Living on the Edge Logos of the Loveless Legend

By Al Williams Illustrated by Jim Weyer

I I

2

Dedicated to Paul E Burke Jr of Baltimore Maryland He is my best friend my attorney and fellow

knife collector whose dogged persistance gave me the motiva tion to start this book 1 am

thankful for his efforts

Living on the Edge

l egends of the Loveless logo Copyright 1992 by Weyer Illtematioual

Published by Weyer 11lfernational Book Division 2740 Nebras ka Avenue Toledo OH 43607

All rights reseroed includillg the right to reprOOtlCe this book or portions thereof in any fomr or by any meallS electronic or meciulIlical including photocopying recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher All inquiries should be addressed to Weyer Internat ional Rook Division 2740 Nebraska Avenue Toledo Oli 43607

Libran) of Congress Catalog Card Num ber 92-8]531 ISBN 0middot9613834-5-3

Published October ]992

Specia l tfJaJ ks to Duve Cron Louise Weyer and Hob Chew

A chwtvl edgem ell ts Biographical researchmiddot Flomer Brickey Toldo OH

Tee mical research middot AI Williams Editor - Ken OrWig Orzuig Commllnications ToledoOH

layout and des ign Orwig Communicatiofls

ToledoOH

Film Processing - Projeclions Toledo OH Typography- Palatina by Metzger Type House inc ToledoOH Printed by Printers 3hree Toledo OH

Technical Information Ca mera s 4xS Sinnr P2 viettI and Nikon 3511111 Films Eklachrome Lenses 6Smm 90mm 150mm 210mm bull all Nikkor Lighting Balear electronic (lash and Colortrnn incandescent

Foreword

Is it a good idea for a man to have to look at almost forty years of knife making When it hapshypened to me a few years ago in my hotel room at tl1e Blade Show in Knoxville when AI Williams and Ken Warner kept pulling my early knives out of boxes and asking about them I remember thinking Lord I wish I didnt have to look at that one again But the next day when Al had set up his tables in ilie show room and I had my first look at the very rational way he had arranged ilie display I began to understand

what he had accomplished It was only ilien that I came to realize what I had done all those years beginning in ilie basement shop in Delaware

Al Williams at great cost and with true dedication had managed to acquire Loveless knives from ilie very first year of work and from every place and period since 1954 He had the early Delaware Maid knives made for Abercrombie amp Fitch and for other East Coast customers until late 1958 and he had found ilie first knives made in California in early 1959 including the special Classic Bowie made for a Los Angeles surgeon Indeed AI had not only found and purchased the knives but had surveyed the work traced down the various marks placed them in context in his display and presented a complete array of all my design efforts and varieties of styles and models

After spending several hours looking at iliose old knives I realized that I could justify every one of them each in its own time and place each made for a particushylar purpose Standing iliere looking at all those early knives I knew I had to face my shortcomings and failshyures and come to tem1S with the old ghosts of my life in knife making

3

4

The memories came flooding back and I had to deal with them as best I could I could identify the knives made when domestic crises drove me out of the house into my shop - when the problems of an increasingly problematic marriage frustrated my hopes for a peaceful life I saw the knives I had made during the 1970s in Lawndale and later in Riverside in the 1980s

If I have done other things in my life shyand indeed I have - I have done nothing that pleases me so very much as my work in knife making Ive heard that feeling repeated many times by other knife makers There seems to be something about this work that makes us feel proud and complete - that we have done someshything very much worth the doing All the wonshyderful variety of modem knife making by all the makers who have come to our craft in recent years impresses me greatly especially when I think of the limits I put on myself during the early years This seems to be a common theme only as we progress in our thoughts and techshyniques do we come to know the possibilities

Knife making can be thought of as an endless chase after perfection in design and execution - an ongoing pursuit of better steels and materials and of course of working hard enough and being lucky enough to realize the measure of success that will give us a decent living

Some of us keep at it often working long hours into the night after the demands of a regular day job Sometimes it becomes too much and we drop out Yet it keeps calling us back - perhaps later when we can afford a better shop - to try again The results can be seen at the annual Knife Makers Guild Show Quite a show it is with something for everyone at every price level

If the Williams collection does anything it shows various kinds of knives and the many ways of making them It shows the design themes the blade shapes and handle contours the surprisingly consistent design outlines (and the early failures within those outlines) Some you will like Some you probably wont But remember in the early days we didnt really know what we were doing and if success came later it was unexshypected and happened because our customers came to like the work and support it with orders

About our customers I can only feel that the many Ive had contact with have taught me far more than I could ever have learned by myself Thats another great blessing of this work the many fine people who have extended their friendship to me and their patronage

Of all such folks AJ Williams stands out AJ Williams has done someshything fine by putting this collection together I had known him for years before that day in Knoxville but only then did I realize what he had been doing all those years at all those shows when he and I would buck heads over someshything he wanted to buy from my table When I saw the Collection intact and complete I knew it was time to listen to him for he had indeed become an expert on my work - more so than any other man

RW Loveless Riverside August 1992

Introduction to the Collection

As you are about to view photographs of the knives that make up my collection Logos of the Loveless Legend you may be wondering why [ have elected to collect just one makers knives I decided which way I wanted to go in 1972 Back then there were not too many men making custom knives Those so engaged were doing an excellent job and yet most all of the knives during this period were pretty much the sameshythat is good finishes functional and appealing So again why collect

just one mans knives Early in my collecting career which dates back to 1948 I made up

my mind not to accumulate knives but to concentrate on one maker At that time it was the goal of most collectors to collect a knife from each maker If one did this he would certainly have a variety of fine knives yet his collection would be an accumulation with no theme

About this time I star ted some cursory research on the makers It soon became apparent that Bob Loveless had moved around the country more than anyone else and that he had used more logos on his knives covering his partners and locations This coupled with the desire to collect knives which would portray one mans actual career prompted me to go Loveless in spite of the fact his knives were more difficult to obtain and were more expensive

The result of my efforts is on the following pages which also trace the Loveless career from Claymont Delaware in 1954 to the stacked leather washer handles of the Delaware Maids and then to the latest Riverside integrals of 1989

Al Williams Collector

6

Living on the Edge Logos of the Loveless Legend

By Al Williams

Illustrated by Jim Weyer

A small skinner with walnut slab in half tang construction The handle is finger grooved Delaware Maid is etched on the choil of the logo side of the blade while on the reverse side and also on the choil are the words Van Lengerke and Antoine This is one of six knives marked with the name of the Chicago sport store One can be found jn the Randall Museum Orlando Florida and three were taken on an expedi tion to South America

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

2

Dedicated to Paul E Burke Jr of Baltimore Maryland He is my best friend my attorney and fellow

knife collector whose dogged persistance gave me the motiva tion to start this book 1 am

thankful for his efforts

Living on the Edge

l egends of the Loveless logo Copyright 1992 by Weyer Illtematioual

Published by Weyer 11lfernational Book Division 2740 Nebras ka Avenue Toledo OH 43607

All rights reseroed includillg the right to reprOOtlCe this book or portions thereof in any fomr or by any meallS electronic or meciulIlical including photocopying recording or by any information storage and retrieval system without permission in writing from the publisher All inquiries should be addressed to Weyer Internat ional Rook Division 2740 Nebraska Avenue Toledo Oli 43607

Libran) of Congress Catalog Card Num ber 92-8]531 ISBN 0middot9613834-5-3

Published October ]992

Specia l tfJaJ ks to Duve Cron Louise Weyer and Hob Chew

A chwtvl edgem ell ts Biographical researchmiddot Flomer Brickey Toldo OH

Tee mical research middot AI Williams Editor - Ken OrWig Orzuig Commllnications ToledoOH

layout and des ign Orwig Communicatiofls

ToledoOH

Film Processing - Projeclions Toledo OH Typography- Palatina by Metzger Type House inc ToledoOH Printed by Printers 3hree Toledo OH

Technical Information Ca mera s 4xS Sinnr P2 viettI and Nikon 3511111 Films Eklachrome Lenses 6Smm 90mm 150mm 210mm bull all Nikkor Lighting Balear electronic (lash and Colortrnn incandescent

