it, patiently waiting for him to adopt on his knives.

I've got a great idea for his symbol: a question mark. First, he'll have to do some research on how to actually use it in a sentence.

Learn more about Maker's Marks here.

Hi
would it be possible for you to make me the knife on the end of the system pictured below?
Thanks, S.

Ah, the system. The system where you have a foot-long dagger in some kind of sliding mechanism that is guilefully concealed beneath your elfin garb. The system where you fiddle and fangle with the straps that can't be secured to your forearm because your wrist is smaller than your forearm and it keeps sliding down. The system where your clothing gets tangled up in the mechanism since your arms flex and bend in your elfin journey and the material bunches and folds. The system where you struggle to find the release button in the dark when you feel threatened on the subway. The system where the blade kind of falls out when you are passing by an elderly passenger in the crowded throng, and puts a nice gash in granny's hip, causing a commotion when she sees the blood and starts screaming. The system where you are in a desperate panic when the police officer yells at you repeatedly to "Drop the Knife!" and you can't get it off of your arm and are struggling with the straps inside your elfin jacket while trying to explain over the gathering law enforcement officers, who are all now all screaming for you to "Drop your weapon!" as they aim their 40 caliber Glock 22 police service pistols at your heart. They system where, as you're fiddle-fee-farting around (Elfin term used in the Rivendale, Middle Earth Lands) with your clumsy and panicked fingers and the officers get tired of your stumbling and ineffective effort to get the large, pointed blade out of your hand and off of your person, and decide that the best course of action to protect themselves and the public is to shoot you, center mass, to make sure you don't get up and mount an attack. The system's scene ends with a police Sargent leaning over your body wondering why you would be wearing such a silly and useless looking assemblage of straps and rails and springs and buckles that ultimately cost you your entire future and sends you to the promised land. Your mother is sad, your father is embarrassed, and the shire is in no way safer. And you even had a magic goose feather in your pocket for protection from evil.

This is the system that develops when you follow fandom from fantasy and try to have a knifemaker incorporate elfin magic into the real world.

For more information why these gimmicky knives don't work, take a look at this subject on my Knife Sheaths page.

Jay,
Very interested in your knives.

Are you? Really? Like interested in an order or purchase?

However,

I knew it. I shouldn't even read the rest of the email. "However" in this context means "nevertheless," so what follows has nothing to do with the statement he made that he's very interested in my knives. Would you do that to a company that sells, say, machine screws? Would you write to them and claim you were very interested in their machine screws, however, you want something other than machine screws? Why is this so common in the knifemaking field? Why?

currently looking for a way to appraise some of my collection primarily for insurance purposes, but also for possible resale.

We'll forgive the incomplete sentence, but here we have the point of the email. He wants an appraisal. Not for one knife, but for his entire collection, no less! He missed the statement in my "What I do and don't do" page where I actually give him a link to one of the field's premier appraisers, or he saw it and found out the guy charges a few bucks per knife. "Why not just get old Jay Fisher to give him a free appraisal?

I have one knife in particular that I would like to get appraised but cannot locate anyone I would trust in my local area.

"In my local area?" I'm over 1150 miles from this guy, a mere 17 hour drive - one way - and he can't find anyone to trust less than 1149 miles away?

I was wondering if you could recommend a person, or organization that would be able to perform this service.

Here's the sad thing. I do that very thing; I recommend one of our field's premier appraisers, and the link is clear and plain and right out in the open for him to read, on the very page he ignored in order to get my email address and send me this email. It's also on my "Helpful Links" page. You might think I'm being overly dramatic about these emails, but I get many dozens of these, like telemarketers: relentless and unending, battering me with barrages of requests for referrals for the very service someone else offers, and it's right in front of their face (and every search engine and AI ever built) and they choose to ignore it.

Why do they do this? I've got a theory. They know about the appraiser, and they don't want to fork over a few dollars per knife to him, and want me to do the appraisal for free.

Sometimes, they feel uncertain that I will comply and decide to add certain personal validations to their email to make sure I will support their quest for a free appraisal. They know I support our military, so they'll add their own resume like this writer did:

I am a retired USAF member, and disabled vet.

I do not know this person, but here's the thing: if you are retired, you are taking retirement pay, which is more than I am doing (monetarily speaking) So you can spare a few bucks for the appraiser, since you're not employed and are retired. The added statement about a disability couldn't be a ploy for sympathy, could it? I'm not being unkind, but please understand that I see this a lot.

Served my time in the first Gulf War and some peacekeeping missions to Bosnia.

Bosnia, eh? There were 10 American deaths in Bosnia. Five of them were accidents, three of them were heart attacks, and the remaining two were suicides. But I thank you for your service.

I worked in joint service environments (US Army Special Forces/Ops, USMC, US Navy) primarily in intel gathering, but also served as a Special Agent with the US Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI), like an FBI agent for the Air Force.

With such a resume, I'm sure you possess tremendous research skills, and were well-paid in those fields, and have a seriously worthwhile retirement, and can afford to find and pay someone else for an appraisal. Here's a hint: Put the words "Knife Appraisal" in a search engine.

Learned well the importance of a good, strong, well made blade.

And yet you don't want a good knife from me.

Appreciate your skills

And yet you don't want a good knife from me.

Any information or assistance you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

I gave all you needed. This is America. Try harder. No free appraisal.

Thank you
R. S.

And yet you don't want a good knife from me. Just a free appraisal of your entire collection.

Hello Mr. Fisher,
I am a fan of your knives, and my mother has an old piano (possibly antique - she was born in 1934, and it was around then), and she wants to sell the ebony and ivory from the piano keys. Do you have any interest in possibly buying the ivory or ebony to use for your knives? I have no idea what they would be worth, but if you are interested, please just e-mail me back, or call me at (deleted).
Thank you,
B. O. B.

Clearly not much of a fan of my knives, since he isn't interested in ordering or buying one, but hoping I would be interested in parting out an old piano.

Piano keys are covered by a very thin skin of ivory (if it is actually ivory-many are imitations) and the ivory is about 1/32" thick (0.8 mm for our European readers). This is incredibly thin, and I don't even know how anyone would use this for anything. The sad thing is that, in the United States, you couldn't use them or even own them in most places, without a pile of papers detailing how they were acquired, how old the are, and how they may fit in the de minimus exception rule of the US Fish and Wildlife's requirements. How could you ever even find the source of the ivory? If it even is ivory, because a lot of pianos were made that do not have actual ivory-veneered keys. And how do you get it off without breaking it? Because real, old ivory is very brittle. Brittle, thin shards of old tooth... that are tightly regulated and controlled for origin and possession in our country.

What about the ebony? Well, it's not large enough for a knife scale on a handle, and ebony is not rare or very expensive now, since a lot of it is grown on plantations. You may read it's rare and exceptional and expensive, but look it up and it's for sale everywhere on the web. So why go through the trouble of trying to salvage small, old pieces of wood for another use? And is it really ebony, or is it another hardwood that's simply stained (they did this a lot, too).

I've got a better solution for your mom. Sell (or better yet, give) the piano keys to a piano tuner or repairman, if he wants them, and they can give them new life in the use they were intended for as replacement or repair pieces for other old pianos.

Besides, I only buy old casters, tiny, pot metal types that are rusty on the pins, don't roll, and are plated with brass that has corroded and flaked into a useless lump. I won't tell you what I do with them, but it involves a 20 ton press, a few ripe bananas, and a bent wire gauge. Guess!

I've received thousands of emails in my career, and some of the senders claim some innovative and proprietary method, or process, or technique that will stand the knifemaking world on its head. Everything from polishing methods to magical liquids that enable a knife to maintain a cutting edge have been proposed to your favorite knifemaker, always with opportunities and requirements, costs and benefits (mostly costs for me and benefits for them.) You understand the process, surely.

Some of these emails are years old, some decades old, and I sometimes run across one that makes me ask, "Did this guy ever get his idea or project or business off the ground?" Did he actually benefit from his method or process and am I a fool for ignoring the next big thing?

In order to find out, I'll plug his name, process, or company in a search engine to see if he's "made it." I've yet to find a one of them that hasn't- after a period of a couple years- disappeared from the web. So I guess my instincts are still sharp enough.

