quote:
�......however, there is a probable reason for this ...... It became a matter of economics that these daggers needed to be produced at an affordable price. Because of the known limited quantity of them that would be finally required, it became a determining factor concerning how much could be spent in tooling up for the production. That limitation reflected itself in final quality and appearance of the item. ...... With a limited production run of around 50 unique form daggers, the proportional cost of originating them becomes rather high on a unit basis. So some sacrifices have to be made somewhere, to keep the item within an acceptable budget. ...... The most expensive part of the FHH dagger is the scabbard, because the shell of the body is pressed in a die. I have wondered for a long time why it was permitted to produce the pieces with the flaw in the panel line. My guess is � and this is purely speculation � that it was a combination of time and cost."
Mr. Stephen�s observations are
right on the money. The time and effort for a tool and die maker to make by hand a good set of dies is a lot more than that needed to make a few models for casting the handle parts. With the rest being more or less 'off the shelf'. If there was a (relatively minor) flaw, was it cost effective to scrap the old die set and start all over?? Apparently not. FP
