DHL, lost knife and some cable making pics.

**Ariel Salaverria** · 09-20-2006, 12:49 AM

If someone sees this knife for sale or in someone's possesion, please let me know!

I shipped it DHL and they lost it... That's it... They just don't know where the package is! They have a tracking number yet they don't know where it is...
Ruben and I use DHL and they usually provide a good service, but this time they screwed the pooch on me...

Aparently it got to Miami, FL and they missplaced it.

Now since my customer already paid for it, after waiting 4 days to see if DHL could find the package, I offered him a full refund.

He prefered to have me making the same knife again, so I cut him a spot with absolutely no waiting period and this past weekend I started making his new knife, trying to get it as identical as the previous one as I can.

Seeing that I got a package lost and now I have to deal with the shipping company to get a refund or something, I thought about getting some positive things out of this:

#1. If you buy a knife from me and you don't get it, you will get the chance of having your money inmediately refunded or getting another knife made with no waiting period. I might be far away from my customers, but I ALWAYS will take care of them.

It is my duty to make sure what I ship arrives safely, and if it doesn't, I have to offer an instant solution MYSELF, no wait months for the shipping company to answer the claims.

#2. I'm documenting all stages on how I remake this knife, so people can enjoy this and my customer can check the constant updates on his new knife.

#3. Shipping issues SUCK (OK, that wasn't a positive item)

Making the new knife

1 1/8" diameter cable.

I place it on the oven at 800C to burn oil residues.

Weld the point.

After heating I twist the cable to close the space between the strands.

Showing the extra torsioning.

I place the piece of cable to be used inside a SS pipe.

At 1300C I hammer it with a 2 kilos (4 pounds) hammer to weld the cable and leave it ready to start the stretching process.

Ariel

**Ropeman** · 09-20-2006, 03:12 AM

That sucks, it's a shame that these big companies are so poor at customer services. I hope they, at least, say "Okay, we had it and lost it here's your money" rather than dicking you around.

Huge kudos to you for having the excellent customer service that DHL should have a look at your business and learn.

I know I'll be back to this thread repeatedly to see more of thes 'genius at work' shots, I'm fascinated by the processes of knifemaking, especially forging.

**Ariel Salaverria** · 09-22-2006, 11:33 AM

Looks like DHL locat4d the package and Gene will finally get it today. Let's see the condition of the knife when he gets it.
Somehow the package got originally routed to Santiago de Chile, Chile instead of the US...

More pictures

Flattening with the hydraulic press

Piece of cable flattened.

Cutted and ground cable piece

Placing the blade in a solution of 70% ferric perclorure and 30% water for 2 hours. Many people wonder why cable gets patterns as it's just one steel (1085) The etching results since on teh welding process the steel gets decarburated (looses carbon) then the perclorure practicly doesn't eat up that portion where the welded union is.

Placing the blade on the oven at 860C for 20 minutes and quench in oil. Then I do the second HT step at 250C to relieve tensions.

After the entire HT process, I place the blade in a solution 50/50% of water and clhoridric acid to get rid of the dirty that comes from the previous process. I use this method as if we use a mechanic method (like a rotative brush) we will perjudicate the drawings of the pattern.

Blade ready to get a handle.

Ariel

**Fiddleback** · 09-22-2006, 12:09 PM

Wow. That is a great tutorial. Thanks.

**TKC** · 09-22-2006, 02:10 PM

Ariel: That is great how you take care of your customers! I am sorry that DHL screwed the pooch on this. I am glad that they finally found it!
I LOVED watching how you turned that cable into a knife! That was really great to watch!!!!

**Fenlore** · 09-22-2006, 02:48 PM

Damn that's impressive, you da man man.

**WT351** · 09-22-2006, 07:27 PM

Originally Posted by Ariel Salaverria

I shipped it DHL and they lost it... That's it... .....

Now since my customer already paid for it, after waiting 4 days to see if DHL could find the package, I offered him a full refund.

He prefered to have me making the same knife again, so I cut him a spot with absolutely no waiting period and this past weekend I started making his new knife, trying to get it as identical as the previous one as I can.

Seeing that I got a package lost and now I have to deal with the shipping company to get a refund or something, I thought about getting some positive things out of this:

#1. If you buy a knife from me and you don't get it, you will get the chance of having your money inmediately refunded or getting another knife made with no waiting period. I might be far away from my customers, but I ALWAYS will take care of them.

You are the man!! Awesome integrity and I am pleased to see DHL finally located the package.

**C.Pettersen** · 09-23-2006, 10:08 AM

Ariel

I tell you, though I have been fourtunate, I worry everytime I ship a blade to a customer. Untill it is in their hands, I am constantly tracking the package to what the status of it. When I got to send a blade overseas......of man, its kills me even more, cause most of the time there is no tracking. ( I usualy USPS Priority )

The best policy is the one you adopted. Take care of the customer first, after all it's not their fault ( nor yours/knifemakers either ).

I worked ata USPS bulk mail facility at JFK airport installing some mail handeling machinery. You can only imagine how bad a package is treated.....it is unreal. My wife used to get mad at me cause I would not ship anything from there and have her go to the post office. She said but is going to that type of facility. I told here,yes, but I dont have too see it !! I have found packages, mails, CD's left in the top of machinery, maintience platforms, even stomped on, left on the ground !!! Lesson learned.....package everthing up tight with alot of protection ( ie: foam popcorn, bubblewrap, tape ......)

On a lighter note: Great tutorial on that particular cable damascus blade. I am hoping to try my hand at making some in the near future. It's always nice to see a creations progress.

**locutus** · 09-23-2006, 04:07 PM

Absolutely fascinating!

I've only seen one cable knife up close, and it was a little different. It actually looked like a damascus knife. Have you ever made a cable knife that looked like damascus? And if so, what did you do differently from this one?

**Ariel Salaverria** · 09-24-2006, 02:21 PM

Well, after 2 weeks, my customer got the knife in good shape!
That's great news to me.

Of course I will make a knife out of this blade, but it won't be the same as the one pictured on top. I was making an "exact" copy just so my customer could get another piece like it.

Ariel

locutus,

I've made several other cable damascus knives in wich the entire blade looked like the ground part of this one, instead of showing the cable strands, is that what you were asking?