I was looking up one of these guys when I came across a knifemaker's website. It was a slightly different name; it wasn't the same guy, but I thought I would give the website a casual look anyway. It wasn't a single knifemaker's site, it was actually run by two brothers, and they weren't in the United States, but the site was in English so I could understand it well enough. The knives were plain: wood or stag or bone or plastic handles, hammer-forged carbon steel blades, a lot of overly large and unwieldy machete-type choppers and kitchen knives. Pretty ho-hum standard fare for basic knifemaking. Included was the obligatory bloated claims of edge retention, high value and finish (there was neither) and boastful stuff that you can find on any knife company's website.

Then I got to the page where they described why their steel blades were better than other blades. The first thing they claimed was that stainless steel should never be used for any knife, because it could not hold an edge, due to its "large chunky particles" that "fall out" and the stainless blade was impossible to sharpen.

I wish I could educate all the guys like this, who claim some great process by creating a knife in the same method that was used in 1875. This is probably the largest myth among knifemakers today, and has been for decades, and is likely to never end. Here we are, in the late 2020s, and this persistent belief just won't die. Why?

I guess those guys missed the fact that all scalpels are stainless steel. And all razor blades. And all truly fine handmade knives, whether high alloy stainless steels, low alloy stainless steels, or powder metal technology steels, the very best, the blades depended on for surgery and the finest cutting requiring the best and sharpest steel edges - are stainless steel. Assuming they know this, why on earth are these guys (and so many others) making these claims?

It's pretty simple. They make knives with a minimum of equipment, time, and effort. They get cheap carbon steels, hammer them out, grind, sand, and finish them, and the whole operation can be done without much investment in shop, equipment, process, supply, or struggle. This is the same way knives were made in 1875, the same way knives are made in third world countries, the same way knives are made by hobbyists, casual studies in university summer programs, and by local beginners. They probably know that stainless steels are better overall, but they just can't work with them, and are not willing to make the leap to consider improving their venture.

So they think hard, look on the forums and bulletin boards, and find silly reasons from other hobbled knifemakers to justify why they don't work with stainless steels, and make these claims hoping some ignorant client will believe them and buy their 1875 knives.

By the way, there is nothing inherently wrong with making knives the "old way." If you really want to go "old way," why not use a rock to sharpen a stick or old bone into an edge and harden it in a wood fire. That's the really "old way." But people don't want to buy a sharpened stick made the "old way." Why? Doesn't it have value? Makes you think...

We all hope that AI and improved information technology will change these old lies and myths. But it's not looking good. Why? Because AI uses forums as source material, and this is a very bad thing. Forums are not the source of viable information, because they are not populated by true professionals in the field, but mostly hobbyist, beginners, and people invested in social media trying to sell something: like a new steel type or their own knives, or their sheath making business, or their collection. No serious researcher is using a forum as a source, but for some stupid reason, AI does. It's not Artificial Intelligence, it's Arranged Inbound Marketing. AI-M, AIM. AIM to deceive: welcome to the new world.

If you use AI, always, always check the source. If it's a forum, don't believe it. Or do some more research while utilizing a strong BS filter.

Hello,
I’m giving away my late son’s Square Wheel Belt Grinder 272. If you know any Knife making, Tool and die work, Metal fabrication, Automotive and aerospace part finishing, Maintenance and repair operations fabrication. organization that might be interested, kindly forward this message to them. Thank you!
Sincerely,
Sandra Jones

I left the name up here because it's fake. This is a version of the "Grand Piano Scam." How it works is this: the con man finds someone who, because of their website or social media presence, might be interested in a musical instrument. They claim there's a dead husband, or son, or relative who would have wished to give away his grand piano. The con man may even name the type and brand of piano, and how that loved one would want the piano to have a great home and be used by a loving and dedicated musician. And, almost always, the con man pretends to be a female because potential victims find women easier to believe and more trustworthy.

So the mark (victim) contacts them, and through email and maybe follow-up phone calls finds out that the piano is sitting in a storage unit and it will take several hundred or many hundreds of dollars to pack up the piano and ship it. The mark (victim) can't actually come and see the piano, since the moving company may hold a lien on the storage unit or some other prohibition to prevent the mark (victim) from seeing an actual piano, because it doesn't exist. The con man and mark (victim) may even work out a deal that once the money changes hands, they'll meet at the storage unit in (name a distant big city) and see the piano itself. The mark (victim) eagerly sends the money to free up the piano, maybe even drives to the big city storage unit and waits, and the con man disappears, so does the email, and the phone number is made defunct.

This type of con preys on the type of people who believe they can get a lucky deal for just a few bucks. If the con man really wanted to give away a grand piano, he/she could find many local avenues to do this, like schools, or churches, or local musical interests. Instead, it somehow seems reasonable to have someone many hundreds of miles away have the piano. It may not seem like a lot of money for the con man, but what if they get 10 victims all giving them $1000? That's ten grand that they will have for just a few phone calls or emails and gullible marks (victims).

Now go back and substitute the words "belt grinder" for "piano" and you have the scheme. The reason I keep repeating the word "victim" is because these conmen think it's a victimless crime, which is a lie they shouldn't get away with.

I love also how this scheme asks the mark (victim) to help get the "word" out, in case he doesn't want the grinder, he will unknowingly work for the con man to spread the word and help the con get passed to the next mark (victim). Imagine that one friend tells another about the great find and the second person gets ripped off, blaming his friend who just wanted to help find a home for the grinder, and a friendship is shattered in the process. Just evil.

AI is not helping matters much. The con man can look up the generic description of the belt grinder and the brand and type, and find out that knifemakers use this belt grinder regularly. AI can help identify the gullible knifemakers, who are always seeking out a grinder, especially beginners. So, with AI's help, they now know what target to direct their scam to; ignorant knifemakers who think they might get a grinder for free.

I did get a belt grinder for a reduced price once. The guy (who claimed to be a friend once) found it at an estate sale, and bought it up. Then he charged me double what he paid for it, plus shipping. That's how the real game works. I don't blame him, he needed to make a buck. At least he didn't steal it like Sandra here...

Hi Jay,
I am trying to find out if you made these knives. Someone thought you did. These are victorinox soldier knives.
Let me know.
K. W.

Short answer: NO!

Long answer: I get these from time to time. Someone sees a stone on a knife and figures I had a hand in this abomination.

Understand that this is a horribly cheap and crappy knife, often called a Swiss Army Knife. If this is what their army uses, we have nothing to fear from the terrifying Swiss.

Victoronix won't tell you outright the exact steel type they use and that's a huge red flag. Why won't they tell you? Probably because they are not so proud of their martensitic stainless steel; I'm guessing that it's 420 or some European type of 420, and there are many. Essentially, these are low carbon stainless steels that gave all stainless a bad name. They don't hold an edge worth a lick, but they don't rust, and when you add a lot of hype and claims and historical pedigree that makes you think they are worth a dollar or two, that you'll foolishly spend your money on their knives. By the way, the knives in the photo cost a lousy $29.95, which is overpriced for their value.

Anyway, someone thought it would be great to pop off the flimsy propylene copolymer (cheapest plastic that can be found), and put on some real eye-popping handle material, and bring the value of the piece to maybe $35.00. Sigh.

There is a company in Santa Fe that does this: glue and stick we call it. Glue up some slivers of stuff and stack them on a handle scale area of a cheap folding knife. Sometimes it's real stone, the softer varieties, sometimes it's fake stone (plastic), and some slivers of brass shim stock cut with tin snips, and maybe some scraps of walnut or other unsuitable woods to top it off.

Note: it was a cheap, crappy factory knife before you popped off the plastic handle, and it will still be a cheap crappy factory knife after you slap some stuff where the handle was. More about this sad attempt at gussying up a pig on my Gemstone handles page.

Hi Jay,
I hope this email finds you well and you don’t mind me reaching out. My name is S. W., I’m an Assistant Producer at The G. Productions, we produce the Channel 4 series 24 Hours in A and E and 24 Hours in Police Custody.

I get contacted by producers periodically. Mostly, they want free knives for a project their working on. The titles of these productions indicate they are clearly not United States productions, and these "True Crime" shows don't generally need or use a knifemaker's or knife consultant's input.

I'm currently working on a Channel 4 documentary around the subject of zombie style knives and wanted to contact you as I’m doing some research into the manufacturing and importation of knives.

The phrases "documentary" and "zombie knives" are a dead giveaway and red hot flags. Maybe this woman thinks that everyone knows what "zombie knives" are, so I'd better explain. In her world, the United Kingdom, they are terrified of anything that is not a typical, standard, straight-bladed kitchen knife. They tremble when they see a curve in a blade, and nearly faint at the site of serrations. They think then that the only possible purpose of such scary-looking blades is to dispatch zombies, so they call any knife they don't understand a "zombie knife."

