Merry Christmas

The Branton family would like to take this time to wish all of you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays.
 This year has been a great year for Branton Knives despite a few personal set backs that come with getting older.
 One of the biggest compliments for me as a knife maker is when someone is willing to hand over their hard earned money to purchase one of my products. The friendships that have been formed and the bonds that have been strengthed over the years are priceless.

I hope that you and your family have a safe and happy holiday season and I hope to be able to see you at a show sometime next year.

Bobby and Brenda Branton

December update

Ok, I have had my nose to the grindstone trying to clear up some long over due orders and shop cleaning. I still need to finish repairing the fire damage sometime this winter. I have a couple of folders that are looong over due and hope to get started on these in the next week. I am finishing up a few Brend Hawks with handles as shown in the pics. I am going to make an extra pair to post in the cove sometime before the first of the year. I have been feeling better these days and have finally decided that I need to study harder to improve my CAD skills and have a dedicated computer in the shop with my CAD software. No matter what I do, I seem to need CAD files of my knives.
That means I will be dedicating a couple of extra hours each day in the shop office getting better acquainted with my CAD software. I hope to have some new stuff for sale coming out of the shop next week. I also have been stocking up with throwing knife blades and need to get them out to heat treat. I hope everyone has a safe and happy holiday season.
BB

New website - We are Live!!!!!!!

The new www.brantonknives.com is live!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm sure we will have a few bugs to work out but overall is looks great. I have always made different knives over the years without really having a core line of knives and now I do. Over time I will be adding to that line to give you the largest selection of knives possible. A special thanks to my buddy in Argentina, Nestor S. Benitez for making this possible. Nestor is a great web designer. There is a link at the bottom of my web site to contact him should you have any web design needs.

New website

I am in the process of rebuilding my website. It has been the same except for some minor changes for over 5 years. I am dropping a lot of the personal content and making it more of a business website to help my customers find the information that they came to look for in the first place.

I will try harder to keep this blog up to date with current information o keep you up to date with me and my knives. So, stay tuned. I hope to have it completed in a week or two.
Thanks,
Bobby

March 2011 update

Where has the time gone??? I am finally caught up with back orders and beginning to work on new orders for 2011. I have a few different projects planned for this year in addition to orders. I have my shop set up so that I can perform a lot of my work sitting down. My knees are still bothering me, but I have no other options until I can get the operation scheduled. I plan to make mostly folders this year with a few Balisongs thrown in to the mix. So keep checking my web site and the blog for more updates.

Bobby

New changes for Branton knives

New changes for Branton knives

I have been making knives since 1985. In that time I have seen a lot of changes and I have changed as well. Whether it be the knives that I make or how I make them, things do change over time. The sluggish economy has also changed things dramatically from my perspective as a knifemaker. Things have also changed things for the people who buy my knives. For some people, their financial situations can change monthly. This is the main factor in deciding on a better and more efficient way to market my knives and to take care of my customers that have supported me over the years. As I have gotten older and have been making knives full time for the past seven years, I have decided to make a few changes in the way that I run my business.

Due to some minor health issues, I have not been able to work 8-12 hours days like I used to. Over the past couple of years, I have not been actively looking for new orders as I do not see it being good for me or my customers to maintain a multi year back log of orders. It has been hard enough to work on the list of orders that I have now. It is not fair for me or my customers to continue to do business this way.

On January 1, 2011, I will begin to discontinue a lot of my older models, collaborations, etc and I will start a list of people who would like to buy my knives. I never say never and if some of the older models remain popular, I will continue to make those models. In doing this, I would like to be able to finish some of the heat treated blanks that are on my wall and offer them for sale on my web site and the various knife forums. I would like to offer new designs, limited runs and hopefully a 25th anniversary model and still be able to deliver all orders in a timely manner.

The process will go something like this. If you would like to order a knife from me, I will take your information and when the time comes for me to begin work on your knife, I will contact you and we will discuss which model you would like to order. I will try to realistically keep my delivery times under six months. When I get to the point where I am looking at six months worth of work, I will stop taking names and finish all knives that have been ordered up to that point. When I start getting near the point that I am caught up again, I will once again start taking names. I will probably cut show attendance down to 2-3 a year and will factor shows into my work load so as to not keep anyone waiting any longer than six months. The list will be “First come, First served” except for active LEO or Military personnel. Once I begin the final stages of completion of your order, I will request payment. If payment is not received in two weeks (unless a different agreement has been made), I will place your order for sale on my web site or my knife forums.

This may not be the best way to keep track of orders, but I think it will work out fine. I may have to tweak the process a little, but I will try my best to make it work out for all concerned. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at brantonknives@tds.net.

I will also be building some resonator guitars (also known as Dobro's) in 2011. If you are interested in these, please feel free to contact me at brantonknives@tds.net

Thanks,

Bobby Branton

June, 2010 update - New look!!!

Hi everyone,
It has a been a hot and busy month. Blade Show is behind us and we have been battling the Carolina heat and humidity trying to keep the shop going. I have a few knives available and will post a pic and prices as soon as I can shoot a few pics. I have changed the look of the blog to make it a little more personal so that you can get an idea of what I do in my spare time.  Besides making knives, music has been my passion for the past 5-6 years and it helps me relax and meet a lot of new friends. I'll be going to the knee Dr. on June 30th, 2010 and will find out what I can do to repair the damage to my knees. I'll update that info as soon as I find out what is going on.
Bobby