Massdrop III: Kamon

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message seems to have gotten through now - thanks forum admin!
climbclimb said:
Have attempted to email @nakiriknaifuwaifu and @RockyBasel - when I use the exact format required I receive this notice from the website:

"Your content can not be submitted. This is likely because your content is spam-like or contains inappropriate elements. Please change your content or try again later. If you still have problems, please contact an administrator."

I've deleted all formatting - suspect maybe it's the use of the word "paypal", but I tried "paypa1" and that didn't go through either.
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Hello:

Thanks to all who submitted their info on time and adhered to the format requested. List for confirmation coming soon (I've PM'd everyone too).

I have not received communication from:

@Todd762
@killerloop

PMs have been sent. If you see this, check your inbox please ;)

Thanks again everyone,
NKW
 
nakiriknaifuwaifu said:
Payment and Shipping Logistics: ​

Hello all - below are critical details regarding shipping and payment. Please read it thoroughly as there are TIME SENSITIVE DEADLINES!!!
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While I unfortunately wasn't one of the lucky ones who got in this time I still wanted to give a big Thank You to the musketeers for conceiving, organising and seeing through this drop.

I know from experience that often the thanks behind things like that can be rather small, while the potential for complaints - particularly when dealing with not unsubstantial amounts of money - can be significant. Truly, hats off to the three of you!

In addition, it is truly fascinating to see Ben's approach. Not at all trying to belittle what you do Ben - your work is clearly sublime. But I can't help wondering if your skillset isn't somewhat under utilised in what you currently do. You're a perfectionist, someone with an inquisitive engineering mind and organisational skills that border on the prodigy level. Not wanting to sound like a parent, dissatisfied that the child 'only' became vice-president: but should you maybe be thinking about setting yourself goals beyond your one man boutique forge?
 
I don't take it as belittling @outofgamut. I more take it as a compliment. I was approached with the idea, of somehow expanding the business, several times which is why I often thought about this topic.

I don't know where this will take me in the future even though I have some hopes and ideas where it could take me. I know however what I don't want to do, at least in a somewhat foreseeable future.
I won't get employees. For one thing it's ridiculously expensive over here in Austria. An employee working full time getting paid at the bare minimum by law costs me as an employer ~3000€+ a month. All that not 12 times a year, but 14 times (summer and winter double salary). Plus 5 weeks paid vacation and eventually sick days off. This shouldn't be a hit on worker rights. I find it good that workers here by law get to be paid a certain amount and have some security. I was on the other side of this for the longest time and I completely understand that those 3000€+ I'd spend, of which the employee only gets about half (rest is taxes, insurence,... He and I have to pay from the 3k€), aren't even a high enough salary one would seek out. That's not much really. Especially not for such a demanding job.

So that's one thing and the other is that I'd be a bad employer. I fear I'd ask too much and that's not meaning in the sense that I'd knew better. That's more meaning in the way that I wouldn't leave my employee the freedom he would need, the freedom I myself had with my last employer (he was a good boss).


Additionally - I'm in a real good position right now. My books are closed, except for existing customers, and just from those putting orders in and the mass drop the lead time, that I didn't want to let grow over ~6 months, is at about 1 year now.
I don't want to sound too whiney but the worse I have to deal with these days is constantly explaining to people why it is that I can't take their orders currently and how sorry I am for that. And even though that's really not funny to do, and I actually want to provide all who would spend the trust and money to order with me, it's just not worth compromising what I've got for more output.
I'm doing a good job now alone. I enjoy beeing alone and beeing my own boss not having to look out for someone (got enough of that at home), and I make a good living from that.
Short put it just works out great as it is I think so there is no reason for me to change it.

PS: I can only underline what you've said about the Massketeers! They're doing a great job and I'm incredibly thankful for their hard work so pls make their lives as easy as possible when dealing with them.
 
daddy yo yo said:
Hiring is only one small part of it. Keeping is the more difficult part!
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THAT'S another issue. Especially in this business. I'm not greedy with my knowledge. Quite obviously I guess looking at this thread. Even though I have certain lines I won't cross to not encourage copy cats too much ✌️😅. But it's quite common in knife making that "apprentices" get self employed after a while. And that's not a bad thing in general. I know some guys that did this, but if I am the employer in this constellation, I'm pissed 😂.

