Anyone familiar with George Herron?

T

Teknition

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Mar 11, 2006
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I was looking at Josh Smith's website tonight and in a Blade '98 article he had on his site, there was a picture of George Herron grinding a knife. It looks as though George is using some sort of attachment on his grinder to add pressure or perhaps guide the blade while grinding. I was wondering if anyone here had seen George grind a knife with this setup and could explain the mechanism a bit?

GeorgeHerronpic.jpg


Brad
www.AndersonKnives.ca
 
Don't know much about Mr. Herron, but I'd agree with your assessment that the attachment is a nifty way to add consistent pressure, similar to a push stick.

--nathan
 
George Herron plays a significant part in American custom knifemaking history. From South Carolina if I remember correctly, he was well known for the exquisitely crafted and designed stock removal using knives he made for a long, long time.

Somewhat of a creative chap, you are seeing a combo adjustable work rest and push stick on steroids. I believe there is a roller for the backside of the blade to move smoothly. Another one of the devices credited to his name is the Bader 3 grinder, and that glorious idea of a square toolarm so prevalent in shops today.

Also known as a great teacher, always totally open about his techniques and tools.

One of the greats in knifemaking.

Added: I had to look up the date. He passed in Feb. 2007. RIP
 
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Thanks Fitzo, that was a wonderful tribute to George Herron. You are an absolute fount (font?) of arcane knowledge. My own knifemaking interest goes back to the 70s and that's why I "insist" on continuing the stock removal method. To be sure I feel a bit outmoded today, but it's what I cut my teeth on and I'm sticking to it. Now, if only I could approach the design and technical skills of Mr Herron and the other "old masters." For all you young guys, the 70s were truly the Golden Age for handmade knives. In my humble opinion anyway.

I've never seen that interesting attachment though. That's another great thing about knifemakers - we don't just make knives! We make all kinds of stuff. What a cool slice of life we've chosen.
 
I met George Herron a couple of times. He was a real fine fellow. He was one of the most influential maker of his time (and today,too).I think his pipe must have been glued to his lip. I never saw him without it.
Stacy
 
Hello:
the device that George used was of his own creation. i believe that Geno Denning uses the same device and that it is built with discarded motorcycle parts. I believe I have the plans and pictures of the parts somewhere and I will look for them and post them if located. He was a great man and when he took Geno under his wing he knew that his style of knifemaking would live on long after he passed.

Marcel
 
Brad, thats a great picture of GeorgeHerron :) He had a huge impact on my love for and start in custom knifemaking

One of the mods here at BF, Bobby Branton, was very close to George. From what I understand, George was not only mentor but also a friend to Bobby. I'll bet he would help you out if you asked him. In fact, there's no doubt in my mind he would help, knowing Bobby ;) Heck of a good guy :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
That device is known as the Herron Hog. I built a Bader lll with Mr. Herron's help before it was a Bader lll. One of my grinders is a prototype. The Herron hog was produced by Sharkey Tipps for a very short time. It was designed mainly for removing lot's of metal very quickly prior to heat treat. It was not considered a grinding jig, but as a tool to hold pressure against the blade to speed up the rough grinding process. I have one that I built but seldom use it. It works best for a simple drop point. It does take a lot of expertise to hold the blade straight while grinding. He could actually finish a blade and have it ready for the buffer using it. Very few people have the grinding skills to be able to pull that off.
 
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Thank you all for posting. Mr. Herron sounds like he was a great man and touched many makers lives in a positive way. I wish I'd had the opportunity to meet him.

Knife makers are an innovative bunch and I"m quite sure there are a lot more cool mechanisms like this that are only known to the maker or a few close friends. The Herron Hog looks like a great way to avoid burnt thumbs, something I hate as almost as much as wearing gloves when grinding.

Bobby, since you actually have a Herron Hog, could you perhaps post a few pictures of it? In the pic that I posted, the grinding sparks obscure it and doesn't really show it off well enough to make one.

Thanks,

Brad
www.AndersonKnives.ca
 
All,
I just posted a video clip of Mr. Herron that came from Bob Redfern's Outdoor Magazine. It is a great interview, but it also shows him doing some knife work.
The link is:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/herronknives/

and the video is currently in the first spot on the page. It is also located in the Set titled, "Herron Groups, Articles, Videos, Etc." on the right hand side of the page.

Thanks and Enjoy,
Jay
 
Sorry guys. I see now that the video got cut short. Apparently the site that I use won't let me do anything longer than a couple of minutes. I'll work on getting it fixed or cut down into peices so that you can see it all.

Sorry again,
Jay
 
Thanks very much for posting that, Jay. I will look forward to seeing the rest of the interview. That was a huge treat. To those of us old folk knifemakers, George Herron certainly stands as tall as the other giants.
On another note, your foto album is a great tribute to Mr. Herron in itself, not to mention a "to-die-for" collection.
Thanks, again, for sharing with us.
 
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Thank you for posting that Jay, I really enjoyed watching the videos (all worked fine) and looking at all the knives. Video #5 has a great section of Mr. Herron using the Herron Hog and I could see quite clearly how it works.

Brad
www.AndersonKnives.ca
 
Thank you Jay, for taking the time to share this with us.

I'm with fitzo in his "to die for" description of your Herron collection. Unbelievable and Priceless also come to mind :thumbup: :thumbup:

Along with the knife photos I particularly enjoy the B&W catalog page photos that included the Herrons. It brings back a lot of memories of when I was a kid seeing my first Herron in the old B&W AGRussell cataogs. Talk about being in good company.... man oh man ! Lile, Morseth, Davis, Moran........ and the prices :eek:

Thanks again Jay :)
 
Teknition said:
Thank you for posting that Jay, I really enjoyed watching the videos (all worked fine) and looking at all the knives. Video #5 has a great section of Mr. Herron using the Herron Hog and I could see quite clearly how it works.
Click to expand...

I think that is exactly what he would have wanted. I was never a maker, but I know that he enjoyed teaching the art as much as he did the art itself.

Jay
 
Man! It was so good hearing Georges voice again. But you can tell he wasn't in good health. Not the deep booming voice of the old days.

I like George, don't collect knives. I enjoy making them, but would go broke keeping everything I like. I only have a couple of Knives that hold a special place for me. One is a Knife, A little Herron Semi Skinner that he gave to Bob Loveless, and now Bob has given to me. to me it is priceless.

Most of my Mentors are gone now. George, Jimmy Lile, Harvey McBurnette, Clay Gault, Only Bob and His Partner in the Loveless Shop, Jim Merritt remain. A part of getting old I guess. But it's getting a bit lonely these days!

Mike Lovett
 
Mr Herron, would come to many of our guild meetings. The ever present pipe, the way he would look over the top of his glasses to answer a question. That unmistakable voice,the words of wisdom and experiance you knew you should cling to. Though I didn't know him well, I will miss that presence that almost demanded your attention when he spoke. I will miss him
 
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