Here in the US, we don't have zombies, so we're pretty comfortable with curves and twists, and serrations, and gut hooks, and double edges in our knives. It doesn't scare us to see clip points, swages, finger rings, and talons. We like our knives with their curves and points and useful things like cutting edges and sharp points. Maybe that's what keeps the zombies away. That and our semiautomatic handguns, shotguns, and rifles with a plenty of ammunition, something our founding fathers thoughtfully included in our rights when we fought our way out from under an evil, repressive monarchy back in the 1700s.

I wondered if you might be available for a quick research call to understand a bit more about the different types of knives and their importation routes into the UK?

Oh, the exposé. Your asking to ride my back while I spill the beans on how the US is contaminating the UK with vile objects of death and destruction, because you can't police your people to stop them from killing each other. You want to blame the knife for the cut, not the hand that guides it.

We have your kind here, too: gun control maniacs that believe the piece of steel has it's own mind, and if it's just eliminated, peace and monarchy will rule, and the king's or queen's subjects will remain in line, eat their porridge, and send their Sovereign Grant money to the crown. Thankfully, we have a different system, not based in fear but based in freedom.

And although you may think that the US is a crime ridden horrid place of fear and loathing, understand that most places in the US are quiet, peaceful, productive and clean. We live our lives in freedom and pride, without a supreme ruler, but with laws and legislation, and courts and enforcement that is largely predictable and productive. If it wasn't mostly this way and was truly the source of your evil zombie knife problem, a scary frontier of lawlessness and violence, why would so many millions of people be trying to come here? Why would we have to build walls to stop them? Okay... I got off track.

I also wondered if you might be able to advise on the origin of a specific knife (I have photos).

Ahh, she's got the offender, and she somehow thinks that because I'm a knifemaker, I know where every knife in the world comes from. I've seen this before, a lazy attempt to get someone else perform the research for free, because she doesn't know anything about knives and won't do some reading and studying on the largest information reference to ever exist in human history, the internet. And it's free to use!

At the moment I’m still in the research phase so the chat would be off the record and not for broadcast at this stage, but it would be great to speak with someone from your team to understand the processes a bit better.

My team will schedule a time slot with your team and we'll discuss the possibility of setting up an actual group meeting. The group meeting will be necessary to determine which team members will confirm the setting and the color coordination of the backgrounds. We'll arrange personnel to make important inquiries like who will bring the donuts.

Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
S.
S. W. (she/her) | Assistant Producer

She didn't need to tell me the whole she/her stuff; she has a woman's name. We actually don't do that in the US anymore. That was a silly fad and we don't need tags to identify our preferences or whatever the heck this is about. Here's the actual response I sent, just to be polite and clear:

Hello, S. Thanks for your interest.
I am a singular knifemaker, artist, and maker of fine craft. I am not a manufacturer, and I haven’t exported or shipped any of my work to the UK for over a decade. I’m not familiar with the term “Zombie” knives; here in the US, we make knives that are tools or for collection as works of art.
As such, I’m afraid I have little to offer in your research and I can’t refer anyone else who does.
The best of luck on your search,
Regards,
Jay Fisher

Mr. Jay Fisher,
I'm in need of your help sir. My name is F. W. and I need your professional advise by taking a look at this knife I'm sending you pictures of and see if you can tell me or if you know someone that can tell me how much would this knife appraise for. I've had this knife about 14 years now and I don't let many people handle it because of the craftsmanship that has been put into it by a villager in Peru. The old man never designs the same knife twice and I would like for you to please take a look and see if you can help me on how to appraise this knife. You yourself design the most elegant knives I have ever seen and that's why I'm asking for your help.
Thank You,
F. W.

While I appreciate his compliment, this is clearly another attempt at a free appraisal. We've been through this before, and by now, everyone who actually reads this website knows that they can get a professional appraisal for a few bucks, and I even give them a link to that service, but they want one from me. I don't appraise knives, any knives. So why have I included this email and commentary? Because I want you to experience this knife with a little of my personal and professional insight. Maybe then, you can understand why I don't appraise any knives.

The first thing that pops out is that in all the photos FW included, there was no "whole and complete" photo of just the knife and handle, only vignettes and bits and pieces of the knife in all its wonder. FW has annotated most  of the photos to clarify our understanding, or rather, put his slant on what he is seeing, hoping that will influence the appraisal value. He was real proud of the "carving" (which appears to be cast resin) and mosaic of pieces of stuff on the handle and sheath; the "Old Man in Peru" was truly busy with the knife. Click on the thumbnail photos below for enlargements.

Looks kind of like a totem pole. Huh.

I like how FW has put his comments into the photo annotation, with lead lines to help us understand this great work of art. The dried goop resin that the village blacksmith used to make the form has broken off, and FW tells us about the airplane and unloading and luggage handling. This is important stuff to the knife value, I'm certain. Also, the use of a real piranha jaw is a seller when you draw your hand over it and pull back a bloody stump.

FW goes on to show (and tell us) of the "unbelievable craftsmanship" of the many stones. Some insight here: these are tumbled stone pebbles, either found in or coming from lapidary scrap, and they are sold by the bin, bag, or by the pound to children who want a lot of pretty tumbled rocks to play with in just about every tourist trap in the world. Little rocks go into the tumbler for weeks, and a few changes of grit and you have a lot of pretty, shiny, polished pebbles. Then you can stick them in a glop of plaster or hole in resin, or papier maché, and they are instant baroque art. Did I mention their prettiness?

Real anaconda skin? Did our old man from Peru fight the giant snake (it has to be giant, not a tiny little guy who slithered past the old man's hut and encountered a hammer) to harvest the skin? My, my. Looks more like the "skin" is part of the cast resin mold. And FW goes on to show us that there is a "badge" that he thinks identifies the "village" that this work of art originates from.

This is our first clue that this could be a tourist knife. Just for you, my reader, I did some basic research. The text so crudely scratched into the dried goop resin identifies the knife as coming from Iquitos, Peru. It's quite the "village," being the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province and Loreto Region, the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon. When you think of Peru, you might think of the Andes, but this "village" sits about 340 feet above sea level. The population of the village is a scant 470,000, about the same sized village as Cincinnati, Newark, or Plano.

In the photo above, FW is determined that we won't miss the badge of honor indicating the English-ized version of the word Amazon. This absolutely, positively identifies the knife as a tourist knife, a trinket version of a common type of souvenir, mass produced to appeal to tourists. After all, how can you impress your friends if they don't know this comes from the Amazonia, or the Amazonas, or the Amazingoinia, or whatever?

What's starting to be funny are his annotations. "As you can see, the knife is hand-crafted by an Amazon villager (Black Smith)" Yeah, right, in the village the sized of Newark with 470,000 other villagers. And the black smith claim is about to be disproved completely in the upcoming photos. There's also the statement that the "stones were used for datil" which is curious. "Datil" is a pepper, or a date, and the word isn't used widely in any other form, so it must be FW's local slang. We can only guess what he means, maybe that the bits of tumbled trinket rocks spice up the appearance; I'm just guessing here.

By the way, there is a tiny town in New Mexico I used to visit named Datil (for the pepper). About 50 people live there; it's not even a village but is instead a "census-designated place." Back in the 1990s, they had a restaurant that served up one of the best steaks I ever had; the meat tasted like sagebrush, since they butchered their own local beef. God, I miss a  good steak, but I digress...

In the photo above (don't you just love these things?) you can see the winsome squalling face of the Peruvian native, or deity, or sprite or whatever. Our annotator FW claims there is real anaconda skin (it's resin), and that it "symbolizes something." All righty then. He does know that these little things represent anaconda eggs. Here's a bity bit of useful trivia: anacondas don't lay eggs, they give birth to live young. Not an egg to be found. Sigh.

And now we get to the blacksmith's true art. But wait; there is a sticker glued to the blade! What can it tell us? It says in Portuguese, "Carbon Steel Blade" It's a revealing company logo with a bar code! What? That old village blacksmith has a barcode on his knife blade? Wow, how does he find the time in his hut to service the three-color printer for his labels? And he prints them in Portuguese, not in the three main languages of his village and country: Spanish, Quechua, or Aymara.

And the kicker. There is a word on the ricasso of the blade, actually two words. The first word is "Tramontina." FW tells us that this is the name of the carbon steel and where it is from. Hold the phone. This is the same word on the bar code label on the other side of the blade.

