The Knifemakers' Guild is an American organization, based in
Richfield, Utah
Richfield is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Utah, United States, and is the largest city in southern-central Utah.
Description
As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,551. It lies in the Mormon Corridor, just off I ...
, 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 Guild is composed of 300 knifemaker members and several thousand
collectors, writers, and other investors as honorary members.
History
The idea for the Knifemakers' Guild came about at a Las Vegas, Nevada, gun show held at the
Sahara Casino
Sahara Las Vegas is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Winchester, Nevada. It is owned and operated by the Meruelo Group. The hotel has 1,616 rooms, and the casino contains . The Sahara anchors the northern end of the Las Vegas ...
in February 1970. The actual founding occurred in November 1970 by
A.G. Russell in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Charter members included
Blackie Collins
Walter Wells "Blackie" Collins (1939 – July 20, 2011) was an American knife maker who designed and popularized the assisted opening mechanism and various automatic knife designs within the art of knifemaking. He is cited by other knifemakers a ...
,
Bob Loveless Robert Waldorf Loveless (January 2, 1929 – September 2, 2010), a.k.a. Bob Loveless or RW Loveless, was an American knife maker who designed and popularized the hollowground drop point blade and the use of full tapered tangs and screw-type handle s ...
,
John Nelson Cooper
John Nelson Cooper (1906–1987) was a custom knifemaker who was a founding member of the Knifemakers' Guild. He was a mentor to Jody Samson and made knives for over 60 years.
History
Cooper began making utility knives and butcher knives in T ...
, and Dan Dennehy. Russell was made the first president with Loveless as the secretary.
The current president is
Gil Hibben
Gil Hibben (born September 4, 1935) is an American custom knifemaker from Wyoming who is based in La Grange, Kentucky. Hibben designed the first line of Browning hunting knives in 1968, the American Kenpo Knife for Ed Parker, and the Rambo K ...
, past presidents have included
Jimmy Lile
James Buel Lile (August 22, 1933 – May 5, 1991), known as Jimmy Lile and "The Arkansas Knifesmith", was an American knifemaker from Russellville in Pope County, Arkansas, who made the Rambo Knife for the films '' First Blood'' and '' Rambo: ...
,
Frank Centofante
Frank or Franks may refer to:
People
* Frank (given name)
* Frank (surname)
* Franks (surname)
* Franks, a medieval Germanic people
* Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang
Cur ...
,
D'Alton Holder D'Alton is both a surname and a given name of Norman origin found in Ireland and Britain and places where people from those backgrounds emigrated to. The Hiberno-Norman sept ruled over Rathconrath, previously known as D'Alton country, Irish Act 34 H ...
,
George Herron,
Buster Warenski
Buster Warenski (June 5, 1942 – July 31, 2005) was an American custom knifemaker from Kimberly, Nevada who made "Art Knives" utilizing gold and other precious metals. Warenski is best known for making a reproduction of King Tut's dagger with a f ...
, and
William F. Moran.
The Knifemakers' Guild has over 300 members worldwide.
The Knifemakers' Guild hosts an annual show where members meet once a year to conduct business, elect officers, and display their work. The show is attended by thousands of collectors.
References
External links
Knifemakers' Guild
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knifemakers' Guild
Knife makers
Professional associations based in the United States
Organizations based in Utah
Organizations established in 1970