Another reason I didn't mention is that such a small structure I'm having is very flexible, and therefore financially safer I think. In a crisis, like with the pandemic now, you get in a tight spot very fast if you have salary expenses of 3000, 6000, 9000 Euro or more a month. And at the first about half year an employee costs you double. The salary he's getting and your time educating him.

I fear it's just not for me.

However Martin Huber for example does a great job so it's possible to pull off. He has 2 employees by now afaik and he grew his business to three main pillars beeing knife making, knife making courses and selling knife making materials. I find that quite impressive.
 
Ben, I think you are doing exactly what you should be after reading your thoughts on your situation. 35 years ago I started my business here in the US. I had a partner and we grew extremely fast. At one point we had 17 people working for us and all I ended up being was a baby sitter. I split with my partner about 15 years in and decided to only use subcontractors and only have 2 of them. I sold the building down town and started working from home. Best decisions I ever made. Keeping the business small allowed for so much more freedom and much less stress. And the funny thing is that I ended up making way more money being small. It sounds to me like you’re doing it exactly the right way.
 
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gregfisk said:
Ben, I think you are doing exactly what you should be after reading your thoughts on your situation. 35 years ago I started my business here in the US. I had a partner and we grew extremely fast. At one point we had 17 people working for us and all I ended up being was a baby sitter. I split with my partner about 15 years in and decided to only use subcontractors and only have 2 of them. I sold the building down town and started working from home. Best decisions I ever made. Keeping the business small allowed for so much more freedom and much less stress. And the funny thing is that I ended up making way more money being small. It sounds to me like you’re doing it exactly the right way.
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Haha yet another reason. But it makes sense. Of course your company makes more money when it's bigger. Ideally at least. But naturally the money gets split through more people. And that the boss of this Company could end up just switching the kind of work he does, but not necessarily earning more, is a possibility.
I'm just not made for office work no matter what 😅.

Update:

 
Hello all:

Thanks to all who submitted their info in time. Here is the confirmation chart. Everyone save for @Todd762 has sent in their info.

@Todd762 if you're reading this please check your inbox as you are in acute danger of forfeiting your slot.

If anyone has any questions please shoot me a message. Otherwise, please check back shortly for more updates.

All best,
NKW

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@nakiriknaifuwaifuNAUSA2601N/A
@RockyBaselEUCHE2602N/A
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@cooktocutNAUSA26051
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@KeatNAUSA260171
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@drsmpNAUSA260201
@AcidwashNAUSA260211
@0x0xEUAustria260271
@robAPACAus260311
@captaincaedNAUSA260321
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@JoshNACanada22541
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@BodineNAUSA225381
 
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@KAMON Knives while I really appreciate your grinding post update and your lovely water cooled grinder, Im curious about your thoughts on the grind itself. Next to the whole forging process, grinding is maybe the most important part of how the knife performes, imo. As they say, geometry cuts. What are your considerations concerning grinding and performance? What are you balancing, so to say? 🙂
 
Lesson learned here, monitor the thread daily if you can. Congrats to whoever got my slot, you’ll love it I am sure.

I sincerely appreciate those who go through the effort to make this possible. Can I make a suggestion for future massdrop offerings? Can we have a pay it now option when the price is determined? For those of us traveling or in rural areas, it might avoid a communication Issue or payment timeline crunch.

Todd
 
Knivperson said:
@KAMON Knives while I really appreciate your grinding post update and your lovely water cooled grinder, Im curious about your thoughts on the grind itself. Next to the whole forging process, grinding is maybe the most important part of how the knife performes, imo. As they say, geometry cuts. What are your considerations concerning grinding and performance? What are you balancing, so to say? 🙂
Click to expand...

In general I aim to have the edge as thin as reasonably possible. Measured it's about 0,08mm (0,003") thick. That just reduces wedging. But also after the edge the blade has to be thin. I've often seen too convex grinds in the edge region. This is when the primary bevel goes down to the edge in a wider angle instead of a relatively flat one. On pics the edge looks thin then, but really sometimes it's not and the knife won't perform how you'd expect it to be by the looks of it as the secondary bevel, the edge, looks thin, but really isn't. My knives will be able to perform the brass rod test easily.

Above the edge, for the primary bevel, I use a convex grind for good food release purposes. Not much to say about that. I think everyone here can imagine what it is ;).