Foreword

Is it a good idea for a man to have to look at almost forty years of knife making When it hapshypened to me a few years ago in my hotel room at tl1e Blade Show in Knoxville when AI Williams and Ken Warner kept pulling my early knives out of boxes and asking about them I remember thinking Lord I wish I didnt have to look at that one again But the next day when Al had set up his tables in ilie show room and I had my first look at the very rational way he had arranged ilie display I began to understand

what he had accomplished It was only ilien that I came to realize what I had done all those years beginning in ilie basement shop in Delaware

Al Williams at great cost and with true dedication had managed to acquire Loveless knives from ilie very first year of work and from every place and period since 1954 He had the early Delaware Maid knives made for Abercrombie amp Fitch and for other East Coast customers until late 1958 and he had found ilie first knives made in California in early 1959 including the special Classic Bowie made for a Los Angeles surgeon Indeed AI had not only found and purchased the knives but had surveyed the work traced down the various marks placed them in context in his display and presented a complete array of all my design efforts and varieties of styles and models

After spending several hours looking at iliose old knives I realized that I could justify every one of them each in its own time and place each made for a particushylar purpose Standing iliere looking at all those early knives I knew I had to face my shortcomings and failshyures and come to tem1S with the old ghosts of my life in knife making

3

4

The memories came flooding back and I had to deal with them as best I could I could identify the knives made when domestic crises drove me out of the house into my shop - when the problems of an increasingly problematic marriage frustrated my hopes for a peaceful life I saw the knives I had made during the 1970s in Lawndale and later in Riverside in the 1980s

If I have done other things in my life shyand indeed I have - I have done nothing that pleases me so very much as my work in knife making Ive heard that feeling repeated many times by other knife makers There seems to be something about this work that makes us feel proud and complete - that we have done someshything very much worth the doing All the wonshyderful variety of modem knife making by all the makers who have come to our craft in recent years impresses me greatly especially when I think of the limits I put on myself during the early years This seems to be a common theme only as we progress in our thoughts and techshyniques do we come to know the possibilities

Knife making can be thought of as an endless chase after perfection in design and execution - an ongoing pursuit of better steels and materials and of course of working hard enough and being lucky enough to realize the measure of success that will give us a decent living

Some of us keep at it often working long hours into the night after the demands of a regular day job Sometimes it becomes too much and we drop out Yet it keeps calling us back - perhaps later when we can afford a better shop - to try again The results can be seen at the annual Knife Makers Guild Show Quite a show it is with something for everyone at every price level

If the Williams collection does anything it shows various kinds of knives and the many ways of making them It shows the design themes the blade shapes and handle contours the surprisingly consistent design outlines (and the early failures within those outlines) Some you will like Some you probably wont But remember in the early days we didnt really know what we were doing and if success came later it was unexshypected and happened because our customers came to like the work and support it with orders

About our customers I can only feel that the many Ive had contact with have taught me far more than I could ever have learned by myself Thats another great blessing of this work the many fine people who have extended their friendship to me and their patronage

Of all such folks AJ Williams stands out AJ Williams has done someshything fine by putting this collection together I had known him for years before that day in Knoxville but only then did I realize what he had been doing all those years at all those shows when he and I would buck heads over someshything he wanted to buy from my table When I saw the Collection intact and complete I knew it was time to listen to him for he had indeed become an expert on my work - more so than any other man

RW Loveless Riverside August 1992

Introduction to the Collection

As you are about to view photographs of the knives that make up my collection Logos of the Loveless Legend you may be wondering why [ have elected to collect just one makers knives I decided which way I wanted to go in 1972 Back then there were not too many men making custom knives Those so engaged were doing an excellent job and yet most all of the knives during this period were pretty much the sameshythat is good finishes functional and appealing So again why collect

just one mans knives Early in my collecting career which dates back to 1948 I made up

my mind not to accumulate knives but to concentrate on one maker At that time it was the goal of most collectors to collect a knife from each maker If one did this he would certainly have a variety of fine knives yet his collection would be an accumulation with no theme

About this time I star ted some cursory research on the makers It soon became apparent that Bob Loveless had moved around the country more than anyone else and that he had used more logos on his knives covering his partners and locations This coupled with the desire to collect knives which would portray one mans actual career prompted me to go Loveless in spite of the fact his knives were more difficult to obtain and were more expensive

The result of my efforts is on the following pages which also trace the Loveless career from Claymont Delaware in 1954 to the stacked leather washer handles of the Delaware Maids and then to the latest Riverside integrals of 1989

Al Williams Collector

6

Living on the Edge Logos of the Loveless Legend

By Al Williams

Illustrated by Jim Weyer

A small skinner with walnut slab in half tang construction The handle is finger grooved Delaware Maid is etched on the choil of the logo side of the blade while on the reverse side and also on the choil are the words Van Lengerke and Antoine This is one of six knives marked with the name of the Chicago sport store One can be found jn the Randall Museum Orlando Florida and three were taken on an expedi tion to South America

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

Foreword

Is it a good idea for a man to have to look at almost forty years of knife making When it hapshypened to me a few years ago in my hotel room at tl1e Blade Show in Knoxville when AI Williams and Ken Warner kept pulling my early knives out of boxes and asking about them I remember thinking Lord I wish I didnt have to look at that one again But the next day when Al had set up his tables in ilie show room and I had my first look at the very rational way he had arranged ilie display I began to understand

what he had accomplished It was only ilien that I came to realize what I had done all those years beginning in ilie basement shop in Delaware

Al Williams at great cost and with true dedication had managed to acquire Loveless knives from ilie very first year of work and from every place and period since 1954 He had the early Delaware Maid knives made for Abercrombie amp Fitch and for other East Coast customers until late 1958 and he had found ilie first knives made in California in early 1959 including the special Classic Bowie made for a Los Angeles surgeon Indeed AI had not only found and purchased the knives but had surveyed the work traced down the various marks placed them in context in his display and presented a complete array of all my design efforts and varieties of styles and models

After spending several hours looking at iliose old knives I realized that I could justify every one of them each in its own time and place each made for a particushylar purpose Standing iliere looking at all those early knives I knew I had to face my shortcomings and failshyures and come to tem1S with the old ghosts of my life in knife making

3

4

The memories came flooding back and I had to deal with them as best I could I could identify the knives made when domestic crises drove me out of the house into my shop - when the problems of an increasingly problematic marriage frustrated my hopes for a peaceful life I saw the knives I had made during the 1970s in Lawndale and later in Riverside in the 1980s

If I have done other things in my life shyand indeed I have - I have done nothing that pleases me so very much as my work in knife making Ive heard that feeling repeated many times by other knife makers There seems to be something about this work that makes us feel proud and complete - that we have done someshything very much worth the doing All the wonshyderful variety of modem knife making by all the makers who have come to our craft in recent years impresses me greatly especially when I think of the limits I put on myself during the early years This seems to be a common theme only as we progress in our thoughts and techshyniques do we come to know the possibilities

Knife making can be thought of as an endless chase after perfection in design and execution - an ongoing pursuit of better steels and materials and of course of working hard enough and being lucky enough to realize the measure of success that will give us a decent living

Some of us keep at it often working long hours into the night after the demands of a regular day job Sometimes it becomes too much and we drop out Yet it keeps calling us back - perhaps later when we can afford a better shop - to try again The results can be seen at the annual Knife Makers Guild Show Quite a show it is with something for everyone at every price level

If the Williams collection does anything it shows various kinds of knives and the many ways of making them It shows the design themes the blade shapes and handle contours the surprisingly consistent design outlines (and the early failures within those outlines) Some you will like Some you probably wont But remember in the early days we didnt really know what we were doing and if success came later it was unexshypected and happened because our customers came to like the work and support it with orders

About our customers I can only feel that the many Ive had contact with have taught me far more than I could ever have learned by myself Thats another great blessing of this work the many fine people who have extended their friendship to me and their patronage

Of all such folks AJ Williams stands out AJ Williams has done someshything fine by putting this collection together I had known him for years before that day in Knoxville but only then did I realize what he had been doing all those years at all those shows when he and I would buck heads over someshything he wanted to buy from my table When I saw the Collection intact and complete I knew it was time to listen to him for he had indeed become an expert on my work - more so than any other man

