Explainers · 2026-07-03 · Patreon guide

Patreon for knifemaking creators: tiers, blade geometry documentation, iOS rates, and the Apple Tax in 2026

Knifemaking Patreons work because the audience faces a specific documentation gap that YouTube cannot fill: the video shows the belt grinder running and the bevel taking shape, but it does not contain the plunge line measurements, the bevel angle expressed as included degrees at the edge, the heat treat temperature ramp and quench protocol for the specific steel, or the handle pin placement reasoning. The Patreon tier that retains knifemaking patrons is not the one with the most shop footage — it is the one with the per-knife geometry documentation that lets a patron actually replicate or understand the choices behind each finished knife.

The knifemaking creator subtypes

Stock removal knifemakers: grind documentation and steel selection

Stock removal knifemakers do not forge blades at the anvil — they begin with bar stock or flat sheet steel, profile the blade shape on a 2×72 belt grinder, grind the bevel, heat treat, and finish. This method is accessible to more makers because it does not require forge infrastructure, and it produces a distinct body of documentation knowledge that is not covered by the broader blacksmithing creator category: steel grindability at different hardness levels, bevel geometry precision on a contact wheel, and heat treat parameters specific to stock removal steels.

Three tiers work for stock removal knifemakers. The Observer tier ($5–8/month) provides finished knife posts with basic steel and style information plus Discord access organized by experience level and knife type (channels for #steel-selection, #grinding, #heat-treat, #handles, and #finished-knives give beginners structured access to an experienced community without requiring direct creator response time). The Grind Notes tier ($15–22/month) adds the per-knife documentation that is the core retention mechanism: steel selection reasoning for each knife (why 1084 for a camp knife vs CPM-154 for a kitchen knife — grindability, achievable hardness, and edge retention at that hardness), belt consumption per profile (how many 36-grit belts to profile 3/16″ O1 vs how many for CPM-154 of the same geometry—a concrete grindability data point), plunge line location measured from tip and spine, bevel type and geometry, heat treat parameters, and BESS sharpness test result at completion. The Shop Access tier ($65–100/month, capped 5–6 patrons) provides real-time shop floor access and direct consultation on patron knife projects.

Steel selection documentation for stock removal differs from forge work in one structural way: the primary concern is grindability at achievable hardness and edge retention in use, not forge-ability or weld-ability. Document 1084 (simple carbon steel, easy to grind, forgiving heat treat window at 1475°F, quench in Parks 50 or canola, excellent toughness for outdoor knives); 1095 (higher carbon, slightly harder max hardness, less tough than 1084, better suited to kitchen knives where toughness is less critical); CPM-154 (stainless tool steel, slower to grind and consumes more belts per knife than simple carbon, higher corrosion resistance, achieves 59–61 HRC, excellent edge retention in kitchen use); and S35VN (higher vanadium content than CPM-154, excellent edge retention, the hardest steel in this group to grind, appropriate for high-end custom kitchen or EDC knives where edge retention justifies the grind time). The Patreon documentation records all four: heat treat temperature achieved, Rockwell hardness result, belt count for a standard profile geometry, and the knife type the steel is suited for.

Handle material and finishing specialists: exotic materials and commission documentation

Handle material specialists focus on the high-variation portion of custom knifemaking: stabilized wood, carbon fiber, Micarta, G10, mammoth ivory, and mokume-gane bolsters. Their audience is the collector who wants to understand what goes into a $400 handle, and the intermediate maker who wants to replicate exotic handle work without the trial-and-error cost. The documentation gap for this subtype is not blade geometry but material process: how stabilized wood is prepared, what G10 layer count and press time produce which surface hardness, and how mosaic pins are fabricated and set.

The Handle Notes tier ($15–25/month) provides the material documentation that the finished-knife photograph does not contain: stabilization process for wood (wood species and moisture content before stabilization — the wood must be kiln-dried below 10% moisture content before vacuum impregnation; resin type, viscosity, and cure temperature; vacuum chamber pressure and soak duration; stabilization depth verification by cutting a corner section and checking dye penetration); G10 and Micarta fabrication notes (the layer count, resin ratio, and press time that produced a given surface pattern and hardness, plus which surface pattern direction was oriented toward the edge of the scales for grain directionality); and mosaic pin fabrication documentation (the tube diameter, filler material, and cross-section pattern used for each pin design). The Commission Waitlist tier ($150–200/month, capped 3 patrons) provides documented priority access to the commission queue with detailed pre-commission consultation.