Turns out that Tramontina is the name for a huge Brazilian metallurgical company founded in 1911 by an Italian immigrant to Brazil, Valentin Tramontina. Thus, the second word, "Brasil" which is the country of origin. This gigantic company makes kitchenware, cookware, home appliances, tools and ... and... cutlery. It is actually the LARGEST COMPANY IN THE AMERICAS making these types of products! It's headquartered in Carlos Barbosa, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, and has 10,000 employees in 120 countries! Wow, who knew?

So the marking on the blade (confirmed by the barcode label on the blade) is the manufacturer's stamp. This knife wasn't made by some blacksmith in a village in Peru; it was manufactured somewhere in the world (maybe even China, Taiwan, or India) with a blade burped out of the largest cutlery firm in the entire North and South American continents. With horroidal scratches left by an automated surface grinder, no less! (That's my word, "horroidal" and you can't use it without my permission). 

Conclusion: this is a mass-produced tourist knife made of cheap and poorly finished manufactured steel stock, with a cast resin handle and some pebbles glued in for cultural flair. Value? Priceless. (or about $5 American, whichever you prefer to pay).

Now here's the hard thing. While I've spent considerable time elaborating on this "find," it's important to understand what you are looking at when someone tries to sell you a tourist souvenir or bauble. It's also easy now to see why I don't do this for most inquiries, because it takes a lot of time and effort to educate someone, and they always want it for free. Then, they are completely displeased by the truth.

We can all fantasize about the little old Peruvian craftsman in the jungle, stomping anacondas and harvesting their invisible eggs. We can visualize him grappling piranhas from the mighty Amazon, slapping gigantic insects, and slogging through the deep river of quicksand to find the perfect pebbles for his magical and unique creation.

Or, we can see a factory in China, casing resin in a mold, with dozens of rag-draped laborers gluing little rocks into the resin and hand-painting the background on the knife blade blanks supplied by the tens of thousands from the largest cutlery company in two continents.

One of these views is romantic. You decide.

Disclaimer: This evaluation was from an actual old man craftsman who lives in a modest town on the high plains of Eastern New Mexico, hard to find, rare to visit, and unique in the world. This old man actually does make singular works of edged arts, from blade to handle, with fantastic steels and highly desirable solid gemstones. He complains a lot because he sees a lot of junk misrepresented as treasure, while he slaves and works and grinds, sands, and finishes his creations and then writes about them for all to see. But still, he gets no respect-

Dear Jay Fisher,
my name is T. R. and I had contacted you once, quite a while ago in regards to learning more about knife making as a professional business. I have came close to contacting you many times between then and now but I fear that would be a nuisance to your productivity and I certainly do not want to bother you. I honor your place within the custom knife making community and I acknowledge your expertise. I have tons of questions for you that are not simple ones that I can just Google or read a book to learn about yet I reluctantly hold myself back from bombarding you with a plethora of inquiries.Besides the multitude of questions I have for you that I won't bother to ask I have something else unusual to ask. I am trying to create very high quality knives and sheaths and displays just like you, I don't like any cheap knives and finding a knife that is both durable and good looking is very hard to come by. I would like to make a few knives for you and give them to you with the intentions that you could critique them for me. Maybe if I made a few knives you could tell me what I did good and what I did wrong and things I should do differently. Please help me as I am a motivated 20 year old who wishes to preserve the art of high quality knife making despite the market being bogged down my loads of cheap production knives and unskillfully crafted custom knives. I appreciate your amazing work, inspiration and dedication to this wonderful trade and hope to hear from you soon.
With best regards,
T. R.

Whew. I'm exhausted just reading TR's email.

If he puts as much energy into knifemaking as he does his correspondence, he'll probably be fine in knifemaking.

Whoops! Several years later, there is no mention of him and knives anywhere in the world. And it's probably my fault.

Hi Jay –
I was browsing through your website and came across one of your products… the Raptors. (model: Tunguska and Manicouagan)

This is a pair of one-of-a-kind Raptor karambits that I made years ago, with a very unique and specific theme, fire and ice. It is a sculptural piece, and quite nice; I'll throw up a photo of the piece below. You didn't compliment the piece, and that was your first mistake-

I noticed that is a wood case.

Brilliant insight. Mahogany, Bloodwood, and Ebony: these are woods.

I then researched your company on linkedin and came across your profile.

An absolute lie. I'm not "on linkedin," not now, not ever. You did not research, not the slightest bit, and you don't even know to whom or why you are sending this email. You need to be fired.

Im reaching out from (company name), we focus on manufacturing cases for the likes of Sony and Bose.

Sony and Bose? Those are big companies! If you make cases for these companies, why in the world would you be contacting a singular knifemaker/artist about one sculptural piece he made many years ago?

 I did some of my own research on your company; you have about two dozen workers on the east coast and do a business making (or importing and reselling) generic ho-hum cases. Your workers do complain a lot on the internet, so there may be management issues at the core of your business.

We're an OEM making cases completely on-brand for Jay Fisher.

Badly worded, but no, you're not. You are lying. You do not make OEM cases for me, you never have and your silly corporation-sales-speak does not impress me. I'm an artist, I'm not worried about "brand." Is everyone completely out of touch these days?

If you're struggling with rising costs and tariffs, quality issues, production delays, or supplier responsiveness, we'd be happy to explore how we can help support you. I’d love to show what we can build for you (if you’re interested).

I've seen your cases, they are standard manufactured and imported fare, boxes covered with thin aluminum sheet, plastic blow-molded forms, or stitched thin and cheesy bags. I'm not impressed with your CNC and laser-cut materials from other countries and it has absolutely nothing to do with my tradecraft or art. For the knives mentioned, I absolutely guarantee that you could not make a hand-crafted hardwood case with polished tension pins, solid wood hinges, and locking hardwood mortises and tenons. Why are you sending me this crap?

Can we get on a call to discuss this or maybe put together a proposal on your current case?

My current case? Is this supposed to be a play on words or just a badly written and poorly researched plea for business? I propose you don't bother; besides, you make for Sony, one of the largest corporations on the planet. Why would you want to make a one-off case for me?

Best,

Aaaaand... you didn't sign your email. Sigh.

P.S. You’ll be saving huge tariffs and time. But if you’ve already got someone you’re completely happy with, just say ‘all set’ and I won’t follow up.

"Saving huge tariffs?" What? Talk about out of touch with an inquiry or client. And I do have someone I'm "completely happy with," and it's me. Had you done one tiny bit of research, you would know I'm not in the market for mass-manufactured cases. Yet you go out of your way to mention an older hardwood art piece I created and think you could "supply" the like. Ha, fat chance.

For the reader: if you get completely out-of-touch ignorant emails like this, never, ever reply with their suggestion, "all set," or any other response. If you do, this puts you on their contact list; they know someone is at the other end of their email query, and they can peddle your email address to others so you can receive truckloads of nuisance emails like this one.

Mr. fisher,
I purchased this knife about 25 years ago at a swap meet in So Cal. It has been in a box all these years and have decided to look into the maker. All roads I have searched have lead back to you. Is this a knife you made?
Thanks!
J.

I'll try not to be insulted, but really? I've never made anything that remotely resembles this thing, but somehow "all roads I have searched lead back to you?" You need to get a better set of headlights on your search vehicle; perhaps some bright, modern LEDs that can illuminate your powers of comparison and discernment.

For instance, when have you seen a knife of mine that does not have a maker's mark? Never, I guarantee it. And how common is it for me to use brass: large, honking chunks of the stuff that corrodes and turns green where it contacts the sheath? And how often do I use bone? I honestly can't remember when I've used bone in a handle, unless it's oosic or fossil oosic, and that doesn't look like oosic. One of the most telling features is the sheath. A fold-over sheath is a poor choice for any knife that has a point that trails higher than the spine, because if you shove the knife in the sheath, it can easily cut through. The stitching is rough (mine is never rough) and the sheath appears to be oiled (I never oil sheaths). Plus, have you seen my sheath work? Really?

For those readers who want to identify a knife, here's a list that can help. If you can't find the first thing on the list, none of the rest of the list will matter, so I've done the hard work for you:

1. Is there a maker's mark?

If the answer is no, you're finished, you'll never find out who made the knife.

I have a Tom Brown Tracker #2 and I am wanting a stag or bone handle made for it as well as a hilt. I am looking for something elegant. I would like a handle that resembles the knife on Legends of the Fall. with the elk leather wrap and the split stag or bone. I want it to match seamlessly to the blade like I said elegant. Also the hilt I am not looking for flash I want it to be subtle but durable. similar to the hilt on a KBAR marine corps blade.
(No signature)

First, no salutation, no introduction and no signature. Just "I have and I want." Like a three year old. And he mentions the "Tom Brown Tracker." This is a silly knife, one that tries to be all things to all owners, kind of a chopper, hammer, saw, knife, and tent stake. The design had some interest back in the early 1980s, and a lot of guys were making similar stuff.

