Commissions

Yes, Francis Forgeries takes commissions! Before you come to me with a commission inquiry, there are a number of things you should consider.

I accept non-blade commissions as well, but most of my clients want blades. Most of those want historical pieces dated before 1700AD. I do accept occasional modern commissions, but I specialize in historical techniques and construction.

A lot of people are afraid to consider custom bladework because they assume they can't afford it. At the lowest end, my work can go as low as $40; for exotic embellishment in expensive materials, the price can go as high as you want it to go. There is a wide range between those extremes where we can probably fit your needs. Don't be afraid to ask after what you want!

Francis Forgeries generally does not ship outside the USA. I'm willing, but I don't know anything about your country's customs and import rules, and I don't take responsibility for anything which goes awry at your border. I've heard many a horror story about custom bladework arriving at another country and being held up for exhorbitant import duties. Countries with VAT systems are particularly prone to this situation, and you may wind up paying more in import fees as for the knife itself!

For the USA, do you know if what you want is legal in your state? I'm happy to make what you want, but I don't know your state's laws. Once again, I don't take responsibility for what happens when you take your blade home to your home jurisdiction.

Do you know what you want? I'm willing to help you to design your piece, but you should have some idea what you want.
Related: don't come to me with some other maker's design and ask if I can make it for you. The bladesmith who designed it spent a lot of time and effort coming up with that design and the tooling to do it well. (S)he can probably make it better, faster, and cheaper than I can. Go to the original designer. I'd just charge you more anyway.

There are some things I don't generally do and some things I do often and routinely.

THINGS I DON'T DO: Pattern welding, Wootz, swords, and throwing knives. I could do any or all of these, but they aren't my focus and they aren't fun for me. Other people can do them better, faster, and cheaper You don't want me for those.

THINGS I DO OFTEN: I make a lot of highly authentic small knives predating 1700 AD, often 1:1 with original artifacts. I'm comfortable with blade face engraving and inlay, but my engraving style tends more toward historical than modern scrollwork.

Much of my work is based on historical pieces. This means I do a lot of research into different regions and time periods. This sort of research takes a lot of time, and time is money. These days I only research things which I think are fun or which I expect to be profitable. Unless I've already covered the area of interest to you, I'm going to be a lot more likely to accept your commission if you bring your own research.

I do all of my real contract negotiation in writing. If it happened verbally, it didn't happen. I'm usually happy to cut a quote for you to review.
Related: my deposit rules are as follows. If your commission is something I know I can easily sell elsewhere, I might not even request a deposit. If it's highly customized to you, personally (E.g., a blade with your name inlaid in silver), the deposit can be as high as 100%. If you do not make good on the final payment when due, I reserve the right to put the item up for general sale at your balance due. Yes, you can still buy it from general sale, but it could just as easily get sold out from under you.

Interested in discussing what you want? Find me at FrancisBeanBlades@gmail.com.