RW Loveless Riverside August 1992

Introduction to the Collection

As you are about to view photographs of the knives that make up my collection Logos of the Loveless Legend you may be wondering why [ have elected to collect just one makers knives I decided which way I wanted to go in 1972 Back then there were not too many men making custom knives Those so engaged were doing an excellent job and yet most all of the knives during this period were pretty much the sameshythat is good finishes functional and appealing So again why collect

just one mans knives Early in my collecting career which dates back to 1948 I made up

my mind not to accumulate knives but to concentrate on one maker At that time it was the goal of most collectors to collect a knife from each maker If one did this he would certainly have a variety of fine knives yet his collection would be an accumulation with no theme

About this time I star ted some cursory research on the makers It soon became apparent that Bob Loveless had moved around the country more than anyone else and that he had used more logos on his knives covering his partners and locations This coupled with the desire to collect knives which would portray one mans actual career prompted me to go Loveless in spite of the fact his knives were more difficult to obtain and were more expensive

The result of my efforts is on the following pages which also trace the Loveless career from Claymont Delaware in 1954 to the stacked leather washer handles of the Delaware Maids and then to the latest Riverside integrals of 1989

Al Williams Collector

6

Living on the Edge Logos of the Loveless Legend

By Al Williams

Illustrated by Jim Weyer

A small skinner with walnut slab in half tang construction The handle is finger grooved Delaware Maid is etched on the choil of the logo side of the blade while on the reverse side and also on the choil are the words Van Lengerke and Antoine This is one of six knives marked with the name of the Chicago sport store One can be found jn the Randall Museum Orlando Florida and three were taken on an expedi tion to South America

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

4

The memories came flooding back and I had to deal with them as best I could I could identify the knives made when domestic crises drove me out of the house into my shop - when the problems of an increasingly problematic marriage frustrated my hopes for a peaceful life I saw the knives I had made during the 1970s in Lawndale and later in Riverside in the 1980s

If I have done other things in my life shyand indeed I have - I have done nothing that pleases me so very much as my work in knife making Ive heard that feeling repeated many times by other knife makers There seems to be something about this work that makes us feel proud and complete - that we have done someshything very much worth the doing All the wonshyderful variety of modem knife making by all the makers who have come to our craft in recent years impresses me greatly especially when I think of the limits I put on myself during the early years This seems to be a common theme only as we progress in our thoughts and techshyniques do we come to know the possibilities

Knife making can be thought of as an endless chase after perfection in design and execution - an ongoing pursuit of better steels and materials and of course of working hard enough and being lucky enough to realize the measure of success that will give us a decent living

Some of us keep at it often working long hours into the night after the demands of a regular day job Sometimes it becomes too much and we drop out Yet it keeps calling us back - perhaps later when we can afford a better shop - to try again The results can be seen at the annual Knife Makers Guild Show Quite a show it is with something for everyone at every price level

If the Williams collection does anything it shows various kinds of knives and the many ways of making them It shows the design themes the blade shapes and handle contours the surprisingly consistent design outlines (and the early failures within those outlines) Some you will like Some you probably wont But remember in the early days we didnt really know what we were doing and if success came later it was unexshypected and happened because our customers came to like the work and support it with orders

About our customers I can only feel that the many Ive had contact with have taught me far more than I could ever have learned by myself Thats another great blessing of this work the many fine people who have extended their friendship to me and their patronage

Of all such folks AJ Williams stands out AJ Williams has done someshything fine by putting this collection together I had known him for years before that day in Knoxville but only then did I realize what he had been doing all those years at all those shows when he and I would buck heads over someshything he wanted to buy from my table When I saw the Collection intact and complete I knew it was time to listen to him for he had indeed become an expert on my work - more so than any other man

RW Loveless Riverside August 1992

Introduction to the Collection

As you are about to view photographs of the knives that make up my collection Logos of the Loveless Legend you may be wondering why [ have elected to collect just one makers knives I decided which way I wanted to go in 1972 Back then there were not too many men making custom knives Those so engaged were doing an excellent job and yet most all of the knives during this period were pretty much the sameshythat is good finishes functional and appealing So again why collect

just one mans knives Early in my collecting career which dates back to 1948 I made up

my mind not to accumulate knives but to concentrate on one maker At that time it was the goal of most collectors to collect a knife from each maker If one did this he would certainly have a variety of fine knives yet his collection would be an accumulation with no theme

About this time I star ted some cursory research on the makers It soon became apparent that Bob Loveless had moved around the country more than anyone else and that he had used more logos on his knives covering his partners and locations This coupled with the desire to collect knives which would portray one mans actual career prompted me to go Loveless in spite of the fact his knives were more difficult to obtain and were more expensive

The result of my efforts is on the following pages which also trace the Loveless career from Claymont Delaware in 1954 to the stacked leather washer handles of the Delaware Maids and then to the latest Riverside integrals of 1989

Al Williams Collector

6

Living on the Edge Logos of the Loveless Legend

By Al Williams

Illustrated by Jim Weyer

A small skinner with walnut slab in half tang construction The handle is finger grooved Delaware Maid is etched on the choil of the logo side of the blade while on the reverse side and also on the choil are the words Van Lengerke and Antoine This is one of six knives marked with the name of the Chicago sport store One can be found jn the Randall Museum Orlando Florida and three were taken on an expedi tion to South America

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

Some of us keep at it often working long hours into the night after the demands of a regular day job Sometimes it becomes too much and we drop out Yet it keeps calling us back - perhaps later when we can afford a better shop - to try again The results can be seen at the annual Knife Makers Guild Show Quite a show it is with something for everyone at every price level

If the Williams collection does anything it shows various kinds of knives and the many ways of making them It shows the design themes the blade shapes and handle contours the surprisingly consistent design outlines (and the early failures within those outlines) Some you will like Some you probably wont But remember in the early days we didnt really know what we were doing and if success came later it was unexshypected and happened because our customers came to like the work and support it with orders

About our customers I can only feel that the many Ive had contact with have taught me far more than I could ever have learned by myself Thats another great blessing of this work the many fine people who have extended their friendship to me and their patronage

Of all such folks AJ Williams stands out AJ Williams has done someshything fine by putting this collection together I had known him for years before that day in Knoxville but only then did I realize what he had been doing all those years at all those shows when he and I would buck heads over someshything he wanted to buy from my table When I saw the Collection intact and complete I knew it was time to listen to him for he had indeed become an expert on my work - more so than any other man

RW Loveless Riverside August 1992

Introduction to the Collection

As you are about to view photographs of the knives that make up my collection Logos of the Loveless Legend you may be wondering why [ have elected to collect just one makers knives I decided which way I wanted to go in 1972 Back then there were not too many men making custom knives Those so engaged were doing an excellent job and yet most all of the knives during this period were pretty much the sameshythat is good finishes functional and appealing So again why collect

just one mans knives Early in my collecting career which dates back to 1948 I made up

my mind not to accumulate knives but to concentrate on one maker At that time it was the goal of most collectors to collect a knife from each maker If one did this he would certainly have a variety of fine knives yet his collection would be an accumulation with no theme

About this time I star ted some cursory research on the makers It soon became apparent that Bob Loveless had moved around the country more than anyone else and that he had used more logos on his knives covering his partners and locations This coupled with the desire to collect knives which would portray one mans actual career prompted me to go Loveless in spite of the fact his knives were more difficult to obtain and were more expensive

The result of my efforts is on the following pages which also trace the Loveless career from Claymont Delaware in 1954 to the stacked leather washer handles of the Delaware Maids and then to the latest Riverside integrals of 1989

Al Williams Collector

6

Living on the Edge Logos of the Loveless Legend

By Al Williams

Illustrated by Jim Weyer

A small skinner with walnut slab in half tang construction The handle is finger grooved Delaware Maid is etched on the choil of the logo side of the blade while on the reverse side and also on the choil are the words Van Lengerke and Antoine This is one of six knives marked with the name of the Chicago sport store One can be found jn the Randall Museum Orlando Florida and three were taken on an expedi tion to South America