I even tried it once, maybe I sold a couple of them, or maybe they found their way into the black box, but interest quickly faded. I read somewhere there was a big dispute about the design, but who cares; it's not a viable design. If you want a chopper, get a hatchet. If you want a skinning knife, get one of those, if you want a straight blade that can't actually reach anything except the middle of a tight rope, buy a Tom Brown tracker, and then have someone work it over to thin the blade since it's a hammer. Anyway-

This mystery man wants something "elegant," but looking like the horroidal monstrosity in the first picture (don't forget that "horroidal" is my word and you can't use it). Abuse an immature buck and break off his barely budding horn to get a little fork, pin it on a hidden tang with some glue, and wrap it with some rawhide or leather that will come off at the most inopportune time, and hang up and snag as you're trying to cut yourself free of a line that might be pulling you into a raging whitewater death. Oops, the leather is snagging on your gear, and you can't get your knife free, and you are pulled under to meet a rather embarrassing death. But hey, it's "elegant." Right.

And the hilarious guard. Has this guy actually looked at the guard on the simply awful Kabar knockoff? Yes, it's a knockoff, but seriously. I could bent that guard with my little finger and he calls it "subtle but durable?" Where do these people get their knife ideas?

It doesn't matter. His communication skills are so poor that all I understand from his email is, "I have and I want." And he is "looking."

Good luck, Brad Pitt.

Hello Mr Fisher,
I have a knife that I drew up a few years back that my friends say is completely ugly. But it's been eating at me to actually make this knife. I do not have the skill to grind it and haven't found anyone local to do it. All I need is a grind on the blade and can handle the rest. Please let me know if you could help and how much it would cost. Here are acouple pics to give you an idea of what it looks like.
C. P.

Well, whadda you know? It looks almost exactly like that Tom Brown tracker I mentioned in the previous section. An this is a completely different guy. I would be careful copying the so-called Tom Brown knife, because someone else claims to have designed it, and these people and their heirs have a lot of controversy about the whole knife design and origin argument.

Doesn't matter; it's a horrible design. What, exactly, would you use this for? It's too big for a skinner, so that pretty much makes useless the whole front half of the main blade. The straight section is positioned beneath the guard quillon and the curved belly, with a forward notch that will hang up on anything you try to cut with the straight section (like a rope or line). The top saw looks like it's made for wood, and just like the "Tracker," that function is pretty much relegated to twigs anyway, and another notch on the spine will cause things to hang up there. Since there are finger grooves in this style of knife, it's probably going to be uncomfortable to hold in an upside down grip, and the bump sits painfully where the heel of the hand is positioned, which will cause some discomfort or maybe chafing or bruising. The long pointed butt has one purpose, a lanyard hole, and also rises where it should drop away from the hand. I suppose that if you needed to chop a small sapling down, this knife might work, if the blade is thick enough not to bend or break, which means an axe grind. A knife, however, is not a hatchet, and a hatchet will outperform that chopping function in every way.

But this person didn't write to me about the design, he asked for help in making the blade, which is not something I do. He claims that it's eating at him to make it, yet he wants someone else to make it. I think he needs to either make the knife himself, or find someone who is enamored as he is with the design and talk them into it.

Below, I've included a photo of an actual Tom Brown Tracker knife, sold by a mass manufacturing firm so you can compare the styles. And no, I wouldn't make this, either; I only make my own designs that make sense. Some concrete reasons why are detailed above.

I thought I would share this, I call it the Mountain Trapper- Skinner-Scraper. With the curve of the blade and upward V on the back of the blade, it provides better control by allowing the fingers to hook over the blade while the handle guides the knife and the curve prevents accidental cutting of the stretched hide while scraping with the tip providing the ability to scrape right to the cord stretching the hide with much better leverage and control.
Sincerely,
B. L.

Have you seen those photos that have an incorrect aspect ratio, where the subject appears squashed in one direction? That's what I see here. Let me see if I can fix this:

Hmm. A little better, but now the handle is too long. And the grind is still poor, and the guard is too flat and the blade is too wide, and the handle is too straight and, and, and...oh, well, I tried. I guess we could stick with his original design and call it the "Mountain Trapper Squash-Scraper."

Hi there,
My name is G., and I have been a HUGE fan of your’s ever since I have been old enough to carry a knife around!! I remember watching your YouTube video’s ever since I was younger.. I am now 33 years old!
Ok, so I have 2 thing’s that I was curious about..
So, I already have an abundance of different varieties of field knives with their respective kydex sheath’s… but something (or well, 2 thing’s), I’ve always been looking for are the 2 item’s that I have came across on your website..
At first, I started with a simple ferro rod holster attached to all of my sheath’s, especially when I do go camping.. but then I noticed that I kept bringing too much stuff with me, and my pack’s were just too heavy.. some of that had to do with my EDC Light’s that I do use.. the smaller of the 2, The Cloud Defensive Chicron V1 I actually love this light and I am constantly impressed by how much this light works (almost) like a duty light! Which is exactly what I have for my 2nd light, it’s also made by Cloud Defensive, but this one is a MCH HC (High Candela) Ronin Tactics Limited Edition light that I got on a super great deal! I heard that Cloud had made this particular model the wrong shade of red, so Tu Lam, the owner of Ronin Tactics, didn’t want this batch, so I was able to get this light for around $150..
Now, what I am looking for is more than likely I’ll just need 1 of the Welded Stainless Steel Frame’s from the HULA.. but, I would like to be able to swap out the 2 light’s that I mentioned.. so would it be possible to make 2 separate bodies? I realize that this is a custom thing that you do.. so like for example, I don’t care too much for this HULA system to be used as how you made it to work, I’m basically looking to use it as holder of my 2 different lights (non of them are IR or anything like that) but I also realize that it’s not like you own every light on the market either.. So I could take some really detailed measurements of my lights, while taking pictures of them at the same time? (I mean, I work in the trades, so I know how exactly how to use a tape measure down to a T..)
Then, for the LIMA, idk if you have Ranger Green fabric or not? If not, I am totally fine with black.. And actually now that I am thinking about it, if it’s just easier for you, since I do have the smaller Chicron flashlight, I could probably fit that in the LIMA instead of having you make a completely separate base for it? I just want to keep this as simple as possible.. that’s usually when thing’s work out best.
So actually yes, let’s just do that.. (obviously if that’s ok with you?) I really hope that I can finally be able to carry my lights with my sheath’s the way I’ve always been wanting to! Thank you so much again for your time to read through my email! I hope you have a good rest of your day,
Best regards,
G. E.

Do you wonder (like I sometimes do) how much coffee some people drink before writing long, wordy, incoherent emails? Funny how he's already painted me into his scene of making his flashlight holder, needing two welded frames yet writing that he "don't care too much for this HULA system-" Some people just don't get it.

Thankfully I've made many dozens of HULAs and LIMAs and accessories and my clients are happy with them. After all, in welded stainless steel and high strength anodized aluminum, they are the very best made in the world. Take a look here to see what I mean: HULA LIMA.

Hi
I have a fine hand made obsidian athame. Unfortunately the blade broke. I was wondering how much a replacement blade would be. It is made in ancient fashion.
Thank you
H.

Not so "fine" was it? That's why we have abandoned the ancient fashions and use steel for blades, and obsidian for handles.

Mr. Jay Fisher,
Ahhh. I, Too have many questions about lots of knives…

That's the whole email. Sigh.

Jay I have a question about a knife

Yep, that's the whole email.

Hello,
My dad restored this old clamp and was wondering if you knew anything about it?..we saw a picture of it on your web site
Thank you
L.

Okay, I don't answer questions about machinery or equipment, but L. missed that point.

I'm feeling generous today so I'll comment on this one. This is a "Kan't Twist" clamp, designed by John Saxon in the 1970s. These are great cantilever clamps and they are used extensively in machining and welding industries and shops. I've got a whole assortment of them myself, and they are essentials. They have copper jaws and screws, so they're useful in the welding trades (splatter and weld materials don't usually stick to copper). They excel in powerfully holding materials together in parallel fashion, eliminating stress points and, of course, twisting, which they don't do; thus the name. My only complaint is that they don't make a deep version, and they are limited by how far the jaws extend away from the pivot, allowing clamping only near an edge.

