| Bob Cumming was born in
Newark, NJ on October 27, 1944. When he was a year old, his parents moved
to the small Adirondack Mountain village of Saranac Lake, NY. In 1947
Bob's father returned to service in the U.S. Merchant Marine but in 1953
moved the family to Dunedin, Florida, a small Gulf coast town just north
of St. Petersburg.
In 1964 Bob Joined the United States Air Force
and became a communications specialist, a skill he brought to civilian
Federal service in 1969 when he joined the U.S. Department of State.
Until his retirement in 1997, Bob served entirely overseas at diplomatic
posts in Central America, Western and Eastern Europe, East and North
Africa, the Middle East including Israel and Mexico.While serving in
Ethiopia in 1976, Bob developed a strong friendship with the late Jim
Nolen of Corpus Christi, Texas who mentored him via numerous letters
during the early stages of his knife-making career. Bob exchanged exotic
handle materials he acquired in East Africa for trade secrets Nolen
freely shared. In 1978 Bob sold his first knife shortly after transferring
to Denmark. Nolen soon died, however, thus ending Bob's formal training.
Since 1978, Cumming's work has been admired around
the world and here at home. Following the terrorist bombing of the U.S.
Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon in 1983, Bob designed and built a
Bowie-style commemorative knife dedicated to the U.S. Marines who died
in the tragedy. At ceremonies in 1984 at the National Knife Museum in
Chattanooga, Tennessee, Bob's "Purple Heart" commemorative fighting
knife was presented to Gen. Gray, commanding officer of the 2nd Marine
Division, and put on permanent display at HQ CO, Headquarters 2nd Marine
Division at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. Since then, Bowie knives have
been a mainstay of Bob’s work.
CUMMING KNIVES are well known in more than two
dozen countries and throughout the United States. While on assignment
in Israel in 1982-84, for example, Bob's work began appearing in KNIVES,
and he was featured in "State", the official newsletter of the U.S.
Department of State. A feature also appeared in National Knife Collector
Magazine, and his work also has appeared in Knives Illustrated and Knife
World. In 1992 one of Bob's "American" style hunters was honored in
Denmark at the Scandinavian Knifemaker's Competition. The only non-Scandinavian
to participate in this premier European event, Bob clearly established
his credentials as a knifemaker of international prominence. In 1992,
he collaborated with Danish knifemaker Marc Carlsson on the design and
construction of 12 commemorative knives for a U.S. F-16 Fighter Pilot
training squadron based in Denmark. In 1983-84, Bob taught himself how
to scrimshaw, and examples of this work also appeared in KNIVES.
During the 1984-86 timeframe, CUMMING KNIVES
were the focus of attention by U.S. Marines, this time in Nicaragua.
Bob's exceptional fighters and combat knives later were carried by U.S.
commandos in Panama, and by U. S. Army Rangers at Ft. Bragg, NC, home
of the 82nd Airborne Division. Navy Seals also carried CUMMING KNIVES,
designed with underwater capabilities in mind. American military men
and women have forged a close association with CUMMING KNIVES, and Bob
remains close to these dedicated servants, providing them with high
quality knives, each custom made.
Most of Bob’s hunters are small, usually with
blades 4 inches or less. Hollow and flat-ground from ATS-34, and 440-C
stainless, and O-1 and D-2 tool steel, their slim, lightweight designs
are made with both men and women in mind. Although Western-style knives
historically tend to be heavy and long, experience shows that small,
slim blades of simple yet strong design work best. Experienced guides
in Colorado's Southern Rockies, Wyoming's Grand Tetons, and the Sangre
de Cristo range in northern New Mexico all agree that a well-made, lightweight
hunter works best. In New Mexico's Gila Wilderness, Bob's knives are
among favorites used by guides and ranchers, as is true on the Jicarilla
Apache Reservation where trophy mule deer and North America's largest
elk attract sportsmen and women from around the globe: CUMMING KNIVES
are synonymous with simplicity, strength, functionality and, above all,
superb construction and finish.
As indicated by examples here, Bob attaches great
importance to the fabled Bowie knife. His work reflects great precision,
attention to detail, a unique way of combining exotic materials, and
superb fit and finishing. Leather sheaths, especially those reflecting
the style of the Plains Indians, are works of art that reflect a special
understanding of the talents of these unique peoples.
Bob is married to Kirsten Petursson, a native
of Denmark. The couple make their home in the foothills of the Sandia
Mountains just east of Albuquerque, New Mexico where they live with
their Golden Retrievers, Charro and Sunny and an attack-trained canary
named Pancho. Two adult sons, one overseas and another in the U. S.,
round out the family. In his spare time, Bob enjoys fly fishing for
mountain trout, and building custom-made fly rods. An avid fisherman,
he has fished and scuba dived all over the world, notably the Maldive
Islands in the Indian Ocean. Other pastimes include Native American
history, rhythm and blues, light carpentry, building fly rods, and the
Santa Fe Opera. |
