WHAT TO ASK A KNIFEMAKER
When you consider buying a custom knife, certain questions come to mind. Some are easier asked and certainly more easily answered than others. However, anytime money is forked over in exchange for a handmade, well-built knife, an exchange of information takes place. Still, there may be a fine line between the ordinary, the somewhat sensitive and the downright invasive.
BLADE® asked some well-established custom knifemakers and purveyors what they thought about playing 20 questions with a prospective buyer. In this round of discussion, we’ll tackle those questions that should be asked and answered.
TESTING and HEAT TREATING
“I like the questions about testing and heat treating,” commented American Bladesmith Society (ABS) master smith Mike Quesenberry. “As for heat treating, it’s good to know what the maker does. Do they do the work themselves, and what type of heat treating do they do? Is it in a forge, heat-treating oven, do they use a salt pot? Then, on the performance aspect of the