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

Introduction to the Collection

As you are about to view photographs of the knives that make up my collection Logos of the Loveless Legend you may be wondering why [ have elected to collect just one makers knives I decided which way I wanted to go in 1972 Back then there were not too many men making custom knives Those so engaged were doing an excellent job and yet most all of the knives during this period were pretty much the sameshythat is good finishes functional and appealing So again why collect

just one mans knives Early in my collecting career which dates back to 1948 I made up

my mind not to accumulate knives but to concentrate on one maker At that time it was the goal of most collectors to collect a knife from each maker If one did this he would certainly have a variety of fine knives yet his collection would be an accumulation with no theme

About this time I star ted some cursory research on the makers It soon became apparent that Bob Loveless had moved around the country more than anyone else and that he had used more logos on his knives covering his partners and locations This coupled with the desire to collect knives which would portray one mans actual career prompted me to go Loveless in spite of the fact his knives were more difficult to obtain and were more expensive

The result of my efforts is on the following pages which also trace the Loveless career from Claymont Delaware in 1954 to the stacked leather washer handles of the Delaware Maids and then to the latest Riverside integrals of 1989

Al Williams Collector

6

Living on the Edge Logos of the Loveless Legend

By Al Williams

Illustrated by Jim Weyer

A small skinner with walnut slab in half tang construction The handle is finger grooved Delaware Maid is etched on the choil of the logo side of the blade while on the reverse side and also on the choil are the words Van Lengerke and Antoine This is one of six knives marked with the name of the Chicago sport store One can be found jn the Randall Museum Orlando Florida and three were taken on an expedi tion to South America

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

Living on the Edge Logos of the Loveless Legend

By Al Williams

Illustrated by Jim Weyer

A small skinner with walnut slab in half tang construction The handle is finger grooved Delaware Maid is etched on the choil of the logo side of the blade while on the reverse side and also on the choil are the words Van Lengerke and Antoine This is one of six knives marked with the name of the Chicago sport store One can be found jn the Randall Museum Orlando Florida and three were taken on an expedi tion to South America

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

A small skinner with walnut slab in half tang construction The handle is finger grooved Delaware Maid is etched on the choil of the logo side of the blade while on the reverse side and also on the choil are the words Van Lengerke and Antoine This is one of six knives marked with the name of the Chicago sport store One can be found jn the Randall Museum Orlando Florida and three were taken on an expedi tion to South America

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

The first sharp gusts of an early winter storm slashed at Bob Loveless face as he made his way through the crowded streets of Manhattan

It was December 1953 and the shop windows along Madison A venue decorated for Christmas held a thousand temptations for a 24 year-old merchant seaman with cash in his pocket

Loveless was sailing on a small tanker out of Port Newark It was difficult work and one of the few pleasures was the time that he had during his off-duty hours to read sporting magaZines On his last voyage he had been fascinated by an article in the December issue of True magashyzine The article described the handsome hand-made knives crafted by famous Orlando knife maker W D (Bo) Randall

Although he didnt know it at the time that article with its breathshytaking illustrations of Randalls knives had sparked a flame that would continue to burn in Loveless imagination for the rest of his days Bob Loveless had always appreciated good design and fine craftsmanship but these Randall knives were something special These were knives with a soul - the proper tools for a man who earned his livelihood challenging the whims of the North Atlantic

On that blustery New York afternoon Bob Loveless knew exactly what he wanted more than anything else in the world - the feel of a good knife in his hand

At Madison and 45th Street he paused at the entrance of Abercrombie and Fitch the Cadillac of sporting-goods stores an institushytion among the adventurers of the world The old ll-story building held anything a sporting man could want canoes safari gear the finest in firearms It was a store for men who didnt inquire about prices a panoshyply of rich mens toys presided over by clerks accustomed to catering to the aristocratic and moneyed

Teddy Roosevelt shopped there So did Clark Gable Ernest Hemingway always outfitted himself at Abercrombie amp Fitch It was the

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

-shy ----shy-shy1

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

Distinct markings make this hunter truly outstanding On the logo side in addition to Delaware Maid onc fjnds R W Loveless M(lker Claymonl Del On the reverse side Abercrombie-Fitch Co N Y is etched A typical maid wi th brass hilt and a stacked leather asher handle

Another old timer with serial number 11 The handle consists of stacked leather washers It is finger grooved with the typical aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the obverse side is found AbercrombieshyFitch Co The knife was probably made in 1955

A slender ~kinner with serial number 77 and the initial R WL etched on the choil Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side while one finds Abercrombie-Filch Co NY on the obverse side The handle is of stacked leather washers with a bakelite insert and a round aluminum butt cap

Unusual markings make this knife a desirable collectors piece In addition to Delaware Maid etched on the logo side are found the initials RYVL and serial number 9 on the choil Not many early knives were marked this way Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side The knife has a typical stacked leather washer handle with finger grooves and an aluminum butt cap 13

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99

~--I

I I

14

I I

An early skinner with half tang construction and a finger grooved walnut handle There is no hilt and the blade is marked Delaware Maid on the logo side and AbercrombieshyFitch Co NY on the obverse side

+

kind of store where a loyal customer would patiently wait two years for the privilege of paying $50000 for a set of five Holland and Holland handmade English shotguns

Abercrombie and Fitch is a store for adventurers the headquarters of a special fellowship of men who thrive on the challenge of living at the edge surviving through their wit and mettle in hostile environments And although he was not outfitted in the refined livery of a gentleman adventurer Bob Loveless was certainly a member of the fraternity

Bob Loveless a man who had made his first solo airplane flight at the age of 14 who had lied about his age to enter the merchant marine at 15 who had operated a control tower for the Air Force on the island of lwo Jima at the age of 17 crossed the threshold and strode confidently to the department where knives were displayed

Here 24 year-old Robert Loveless a man used to being treated as an equal by men twice his age - by men whose very lives might depend upon his skill and judgment - was confronted with the nemesis of the American shopper - an overbearing self-important sales clerk

The neatly dressed young salesman sized up Loveless as just not our type of customer Unseasoned and overconfident the little clerk was unable to read the experience in Loveless eyes He could not see beyond the working clothes of a merchant seaman

Loveless asked to see a Randall knife Oh responded the supershycilious little salesman Well We simply dont have any It would most certainly take at least nine months to get a Randall knife

It was at that precise moment in December 1953 that a spark in Robert Waldorf Loveless soul was kindled into the passion that would impact the craft of knife making forever Perhaps it was his frustration at not being able to have the blade he wanted Perhaps his rage at the insoshylent clerk Whatever the reason Bob Loveless was inflamed by the situation

15

~-

A landmark knife as it is the first one Loveless made by the stock removal method (documented on page 16 in Kl1ives 87) The handle is stacked leather washers in a most unusual coffin shape and there is an aluminum butt cap Delaware Maid is etched on the lower half of the blade This is one of a kind and quite rare

An early fighter with a long double brass hilt and sub-hilt The handle is stacked leather washers finger grooved and a typical aluminum butt cap This may well be the first sub-hilt made On the logo side is etched Delaware Maid and on the reverse side is found a serial number 26 and the AbercrombieshyFitch Co name

~---r---4----1----I -~-+----t----~---I - --shy -r----shy

An early fighter with Delaware Maid etched in the choil and numbered 9 Weighing 14 ounces it is 12 inches in length Atop the blade is a 3 34 inch brass parry strip This knife has a brass hilt and sub hilt Handle is stacked leather washers

17

A nice hunter with a narrow brass hilt and linger grooved walnut handle The tang is not tapered and the open lanya rd hilt is a bit rare On the logo side of the blade is e tched R W Loveless Maker Claymont Dela ware

18

His first inclination was to roundly curse the rascal Instead he took a personal vow He swore to himself that he would achieve the impossible He would create a knife of his own - one that would match the quality of the Randall pieces he so adshymired

As he returned to his ship Loveless was consumed with the exciteshyment of this new chalshylenge He took the train to Newark then a taxi to the dock As the taxi passed a big junk yard on Doremus Avenue he told the driver to stop

Years later in describing the incident Loveless describes himself as if guided by some atavistic primitive knowledge buried deep in his mind

I told the taxi driver to let me off there to get some pieces of autoshymobile springs I don t know exactly why but I thought automotive springs would make good knives

19

20

I I

A verY unusual marked Bowie of the Dela~a re Maid era Marked on the logo side of the blade is wveless Made instead of Delaware Maid On the obverse side is the usua l Abercrombie-Fitch Co name and also the words Bowie Knife [t is a graceful knife with a double brass hilt and a finger grooved crown stag handle There is a pewter plaque on the butt but Loveless denies putting it there

On that blustery New York

afternoon Bob Loveless knew

exactly what he wanted more

than anything else in the

world - thefeel of a good knife

in his hand

Not too many heavy and massive knives were made in the Dela ware Maid era This one has a brass hilt 3 1 IS inches wide along with walnut slabs a non-tapered tang and an open thong hole Delaware Maid is etched on the logo side of the blade and on the same side at the choil we find 139-B for the kind of steel used On the reverse side is the name Abercrombie-Fitch Co NY August 18 1956 Etching the kind of steel used and the completion date on the knife is most unusual

-~ --~

22

i I I

I I

A landmark Bovie and one of three made Classic in shape and size with R W Loveless Maker North Hollywood Calif No 1 engraved not etched on the logo side of the blade O n the obverse s ide is etched HL Walleck (the name of the owner) O n the brass butt cap a re two dates and Dr Wallecks cattle brand One date October 291 1960 was the date the knife was finished and the olher da te Apri l 21 1906 is the owners birthdate There is a 4 34 inch brass parry strip on top of the blade and there is an extremely long walnut handle The lugged hilt is made of several lavers of thin brass strips fused together Loveless -vas urged to make this knife and two others by a good friend when he was at a low ebb in h is life He had only been in California a short time was unknown in the knife industrv and was about ready to give up k~ife making

R W Loveless Maker

North Hollywood Ca lIf No

The fellow at the junk yard told me to Go see the guy out there with the burning torch There r found the biggest pile of auto springs youve ever seen - maybe 40 feet high and 40 to 50 feet wide at the base 1 told him I wanted some good metal to make a hunting knife He got a 1937 Packard spring and said This is the best spring in the yard I got four or five pieces each about a foot long I thinlt I paid the fellow in the office a dollar and gave the yard man a couple of dollars for his trouble

1 took the pieces of spring back to the ship and roughly ground them - with a snag grinder wi th a hard-clay wheel - to the outline I wanted It took me over a week to get the knife done and it looked pretty good

Loveless had read a general article on knife making in one of the sporting magazines He knew that he had to heat trea t the metal He heated it on the ships galley stove

A fine looking fighter with the rare Loveless-Parke logo on the blade There is a double brass hilt and subhilt along with a stacked leather washer finger grooved handle The butt cap is aluminum Abercrombie-Fitch Co is etched on the obverse side of the blade which incidentally is ground in typical Ra ndall style (See next page)

23

~ ~-

~ lt

-shy

Th is s tretched or elonga ted d rop paint hunter has the LovelessshyParke logo a nd a slanted Seagle-type brass hilt What makes this knife partkularly unique is the two piece stag handle with crown s lag as the butt port ion and an ivory spacer Loveless was photographer working on this knife and the photo appeared in one of the leading knife magazines Only thirty-six were mad e with this logo

A Loveless-Pa rke hunter with a brass hilt s tag hdnd le and hidden tang construction Shop number 121 is etched OIl the obverse side of the blade along with the year it was made - 1967 One of thirty-six

A fine Loveless-Parke skinner in pristine condilion It has a slanted brass hilt and brass butt plate a ra re feature on a Loveless knife The hidden tang constru ction is surrounded by beautiful stag This knife is marked ith the date it was made August 1967

[t got a pretty cherry red I plunged it right down into a five-gallon bucket of refrigshyera tion oil - thats all the cook would let me have - right in the galley It came out a pretty shade of gray and all the carbon fell off

The knife cut well for a few moments Then the edge started flaking away I went to the chief engineer and he said Youve got to draw that hardness You have to temper it

Loveless went to the public library to learn the secret of tempering metal When he returned to the ship he took the knife apart and placed it on a copper plate which he heated on the galley stove He watched as the blade turned a rich dark blue

It wasn t very scientific but it worked I had invented a wondershyfuJ tool It was a tremendous charge That turned out to be a hell of a knife

About five or six weeks later I took it to Abercrombie amp Fitch I was going to show that young punk my knife Since his earlier visit Abercrombie amp Fitch had made the wise decision to terminate the young clerks employment The floor manager a man with the shrewd merchand ising instincts that are characterisshytic of a good retailer was pleased to look at Loveless knife Impressed with the craftsmanship he asked Loveless to make some more like it for sale in the store

27

An early semi-skinner with the Loveless-Parke Sierra Madre Calif logo Typical of the period it has a Scagcl style slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over a hidden tang In addition to being only one of thirty-six the name Safariand and the Safariland logo e tched on the obverse side of the blade make this knife very ra(e Very very few were so marked Even the sheath sports the Safariland logo

Another Loveless-Parke specimen with a stacked lea ther washer handle and an aluminum butt cap In this cra Loveless was still doing business with Abercrombie-Fitch Co in New York as their name is etched on the obverse side of the blade This particular knife has many characteristics of the earlier Delaware Maids but if examined closely one can see subtle design improvements developing Only thirty-six28 with the Loveless-Parke logo were made

I made three more It took about a month and before I was done everybody on the boat was helping me The store gave me $14 apiece for them I thought My God this is great At that time a Randall was selling for $22 $24 $26 I knew the store had to make a profit

Loveless has made 35 semishyreplicas of that first knife - called The 35th Anniversary Knives Today those reproductions of his $14 masshyterpiece sell for $3500 each

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless words it walked out of his shop stolen by an unknown visitor who may not even realize what he possesses I was proud of it says Loveless but it wasnt anywhere near the knife we make today

R obert Waldorf Loveless is a chashy

meleon - a man of many colors He is opinionated and sometimes arrogant He alternates between self-deprecation and braggadocio and is altershynately profound and

30

This old Lamson-Goodnow skilUler plays an important role in the Loveless story The knife was given to LoveJess by his friend BHly DuPont Wilmington Delaware It has a tapered tang Several years later Loveless got the idea of tapering tangs because of this antique Here we have a knife dating back to the mid 1800s with a tapered tang - an idea revived by Loveless and now universally copied throughout the industry

An early Lawndale gut hook skinner with shop number 70-430 This knife has a wood nticarta improved handle and it was made in 1970 Not many gut hook skinners have been mad e by Loveless

A Lawndale caper finn with an improved stag handle and a red spacer This model has no hilt or collar and comes with a birds head butt

An early Lawndale utility hunter with a brass hilt stag slabs and a red spacer The knife bears shop number 70-461 which means it was made sometime in 1970 The butt configuration is early Lawndale and in 1972 underwent some changes It has a fairly rare brass wrapped tapered tang with serrations on both the top and bottom of the blade behind the hilt

A most unusual gut hook skinner with the edge on top of the blade It has a brass hilt and black micarta handle This is the only reverse gut hook I have seen in my years of collecting Loveless knives Made in 1969 it was originally designed and made by Loveless for his personal use There were only tvvo made

31

This small Lawndale piker bears shop number 65-30 and has a black micarta handle with one finger groove There is no hilt or coliar but there are thumb serrations on top of the blade A rounded birds head butt completes this piece

T

32

A gents knife as Loveless calls it with a Lawndale logo The handle slabs are black micarta and there is no hilt It has a rounded birds head hilt and carries a shop number of 647-8 This is a one of a kind and was made in 197L

i shy

Another early Lawndale fighter with a double brass hilt and black micarta slabs Shop number 70-451 indicates the knife was made in 1970 with the early butt configuration anl a brass wrapped tapered tang The blade has serrations on both the top and bottom behind the hilt This is a mean machine

profane He looks a bit like Boxcar Willie but he talks like William F Buckley He is articulate and cerebral bespeaking an education tha t goes far beyond formal schooling

He could be described as an eccentric genius A loner An invetershyate tinkerer A man who speaks his mind A curmudgeonly craftsman whose entire world revolves around his workshop in Riverside Califorshynia

Robert Loveless was born on January 21929 in Warren Ohio He spent the formative years of his life on his grandparshyents 17-acre farm about halfway between Warren and Sharon Pennsylvania There was just enough land to grow a little corn some tobacco rhubarb berries and a Jersey cow named Bossie

Loveless grandfather Clinton Huff was a friend of horticulturist Luther Burbank He helped Burbank develop a type of gladiolus bulb H e was surprisshyingly educated for a dirt farmer Loveless says of his grandfather

