Gil Hibben: 65 years in Knives
by Del Corsi
Gil Hibben was born on September 4th, 1935. In 2022 he will celebrate his 65th anniversary as a knifemaker. In gearing up to talk to Gil and Linda Hibben about this fascinating man and his amazing career, a few butterflies began to congregate deep in my stomach. And who wouldn’t be a touch nervous talking to this iconic knifemaker? But the nerves and butterflies quickly dispersed. As a custom knifemaker myself, I absolutely relished the chance to learn more about Hibben and his knives!
Hibben has done just about everything a maker can do in his career, but he is probably best known for bringing to life the mind boggling blades designed by Paul Ehlers. My first question for Gil was also the most obvious, undoubtedly the most frequently asked question by both knife enthusiasts and knifemakers alike of Hibben: How on earth did you grind those Paul Ehlers designs?
This article appears in the January 2022 issue of KNIFE Magazine. Premium Online Members can read the whole thing by clicking the blue button below.