Randall museum visit

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May 30, 2011
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Had a nice break today. Got to Orlando a day early and was able to get to visit the shop and museum. I was here a few years ago and can say the "new" museum is real treat. Easily 10+ times larger than the old setup and a much better presentation of his collection, early knives, a large Scagel collection and letters and articles since the 1940s. Don't go to Orlando without making this a stop.
 
Had a nice break today. Got to Orlando a day early and was able to get to visit the shop and museum. I was here a few years ago and can say the "new" museum is real treat. Easily 10+ times larger than the old setup and a much better presentation of his collection, early knives, a large Scagel collection and letters and articles since the 1940s. Don't go to Orlando without making this a stop.

Some much needed happy news out of Orlando. :thumbup:
 
I will post a few pics later. I had to use my son's phone since mine ran out of charge. They are not that great because it was bright out and we seem to have got a lot of glare on the pics. Just to clarify, it is not only Randall knives. He had a large personal collection and knives that many other makers sent him as gifts. I saw Scagel and Loveless knives among others.

They converted Bo Randall's original home on the property to a museum. The old shop had one large room about 12x20 next to the office/showroom. The new site has a long central hallway with large display cases on both sides, 3 or 4 side rooms each with its theme (folders, spears and swords, etc). There is a very nice collection of miniatures of all their models and a display of prototypes he was working on. Then there is a large main room with more of his personal collection and a lot of poster cases with pictures, letters from servicemen in ww2, korea, vietnam, and persian gulf, newspaper and magazine articles, etc. It is handicap accessible and they do not charge for entry. Great fun.
 
Sorry for the poor pics but I don't usually remember to take many and the bright sunlight and glass on the display cases made many turn out poorly. Below are 3 sample displays. The fourth pic I pulled from the web to show the main hallway. You enter at the far end and on the left are 3 rooms of displays. At the right on the end, there is a very large room with most of the correspondence and a lot of his non-Randall collection. This pic is taken from the end of the hall, where it ends up against a wall display of the astronaut knives he made and some momentos and pics the astronauts and items the gave to him.

Randall Knife in process
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Bo's First Inspiration
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A Scagel Display
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The Main Hall
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redegle66 thanks so much for sharing with diehard Randall folks. I had the unique opportunity to visit back in 1985 and met Bo, Gary and Pete. Bo was such a gentleman, gave me a personal tour and bought a model 25 trapper from him that day! After seeing your pictures can't wait to see the new museum.
 
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