Anyway, they are still manufactured today, and they are quite pricey, so if your dad is looking for a home for his "restored" clamp, I'll give you my address. Helpful note: in restoring old tools like this, a bit of scrubbing with a wire brush or Scotch Brite with some penetrating oil and a wire wheel on those threads will make this baby shine... it's a keeper!

Here's where he found this clamp on my website on my FAQ page: What if I can't afford your prices; can you make a cheaper knife?

Hello Mr. Fisher;
I am selling the attached Hippo Tusk, any interest?
Please advise
Thank you
J.

This is not a Hippo Tusk. This is a Wart Hog tusk. One is valuable ivory, which is more dense and stable. Yours is not. One of these (the more valuable Hippo tusk) is prohibited in trade in our state, New Mexico, which has some pretty strict laws on CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), as most states do. So, while I would like to use the beautiful ivory of a hippo tusk on a knife or two, I can't legally do that, and it wouldn't matter anyway because you don't have Hippo tusk to sell, only a wart hog tusk.

 This is one of the reasons I don't purchase from unsolicited sellers on the net. People send me this kind of stuff all the time.

Note: I have used wart hog tusk in the past, but gemstone is a lot more durable.

I have been a food service professional for 34 years.  A blacksmith friend of mine is making his forge available to me and is my mentor.  I have forged 3 knives so far. I would like to begin making chef knives for my fellow chef friends.  Where can I find patterns for Chef knives?  Yours are simply beautiful.
J. B.

This kind of email sometimes haunts me. Here we have a guy who's been a food service professional for 34 years and he wants to hand-forge a chef's knife. It's silly to think it's hard to find patterns for chef's knives; they are the most common knife on the planet, and I'm sure he can find many types from many cultures in many styles.

What bothers me is the idea that steels that can be easily hand-forged make good chef's knives, because they don't. I know I'll catch some rude and ignorant comments on this statement, but hey, that's nothing new and I've heard it before. Steels that can be easily hand-forged are low alloy steels, and low in the most essential element, chromium. Chromium is what makes steel stainless, and if you don't have stainless steel, you have a knife that is not suitable in the kitchen. Oh, sure, you can make and use them; it's done all over the world, but they are NOT FOOD CONTACT SAFE.

Knife people hate to hear this, but it's true. We're all about safety these days, but our knives in contact with food are corroding, rusting, harboring bacteria and filth, and no one but me seems to want to raise the point that food contact safety is an issue, and one that top researchers and organizations dedicated to food safety have guidelines on. Who are they? USDA, FSIS, FDA, ANSI, NSF, CDC, NIOSH, and IARC. If it's not stainless, it's not food contact safe. If it's not smooth and easily cleaned, it's not food contact safe. Why am I the only one talking about this?

Now, you can hand-forge some low alloy stainless steels, so not all hope is lost. But those stainless steels are low alloy (I already said that) and that means they are very low performers, the kind of stainless that gives stainless steel a bad name. Why bother to go to the trouble of making a knife by hand if it has inferior performance? But that's another subject-

Want to know more about the unsafe knives you may have and use in your kitchen for your family meals?

Good day,
I'm an avid backpacker & will be hiking a 50-mile stretch of the John Muir Trail in September (I've obtained my permits). I am looking for donations (just your Sadr folding knife), as I'm doing it to promote Behcet's Disease Awareness (rare autoimmune disease) & Suicide Prevention. You see, I’m a 46-year-old female with Behcet’s Disease & I'd love to use your Sadr folding knife.
I'd promote your company on my social media for the entire year. My Twitter account is growing every day! And I'll be writing an article afterwards where I will include all my sponsors and their websites. I've already written an article about living with Behcet's Disease & it's going to be on several organizations' websites/newsletters (i.e. Vasculitis Foundation, UK Vasculitis, American Behcet's Disease Association, UK Behcet's Disease Society, etc.)
Please consider helping me with Sadr folding knife.
Thank you!
C. T.
(Contact information deleted)

I've mentioned before that I get requests like these all the time. I have donated a lot of knives over the decades that I've been a professional knifemaker, and most of those are given to USAF Pararescue, our nation's top military rescue service, because those guys are remarkable soldiers and lifesavers and absolutely do not have the money to buy them (I know they are poorly paid). I donate knives to them that are intended and designed for the toughest, most demanding tactical combat and rescue use, and it's been an honor.

Would it surprise you to know I donate to other efforts? Like helping our community by volunteering time at our Chamber of Commerce in building a recording studio? I volunteered for three years of work for that one so far, and I still help when I can.

I'm not trying to toot my horn; I'm just saying I'm kind of  currently "volunteered to my limit."

But no matter; C. T. has an Awareness campaign. Nothing wrong with that, but why, oh why does she want a $6,000.00 gemstone-handled folding knife with faceted garnets and full engraving, full filework, anodized titanium liners, and a granite gemstone box for her "hike?" It's not the type of knife for that; it's a collector's folding knife. This is what raises my eyebrows. Wouldn't a real hiker want something a little more utilitarian? "Just your $6,000.00 Sadr folding knife" Interesting-

Titled: Custom Throwing Knife
I just found your website and I am wondering if you would be willing to make something like the batarang from batman? If you are I would to talk further about price and what I am hoping you can make for me.
T. “LoneDoctor” E.

There may be a reason his hood name is "LoneDoctor"

Dear Mr. Fisher,
I am working on a novel where a young lady has been armed with a dagger for her personal protection. I have reviewed the information on your site and others and am struggling to find all the information I need.
Could you please send me a diagram of the parts of a dagger, but, more importantly, I need to know from what material each part would likely have been made. The weapon would have belonged to a member of the British aristocracy.
Any information you can provide me would be greatly appreicated.
Sincerely,
L. T.

This is from a published author. No, "how are you," or "great work you've done," or "I've seen your Knife Anatomy page," or any other introductory politeness, just "I'm," and "I," and "I need-"

This person wants me to do her research. Not only to regurgitate the information already on my Knife Anatomy page (had she even bothered to look), but also to detail what material a knife has been made from, belonging to someone in another country, in another time! This comes across as quite presumptuous and entitled.

To her: you're a writer; do your own research like the rest of us. And you misspelled "appreciated."

A writer. Humpf.

Jay,
You are, no doubt, a genius at knife making. However, your website, however beautiful, sucks!

What is this about? It's a beautiful website but you don't like it? Sounds like a conundrum for you; but for me, I'm fine with the website, and so are the many thousands of people who have visited it and even bought knives here. So what's YOUR problem?

I want to order a jade-handled pocket knife since mine from Alaska was stolen.

I want I want. And you start of insulting my website. I don't care if your knife was stolen. And you can't order a custom handmade knife without a conversation.

Can you give me a link to actually order and pay for the knife.

You really don't have a clue how this works, do you? Just a link where you can order and pay, like ordering some socks, or a tube for your bicycle, or some trinket for your kitchen decor. Just a link. From a custom knifemaker who is years in backorders.

Thanks, and my deepest admiration for your beautiful work.

Not that deep though, is it? Just enough to tell me my website sucks because it's not Amazon.

Best,
A.
-- Be the change you expect to see in the world!

And his motivational sign-off is grand, isn't it? The change in the world is for him to alienate his recipient in the first line, make demands, complain that he can't just click a link and buy a knife, and then sign out with a foolish phrase with content he is totally ignorant of.

Just to be clear, there is a page on this website accessible on every header and footer on every single page and on the Table of Contents. It's titled "How to Use This Website." On that page, there is a topic titled: "How Does This Website Work?" That should clear up any misunderstanding. I sent him the link, and never heard from him again.

hi jay,
where do you have the real shop ?
A. P.

I get these from time to time. People look at the website and don't believe that one man has made this many knives, so they think that there is somewhere else that they are made, perhaps by a crew of laborers, maybe in a foreign country, but surely, truly, it's not possible for one man to make so many knives.

I'm writing this as I currently have 26 knives I've just finished master grinds on, and six folding knives needing handles and engraving, and lots of electronics projects I've committed to, to help a non-profit recording studio service and repair their vintage equipment.

It's called a "work ethic," something that has been forgotten by a lot of humanity. They do as little as possible to get by, they want quick shortcuts to money and fame and success. They don't realize that living  just one day and working productively in God's world is an honor that is too easily ignored, and foolishly wasted.

