13 Facts About Gil Hibben

Gil Hibben was born on September 4,1935 and is an American custom knifemaker from Wyoming who is based in La Grange, Kentucky.

Gil Hibben currently serves as a President of the Knifemakers' Guild, a post he has held for fourteen years.

Unable to afford a Bowie knife at age 15, Gil Hibben decided to make his own out of scrap metal and files.

Gil Hibben did not make another knife until his discharge from the US Navy in 1956 when he took a job in Seattle, Washington as a machinist for Boeing Aircraft and started making knives in his spare time after he sold another handmade Bowie knife to a friend for $45.

In 1964, Gil Hibben relocated to Sandy, Utah to become a full-time knifemaker.

Gil Hibben's blades were primarily 440C stainless steel and Hibben was the first knife maker to use that steel in his knives.

In 1965, Gil Hibben left Sandy for Manti, Utah to open a larger facility where he operated as "Gil Hibben Knives".

That same year, Gil Hibben sang Tenor for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.

Gil Hibben previously partnered with knifemaker Dr Rob Charlton of Damascus-USA to produce smaller Damascus steel versions of the Rambo Bowie.

In 1991, Gil Hibben relocated to the Louisville suburb of La Grange, Kentucky.

The popularity of Gil Hibben's mass-produced fantasy designs led to Gil Hibben's knives being used in other films such as Spawn, Mortal Kombat, The Perfect Weapon, Natural Born Killers, Under Siege, Babylon 5 and the Star Trek franchise.

Gil Hibben made another "Rambo" knife for Stallone's Rambo and the Bowie knife and Arkansas toothpick used in the film, The Expendables.

Gil Hibben has been President of the Knifemakers' Guild since 2006 and is a member of the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame.