- Randall Made Knives
Infobox company
company_
company_name = Randall Made Knives
parent =
company_type = Private
company_slogan =
foundation = 1938 by Walter Doane “Bo” Randall, Jr.Jim Williamson. [http://www.knifeworld.com/randallstory.html “The Randall Story”] , "Knife World", April 1999. Accessed October 26, 2007.]
location = 4857 S. Orange Blossom Trail Orlando,Florida 32839
key_people = “Bo” Randall & his son Gary [Randall Made Knives. [http://www.randallknives.com/history.php "The History"] , "Randall Made Knives website". Accessed October 25, 2007.]
industry =Manufacturing
num_employees = About 20
revenue =
operating_income =
net_income =
products = Custom Handmade Knives
homepage = [http://www.randallknives.com/ Randall Made Knives]Randall Made Knives, usually referred to as Randall, is an American manufacturer specializing in custom handcrafted knives and other edged tools. [Randall Made Knives. [http://www.randallknives.com/catalog.php "Catalog"] , "Randall Made Knives website". Accessed October 25, 2007.] Randall hand
forge s nearly all models of knives instead of factory stamping. [Randall Made Knives. "Randall made Knives" brochure, 33d Printing, 5.]History
“Bo” Randall founded the company in 1938 after making knives for several years as a hobby. Although “Bo” Randall originally designed his knives for sporting use and sold them at sporting goods stores, customers from the military initially provided his biggest boost in business and launched his company nationally. [Randall Made Knives. "Randall made Knives" brochure, 33d Printing, 3-4.] In the early 1940s, Randall knives significantly increased in popularity after receiving good publicity during WWII. Several noted war heroes and GIs on all fronts carried Randall knives with them into major battles. Air Force Captain
Ronald Reagan , future U.S. President, also owned a Randall knife in WWII. [Randall Made Knives. "Randall made Knives" brochure, 33d Printing, 1.]Shortly after the war, the popularity of Randall knives increased among users outside the military and “Bo” Randall developed additional models specifically for expanding markets. In 1957, bestselling author
James Jones mentioned Randall knives in his book "Some Came Running " and subsequently assisted “Bo” Randall design a diver’s knife. As the U.S. initiated its space program,NASA turned to Randall for development of asurvival knife for itsastronaut s and MajorGordon Cooper worked with “Bo” Randall on the design of the Model 17 “Astro”.Wolfe, Thomas C..(1982)"Knives Of The Astronauts", Blade. October 1, 1982] These first astronauts carried their Randalls into space. After recovering the Liberty Bell 7 Mercury space capsule from the ocean in 1999, astronaut Gus Grissom’s Randall knife was found inside.Roy Huntington. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BQY/is_1_47/ai_67717290/pg_2 "Tactical Knives"] , "Guns Magazine", January 2001, page 2. Accessed October 26, 2007.] Despite spending 40 years at a depth of 15,000 feet underwater, the knife was still serviceable after a good cleaning. Due to the historical significance of the "Astro", theSmithsonian Institution displays two at their museum. [Randall Made Knives. "Randall made Knives" brochure, 33d Printing, 8.] Bo Randall was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1982 Blade Show inAtlanta, Georgia .cite news |title = Randall| work = Blade Magazine| date = 7/01/1982 | accessdate = 7/30/2008 ]Country music songwriter
Guy Clark paid tribute to the company's craft with "Randall Knife," a song about a man inheriting a knife from his recently deceased father. SingerSteve Earle mentions a Randall knife in his song "Taneytown".Footnotes
External links
Websites
* [http://www.randallknives.com/ Randall Made Knives] (official Website)
* [http://www.randallknifesociety.com/ Randall Knife Society]Web Articles
* [http://www.knifeworld.com/randallstory.html “The Randall Story”] , "Knife World", April 1999 by Jim Williamson
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