A. G. Russell (August 27, 1933 – October 12, 2018) was an American knife maker. He was born in

Eudora, Arkansas Eudora is a city in Chicot County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 2,269 at the 2010 census, down from 2,819 in 2000. Geography Eudora is located in southern Chicot County at (33.114608, -91.262653). U.S. Route 65 passes through th ...

where his great-grandfather taught him how to make knives when he was nine. Russell went on to make knives as a hobby and profession. In 1964, Russell switched his focus to selling Arkansas whetstones and a year later began selling knives. In 1968 he started the first forum for selling aftermarket knives, the A. G. Russell List of Knives for Immediate Delivery, which later became The Cutting Edge. His mailing list was used as a basis for the first two knife magazines, ''Knife World,'' and ''The American Blade,'' now known as ''

Blade A blade is the portion of a tool, weapon, or machine with an edge that is designed to puncture, chop, slice or scrape surfaces or materials. Blades are typically made from materials that are harder than those they are to be used on. Histor ...

.'' In 1970 he co-founded the Knife Collectors Club and the

Knifemakers' Guild The Knifemakers' Guild is an American organization, based in Richfield, Utah, made up of knifemakers to promote custom knives, encourage ethical business practices, assist with technical aspects of knife making, and to sponsor knife shows. The Guil ...

, both of which are the oldest continuously functioning organizations of their types. Russell was the first member of the Knife Digest Cutlery Hall of Fame and produced the first commemorative pocket knife. Russell designed and produced the first linerless pocket knife with all-plastic handles in 1970. In 1975, he designed a unique boot knife he called the "Sting", a small knife intended for hunting and personal defense. In 1987, he introduced the "A. G. Russell One Hand Knife" which was one of the first production knives to use a blade thumbstud for one-handed opening. In 1988 he was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame.

A. G. Russell Knives

In 1964 Russell founded "A. G. Russell Knives", the largest reseller of aftermarket knives. The company began selling Arkansas Whetstones and moved on to sell Randall Made Knives, Morseth Knives, and what were becoming collectible custom knives. By the 1970s, Russell was hiring knifemakers to assemble in-house designs.

References

External links

A. G. Russell Knives
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, A. G. Knife makers People from Chicot County, Arkansas 1933 births 2018 deaths