rcmodel
Member in memoriam
Here is a weird one.
I had a customer who just HAD to have an ivory handled M3 style Fighting knife.
He pestered, cajoled, begged, & bribed me for about a year, until I finally gave in and agreed to build him the knife of his dreams.
The customer is always right. Right?
So we started with a brand new GI Imperial M7 bayonet, ($45 bucks) which I stripped down for the blade.
Then I welded on a S/S tang bolt, and made an Imitation Ivory handle with red, white, & blue spacers, ($30 bucks).
And brass guard and butt cap, ($10 bucks).
Then add in welding rod, gas, epoxy, sanding belts, sandpaper, buffing wheels, and buffing compound, ($10 bucks).
Plus Band-Aids & Advil, ($2 bucks).
So he paid me and left as happy as a clam at high tide.
And I made $3.00 profit for four days work!
Then the fun started.
He came back at least once a week to bitch & whine about the New USM8A1 sheath wearing the New Parkerizing off the New blade.
He wouldn’t hear of putting some oil on the blade so the springs in the sheath wouldn’t rub as hard.
Because he might get oil on him or his clothes!
If it wasn’t that, it was a tiny scuff on the imitation ivory from the retainer strap snap rubbing on it every time he snapped it.
And he snapped it, a Lot!
I offered to line the snap keeper with black suede leather, or matching OD green strap, or anything else he wanted to keep it from marking the handle, no charge.
That wasn’t “Military” enough for him!
As if the knife was Military enough now????
So I buffed out the handle about eight times in eight weeks, until I finally couldn’t take it anymore.
The last time he brought it back to be re-polished and whine about the Parkerizing?
I handed him back his *crisp $100 bill and kept his knife!
*I found out later he was so OCD he washed, starched, & steam ironed his folding money! :banghead:
Yes, it is pretty worthless, and pretty Fugly.
But a good lesson on taking knife orders I shouldn’t have taken in the first place!
rc
I had a customer who just HAD to have an ivory handled M3 style Fighting knife.
He pestered, cajoled, begged, & bribed me for about a year, until I finally gave in and agreed to build him the knife of his dreams.
The customer is always right. Right?
So we started with a brand new GI Imperial M7 bayonet, ($45 bucks) which I stripped down for the blade.
Then I welded on a S/S tang bolt, and made an Imitation Ivory handle with red, white, & blue spacers, ($30 bucks).
And brass guard and butt cap, ($10 bucks).
Then add in welding rod, gas, epoxy, sanding belts, sandpaper, buffing wheels, and buffing compound, ($10 bucks).
Plus Band-Aids & Advil, ($2 bucks).
So he paid me and left as happy as a clam at high tide.
And I made $3.00 profit for four days work!
Then the fun started.
He came back at least once a week to bitch & whine about the New USM8A1 sheath wearing the New Parkerizing off the New blade.
He wouldn’t hear of putting some oil on the blade so the springs in the sheath wouldn’t rub as hard.
Because he might get oil on him or his clothes!
If it wasn’t that, it was a tiny scuff on the imitation ivory from the retainer strap snap rubbing on it every time he snapped it.
And he snapped it, a Lot!
I offered to line the snap keeper with black suede leather, or matching OD green strap, or anything else he wanted to keep it from marking the handle, no charge.
That wasn’t “Military” enough for him!
As if the knife was Military enough now????
So I buffed out the handle about eight times in eight weeks, until I finally couldn’t take it anymore.
The last time he brought it back to be re-polished and whine about the Parkerizing?
I handed him back his *crisp $100 bill and kept his knife!
*I found out later he was so OCD he washed, starched, & steam ironed his folding money! :banghead:
Yes, it is pretty worthless, and pretty Fugly.
But a good lesson on taking knife orders I shouldn’t have taken in the first place!
rc
Last edited:
