We will now interrupt the regularly scheduled programming for this good old place micro podcast. One thing I've found over the years of making knives is that um when it comes to the uh economy of selling knives uh that you make is that time is something that you'll you'll never uh get back uh as a as a billable good. And I know that there are some makers out there that are the anomalies that you know might charge um I don't know hundred, $150 an hour for their knives and they'll get those prices. But um there's some there's diminishing return um as you really start to push into the quality of knives um where the only way that you get to a certain level is through investment in a process. And I've always said like a knife takes as long as it takes to make, and the the output, like the thing that I'm trying to accomplish, it just takes that much time. And if you rush things, then you you just tend to have a an inferior product. Um the the caveat to that obviously is that there are certain types of tools and processes that you can add to your knife making that ex that you know exponentially increase the speed at which you can do something. Uh for instance, uh if you want really clean uh tang uh geometry on fixed blades, you can use a contact wheel, like a small small contact wheel, and you can freehand it. Um and you can spend a lot of time chasing the geometry to make sure that there's no facets. Um it's it's it's a skill set to use a small wheel, a con uh contact a small wheel, uh small contact wheel, and to get a completely uh flat square tang surface uh in comparison to your handles and everything that are contoured. Um you you add a horizontal grinder and some fixture to hold it absolutely horizontal, and you can grind that in a matter of minutes. Um really, it's it's very it's very simple to achieve, and it's you know it's exact. Uh the same kind of thing happens with you know making slip joints and flushing the back and everything. You can do that on a contact wheel and you can do it by eye, or you can um build a uh you know a back flushing jig or something to hold it and um you know it's perfect. You don't really have to worry about the geometry after that. Uh the substitute to having tools to do that is you got to do it by hand. So if you want to flatten something uh you know previous to being heat treated, uh you can use files post-heat treat. Uh you use a lot of sandpaper. Uh maybe you get it close with a contact wheel, and then you have to get it the rest of the way to uh you know the exact geometry that you're looking for with sandpaper, and that just takes time. So um, you know, slotting guards, you can use a milling machine to increase the process versus the uh inaccuracy of a file. Um you know, there's there's things like that that you know the you have the right tool for the right operation and it can speed it up exceptionally. You have the right jig for the operation, it'll speed it up exceptionally. Um, you figure out your processes, and you can speed up uh speed up the making of a knife. So maybe it takes you eight, ten hours to do a fixed blade or something before, and then uh you know you figure out where your deficiencies are in process or where you're being held up the most or whatever, and you can maybe get it down to four hours, three or four hours. Um, all of those things uh contribute towards you giving yourself basically what accounts to a raise, because if a knife takes 10 hours and you know you're charging 20, 30, 40, 50 dollars an hour, whatever, you know, that that extrapolates out to the final price. Um, if you can do it in half the time, then you basically just doubled your hourly rate and and didn't sacrifice anything on quality. Um, but you know, it gets to down to a point really where you have to decide on is is speed really the factor to make money, and I the older I get the less I actually think that. Like it's important to do things like in a process succinctly, so that you're not wasting time in between processes, so that when you're making a knife, regardless of pocket knife, fixed blade, whatever, that your contribution in time is not wasted because of you know things that don't make sense, going back and redoing things multiple times, like stuff like that. But um you know, at some point in time, you have to also think that doing what you need to on that last 10% of the knife to really make it what it should be, um you know, the or the most that it can be, um rather, uh just just does take time. And if you're willing to skimp on the time investment for the sake of the economy of things, then um you know that can that can change the perception of your work and your reputation. If you're willing to sacrifice things, uh you know, you limit the kind of clientele that you're going to be uh selling some of your knives to. So the less time you spend, the quicker you you know you you hotdog things and just want to get it done because quick is you know cost effective, uh, and you you know put out a janky knife, then uh you're going to basically sell into a market that you know can afford janky knikes uh knives uh but expects you to make janky knives. And I I really think that that's important. Like uh you're not going to make your time back. There's no way. If you put enough time into something and you push the outer limits of you know what you're what you're trying to accomplish and constantly excel at things, uh the most you can do is gain some efficiencies in uh you know with tooling and whatnot, but the time it takes is just the time it takes. So I really encourage you as a maker to think about um you know what you can do to optimize your processes, to make sure you're thinking through things methodically and effect effectively when you're making knives, but also understand that um you know your time investment is important, and that's the most valuable thing. Like you spend you know $30, $40 on materials, but you make that knife incredibly well, um, and and look incredibly uh well, then you're going to be recognized for that, and that is part of the investment. Like some like there's a a lot of customers, a lot of knife users that will that pay a lot more attention to really solid, clean, uh, effective, simplistic work. And if you will put that time in, it comes it comes through in the investment uh process because you're investing your time, but a lot of people will see the effort that you put into it and the integrity that you put into your work. And when you're willing to do that, then they're also willing to pay more, and it also um increases your reputation and also increases the um the visibility that you have. So it is all kind of a trade-off. You know, you want to go uh the fast route, uh, make mistakes in things, uh, then it's your prerogative to sell knives that way. Um, but I really I I really do encourage, you know, take the time that it takes, uh, be willing to invest in yourself and the work that you're doing, and uh just let that piece exist out in the world um and you know, price it fairly, uh, but but also understand that you know if your time, even though I think everybody understands that it's incredibly valuable because it's your life energy, um, it's not it doesn't have a monetary uh value the same way as um, I don't know, maybe an electrician does, you know, they charge an hourly rate or a mechanic. Um, really, when you get into the arts, uh, there is no conversion for your time that's going to pay you um for that thing, that idea, that creation, that artistry. Um you'll always kind of take a hit on it, but what you're leaving uh in the world is a piece of you that will forever be remembered. Um, and I I think that that kind of has its own value, its own, its own place. So you you get in it for uh for the artistry of things uh versus the economics of things, then you'll kind of know where to put your time and put your your process. Hope that helps.