Jay Fisher - Fine Custom Knives |
|||
New to the website? Start Here |
"Vindicator" with Lapis Lazuli Gemstone handle |
Thank you for taking the time to be here! There are many other sites you might visit in this internet world, but I promise that you will have access to more information, more photos, more descriptions, and more insight into professional knifemaking and fine handmade custom knives on this site than any other professional knifemaker's site in the world. That's a pretty big promise, and it's a pretty big site, so please, take your time, and enjoy the results of over three decades of professional knifemaking.
jayfisher.com is about my professional knifemaking, my photography, writing, and other artistic pursuits. I'm Jay Fisher, and I've written every word, every description, and every idea on this website is presented through my experience. The only exceptions are the testimonials about my knives, which are reproduced word for word from my clients. Also, most of the collaborative knife descriptions are written by the family members who have made the knives with my guidance, when they were learning from me.
The rest of the information, photos, data, ideas, concepts, and knowledge come from me. You might say that if you read the entire site (which is impossible, because I add to it every week), you will have a great insight and understanding of my professional view, process, ideas, concepts, and creativity about modern, fine, handmade and custom knives. Through this exposure, I hope that you will learn about yourself, your relationship with knives, art, and modern craftsmanship, and better understand your desires and exceptions for fine knives.
You'll also have access to my handmade knives and even Professional Knife Consultation if that is your goal.
Right now, you are reading the best singular knifemaker's website ever made on our planet. On this website, you will see many hundreds of defined knife terms, detailed descriptions and information on heat treating and cryogenic processing, on handles and blades, on stands and sheaths, and on knife types from hunting and utility to military, counterterrorism, and collection. You can learn about food contact safety and chef's knives, you can find out what bolster or fitting material is best for each application and why. You can lean about caring for a knife, you can see the very largest knife patterns page in history, with many hundreds of actual knife patterns and photos of completed works. You'll also be able to see thousands and thousands of photos of knives, knifemaking, processes, and creations, with many hundreds of pages of appropriate, meaningful text. You might want to know why a knife blade is springy, you might want to know why a hollow grind can last longer than a flat grind. You might want to learn about some pitfalls of the tradecraft, and you might even want to have a chuckle about funny and strange email requests.
You'll find all that here, on JayFisher.com, and you won't find it anywhere else!
When looked at overall, in the current state, jayfisher.com looks like a very big undertaking. Truly, if you add up the hours and effort that has gone into and continues to go into this web site, it is an impressive number. One could say that it takes many years to amass this much information, do this much writing, and this much photography. But if you think of that time, think of the time it takes to make all these knives! Think also how much time it takes to learn and experience the magnitude or information it takes to be a professional knife consultant based on a career of knifemaking for some of the most demanding knife owners and users in the world. It's more than a career; it's a lifelong passion.
I started jayfisher.com back in 1995-1996, when I saw the internet coming into being. I thought that this might be a great way to show some of my work and maybe even glean a knife order or two. I had no expectations; I didn't quit going to shows and trying to sell knives the way I had done since the early 1980s; quite the contrary. I thought that maybe, just maybe, there might be a person or two who would see my mailing address on the website and ask for a brochure. Really.
I put up some atrocious colored text against a black background, filled the pages with prehistoric hit counters, and watched and waited. Then I discovered that I might just be able to keep a crude and fast record of my works—or at least the newest ones—on the computer for easy access to let me know what kind of steel, what handle material, or what embellishment I might have done.
Luckily, no one had taken the domain name "jayfisher," even though there are plenty of Jay Fishers out there, some professional and successful, and some with mug shots...
Like the first knife I made, I can't remember the first knife I sold over the internet and through the website. I realized that since I would keep pushing out knives, why not display as many as I could, if possible, on the website? Unfortunately, I made many knives that I never photographed, and I regret that. Most knifemakers regret this in their own knives. I didn't photograph them because I thought they were not important enough to set up all the lighting, photography, darkroom (yes, I processed all my early knife photo records through film and print), and spend all the time and effort to reproduce the images. That was a mistake.
About 2005-2007, there was an explosion on the web; particularly on this site. Traffic rushed to millions of hits a month, translated to tens of thousands of monthly visitors, and I detail this a bit on this special page. The high volume of website traffic continued, and I was getting deeper and deeper into orders, simply because a knifemaker can only make so many knives a month, a year, or a lifetime, and there are many more people who want them than makers who can make them! I dropped my professional show and organization memberships and concentrated on this web site as my main and now sole venue.
