A.G. Russell Knives
By Laurie Marshall
Photo by Brian Chilson
Arkansas Beginnings:
When A.G. Russell was a small boy in Eudora, Arkansas, his grandfather taught him to make knives. By the early 1960s, he launched a successful business selling his handcrafted blades by mail order.
Located:
A.G. Russell Knives is headquartered in Rogers, along Interstate 49. Online at www.agrussell.com
Pioneer:
Russell also founded the Knifemakers' Guild and the Knife Collectors' Club–both the first organizations of their kind. He was also the first person inducted into the Knife Digest Cutlery Hall of Fame in 1974.
The A. G. Russell™ Shopmade™ California Bowie is a beautiful handmade knife that is made in the A. G. Russell™ shop in Rogers. The design is by A. G. Russell as a tribute to the "English" style Bowies made by knifemaker Ed Henry in the 1960s and 1970s.
The 8 1/2-inch classic Bowie blade is American-made, 154-centimeter stainless steel, heat-treated to a Rockwell hardness of 59-61 Rc. It measures 1 1/4-inch at its widest point. The hilt is 420-grade stainless steel, and is precisely fitted to the blade tang.
The handle scales on this version are created by encapsulating a Norway Spruce pine cone in a highly durable urethane resin, and then slicing through the middle to create a very unique organic pattern. The sheath, also designed by A. G., is handmade in the U.S. of first class American leather. The quantity made will depend on the limited availability of the unusual material being used for the handle scales. Marked "A.G. Russell Shopmade®".