It was a grea t life for a kid he recalls Fifty-some years ago this was an entirely different country It was the middle of the Depression There was no TV I didnt see a movie until I was 9 or 10 years old

On New Years Day 1937 his grandshyfather died Soon after that Loveless 8 at the time went to live with his mother in Warshyren He grew up fast and yearned for adshyventure far from the sleepy midwest town

The teen years were an adventurous

34

A most lUlusual Lawnda le semi-skinner which was purchased by A G Russell from Loveless in 1968 It was engraved by Linton McKenzie who also did the intricate R on the sheephorn handle slab A one-ofshy-kind knife due to the humpback configuration of the handle a feature I have found in a few very early Delaware Maids The knife is the subject of an interesting article by Bruce Voyles in the Blnde Magazine After the article came out rreceived u letter from a man in Guam who had once owned the knife and he told me that while it was in his possession the tip of the blade was broken He returned ir to Loveless who repa ired it

if eclectic period in Loveless life Like the master craftsman who shapes formless steel into a fine blade events were forging an innocent farm boy into one of the worlds premier knife makers

Loveless was 12 when the United States declared war on the Axis powers Ready to join the military he was frusshytrated by his age

By the end of the ninth grade he had more important things on his mind than school He was driving long before the legal age of 16 And he was flying planes In 1943 he started to hang around a grass-strip airport near Warren on sumshymer weekends He picked up odd jobs there and Ernie Hall the owner paid him with flight training

Hall had no intention of letting a 14 year-old solo but one day while he was away from the field Loveless borrowed his Piper J-3 Cub From the air I saw Ernies Studebaker coming down the road so I landed and taxied up to the hangar He knew I had been flying He asked how I had done r said fine He turned his back and walked away never said another word

At 15 he lied about his age and joined the merchant marine to bide his time until he was old enough for military service His first job was that of deck hand on a 9600-ton ore boat the Hennepin a bulk carrier that sailed to the Great Lakes ports of Buffalo Cleveland Marquette Duluth and Superior

35

A 1970 Lawndale banana skinner with a narrow nickel s ilver hilt and wood micar ta Over hidden tang construction The shop number is 70-413 The knife is extremely light in weight

I

- --

-

- loo ~ ~~~

-

- _

-

I II t i I

bull

II 0 Q-~

I

- ~ I

I

A Lawndale one of a kind in the form of a bread or filet knife which has a narrow brass hilt and a coca bolo handle over hidden tang cons truction This [are piece was made in 1970 and ground down from a larger blade to see actually how ligh~ and flexible it could be made

A beutiful Lawndale lamb ulility with shop identifica tion At There is a narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and it has ivory sla bs It certainly depicts a neat a nd no-nonsense design

36

A small semi-skinner w ith the Lawndale logo It has a nickel s iJ ver hilt sheep horn slabs and serrations top and bottom at the hilt This badly worn knife was returned to Loveless by a professional hunter with the request for another just like it He enumerated the many kills the knife had skinned and Loveless ho likes to see his kni ves used was so impressed he sent the replacement gratis

Some guys will carry a $900

rifle and a $10 knife The rifles

job is over in 20 seconds but it

will take many minutes for the

knife to finish its job

37

Small Lawndale d rop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown stag slabs There are unusual thu mb serrati ons on top of the bJ C1cte near the hilt

-r- I----+

~ j - +

This drop point Lawndale hunter has a brass hilt and coca bolo slabs The unusua l fea ture about this knife is the tang which is not tapered

A beautiful little Lawndale semishyskinner w ith a longer than usual nickel silver hUt and cream colored s tag slabs on a red spacer Wha t is intr iguing about this kn ife is the nicktd sHver butt cap because Loveless d id not put them on during this era Apparently the butt cap was added by someone else

I cleaned and painted all day long every day he recalls When we came into port we tied up the boat ourselves opened and closed the hatches Those were the best years of my life There was a whole world out there A young man could move up

quickly during the war I was working with men in their 60s People nowadays have no understanding of what things were like in World War II Everyone who could do a job was needed

I had plenty of time to read take pictures I started studying watches taking them apart middotand studying their mechanisms His fascination with watches and watchmakshying would show up later in the workmanship of his knives But knife making was far from his mind in 1945

Finally came the day Loveless was waiting for his 17th birthday January 2 1946 The war was over but Loveless still wanted to be in uniform He signed up for the Army Air Corps forerunner of the Air Force on his birthday

Loveless was trained to be a tower operator and given a two-year tour in the Pacific on the islands of Guam and Iwo Jima It was a lonely tour and with time on his hands he got interested in drawing and designing There was an old house trailer on Iwo Jima I was fascinated by it and started drawing variations of it

39

A Lawndale utility hunter of hidden tang construction with no hilt and a two piece crown stag handle ThiS was the personal knife of Loveless and is marked Bad Bobs (See next page)

42

An old Lawndale fighter wi th a double brass hilt ebony handle with fi nger grooves and an aluminum butt cap similar to those found on the Delaware Maid The grind on the blade resembles the grind fou nd on Randa lls Model 5 A very handsome knife

A very early Lawndale banana the handle is crown s tag imbedded skinner with a two piece stag with a small compa~s The nickel handle over hidden tang s ilver hilt is s lanted and the blad e construction The butt portion of is unusually narrow

Toward the end of his tour in the service he was sent to Wright-Patterson Air

Force Base near Dayton Ohio Loveless decided to leave the Air Force because rank was hard to come by after the war After two years ten months and three days I came out a PFC - Robert Loveless PFC USAF Retired I took part of my mustering-out pay of $96 dollars and bought a Rolex watch It was November 5 1948 I paid $48 dollars for it and I still have it

While at Wright-Patterson he had decided to enroll in the Institute of Design in Chicago Though the fall term had started he was admitted without a high school dipl0ma on the basis of the drawings he had done while in the Air Force Initially he lived at the YMCA on South Wabash Avenue and attended part-time while working as a sales clerk at an art supplies store

The Institute of Design was an outshygrowth of the Bauhaus school Avant garde form fo llows function and all that They were under the influence of Mies van der Rohe Walter Gropius Wassily Kandinsky and LeCorbusier

+shy -shy

_

+ -

My first drop pOint hunter It has the Lawndale logo which was the only logo available at the time It has an improved handle of ivory mica rta and bears the shop number 216-RR The cost was $19800 and it was the second Loveless knife in my collection

An early Lawndale prototype which was cut in half to show the Loveless hidden tang construction The knife was once owned by Ken Warner noted editor

Large Lawndale semimiddotskiIUH~r w ith beautifu l multi-colored buffalo horn in an improved handle configuration The shop number is 41 5 This is a fine knife

This Lawndale straight hunter is special to me as it was my first Loveless The improved handle wi th ivory micarta slabs have darkened with age and handling This knife was purchased in 1973 for $18800 and bears shop number 23S-RR

There are very few men who can

regard knives neutrally There s

something downright atavistic to a

man when he picks up a knife or

regards a knife It may be a

throwback to the hunter in man

45

~

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with curly maple slabs which were furnished by the owner There is a brass hilt and a well tapered tang The shop number is 376

A Lawndale up-swept skinner with a nickel siher hilt and well matched stag slabs The shop number is 70-520 which ind icates the knife was made in 1970 and illus trates the butt configuration at that time

A rather unusual Lawndale crooked skinner with shop identifica tion in the fonn of the letter 1 The nickel silver hilt appears to be a bit longer than norlTh11 and there is no metal liner in the thong hole Thumb serra tions are cut into the tang at the hilt

This is a one of a kind LawndaJe skinner made on the order of the Canadian Russell knife It has walnut slabs and an open thong hole with thumb serrations on top of the blade

A specially made Lawndale skinner with a cocabolo handle over hidden tang construction It has a thin nickel silver butt cap The appearance indicates it is a copy of an old case hunter The shop number is 389 Loveless emphatically denies putting the finger cutout in the choil

t5

47

An unusual Lawndale drop point hunter with a little different blad e shape There is a nickel silver hilt with stag slabs The tapered tang is brass wrapped vith finger serrations on the top and bottom of the tang near the hilt The shop number 504 was s tamped on the front of the generous siLed hilt a most unusual location 1 have never seen another knife so marked Another personal knife of Loveless which he gave to Steve Johnson during the first week Steve worked in the l oveless shop