Blade geometry and finishing sequence documentation

Bevel grind type is the most consequential underdocumented choice in knifemaking content. Flat grind: the bevel is a single flat plane from the spine (or from the bevel start line) to the edge. The flat grind is the easiest to produce consistently on a flat platen, produces strong geometry at the edge, and is easy to resharpen because the geometry is predictable. Hollow grind: the bevel has a concave curve produced by grinding against a contact wheel rather than a flat platen. The contact wheel diameter determines the radius of the hollow: a smaller wheel (8-inch) produces a more pronounced hollow than a larger wheel (14-inch) on the same bevel width. Hollow grinds produce thinner geometry behind the edge than a flat grind of equivalent bevel width, which improves initial slicing performance but increases the risk of flex or fracture in hard-use applications. Convex grind: the bevel curves outward from the spine to the edge. Convex geometry is the most impact-resistant of the three types — the curved surface distributes stress away from the edge apex — but it is the hardest to grind consistently without a slack-belt setup or a well-controlled freehand technique. Document bevel type, the contact wheel diameter used for hollow grinds, and the grind start position (full flat grind from spine vs saber grind starting partway up the blade) in every per-knife documentation post.

Plunge line documentation: the plunge line is the point where the bevel grind ends and the ricasso (the unground section near the handle) begins. Record plunge line location as two measurements: distance from the tip measured along the edge, and distance from the spine measured perpendicular at the plunge notch. Plunge line consistency across a production series is a marker of maker skill; document the deviation across multiple knives of the same pattern. Thickness behind edge (TBE) is measured with calipers 1mm above the edge apex; record in millimeters. Spine thickness is measured at the thickest point. These four measurements (plunge line location, bevel type, TBE, spine thickness) constitute the minimum blade geometry documentation set for a Grind Notes tier.

Finishing sequence documentation: record the full grit progression and scratch direction at each stage. A typical sequence for a satin finish: 60-grit to establish the bevel and remove previous scratches, 120-grit perpendicular to 60-grit scratch direction to remove 60-grit scratches, 220-grit perpendicular again, 400-grit for satin hand finish. For a mirror polish: continue through 600, 1000, and 2000 on the blade face, then buff on a leather wheel with polishing compound. The direction change (each grit run perpendicular to the previous) is the mechanism that confirms scratch removal — when the previous grit’s scratches are no longer visible through the current grit’s perpendicular scratches, it is safe to advance. For carbon steel blades, document the rust prevention protocol: immediate oil wipe with camellia oil or mineral oil after the final finishing stage, oiling schedule for storage (monthly for stored knives, after each use for working knives).

Handle attachment documentation

Handle attachment documentation covers two structural configurations. Full tang: the blade steel extends the full width and length of the handle; scales are attached to both sides. Full tang is the strongest configuration and the most common for working knives. Document scale thickness (typical 3/16″ to 1/4″), the material, and the finish sequence applied to the scales separately from the blade. Hidden tang (stick tang): the blade steel narrows to a rod that passes through a drilled handle block; the handle is pinned or epoxied in place. Document the tang diameter and the drill diameter used for the handle bore (a tight bore fit before epoxy is important for alignment).

Epoxy selection for scale attachment: 24-hour epoxy (slow-cure, higher final strength, more working time for pin alignment) is preferred over 5-minute epoxy for handle work. West System marine epoxy is the common high-strength choice for handles that will see wet conditions. Document the epoxy cure time allowed before final shaping (always cure for the full rated time before running the handle against a belt, regardless of tack-free time). Pin material and placement: 1/4″ pins in nickel silver, brass, or stainless are the common choices. Document whether the pin is a flush pin (cut flush and sanded flat to the scale surface) or a mosaic pin (a fabricated cross-section pattern visible at the exposed face), the fit type (press fit into the drilled hole vs epoxy-bonded into an oversized hole), and the number and placement measured from the plunge line and from the butt of the handle. Handle shaping sequence: rough profile on a belt grinder to approximate handle contour, rough bevel into the handle edge profile, final contour by hand with files or on a slack belt, pin flush work, then finishing grit sequence appropriate to the handle material (G10 and Micarta finish well at 400-grit and buff; stabilized wood typically finishes at 600-grit before oil or wax finish).

iOS rates and the Apple Tax

Knifemaking creator iOS rates are lower than craft niches with predominantly mobile consumption contexts, because shop-floor and build-process content has a significant desktop viewing component — the male-skewed audience for knifemaking includes a higher proportion of desktop browsers than crafts like diamond painting or amigurumi. YouTube knifemaking sees 48–62% iOS; TikTok knifemaking sees 72–82% iOS; Instagram knife photography (finished collector-facing pieces) sees 65–78% iOS. Collector-facing content sees 55–65% iOS because purchase-intent browsing for custom knives has a meaningful desktop component — collectors researching a $400–$800 custom knife are more likely to be on a laptop than a phone.

Frequently asked questions

Related: Patreon for blacksmithing creators · Blacksmithing Patreon guide · How the Apple Tax works · All explainers