Thread: custom blade blanks

Spanx,

I sent you a pm. If you reply I will forward the info. Same goes for others if interested. I would just post here but I have not talked to them about putting their info up here.

I like your idea, Butch, about possibly offering some LR Harner blades for people to put their own custom scales on. That would be worthy of it's own Razor Club where people could showcase your blades in their scales. Very cool idea. I'll keep watching for this.

Ah, the customs debate. I don't know if we'd ever come to an agreed upon criteria on what's a full custom, what's a half custom, etc.

Antler or horn scales? Did ya saw the scales material off the dead animal yerself? Blades, did you smelt the steel yourself like Mike Blue can/does? If not, then according to some, anything else wouldn't be "custom".

If Butch was to have someone else water jet some blanks that he would then grind and finish, I don't really see how that would be any less custom than someone else who buys scale material in pre-made slabs or blanks that they then finish.

I would think bladesmiths and knifemakers must already have some defined criteria as to what constitutes one level of custom over another?

Chris L

Originally Posted by Chris L

If Butch was to have someone else water jet some blanks that he would then grind and finish, I don't really see how that would be any less custom than someone else who buys scale material in pre-made slabs or blanks that they then finish.

It's just a point that when you get 20 razors of the same exact shape- regardless of the scales, the blade is not a custom blade. It is a customIZED blade, yes, but not exactly a personalized one off piece of steel. Either way it's a good idea on Butch's part.

Valid point, Alex. To be clear, I was not challenging what you said personally I was speaking in regard to what seems to be a perennial and general debate on what level of "custom" or "non-custom" work constitutes one or another or something in between.

Chris L

Just so you guys know my original thought a few months ago was to have a few small blades made to make key chains with. just a simple non sharp grind. I thought a small SRP blade type key fob would be pretty cool. Nothing really usable but would be unique none the less.

I should find out if it is ok to post their info later today.

Anyone have an idea of the type of steel one would want to use for the blades I can ask them if they can source also.

I orginaly started this thread thinking to replace the blade in my sweeney. Being less than an ametuer knife maker I dont know how well it will go. The 1045 the blade is made of is a pretty good shaver once you finesse thaat big somb.... around your face. Looks really cool by the way.Regardless how it performs now i know it cant compete with the higher carbon stuff.Idon't know if I can accomplish the task I set upon myself but it should be a learnig exp. Scrapman might I suggest alluminum for the keychains because it lightweight. By the way Harner if you ever feel the need for a challenge I got a sweeney for ya

ok all you can contact the company using the following info. He said they can not source smal quantities of special alloys any cheaper than you can form MSC, but they will cut them if you supply the metal. given a dxf file for the outline they can give a quote. Some of the image software will export a dxf line drawing. They need to be drawn to scale. Or one might be able to vectorize a drawn and scanned image to the dxf file type. Give them a holler and see what they can do.

They have cut the cpm 154 stainless for a knife maker. He said that the harder steels actually cut better than some of the mild steels.

you can email Glen

allwayzmfg at rtconnect dot net

or give them a call or drop a line at

Ask for Glenn or Dean
Alwayz Manufacturing
6289 I80 Service Road
Pine Bluffs, WY 82082
phone: (307) 245-3649

by the way they make the small lot of knife blanks in similar numbers as asked about above.

i have got quotes for 2 local Co's that do water or lazer cutting (one each)

even if it cost me a bit more to do it local i like to keep as much in town that i can (this is a small town btw less then 8000 ppl

Butch I can see where that would still allow for a custom and hopefully at lower price points. depending on how you did the blank shape you coiuld still change tip shape, do different spine treatments/file work, slight tang changes. I guess the only thing you couldn't do would be smiling blades.

My late friend and gunsmith used to make custom magazine boxes for rifles. originally he'd take a huge blank, drill a hole, cut a bandsaw blade and feed through, weld it back together and cut out the main waste from the inside of the well. in the end he'd send out a batch and have that part done by EDM, saved him hours of work. net result was the same. good thinking on his part and on yours.

Red

Okay, slightly off topic but my thoughts on custom/customized production.

Custom to me would me a maker sits down and listens to my ideas or takes his own and makes a single unique piece. There may be an overall design body but each piece is unique to either the customers or makers design. "Unique" is the operative word in custom. If I were to cut you a mooseskin strop 3 5/16" wide, 27" long with wooden handles it would be custom.

Production would be a set design a maker does over and over. A standard pattern, maybe in several sizes, maybe with different finishes but all are basically the same and any of us could buy an identical item. In my case any normal strop I sell, Artisan, etc.... "Standard" is the operative word for these.

Customized is taking ones standard, production design or product and modifying it to either the makers or customers ideas. If Dovo were to offer spine file work to order it would be customized, not custom. If you wanted me to blend an Artisan Horsehide, with a Vegan 2nd component and use a different kind of handle or Dee is is customized but still my basic product...customized. Any of us could order the same set of customized options. "Modified" is the operative word.

Made by hand vs, mass produced or semi-mass produced has nothing to do with custom or customized, or even production for that matter. If I make 2000 identical strops a year completely by hand (which I do) they are still production items, not custom made. If I make 2000 completely different strops, each unique and to each customers whim but 100% on machinery or with hired help or even from someone elses commercial components they would still be custom...unique, one of a kind.

On Butch's water jetted blanks, as long as he does his unique grinds, shapes, filework and scales on each of those machined blanks they are custom in my book even with contracted help. He is simply optimizing the raw material from which he is doing his magic. If one were to mine, smelt, forge, hand grind and hand scale 1000 identical razors himself alone, as long as they were identical, they would be standard production items, hand made but still standard production items. We all get to buy the same identical items. If you then want to finish each with one of 10 scale options or filework patterns you can say you customized them but we could all still buy the same designs.

Standard/Production items, custom items and customized items are in the design. Hand made or machine made is how you manage you time and has nothing to do with custom or not.

To make a long story short <g>, I got no problem with water jetted blanks.

Tony