Sal Glesser
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- Joined
- Dec 27, 1998
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Honoring the late Butch Vallotton
I'm sorry to announce that Mr. Butch Vallotton has passed at the age of 77.
This was posted by his Son Rainy on his facebook page.
BUTCH VALLOTTON PASSES AWAY
Butch Vallotton, long-time maker and designer of custom auto and other folding knives, passed away earlier today. He was 77.
Rainy, Butch’s son and also a knifemaker, posted the following this morning on his Facebook page:
“My Dad has been in this knife business for 40+ years and he touched a great many good people. Some he helped by phone, some he was hands on help and others he took under his wing.
“He is my Dad, my father, my hero, my mentor and my friend. He taught me to walk, to talk and to fish. He taught me to drive a stick in his Toyota 4x4 truck. He taught me to love and how to be a food father and a better dad to not only my kids but to many, many other kids that needed a dad.
“He was a good man, a great dad and a caring human.”
Butch specialized in double-action autos and converting manual folders into autos. He was noted especially for folding knives with unusual and creative opening mechanisms.
He sold his first knife in 1981, started making knives full time in 1984 and made his first auto in 1987. His assisted-knife technology is in use by Gerber and he worked with Spyderco and Microtech designing the Chameleon Double Action. He also designed knives for the old GATCO/Timberline.
Two of his designs won BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards: the Timberline/Buch Vallotton Discovery for Best Buy Of The Year in 2000 and the Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt Folder for Imported Knife Of The Year® in 2011.
According to the Vallotton Custom Knives web site, Butch was the first folder maker to use a blade thumb stud as a stop pin for the knife’s lock. The Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt honors this innovation and is reportedly the only Spyderco knife to feature both a thumb stud and the company’s familiar round opening hole in the blade.
Butch is the patriarch of a three-generational knifemaking family that includes his son Rainy and Rainy’s son, Brandon.
As these words were written, memorial services had not yet been announced.
Butch and I go back decades and I really learned a lot from him. We are honored to have been able to make some of his designs and we do have a new one that he gave to Eric.
Please share your thought and comments.
sal
I'm sorry to announce that Mr. Butch Vallotton has passed at the age of 77.
This was posted by his Son Rainy on his facebook page.
BUTCH VALLOTTON PASSES AWAY
Butch Vallotton, long-time maker and designer of custom auto and other folding knives, passed away earlier today. He was 77.
Rainy, Butch’s son and also a knifemaker, posted the following this morning on his Facebook page:
“My Dad has been in this knife business for 40+ years and he touched a great many good people. Some he helped by phone, some he was hands on help and others he took under his wing.
“He is my Dad, my father, my hero, my mentor and my friend. He taught me to walk, to talk and to fish. He taught me to drive a stick in his Toyota 4x4 truck. He taught me to love and how to be a food father and a better dad to not only my kids but to many, many other kids that needed a dad.
“He was a good man, a great dad and a caring human.”
Butch specialized in double-action autos and converting manual folders into autos. He was noted especially for folding knives with unusual and creative opening mechanisms.
He sold his first knife in 1981, started making knives full time in 1984 and made his first auto in 1987. His assisted-knife technology is in use by Gerber and he worked with Spyderco and Microtech designing the Chameleon Double Action. He also designed knives for the old GATCO/Timberline.
Two of his designs won BLADE Magazine Knife-Of-The-Year® Awards: the Timberline/Buch Vallotton Discovery for Best Buy Of The Year in 2000 and the Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt Folder for Imported Knife Of The Year® in 2011.
According to the Vallotton Custom Knives web site, Butch was the first folder maker to use a blade thumb stud as a stop pin for the knife’s lock. The Spyderco Vallotton Sub-Hilt honors this innovation and is reportedly the only Spyderco knife to feature both a thumb stud and the company’s familiar round opening hole in the blade.
Butch is the patriarch of a three-generational knifemaking family that includes his son Rainy and Rainy’s son, Brandon.
As these words were written, memorial services had not yet been announced.
Butch and I go back decades and I really learned a lot from him. We are honored to have been able to make some of his designs and we do have a new one that he gave to Eric.
Please share your thought and comments.
sal
I've got a Sebenza that my wife had personally converted by him for my birthday, he went above and beyond for her to get it done in time....it will be treasured always
