John Wilson
Well-Known Member
Just ask yourself if anyone could accuse you of being a knockoff artist. Alter it thusly, or pay homage to the creator.
Nevermind
- Thread starter One Armed
- Start date
C Craft
Well-Known Member
This topic comes around every so often. I feel that pretty much anything you have thought of or drawn out, more than likely has been done!! I once had a design for a knife that I was sure I had never seen and was pretty sure it must be an original!!
It was an original idea to me and that was about as far as it goes!! With this new original idea in my head I set about to do some research. While researching I ran across an article on 17th century knives. The page contained knives that had been recovered and although they may not have all been intact the article had pictures that showed the shapes of the knives and suddenly there it was!...…………. A knife that was so close to the shape I had come up with, that I could have designed the one in the picture!! Could not help but laugh!! So much for an original!
I never set out to copy anyone's design! However I do keep a reference file of knives. Those are the ones that something about the knife catches my eye. It may only be the handle, it may only be a bolster, or pommel, a guard or a combination of the handle colors, etc., etc.. I never post a pic that if I have the name of the maker that I don't credit them with the picture.
I don't maintain this file to make a copy of the knife, rather as a reference of what to include on a handle or the amount of drop in a drop point knife!! Never do I copy a knife entirely. I have the pics to reference whatever it was that made me like that particular knife!! However I am pretty much a firm believer that the knife concept has pretty much been done. Every since man decided to make his first knife shaped object!!
I often see this is my knife and blah, blah, blah! No, it is not!!! It is a dead copy of a Randall knife! The maker doesn't even have the guts to say, "this knife is Randall inspired"! First of all if you make a dead copy, it is not yours to brag about! If you don't have enough spirit to say that the idea, is someone else's. Well it says a lot about you!! If you use a blank and say this knife is made entirely by me, well as stated it says a lot about yourself!!
Saying a knife is inspired by someone is OK, saying that this knife is a knife blank, that I finished up with my guard and handle, or I re-worked the shape of this blank and finished it out that is OK. You are making it your own and you have not represented it to be all yours!
However I will say once you post a picture of a knife or actually make a knife and it is unique,...……... the moment you put it out there, you no longer have control of it! Not in todays world!! Sure knives can be patented but, as mentioned by others. As stated, it takes timeort and money and then the infringement on that patient is very hard to police!!
As Ed said, I have contacted the maker of a certain knife and told them I was so taken by their design, that I would like to use the general concept to make a similar knife. I have always been meant with good results.
How ever some makers thinks since they are making a living off of this design and don't want you to use any part of it! You have to respect their wishes!!
In my book there is no statement that means more to a maker than to say, all work on this knife was accomplished in house by myself!! It is a statement of pride and it should be!!
Most makers I have talked to about the subject, adhere to the old adage, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”. That and they don't worry to much about yours looking as good as theirs. After all they didn't get to be masters at their craft overnight!
My father once told me, "if I do a good job my name gets around fast enough, but if I do a bad job my name will beat me from job to job"!!
I heard that for the first time when I was 14 yrs. of age. It is one of those things that did not set in, as soon as I heard it! After thinking about it I knew exactly what he meant, and I have always tried to live my life and do my business along those lines!! So far in life it has served me well!!
It was an original idea to me and that was about as far as it goes!! With this new original idea in my head I set about to do some research. While researching I ran across an article on 17th century knives. The page contained knives that had been recovered and although they may not have all been intact the article had pictures that showed the shapes of the knives and suddenly there it was!...…………. A knife that was so close to the shape I had come up with, that I could have designed the one in the picture!! Could not help but laugh!! So much for an original!
I never set out to copy anyone's design! However I do keep a reference file of knives. Those are the ones that something about the knife catches my eye. It may only be the handle, it may only be a bolster, or pommel, a guard or a combination of the handle colors, etc., etc.. I never post a pic that if I have the name of the maker that I don't credit them with the picture.
I don't maintain this file to make a copy of the knife, rather as a reference of what to include on a handle or the amount of drop in a drop point knife!! Never do I copy a knife entirely. I have the pics to reference whatever it was that made me like that particular knife!! However I am pretty much a firm believer that the knife concept has pretty much been done. Every since man decided to make his first knife shaped object!!
I often see this is my knife and blah, blah, blah! No, it is not!!! It is a dead copy of a Randall knife! The maker doesn't even have the guts to say, "this knife is Randall inspired"! First of all if you make a dead copy, it is not yours to brag about! If you don't have enough spirit to say that the idea, is someone else's. Well it says a lot about you!! If you use a blank and say this knife is made entirely by me, well as stated it says a lot about yourself!!
Saying a knife is inspired by someone is OK, saying that this knife is a knife blank, that I finished up with my guard and handle, or I re-worked the shape of this blank and finished it out that is OK. You are making it your own and you have not represented it to be all yours!
However I will say once you post a picture of a knife or actually make a knife and it is unique,...……... the moment you put it out there, you no longer have control of it! Not in todays world!! Sure knives can be patented but, as mentioned by others. As stated, it takes timeort and money and then the infringement on that patient is very hard to police!!
As Ed said, I have contacted the maker of a certain knife and told them I was so taken by their design, that I would like to use the general concept to make a similar knife. I have always been meant with good results.
How ever some makers thinks since they are making a living off of this design and don't want you to use any part of it! You have to respect their wishes!!
In my book there is no statement that means more to a maker than to say, all work on this knife was accomplished in house by myself!! It is a statement of pride and it should be!!
Most makers I have talked to about the subject, adhere to the old adage, “Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”. That and they don't worry to much about yours looking as good as theirs. After all they didn't get to be masters at their craft overnight!
My father once told me, "if I do a good job my name gets around fast enough, but if I do a bad job my name will beat me from job to job"!!
I heard that for the first time when I was 14 yrs. of age. It is one of those things that did not set in, as soon as I heard it! After thinking about it I knew exactly what he meant, and I have always tried to live my life and do my business along those lines!! So far in life it has served me well!!
Sometimes I unintentionally copy what I've seen was asking for an opinion if it's strictly an ABS style or not. I drew it, but it could've been the result of what I've seen on this website, the internet, or knife related publications - just coming out. That's a good idea, Mr. Craft, to keep a file of knives you like in order to reference and/or give credit if necessary.
C Craft
Well-Known Member
Great post CCraft.
This particular item in question was more about an embellishment on a knife, rather than a style of knife. Another guy who was real new to the game had asked the maker about how he did this embellishment. The maker told the kid that he was making a living at selling knives and he was not about to tell him "how to"!
I made the statement that I thought, someone thought too much of themselves!! I had makers that agreed and makers who thought it was his too protect.
I came down on the side that yes, you do not have to tell me, "how to" and I respect your wishes for that!
However when I figure it out, " you will no longer have a claim to it, as from that point on it is my idea"!
I have pictures of knives in my reference files. That I thought the knife itself, absolutely sucked but, loved the effect achieved on the handle. Lets just say that was a liner of a certain color or a combination of different materials that were used on the handle, it might even be nothing more than the shape of the handle. These are all things that no maker has control of!!
I can understand a maker that is making a living off of making knives not wanting anyone to copy their work. How ever that is very hard to control!!! I also have to look at this with another view. I doubt there is many of us that could make a copy of a master smith's work and that copy be so well done, that it could not me told, this knife was made by someone else.
The devil is in the detail
"The devil is in the detail" is an idiom that refers to a catch or mysterious element hidden in the details, meaning that something might seem simple at a first look but will take more time and effort to complete than expected and derives from the earlier phrase,
Now, what was the question???? Oh yeah, My take on copying knife design.