It might sound vain to name a website after a person, but please understand how modern knifemakers and knifemaking work. Makers are recognized by their names, purely and simply. While a maker might be tempted to call his knifemaking company "Wolf's Breath Mountain Springtime Pine Knives," this is not how our tradecraft recognizes makers. We recognize them by their names. The early makers knew this; they were simply recognized by name: W. D. Randall, Scagel, W. W. Cronk, Bob Loveless. Clearly, the name of the maker is the brand, and typically the maker's mark on the blade is simply the name. That's why my website bears my name, too.
You might think this is pretty clear, but to some who arrive here, they just don't understand what this site is about! It's about knives, particularly fine handmade and custom knives, and specifically about knives made by me, Jay Fisher, and my professional services. Some folks think the web site is about knives in general, or knifemakers, or supplies for knifemaking, or a place they can learn knifemaking. While all of these subjects are discussed on jayfisher.com, this site is about my knives, my knifemaking, and my professional business practices and services.
If you are looking for a fine, handmade or custom knife, this site is about you, your relationship to knives, and ultimately your relationship with me if we agree to do business together. You'll learn who I am, what I have done, and hopefully, see what you might like for me to make for you!
You will find answers here that you will find in no other place in the world. Certainly, you won't find them on other knifemakers' websites. The answer might not be what you want to discover, it might be controversial, it might not be what you expected, but it will be clearly, completely described, detailed, and explained. I write with integrity, and this is why people, businesses, and entities employ me for professional knife consultation. I believe my readers are fully capable of understanding logic, experience, and reason. For those that don't, I have plenty of Funny Emails pages they can occupy.
Nearly everyone who comments about this site is graciously thankful and respectful of the effort, clarity, and sheer volume of information presented here. They are happy to find reason amid the chaos of hyped ad copy, manufacturer's claims, and limited offerings in the knife world, despite the fact that the internet is supposed to be the largest information depository in the world. They are thankful that I've taken what time I have to present my point of view, whether they agree or not, and they leave this site with a deeper understanding of knives and knife topics. I'm thankful that they have spent their valuable time here, and appreciate their consideration and kindnesses.
From time to time (thankfully not often), I get complaints that the website is too large; there's too many pages, and this comment is always followed by a request for a catalog page listing the price of knives offered for sale. The word always is accented because this is always the case! These people want a catalog website. They see some knives they like, they just want to go to a page that has a price list. They want to see the numbers, they want to comparison shop, buy within their budget, have knives presented as a list of componentized objects in assemblages. Like the options on a new car manufacturers site, they want to see the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price for knives. Is that so much to ask? And they get frustrated when this magical page can not be found.
Okay, here are some clear points that they may have missed (though I don't know how):
You have a reason for being here. Maybe you put some words into a search engine, maybe you were referred. Maybe you saw a picture on a search engine's image page, maybe you heard I was an awful monster and want to confirm it. Maybe you want to know just how a modern knifemaker works, maybe you want to know what that thingy is called on the front of your knife handle. Maybe, you just stumbled on this site, like people do all the time! No matter; you are here and that is a good thing.
Remember, every accessible page on this website is available through the Table of Contents page
One important thing: I continuously add to this website as new topics, knives, steels, processes, pursuits, and creations are developed. I plan to do this for a great many years yet, so please come back periodically, to see how it's all progressing and what there is new in the world of fine handmade and custom knives!
The future is bright! I'll continue to add knives, photos, and information, and continue to grow as an artist and craftsman and knife professional. I don't currently plan to have any forums or interactive nodes, methods, or features; there are plenty of those on the internet, and while I appreciate the contacts and conversations, they are a lot of work to police, administer, and maintain. I'm keeping my ear to the ground about the future, with video, small and large device compatibility, and reality shows and educational aspects all in discussion and consideration.
One thing is for certain: I am continuing to make beautiful, beautiful knives, working tools, investment grade works of art, and combat weapons as well as consult for some of the finest military, professional, and counterterrorism units in the world. I'm deeply honored, grateful, and thankful to be doing this, with God's gifts and guidance.
Thanks for being here; please do come back to review and see what's new!