The real shop is exactly where I claim it to be; you would be surprised to see the hundred or so knives I work on, every day, making a bit of progress on each until they are finished and wind up in the hands of happy clients, and on this website in photos and descriptions.

Or... I could tell him that I have a crew of lanky belters in the rubble resources of the Expanse that I exploit while promising them control of the inner planets. All they require is bribes with a little water ice and they make me all the knives I need.

H T F DO I CONTACT YOU??????? WITH OUT SIFTING THROUGH ALL THE JARGON?

WTF and HTF? Are you serious? At the top of every single page of the website, just above the date in the title link box, before any "jargon" or troublesome information is a link. It says "Email Jay Fisher." And, by golly, somehow you sent this email-

When I get emails like this what am I supposed to think and do? Find this person and take him by the hand and carefully walk him through 525 patterns, hundreds of gemstone and wood types, endless details about sheaths and the like, or what?

I have a cheap knife {"blut und ehre"} of extreme sentimental value.

Okay, stop right there. Translated, this phrase is "blood and honor," the National Socialist Slogan used by the Hitler Youth. You can forget me or anyone else I know doing anything to support the horror that this represents. You do know I make knives for the Israeli Defense Force, don't you? Here's a helpful link, dummy.

I would like to get the blade replaced with a cold steel or one with really good metal.

"Cold Steel" is a company that makes cheap junky knives. "Really good metal?" Do some more research.

If I ship you the blade can you duplicate the it?. its only 4" or 5"long. Pictuer of the knife is attached

Let's take a look at this extreme sentimental value of Hitler Youth:

Now, let's get this clear:

1. I don't make Hitler Youth knives of any sort.

2. You claim you don't know how to contact a knifemaker, even as you are emailing him.

3. You start your crappy email with shouting, something your mother is probably ashamed of.

4. A "cheap knife with extreme sentimental value" is still a cheap knife.

5. You use a phrase that is offensive and racist, a phrase that is a punishable offense in Germany, the country it originated in, and rightly so.

6. You better educate yourself some or you're going to make a lot of enemies.

7. You write to a custom maker of fine knives and request a poor steel from a junk knife manufacturer.

8. You ask the knifemaker to make some copy of a picture of junk you sent.

9. The knife picture is of a "folding switchblade," a poor knife design that is completely illegal for anyone in my state to make, possess, sell, own, use, have, store, keep, purchase, ship, or touch in any way (yes that's true).

10. Did I mention it's crap?

11. Simple answer: GET LOST. IS THAT CLEAR ENOUGH?

Title: Wine
Hello,
My name is Gregg Micheal. I will like to ordering 20 bottles of 2004 or 2005 Vintage Louis Reoderer Crystal Champagne (In individual Gift Boxes if available),And also let me know the prices per each items.and let me know if you do accept all major credit card as method of payment I will await your reply
Sincerely
Gregg

I did not reply. I also left this man's name in his email because this is just so ludicrous that he needs to be exposed. But he wasn't finished:

Hello,
My name is Gregg Micheal.I will like to ordering 36 bottles of 2004 or 2005 Vintage Louis Reoderer Crystal Champagne (In individual Gift Boxes if available).
Kindly let me know if you do carry them,And also let me know the prices per each items.and let me know if you do accept all major credit card as method of payment I will await your reply.
Sincerely.
Greg

Perhaps because I ignored the first email, he added another 16 bottles to his request. No matter. He can't have my Champagne. I'm keeping it all for myself, because knifemaking is the party life.

Title: Order needed
Good Day,
my name is David Atkins and will like to know if you sell Tarps ? if yes then kindly get back to me with the prices you have......hope to hear from you soon.
Best Regards
David Atkins

In knifemaking, we cover all bases! All I want to know is where these people get their ideas.

Titled: Knife to cut prescription pills
Do you sell such a knife
What is geometry does blade have a special relief ?
SM

Yes, I sell them but not often. That's because the handle is only 1/4" long and as big around as a toothpick.

Dear Sir,
First allow me to introduce myself. My name is M. A. Though I've never had the pleasure of meeting you in person I have had the opportunity to handle one of your blades. It was while my father and I were in Israel. Something or other to do with his business.

Anyway, to get to the point. The gentleman that humored a young man allowed me to examine his knife and sheath. I was, and still am completely amazed by your work. The feel, the weight. It was love at first touch.

Unfortunately I know the chances are I will never have the opportunity to own one of your knives. I pray to the contrary but the reality is what it is.

Which brings me to the point of this email. I would like to attempt make a modular sheath like the ones you make for your knives for my old M9 or one of my other knives. Would you be willing to provide any pictures of the assembly process and show what is used in your sheaths? I would be eternally grateful for any help you'd be willing to provide.

However I also understand you may not be willing to provide any information due to there being patents and copyrights involved. Either way I understand completely. Thank you for taking the time to read my email and, regardless of yours answer, I will always be an admirer of your work. One day, should luck be with me, I'll own one of your knives. It would be nice to leave something like that to my son somewhere down the line. Anyway, thank you again for your time.

Sincerely,
M. A.

At least this fellow is polite, which is nice.

He's noticed how useful and well-made my sheaths are. Whether it's my Locking Tactical (Versions 1 & 2) or my Hybrid Tension, or Hybrid Tension Tab-lock, or my leather Post-Lock sheaths: they are very well designed, excellent sheaths that are highly desirable. If you have read much of this website, you realize how rare it is to find a really good sheath, and locking tactical combat sheaths are even more rare. He wants instructions, materials, a guide to making these sheaths, which is not something I currently do.

I don't know if I'll ever have the time in this life to detail this process to others. As I get older, I realize that there is only so much time for me to make knives and do electronics work and build fence, care for animals, and last but not least, spend precious moments with my family. I'm not going anytime soon but it's taken me decades to perfect these sheaths and the steps are so involved and numerous that it would take a large volume of instructions and photos to show others how to make them. This is probably why sheaths like this are so rare, and the number one request I get (other than for knives) is to make sheaths for other people's knives.

There is no easy answer here; just as in knifemaking, there is no qualified, worthwhile instruction source or training that any person or entity offers to make high quality sheaths. Sure, there are weekend studies workshops, and leatherworkers who are not knifemakers who make sheaths, and there are hobbyist groups and forums, but not a one of them can tell you how to make an anodized high strength, corrosion-resistant aluminum-framed, double thickness kydex sheath with an adjustable tension controlled release spring set, locking retaining method modular sheath with dozens of mounting straps, accessories, and gear, all in stainless steel, titanium, and completely waterproof components.

Good grief, just trying to describe one of them wears me out!

Learn more about these sheaths on this dedicated page.

My name is B., I run a custom-made knife business, and wanted to know if you were interested in making knives for our customers.

Let me get this straight. I make knives, you mark them up, and sell them. Or, how about this: I make knives and sell them and you go do something else that is more necessary.

This would mean a significant increase in sales without the cost of marketing for you.

I'm not sure I can handle a "significant increase in sales," since I'm in backorders, and you don't even clarify what that is. For instance, as an intermediary marketing entity, how many SKUs (Stockeeping Units) of Product do you intend to adjust upward in the distribution chain and by what percentage over what time frame? What is your Agent/Broker facilitation method by which you reduce my cost of marketing? Do you have written data to demonstrate these reselling results?

I have a successful track record of selling custom-made swords online, and now we are expanding our market.

That's your claim? A "successful track record?" Custom made swords? I don't make many swords, you know. Oh, I understand now, you are expanding your market to knives, but you can't find any to sell so you're asking me? That's strange, I see endless amounts of websites and suppliers of knives on the web and everywhere else... hmm.

My website is (name deleted).com, the new site will be built on (name deleted).com
Kind regards,
B. R.

I looked up his websites. The first one sells $200 knockoff swords from China. Sigh.

The second "knife" website does not exist. 8 years later: it still doesn't exist. Not a great "track record," is it? Now go back and read his first sentence: "I run a custom made knife business."

No, you don't.

Title: Order of Knife

Jay,
I am trying to satisfy my engineering curiosity relative to sharpening my kitchen knives. I have been using the Wicked Edge Sharpening system because it utilizes jigs to control angle repeatability and diamond abrasives from 100 grit down to 0.1 micron films. As I progress to the finest diamonds I was wondering about the pressures exerted on the fine edge and exactly what is going on at the microscopic level.

Is there a knife order here? That's the title of this email you sent.

About the sharpening: silly, silly, silly. These sharpening companies are ridiculous. Sharpening to 250,000 grit? Really? You're wasting your time polishing a cutting edge. This is a thing that started happening a while ago, and the vulnerable are the people who lack the finesse or ability to sharpen their knife, the one service aspect that must be done by the knife owner.