48

I began to realize what a phony bunch they were It was intellectualized Everybody at the Institute of Design was interested in shopshyping centers and office buildings I was intershyested in practical architecture - things like family dwellings I was intrigued with the possibility of making mobile homes on a production line but I got no encouragement from the teachers I finally just got mad one day and quit I didnt even check out

Years later however Loveless would look back on the months he spent at the Instishytute of Design as time well-spent by a future knife maker The unhappy experience of the Bauhaus training had given him a lifelong respect for functional design They taught me how to think in functional terms especially with materials

After his abrupt departure from the Institute of Design Loveless enrolled at Kent State University in Ohio I had begun to understand the true interplay of basic ideas he says I wanted to study the conflicts and drives and so forth

I was different from the average college frehman I had aGED instead of a high school diploma I didn t know a noun from an adverb but I could write I got As because I could express myself

A basic knowledge of English is one of the attributes of success for a businessman Youve got to be able to think straight and that shows up in clean simple straight writing At Kent I started a semantic study group Semantics is the study of symbols written and spoken Its language in action - abstractions archetypes stereotypes linguistics logic

49

r - shy

+-shy

l -i - -shy j-

A beautiful little la mb utility with well matched stag slabs over a red liner The blade has been etched on both sides by Shaw-Leibowitz It carries shop number 211-RR

This is possibly an experimental Lawndale utility wi th nickel silver hilt bu tt cap a nd stag slabs The engraver Li unknown and the knife is one-of-a -kind

50

I came to realize a long time ago the only way a man can get along in this life is to understand people to have a high degree of logical skills and an extensive vocabulary Without it youre conshydemned to grunts and curse words I d rather be an active reader of books than a passive spectator of a movie Theres no limit to what you can do if you have a good vocabulary and understand sentence structure Ive got very little use for intellectuals but I love talking to an intellectual person

He came to admire the late R Buckminster Fuller a philosopher and inventor of such things as the geodesic dome Fuller designed Dyl11axion house a home that could be mass-produced cheaply like the manufactured homes Loveless had envisioned at the Institute of Design Another favorite was psycholoshygist B F Skinner the Behaviorist who developed Skinners Box a device in which laboratory animals can press buttons and be rewarded for making the right choices These men were my heroes To me they were giants

Loveless fascination wi th Ii tera ture contin ues to this day He is an avid reader especially of biogshyraphies and World War II histories His favorite authors include Philip Wylie (Generation of Vishypers) John Ie Carre (The

51

A fa irly routine Lawnda le utiJity hunter with an improved black micarta handle with shop number 161 The knife was purchased from Oa vid Steele noted writer at the firs t New York Knife Show

An early Lawndale semi-skinner with slanted brass hilt and a finger grooved stag handle over hidden tang construction The slanting hilt is similar to those found On Seagle knives

A special order Lawndale camp knife of massive proportions with a nickel silver hilt and ebony slabs Mad e from 1 4 inch s tock the tang has less taper than usual

- of -

A neat Lawndale straight hunter with a brass hilt and wood micarta slabs Etched near the hilt and close to the top of the blade is shop number 06 This is a most unusual location

1-----1- -shy r -+shy

This is a large Lawndale semishyskinner with a Seagle style slanting brass hilt and cocabolo handle on hidden tang construction There is no lanyard hole and on the obverse side of the blade middotve find the Safariland name and logo

A Lawndale upswept skinner with a nickel silver hilt coca bolo slabs and a non-tapered tang indicating it was made early in 1970 The shop number is 27

bull

A very rare Lawndale amputation knife that was made in 1969 for a Chinese American doctor living in Los Angeles This piece is all metal and can be readily sterilized I know of one other knife of this type

An early Lawndale utility made in 1970 with a brass hilt and polished stag slags It is engraved by Ron Scaggs The logo has been put on the lower half of the blade a most unusual location The grind on this knife is a bit on the Randall style

I I I I I I I

I I I

I

~ -

r--- I

I

54

I

i bull I

I

I I I I I I

I I I I

i I I ~ I

I I

~ I I - -L

~

- I I

Russia House and A Perfect Spy among others) Paul Kennedy (The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers) Hedrick Smith (The Power Game How Washington Works) and anyshything by Barbara Tuchman David Halberstam and Nevil Shute Of Shute Loveless says [ wouldnt trade Nevil Shute for 50 Hemingways If [ had my druthers it would be Nevil Shute and Shakespeare If it hadn t been for Shakespeare Hollywood would have died on the vine He adds I like to read serious books [like to keep up on whats happening in the world

The subject of the mechanical arts has been poorly trea ted in litera ture Loveless laments To me theres much more drama in writing about machines than in fictional writing about sex and murder Loveless has made a lifetime study of tools and tool making of machines and the men who made them He can rattle off the names of countless inventors

Knives are by far the oldest created tool he points out The first tools were the club and the stone Then man lashed the stone to the club to make it more effective Then he honed it to a sharp edge

Almost everyone has a feeling about knives There are very few men who Cal) regard knives neutrally Theres something downright atavistic to a man when he picks up a knife or regards a knife It may be a throwback to the hunter in man

A 1969 Lawndale boot knife with brass hilt and big horn sheep slabs The shop number is 384 An unusual feature about the piece is the open lanyard hole (See next page)

bull

~

~

( ~

bullgt

~ ~

~ bull ~ ~

- ~

~It ~ Jr

v

~- bull

~

~

~ gt(

A rarc Wood-Loveless folder with a stainless steel frame and stag slabs Inside the handle casting is the number 101 and the words Firsl Production Model Mark 4

Rare WoodmiddotLoveless fo lder with a titanium frame and stag s labs The inside of the ha ndle castings are engine turned

58

Loveless also maintains a large library of movies that he watches late at night in his workshop Among his fa vorites are The Last Emperor and Shane

While at Kent State Bob Loveless met his first wife The marriage lasted 18 tempestuoLls years but produced three daughters which he treasures

Loveless developed the undershypinnings of his intellectual interests at Kent State however on the whole it didnt satisfy his needs The experiment lasted for only a couple quarters Just as had happened at the Institute of Design he grew tired of the academic exercises And like so many veterans who return to college his life experiences had

transcended the youthful silliness that is typical of much of campus life I was wearing a ruptured duck on my jacket and they gave me a blue and orange beanie I went back on the lakes

For a while Loveless was content to return to the Great Lakes bulk carriers but he soon began

to long for a more stable life than the lakes provided He used his Able Seamans card to get a job on a Sun Oi l tanker the Passaic Sun which hauled gasoline to New England out ports It was while working on the Passaic Sun in 1953 that he made that fateful arshyrangement to sell knives to Abercrombie amp Fitch

He returned to the store three months after

~ --I- - -shy

Rare titanium Wood-Loveless folder with maroon micarta slabs As nearly as 1 can tell afte r ta lking wjth Loveless and Wood there were only thir ty-seven of the folders made Twelve were ti tanium two were aluminum and the rest were stainless There was a va riety of handle materia l used

A routine Wood-Loveless folder if indeed there is a routine onc with stainless steel frame and maroon micarta slabs This was the firs t Wood-Loveless in my collection and was ordered direc tl y from Lovel ess After a lo ng wait I finally received the kni fe along with a letter stating that the Wood association was over and tha t I had better hang onto it as it was sure to become a collectors item r pa id $7500 for the knife which was the brochure price

Extremely fare Wood-Loveless folder with aluminum frame and maroon micarta slabs On the inside of the handle casting are the words Wood Loveless Mark 4 An aluminum sample it is the only one made

Extremely rare Wood-Loveless folder with a titanium frame and wood micarta slabs It is marked on the inside of the handle casting Wood-Loveless Mark 4 Titanium Sample 001 As logos were being put on the knives Barry Wood wanted to try one Not being familiar with the technique he put the logo on the blade quite low

I---+----r--------Ishy ----- ---_ ~ 1-~ --

- -

I I lt

-I I I I I III I I

I T I

I

4C~~ ~

I ~ i

I Ii -TI I J I I

A routine Riverside drop point hunter w ith a nickel s ilver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez It has well matched stag slabs on a red liner It is a good looking knife and carries shop order 642