A specialty of my knives may be the fact that they are pretty laser like thin towards the tip, and thicker workhorse like towards the heel. It's a combination of laser and workhorse if you will. I've often got problems with that as many people will ask for specific kinds of knives. Like make it a laser, make it a workhorse, make it... No, sry. Doesn't work like that with me. It's a Kamon. I'm doing my own thing. Not meant to be rude but I can't work like other knife makers do. I have my own head ✌️😅.

Also I like thin tips. They're ground in an completely separate step where I establish a dedicated geometry just for the tip. Actually the tip has what my walkschliff finished knives have, throughout the whole blade in that they are not the thickest at the spine, but slightly beneath. Means the primary bevel at the tip region is rounded thin towards the spine and the thickest part is a few mm below the spine. The reason for that is that you can slide in and out of onions, for example, easier without catching up on it since there is no sharp edge at the spine in the tip region.
 
Todd762 said:
Lesson learned here, monitor the thread daily if you can.
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I just want to clarify that there has been a week and a half of communication about specifically about info and payment collection.

//

On Monday Nov. 15th Post #575 I tagged everyone and said: "Further time-sensitive announcements regarding payment and shipping coming sooooooon!"

On Tuesday Nov. 16th post #578 I specified, saying "Further information on payment will be sent out this week" and stated the ETA of completion would be December.

On Friday Nov. 19th post #611 (Friday afternoon if you're in TX) as stated I opened up the thread for payment and shipping info with a deadline of 11:95PM on Monday, Nov. 22nd

On Monday Nov. 22nd post #626 I posted a reminder deadline for that day.

After the deadline, I gave a grace period and on Tuesday Nov. 23rd I sent you a PM at 11AM CST giving you an additional day to respond and another one later in the day checking in.

//

I've been heads-upping, tagging, and PM'ing as much as I can to get everyone's attention.

Keep in mind that I generally give 24h for each waitlist person to accept/decline their spot, and it takes me approximately 2 spots (48h) to fill a slot, plus the amount of time it takes that user to reply with their information.

In this case we need a confirmed list of 40 to decide the number of knives going to each region and calculate price (hence no prepay option), so unfortunately we have to draw deadlines somewhere or risk postponing the drop for everyone.

@RockyBasel is a more compassionate man than me (perhaps because I'm the one timing/scheduling posts, writing PMs, filling out the spreadsheets, etc.) so we are working on it.

But please guys - deadlines. They actually mean something, please try your best to follow them.

If you will be traveling, in a rural area, or unable to respond when you should, please shoot me a PM and I will accommodate you (as I did with @WiriWiri, though he got his info to me on time).
 
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nakiriknaifuwaifu said:
I just want to clarify that there has been a week and a half of communication about specifically about info and payment collection.

//

On Monday Nov. 15th Post #575 I tagged everyone and said: "Further time-sensitive announcements regarding payment and shipping coming sooooooon!"

On Tuesday Nov. 16th post #578 I specified, saying "Further information on payment will be sent out this week" and stated the ETA of completion would be December.

On Friday Nov. 19th post #611 (Friday afternoon if you're in TX) as stated I opened up the thread for payment and shipping info with a deadline of 11:95PM on Monday, Nov. 22nd

On Monday Nov. 22nd post #626 I posted a reminder deadline for that day.

After the deadline, I gave a grace period and on Tuesday Nov. 23rd I sent you a PM at 11AM CST giving you an additional day to respond and another one later in the day checking in.

//

I've been heads-upping, tagging, and PM'ing as much as I can to get everyone's attention.

Keep in mind that I generally give 24h for each waitlist person to accept/decline their spot, and it takes me approximately 2 spots (48h) to fill a slot, plus the amount of time it takes that user to reply with their information.

In this case we need a confirmed list of 40 to decide the number of knives going to each region and calculate price (hence no prepay option), so unfortunately we have to draw deadlines somewhere or risk postponing the drop for everyone.

@RockyBasel is a more compassionate man than me (perhaps because I'm the one timing/scheduling posts, writing PMs, filling out the spreadsheets, etc.) so we are working on it.

But please guys - deadlines. They actually mean something, please try your best to follow them.

If you will be traveling, in a rural area, or unable to respond when you should, please shoot me a PM and I will accommodate you (as I did with @WiriWiri, though he got his info to me on time).
Click to expand...
To be fair. Sometimes the notification doesn't appear even if you're watching the thread. Was wondering why there wasn't any updates and when I checked I almost missed the deadline as well.
 
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