One of the last living links to knifemaking’s golden era is gone.
The knife community lost one of its last members from the golden era of knifemaking with the passing of George Miller “Tim” Britton, who died after a short illness on December 9. He was 85.
A veteran (1959-65) of the United States Marine Corps and known as North Carolina’s first professional knifemaker, Tim began fashioning knives in 1971. Early on he specialized in small personal and fancy boot-type knives and assorted fixed blades and wound up his career making all manner of classic slip joints.
He appeared in early ’70s issues of The American Blade and later in BLADE®. He learned about knives and how to make them from Jim Mustin of Cajun Knives and BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® members Frank Centofante and Blackie Collins. Other influencers were Tim’s knifemaking contemporaries such as Cutlery Hall-of-Famers Ted Dowell, Jimmy Lile and Bob Loveless and well-known makers Rod Chappel and Bob Dozier. Tim was an admirer of Chappel’s handles and those of Bill Luckett, too.
Britton’s career spanned the early days of O1, 440C and D2 for blade steels to today’s CPM grades.
“I started with O1 in 1972 and Blackie Collins talked me into 440C,” he once told BLADE. “Peer pressure … Ted Dowell, Frank Centofante, Jimmy Lile and Bob Dozier had settled on D2. [Today’s steel] leaves them all in the dust.”
No matter the steel, its proper heat treatment and also edge geometry, not to mention comfortable handles, were of critical importance to Tim.
“Buying a knife from a reputable maker should be simple,” he once observed. “My questions would be steel type, Rockwell hardness and what kinds of tools the maker has in his shop. I’m a dinosaur.”
A colorful character known for speaking his mind, he spent time as a member of The Knifemakers’ Guild and the ABS.
“Forging is a macho trip,” he once stated. “I fancy myself a smithy in times past.”
He understood well the importance of effective marketing, regularly running one-third page color ads in BLADE, and he demanded the most in return from them. He also loved the BLADE Show and was a regular exhibitor along with Deb, his wife of 26 years.
Rest easy, Marine, and semper fi.
Remembering Others The Knife Industry Has Lost:
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