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FOR AS LONG AS HE CAN REMEMBER, RENDON Griffin has loved working with his hands. It began with taking apart bicycles, motorcycles and cars growing up. Griffin continued to tinker in his free time as a student at the University of Texas, custom- izing old World War II era military weapons into fancy hunting rifles. But it was a chance encounter with a retired blacksmith in 1967 that set Griffin on a course to making some of the world’s most beautiful knives. The former blacksmith made knives in his spare time, open- ing Griffin’s eyes to a whole new kind of hand work. “Before that, I really didn’t know that you could make knifes except for in a factory or something like that,” the 75-year old Houston resident says. “His knives were crude – he really didn’t have all of the modern tools and such that we have now – but they piqued my curiosity. I visited with him several times and always tried to buy knives from him. He’d tell me that he was getting old and that he didn’t have time to fill the orders that he already had, so he didn’t want to make a prom- ise to me that he couldn’t keep. I finally decided to just try making one on my own. The rest is history.” Griffin spent nearly four decades as a salesman for Flint Ink Corporation, honing his knifemaking skills in his spare time. He would give out the knives he made to customers or friends of his children. One of those friends saw a collection of pocket knives for sale in a lo- cal sporting goods store and told the store manager that he knew someone who could make better knives than the ones for sale in the store. The store manager said he’d like to see them. “I took three or four knives down to show him,” Griffin says. “He bought all of them.” 38
Though Griffin was incredibly passionate about his craft, he never expected it to be a business. “It was a hobby that paid for itself. Over the years, I just invested any money I made into my shop and tools.” Griffin retired in 2000 and began making knives full time. Like most knifemakers, he advertised in trade magazines and displayed his work at gun and knife shows. His reputation grew quickly and he hasn’t had to advertise or work a show in years. Griffin estimates that he has sold nearly 4,500 knives to customers across the U.S. and in 10 foreign countries. Demand for his work far exceeds supply and there is at least a three-month wait on new orders at all times. “The majority of the time, I don’t even own one of my own knives,” he jokes. Even in the small circle of artisan knifemakers, Griffin is a rare breed. Everything - from the steel strips that are shaped and heat treated to become the blades to the hand cut and fitted bolsters - is made from scratch. The handles are fashioned from rare and exotic materials such as giraffe bone or mastadon tusk. And his knives are completely custom, meaning he begins with a freehand design rather than a pattern that would make them easy to replicate. Even though Griffin may make two knives that look alike, they are never exactly the same. “All of my knives are virtually one-of-a-kind,” he says. The same could be said for the man who makes them. F
F.M. ALLEN
Rendon Griffin for F.M. ALLEN custom made knives. Hand cut bolsters, hand set fittings. Hand forged Damascus steel blade. Top to Bottom: Desert Ironwood Handle: No. X466 - $1,498 Giraffe Bone Handle: No. X467 - $1,198 Walrus Tusk Handle: No. X468 - $1,298
888.362.1947 | fmallen.com - 39