History has shown that even the crudest early humans could get an edge that they could (in the 1400s to 1600s) lop off a head in one swipe. Why is modern man so crippled by sharpening ability?

But back to modern sales: as abrasives got finer and finer, sharpening companies thought it would be great to "cash in" on selling more sharpeners, methods, papers, stones, accessories, and accoutrements. So you sharpen and polish, and hone, and rub, and work on the cutting edge. And you get a tiny little polished mirror and what do you get for all your effort? Nothing but a polished edge. But hey, if you could see yourself in it, you could pick out every pore and flaw in your skin, like a fine mirror...

Here's a profound thought to consider: a scalpel is sharpened to 400 grit, or 600 grit max, and no more. Hmmm. I wonder why that is?

While admitting this is an oversimplification, it seems to me that the steel is basically martensite (with various sizes of grains) with carbides (of various types and sizes) sprinkled throughout. All of this is “held” together by electron clouds via various bonding types. I would think the bonds exist within the grain (crystal lattice), grain to grain, within the carbide, carbide to grain, etc and the associated bond strength vary based on a bunch of things. I have been reading your website and some of the various journals. I read the forums with a grain of salt (sic). I am confused about carbide sizes.

Oh, good grief. This is one of THOSE guys, the ones that get ridiculous about carbon and sharpening down to the grain size. For a humorous and very clear discussion of this, in the section he is referring to, please indulge yourself and learn a little about Carbide Particle Nonsense in this section of the Blades page.

Your website goes to great length talking how carbide sizes are around 128 Pico meters (below) but I am having a hard time reconciling this to other industry sources. I am learning (I think) that there are Primary and Secondary carbides. Primary are in the single digit micron range and secondary are in the nanometer range. Also, per ASTM, very fine grain sizes are in the single digit micron range.

I took off the "Pico" sizes in that section, as it ended up in really big numbers. I think if this person actually read the section linked above, it would "reconcile with other industry sources." Sigh.

Thanks for the patience, here is my question:

Oh, good, now the "Knife Order" in the title.

1. When I use my 0.5 micron diamond film am I abrading the exposed martensite grains and carbides equally ?

Is there a knife question or order here? After all, this is what he typed in the email title line.

2. While sharpening am I “defeating” all bond (strengths) between and within grains and carbides ?
I recognize that it doesn’t really matter relative to the sharpness I utilize but it may affect the toughness of the edge during subsequent use due to the stresses introduced during the breaking of electron bonds (ie. sharpening). It makes we think that tempering after sharpening might be prudent.

Is there a knife question or order here? I'm getting old.

PS. I know I am way over thinking this but it sure is fascinating – LOL, and thank you for your time !
T. M.

Is there a knife question or order here? This guy goes on to list his references, and one of them is a sales brochure that masquerades as a knifemaker's reference that I mention in this section of my "Heat Treating and Cryogenic Processing of Knife Blade Steels page.

Had this man read the heat treating page, he would know more than most knifemakers and more than the guy who wrote that brochure about steels and elements, and bonding, and grain, and all of the stuff the undisciplined mind resorts to when all he needs to learn to do is properly sharpen a knife. After all, the first time it dulls (and every knife dulls) he'll have to sharpen it again.

And still, no knife order.

Hello Mr. Fisher,
First, let me start by saying “WOW” very impressed by your craftsmanship. I would like to have a knife made for my husband but was curious to know if it is possible to include ashes (human remains) within the handle? If so, is this something you can or are willing to do?
Many Thanks,
D. G.
Administrative Associate
Continuing Medical Education
(address deleted)

Ashes. In the handle. Human Ashes. Burned up human body. Parts of human, cooked and burned to simple basic products of combustion. Preserved in a knife handle. Where the hand goes. Grab those ashes. Gripping ashes while cutting. Huh-

Are they his ashes or yours or is this some trophy? Sigh.

Someone sent me this for a review:
Title: I need a sword
I need a sword. Something large, of fine craftsmanship and sturdy. Must be able to cleave a moose in half with one to two blows. This is extremely important. I need to arm for my time machine and i cant bring a gun to where im going, i dont want to give myself away as a time traveler and i have to fit in. I would prefer something from the renaissance period, as i am trying to save king louis VIII from bring executed. If all goes as planned, the present will change and i hope you all enjoy not having france a part of this planet anymore. Youre welcome in advance.
This is completely serious and is not a joke.

Wow, time traveller hates our French allies... really hates them. Moose-cleaving, King-saving warrior is he. Or just another nutcase.

Hi Jay,
I've been trying to discover a maker for this knife.  The maker's name is under the hammering and only USA is left.  Anyway, if you recognize the work I'd REALLY appreciate it you will pass that info along to me.
Thanks,
C. R.

"Under the hammering?" Does that mean that after he made it and applied his maker's mark, he hammered his name to oblivion because he didn't want anyone to know he made it? I can't blame him.

It's a "what to do with some lawnmower blade steel run over by a truck, some scrap malachite bought at a Navajo tourist trading post, and some old wood that kinda looks like antler. Oh, yes, and some rawhide and polyurethane varnish leftover from sealing your sundeck. Add a new-looking leather (black with white stitching) sheath and you get the whole unbalanced native rusting corpse steel drunk journey thing that you have to explain to your wife from the back of a patrol car in Sedona...

Forgive me; I'm just lost here...

Title: Hello Jay
I recently came across your knives and you are a truly amazing craftsman from start to finish.

That's very kind of you; I work hard on every one of them.

Your web page came off slightly narcissistic, Im a therapist and just get that feel.

Of course the website is a bit focused on Jay Fisher; the name of the site is JayFisher.com and it's about my work. What would you have it be about...you?

And... as a mental health professional who deals with interpersonal communication issues, you decided that insulting my website was a good course of action that would result in a worthwhile conversation. How many other websites and artists and craftsmen do you insult expecting a reasonable response? If you are really a "therapist," you should be fired, dummy.

It always amazes me what people put forward to a stranger. I actually have family members who are indeed professional therapists, and one of them is a Ph.D. neuroscientist, and we all shake our heads at this ridiculousness. But, it's good for a laugh.

I have ben a lapidarist for 30+ years and grew up near a forge however my parents had a different plan.

What the crap does all that mean? If you've been a lapidarist for over three decades, let's see your work. Oh, you have nothing to show for all this experience. And you "grew up near a forge?" Why, then you're practically a metalsmith, just by proximity and osmosis, right? And your parents "had a different plan?" About what? About claiming you were actually theirs? About disappearing to a foreign country without telling you so you couldn't follow? About becoming cosmonauts? Different than what?

Now that money doesn't matter I am setting up shop.

Good to know; you can live off the land. Money means nothing, you can grub through the dump for your next meal.

Call me a hobbyist or a hack. I will let my art and functionality speak for themselves.

Is this person offended by something that I haven't said? Something he thinks I might say because he's a "therapist?" Or is he just ashamed and embarrassed by his own creations? Wow.

Great pieces aren't just for the elite in my opinion. Im going to change that.

Bully for you, go get 'em tiger! Change the world with your insulting therapy rockhound blacksmith by proxy stuff!

You work is an inspiration and again amazing.

And then a kind word pops up out of nowhere- must have been a mistake.

However I look forward to just bringing something new to the field.

Bring it on! The field needs you to straighten us all out...I think.

Hope to meet you.

That's okay, you go ahead and "bring something new to the field," you don't need me interfering with my narcissism and fancypants stuff.

Funny thing, years later, nothing from this guy anywhere. I guess his parents had different plans...

what is that black in your engraving? Does it come off or will it stay forever? What exactly is it?
G.

Jack Burton: "That is not water."
Egg Shen: "Black Blood of the Earth."
Jack Burton: "You mean oil?"
Egg Shen: "I mean Black Blood of the Earth!"

—Big Trouble in Little China, 1986

Hi Jay,
This isn’t a serious knife purchase inquiry because your knives are out of my league pricewise at the moment. But I wanted to send you a little knife “love” letter to offset your hate mail!
The photo of this knife set took my breath away and literally brought tears to my eyes. I hope, one day, I will be back to buy a set just like it.
I can not believe anyone could dream up the works of art that you create. Your imagination is boundless. You are a true craftsman.
Thank you for making art and sharing it with the world.
Without art, we’d be senseless.
All the best --
Hilary

Thank you, Hilary; your email makes this all worthwhile!