Beware of "Kit Customs"

[Hukk]

I've been watching eBay for some time now and there are literally dozens of knives where the blade is purchased and a handle is put on. This includes slipjoints, lockbacks and liner locks as well as fixed blades. It includes blades from custom makers as well as some manufactured in Seki Japan.

You need to be careful though, there is a group that buy blades from 2 Fingers, Grand Levitt, Tony Metsala, and a few others.

A lot of this is coming thorugh: http://stores.ebay.com/PremiumKnifeSupp ... esstQQtZkm who is based in Hayesville, NC. They have the Hayesville Knife Guild whose members buy supplies from Premium Knife supply and then resell them through Hayesville Knife Guild and others maintain their own stores on ebay. The members of the Hayesville Knife Guild who sell through the guild seem to be on the up and up. It's others that purcase and take credit or make no mention in the auction of who made the blade.

There are others that buy some of the cheapie blades and sell them as their own OR they make no metion of the blade except give a hardness and materials. The big key that I've seen is that in describing the knife they leave off the word - "I". In other words this is what was done but they did not do it. Ask a lot of questions of the seller such as did you grind the Damascus and who made it.

There are a bunch that buy blades assemble a knife and claim they did everything. Premium knife supply sells tha linerlock http://cgi.ebay.com/Knife-Blanks-Blade- ... m153.l1262 and one guy sold one as a custom he built for $635.00. It is the last knife on this auction. But if you look at the liner lock, he did not take it apatr. It came assembled and he did the file work through both the liner and backsping. He likely made $500.00 and spent 5 hours on it.

I bought one of these and it's on my desk, rough as a cob movement. Rough enough that I want to take it apart and rebuild it, I can't understand why anyone would be happy with it. I haven't seen any of these guys stamp their work, just claim they did everything.

There is a whole bunch of phonies out there - be careful buying custom knives! The knife below is the example I'm speaking of. There are dozens similar to this!

Once again, The members of the Hayesville Knife Guild who sell through the guild seem to be on the up and up, they buy and sell through the same store.

[Darksev]

Honestly I've seen the same thing you have Hukk. I have built a few of Darrel Ralph's kits, that's what got me started with knives in the first place, so I'm very familiar with their workings and limitations. I always get a little chuckle when I see a "custom" folder on ebay for hundreds of dollars and immediately recognize it's profile/grind/frame as a DR kit, right down to the cast metal bolsters. Happens more than you might think.

On the flip side, I have seen some individuals put together kits, and really work hard to get everything right, the end result being more custom than kit, but almost all of those individuals will outright tell you what it started life as, and I can't fault them for that. Jim Cooper is a prime example of that. He's even got a nice full page disclaimer and explanation regarding what he does (or used to do. I haven't been over to knifenetworks in a long while, not sure he still does kits anymore) Here's an example, you'll have to click around for th explanation page I mentioned. http://www.sharpbycoop.com/Handfinished ... ascus.html

[Hukk]

Here are a couple pictures of blades that Premium Knife Supplies sells. The buyers buy them and from what I see lately are claiming that they built the whole darn thing. One of the liner locks went for $635.00 and all he did was to do a little filework and use a lot of mammoth tooth. Not bad for an original cash outlay of about $90.00.

Here they are:

The liner lock has a real rough open/close.

[pmike5869]

Noticed the picture of the 2 blade. Just put some scales on one just like it and wonder your opinion of the quality. Mine seems to be just fine and happy with the result. Posted under "cordia and silver" custom factory knives forum.
Thx
Mike

[Hukk]

The trapper is much nicer than the liner lock. The liner lock will be set aside so that when I have time, I will take it apart and modify it a lot. I like my OKAPI a whole lot better than the liner lock, I was dissapointed that it was so rough, I can't understand why some buyer would pay $635 and leave a positive. Just a piece of mammoth tooth on it and file work that went thorough both the liner and spacer - tells me someone could not take it apart.

It's stuff like that, it gives custom knives a black eye. I have seen knives from Jantz, Texas Knife and others being sold as customs on eBay.

I may see if I have a set of pearl scales for that trapper, maybe use that for a pearl tutorial. I just got back from Ohio - So, I need to figure out where I'm at. Sure was nice to get away for a week.

[pmike5869]

Yeay MOP...... tutorial
Think I just wet my pants... but when you get my age (68 sunday) it's hard to figure out the cause. LOL
thx for your opinion of the folder.

[pmike5869]

Just rec'd a Cheyenne Bowie blade from Premium and it was very rough. The ripples in the blade took me about 6 hrs to polish out. Eventually it will look nice but sometimes a bargain is not a bargain. Can't really tell from the picture on the sale site so I took a chance. Oh well, I learned a lot from the experience.

[Diligence]

...Think I just wet my pants... but when you get my age (68 sunday) it's hard to figure out the cause. LOL....

Careful Mike, don't laugh too hard!!

j

[pmike5869]

While waiting for the "pearl tutorial' I went ahead and orderred some from culpepper and also want to try some mosaic abalone. Wonder what drills and other tools a guy should have on hand to work this stuff? I seem to have read here somewhere that certain kinds of drill bits are preferred. What about saws, blades, water bath, etc? Sanding, filing, buffing polishing; all mysteries to me which I hope to solve without ruining it. Thx to anyone who cares to educate me.

[Hukk]

I have just ordered my pearl from Culpepper, along with some corals and some jigged bone that were over runs. Because I decided to do a GEC, my bolster to liner mesurement was about .140 so I ordered 5/32 thick.

Sharp drill bits and new sandpaper. Some guys working with pearl only use their bits once and throw them away.

I should have it next week.

[pmike5869]

When you say only use them once does that mean drill one hole or drill the holes in one knife? Twice as scared of cutting that stuff.

[Hukk]

When you say only use them once does that mean drill one hole or drill the holes in one knife? Twice as scared of cutting that stuff.

No, don't be scared of the stuff. I do recommend buying the cheapest pearl you can get from Culpepper for the first 2 or 3 knives for practice. Also what makes nice gifts and you can practice on is to buy a couple letter openers with mirror polish. Pearl would look very nice.

They will use a drill bit for one knife, or 2 or 3 on pearl at once - then throw it out - pretty much whatever they are comfortable with. They don't want to keep track of how many times a bit has been used. Heat is the enemy and a dull bit will overheat pearl. There are ways to get around that.

So, for pearl you just want everything to be sharp. I bought some drill bits with Titanium Nitride coating (TiN) which is about 1 micron thick on M2 steel. For a 10 pack at 79 cents for each 10 pack it seems like a bargain, but just like knives - the bits are only as good as the heat treat. Titanium Nitride coating adds a factor called lubricity in that it will drill through a material easier than a regular bit will.

Anyhow, I'm waiting for my pearl to arrive and I better check on my Dremel chucks to make sure I have them down to 1/16 inch as I'm thinking of pinning these with brass just like they do with all GEC knives. I will polish and maybe jewel the inside of the brass liners and I will etch my name in the liners also. I need to check my pinstock and find out what what size I need also. This can be done pinless also. Chucks and pinstock, I forgot to check that.