Knives--points of interest Hardcover Volume V

Loerchner, Wolfgang

Ence, Jim

Utah knifemaker who sold his first knife in 1977. Became a Knifemakers Guild member in 1977 and was a founding member of The Art Knife Invitational. Jim passed away in 2010.

Carter, Fred

Dr Fred Carter, who has a PhD in Botany, was inspired to make knives after seeing a handmade D’Alton Holder in a local knife shop. A Knifemakers Guild member since 1976 including two terms as president

Corby, Harold

Harold Corby is a full-time maker who has been making knives since the late 1960's, sold his first knife in 1969. His specialties include large fighters, Bowies, art knives, self-defense and automatic knives.

Cronk, W. W.

Bill Cronk made knives from 1963 until his death in 1983, and is considered to be one of the pioneers of custom knifemaking. His early knives were hunter, skinner, Bowie, fighter and similar patterns. Later in his career he expanded his creations to include knives of more unusual and diverse designs. His early catalogs emphasized that his knives were entirely handmade and hand finished by him alone. Namesake of the prestigious "W.W. Cronk Award" which is awarded annually at the Knifemakers' Guild Show for the knife voted best of show.

Hibben, Gil

Gil Hibben lives and works in LaGrange, Kentucky. He began making knives part-time after his discharge from the Navy in 1956. He sold his first bowie knife for $45 and that sparked his long and famous career as a professional knife maker. While living in Seattle, WA after his Navy discharge, Gil worked as a machinist for Boeing Aircraft and learned a lot about metals and their properties. In 1964, while living in Salt Lake City, Utah, Gil started making knives full time. This was also the year Gil started making knives from the relatively new 440C steel. Although it is the industry standard now, Gil believes he was the first custom knife maker to use 440C. Hibben has been a full time custom knifemaker since 1957. Over the years Gil achieved fame as a premier custom knife maker and his work has been featured in, and on the covers of, national gun and knife magazines. He has established a whos-who following of collectors including John Wayne, Elvis Presley, Steve McQueen, Sylvester Stallone and Steven Segal or world leaders such as Israel's Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, the Sultan of Brunei and Vice-President Dan Quayle. He has taught and influenced some of the other legendary knife makers such as S.R. Johnson, Harvey Draper and Buster Warenski among countless others. Hibben designed the first line of Browning hunting knives in 1968, the American Kenpo Knife for Ed Parker. Gil's fame dramatically increased in 1988 when Sylvester Stallone, who had purchased several of Gil's custom knives for his own collection, asked Gil to design the now famous knife used in the movie Rambo III. Inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame in 1990.

Beers, Ray

Ray Beers was an active knifemaker in the 1980's. His claim to fame was designing knives for the Frankin Mint and also making a knife for Pope John Paul II in 1984. Ray passed away in 2021.

Weyer, Jim