The Kershaw Practice Plate
Starting in late 2010 I began almost six years of production engraving that found me cutting eleven hours a day for seven days a week. I noticed if I was away from my engraving bench for more than a couple of weeks, my top engraving skill and speed seemed to atrophy just a touch. Once I recognized that, I began checking to see how long it took for both to return. It seems my highest skill level came back after a just an hour or two of engraving, but it took several days to get back that same skill level at top speed. Obviously, I’m speaking for myself here, not for other engravers. Since I often returned from a break to production engraving, I might be experiencing something different than if I engraved only exhibition pieces. When doing production, I don’t have the luxury of moving slowly. I need to GO!
What to do? At first, I would take a practice plate and engrave for an hour or so. Surety and precision returned. Speed could come later at no cost of quality. However, it seemed to be a total waste to engrave something and then simply throw it away. I began looking for something to engrave that I could at least give away and be appreciated.
The Kershaw Knife company has been around since the mid-1970s and has a reputation for making good quality knives. Kershaw management decided to quit making traditional hunting and pocket knives and move into tactical style knives completely. While this move closed a door for engravable knives, it opened one for me.
CDNN Sports in Abilene, Texas is a company that specializes in purchasing and reselling items various companies and manufacturers are closing out. I have numerous times found very good bargains if they had something I could use. While checking their website one day I found a large variety of Kershaw knife models. Eureka!
Over the next year or so I purchased a lifetime supply of what became Kershaw knife practice plates. I chose two models. One, a 3.5 inch folding hunter, and the other, a small gentleman’s knife with genuine mother-of-pearl inserts. I designed a standard pattern for both I could lay out quickly and get my engraving skills back to top level.
I’ve given them to hunting and fishing guides, a state trooper, a Scottish Duke and his estate manager, friends, African PHs, to name a few. They have always been well received and appreciated. I don’t do all that many a year, since I usually only take two breaks in my normal year. I’ve attended the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas every January, and then try to take a couple weeks off each fall for hunting.
I think I’ll have my sales representative figure out how to give one away to my website and Instagram followers. Stay tuned.
