Ex-biker carves niche

Author, artist and knife-maker Edson Gibson autographs a copy of his self-published book inside his home in Candy Kitchen, N.M. The 73-year-old Korean War veteran has written a fictionalized account of his life as a motorcycle outlaw titled "The Iron Cowboy." Gibson also paints and creates artwork from steer hides and is a huge fan of singer Willie Nelson. [Photo by Jeff Jones/Independent]

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

CANDY KITCHEN — Eldon Gibson, who calls himself the "Iron Cowboy," after a life as a member of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle club, and uses the name for the title of a self-published book about his life with women who are attracted to motorcyclists, lives on a quiet ranch in the Zuni Mountains.

He makes custom knives. The knives are mostly for himself, hunting, skinning and Bowie knives, he said.

He has lived in Cibola County for seven years, the past 2.5 years in Candy Kitchen.

"Knife-making is just something I picked up," he said.

His father became ill in Oklahoma years ago and while Gibson was helping his mother take care of his father, he said he found a small knife grinder in a pawn shop.

"I have been doing it ever since," he said.

Gibson also takes deer hides and puts them into art frames, a unique way of presenting them as art, and something that no one else is doing, he said.

Gibson claims to look like Willie Nelson, in whose honor he has made a custom knife.

He said he has an invoice from Johnny Cash for a knife, but Cash died and Gibson moved and he now cannot prove that he actually made a knife for Cash.

The knives he makes are functional, he said.

For example, the hunting knife has a four-inch blade.

The skinning knife has a more rounded blade, which allows the hunter to pull more hide when skinning.

And the Bowie Knife is a big one, he said, with an 8- to 10-inch-blade.

Gibson is currently working on another book.

He used to show his knives at gun and knife shows but has not done that for a few years, he said.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin, call (505) 287-2197 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.