- Joined
- Aug 9, 2000
- Messages
- 374
The following is from Randall Knife Society newsletter #21, February, 1994.
WALTER GRIGG: Stidham
I called Walter Grigg on February 9, 1994 and told him that Janie and I were coming to Orlando the next day and would it be okay to stop by for an interview for the newsletter. He agreed and 10:00 A.M. found us at Walter's door.
He quite graciously welcomed us in and we were in for a treat. Before I get too far ahead of myself here let me tell you who Walter Grigg is. He is a native of Conover, North Carolina and a former Randall employee having worked at the Randall shop from 1964 until late in 1968. He worked mainly at the forge with John Kemp and speaks very interestingly of those days.
Walter is a custom knife maker and a darn good one. He made his first folder, which was a 5 inch grand daddy barlow with walnut handles. That knife he gave to "Bo" Randall for a Christmas present in 1967. The second knife he made was a large 12 inch long closed barlow that he also gave to "Bo" for Christmas in 1968. This was after he had left the Randall shop. Both knives now reside in the Randall museum. Very soon thereafter he made copies of these two barlows for a pocket knife collector in Kentucky.
The most unusual and interesting fact about these first four knives is that they have the traditional Randall logo stamped on the tangs of the knives. Thereafter, he marked his knives with his own Grigg trademark.
Walter continued to make knives in his spare time after work and on weekends until about 1989. He has a back problem and hasn't been able to make knives for the last 4 or 5 years. But the ones he did make are exceptional and have a style of their own. To date, Walter has made about 5 to 600 folders and about 14 straight knives. Ten of those straight knives were coffin handle bowies.
The two barlows shown below with ivory handles are typical of his work and the most common patterns. The larger knife is 5-1/4 inches closed and the smaller is 3-3/8 inches closed.
For steel, until about 1982 he used 440-B steel from the Randall shop along with their handle material. After that he started to use 440-C steel he purchased from Schrimsher in Texas. About the last 10 knives he made he used D-2 steel.
Another interesting thing Walter did while at Randall was to make the first Randall stainless Bear Bowie. This knife resides in the Randall museum also.
Walter left Randall on good terms and they sold his knives over the counter for most of his knife making years from 1973 on. Some of the folders even had a Johnson pocket knife style sheath with the Randall logo on the leather. They even had an insert for Grigg pocket knives in the Randall twenty-second and twenty-third catalogs. I personally bought a Grigg folder from the Randall shop about 1987 and saw two in the Randall show case as late as 1992. But Walter's knife making stopped about 1989.
After the interview Walter invited Janie and I into his den and since I collect old anything I was amazed at his model airplane collection, most of which are still in the original boxes and have not been assembled. Also cowboy memorabilia, a cap gun collection and a BB gun collection and all very neat and pleasant to look at.
Walter is a young 61 years of age and looks fit, but his back sure keeps him down. Here's hoping that Walter gets to feeling better and back to knife making because he sure makes a great knife. //////// Rhett Stidham
Photo by vsilvester.
WALTER GRIGG: Stidham
I called Walter Grigg on February 9, 1994 and told him that Janie and I were coming to Orlando the next day and would it be okay to stop by for an interview for the newsletter. He agreed and 10:00 A.M. found us at Walter's door.
He quite graciously welcomed us in and we were in for a treat. Before I get too far ahead of myself here let me tell you who Walter Grigg is. He is a native of Conover, North Carolina and a former Randall employee having worked at the Randall shop from 1964 until late in 1968. He worked mainly at the forge with John Kemp and speaks very interestingly of those days.
Walter is a custom knife maker and a darn good one. He made his first folder, which was a 5 inch grand daddy barlow with walnut handles. That knife he gave to "Bo" Randall for a Christmas present in 1967. The second knife he made was a large 12 inch long closed barlow that he also gave to "Bo" for Christmas in 1968. This was after he had left the Randall shop. Both knives now reside in the Randall museum. Very soon thereafter he made copies of these two barlows for a pocket knife collector in Kentucky.
The most unusual and interesting fact about these first four knives is that they have the traditional Randall logo stamped on the tangs of the knives. Thereafter, he marked his knives with his own Grigg trademark.
Walter continued to make knives in his spare time after work and on weekends until about 1989. He has a back problem and hasn't been able to make knives for the last 4 or 5 years. But the ones he did make are exceptional and have a style of their own. To date, Walter has made about 5 to 600 folders and about 14 straight knives. Ten of those straight knives were coffin handle bowies.
The two barlows shown below with ivory handles are typical of his work and the most common patterns. The larger knife is 5-1/4 inches closed and the smaller is 3-3/8 inches closed.
For steel, until about 1982 he used 440-B steel from the Randall shop along with their handle material. After that he started to use 440-C steel he purchased from Schrimsher in Texas. About the last 10 knives he made he used D-2 steel.
Another interesting thing Walter did while at Randall was to make the first Randall stainless Bear Bowie. This knife resides in the Randall museum also.
Walter left Randall on good terms and they sold his knives over the counter for most of his knife making years from 1973 on. Some of the folders even had a Johnson pocket knife style sheath with the Randall logo on the leather. They even had an insert for Grigg pocket knives in the Randall twenty-second and twenty-third catalogs. I personally bought a Grigg folder from the Randall shop about 1987 and saw two in the Randall show case as late as 1992. But Walter's knife making stopped about 1989.
After the interview Walter invited Janie and I into his den and since I collect old anything I was amazed at his model airplane collection, most of which are still in the original boxes and have not been assembled. Also cowboy memorabilia, a cap gun collection and a BB gun collection and all very neat and pleasant to look at.
Walter is a young 61 years of age and looks fit, but his back sure keeps him down. Here's hoping that Walter gets to feeling better and back to knife making because he sure makes a great knife. //////// Rhett Stidham
Photo by vsilvester.