This little Horn Street Knife with a Riverside logo has a wide nickel silver bolster with stag slabs With its tubular sheath it was designed to be carried as a pocket knife It has been extremely popular in Japan

~LOVELpoundS I t maker i ~ J~

Ilrlrside C3

Perhaps one of the rarest knives in the collection is this Riverside boot knife better known as the New York Special Its shop number is 838 and it comes with a narrow nickel s ilver collar and contoured green micarta slabs A unique feature is its flat shea th into which the knife is snapped It was a speciaJ order a special design and only seven were made during 1972

Riverside hideout model with shop number 027 comes with green micarta slabs and a narrow nickel silver collar A beautifully designed knife with a contoured handle for a firm grip It has never been a big production model

64

-+ -

~ -

Occasionally Loveless will make a special set of four to six knives with matched stag handles This set was special ordered with wide bolsters engraved beautifully by Bruce Shaw depicting North American big game animals A custom display box was made with contoured inlets covered in velvet for each knife Sets like this are rare

+

t - ~-

- -I

J I

---I

L

1 -- shy

r 1

l

RW--A =-~

-+ l--_I_ i L __

+

---l J - 1shy

~

J shy

By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang

By night I made knives shy 72 of them in 74 days

65

- +

This is the original Riverside pro hunter with the duplex grind on the blade and was made under shop order AB It has marOon slabs over half tang construction Being the first and only one made Loveless lost track of it and had to borrow it from this collection to redesign and improve the model

A new and improved model of the Riverside pro hunter with duplex grind Under shop order 221 it features a stainless steel hilt and black micarta slabs The tang is fully tapered instead of being a half tang like the original The knife carries the rare Riverside signature logo

66

delivering the first three knives Loveless recalls that Pat Devlin the floor manager said Ive been looking all over for you I want some more knives Id like at least a gross I told him [ could deliver half a gross and he wrote a purchase order on the spot They were going to sell them for $3450 I would get 60 percent - $2070 each

In the meantime I had been transferred off the oiler I took the purchase order to the Claymont Delashyware branch of Wilmington Trust and asked to see the manager I wanted to borrow $1 000 The initial order from Abercrombie was just over $1900 I ended up with a personal loan for a thousand dollars on a 90-day note I took it in cash and went to an industrial supply store and got some tools an anvil a bench furnace files vises a drill and a Hammond VH-2D belt grinder By day I had a shore job with Sun Oil on a relieving gang By night I made knives - 72 of them in 74 days I sometimes worked till 2 in the morning When I received my check from Abercrombie I laid the money down on the counter at the bank and said There you are Thanks a lat

Even though Loveless knew then he could make knives commershycially he also knew he needed more practice to become great at the craft

67

A rather sma ll drop point hunter with a regular Riverside logo under shop order number 697 It comes with a nickel silver hilt and well matched stag slabs

Another routine drop point hunter wi th the regular Riverside logo The nickel silver hilt is engraved by Ray Viramontez A set of well matched s tag slabs on a red liner completes the handle

A normal sized Riverside drop point hunter with a nickel si lver hilt and well matched light brown s tag slabs on a red liner This was the only Loveless knife in the Hollifield collection and it has an extremely small logo

~

-+-shy

----+

~

t - -I- shy _I _-I

----lshy

+---~+---+------~- ~ +-~H----L~r-+-+- -shy

I - ---I-- - ----+---+----~-tshy

~ -------+------~---+---r-~~~-+--~~-

Beautiful semi-skinner with the Riverside logo It has a wide nickel silver hilt with well matched stag slabs on a red liner Its rare signature logo has only been used a few times and according to Loveless it will not be used again

Riverside integral hunter with a wid e bolster and stag slabs This knife was first introduced at the Guild Shomiddotv in 1979 The geometric design on each side of the bolster is done by Leona rd Leibowitz in red plastic and gold Only 12 were made

--

-

+

A unique Riverside crooked skinner because it has two different logos In addition to the regular Riverside logo in its usual location the famous naked Lad y appears on the reverse side of the blade Under shop order 722 the knife has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs

While not a terribly popular model this Riverside Nessmuk has good lines It has a nickel silver hilt with dark maroon slabs Shop order number 849

70

He dropped out of knife making for several years and took a job as a technishycian for E 1 du Pont de Nemours amp Company in Wilmington His iconoshyclastic style rubbed some du Pont people the wrong way - especially his motorcycle They felt they had inshyvested a lot of money in me and even though I never got hurt they took exception to my riding it They fired me

Between jobs now he returned to knife making to support his growing family It was easy for him to re-estabshylish distribution through Abercrombie amp Fitch and things seemed to be going well until mid-1958 when he was beset

by misfortune That summer he accepted an oral purchase order to make a large quantity of knives for the Christmas season However the buyer who had made the commitment left the company before the knives were finished The store refused to accept the knives

Then in November one of his daughters took desperately ill with pneumonia The doctor said that the only way to cure her was to move to a milder climate In January 1959 he decided to leave the East Coast and move to Modesto California where his wifes parents lived

This sub-hilt Bowie was made in 1957 The handle is ivory with hidden tang construction The hilt is 3 34 inches wide and is sterling silver as are the sub-hilt and pommel (approximately 1 lb) The name plate is 28 K gold and the 3 12 inch parry strip atop the blade is brass Delicate and beautiful engraving and ivory carving was done by Francis Monoghan of Wilmington Delaware Without a doubt the rarest and finest Loveless knife in existence and quite possibly the first art knife ever made (See next page)

A small Riverside boot knife with shop order l1 S-E indicating it was part of a 5 knife set which unfortunately was broken up The trim knife has a small double nickel silver hilt with walnut slabs over hidden tang construction

This Riverside semi-skinner was made on special order and bears seria l number O1 lt was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel silver hilt and slabs of coral micarta

+

Riverside drop point hunter with a brass hilt and black micarta slabs The shop order is 123

74

I sold the house on a Friday and on Saturday morning I was in my car on my way west I never had much trouble getting a job When I came to southern California I had a job within three hours at a machine shop

By the mid-60s Loveless had established a small machine shop of his own doing contract work for other companies In late 1966 he acshycepted a job as supervisor for a precision parts maker and by 1969 he was supervising an 8S-man machine shop

But Loveless had also fallen in with a sporting crowd He began selling and trading the dozen or so Delaware Maid knives he had brought west with him - the same knives he had been selling to Abercrombie amp Fitch He also began innovating - moving away from the Randall-like designs By the end of the decade knife making had nearly taken over Loveless life I was making knives heavily in the evenings and eating about twenty Rolaids a night just to get to sleep he says In November 1969 he quit his day job

Loveless continued to make knives under the Delaware Maid logo The strange part of it is I don t rememshyber why I picked the name he says Then as today many of his knives featured a reclining nude etched into the blade Loveless wont reveal who modeled for the now-famous trademark but he does say The model made me bitterly disgusted that I married my first wife

In 1971 his first marriage ended in divorce 1 gave her the house - she had the kids

7S

Under shop order 330 this Riverside drop point hunter is of standard size and has a wide brays bolster and black micarta slabs [t is a beautiful knife

~

Along with a rare Riverside signature logo this drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and Lignum Vitae slabs A fairly recent knife under shop order 744

This small Riverside drop po int hunter under shop order 641 has a nickel silver hilt and black micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on the tang just behind the hilt A neat little knife

A half tang utility hunter with a Riverside logo and made under shop76 order UB The handle is green mica rta and has no hilt

A nice Ri verside drop point hunter with a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs on a red liner Shop number is 983 The original owners initials are etched on the logo side of the ricasso

A mini-wilderness model with the ra re Riverside sig nature logo under shop order 526 It has a double nickel silver hilt with coca bolo slabs This knife is of recent vintage

Here we have another Riverside hip pocket hunter with a nickel silver hilt and ivory slabs On top of the blad e and just ahead of the hilt are thumb serrations and behind the hilt on the tapered tang is a brass initial insert The shop iden tificat ion is CH

Loveless calls this knife his Riverside hip packel hunter Under shop order RL-2 it has a nickel silver hilt and stag slabs It was made in 1971 and has thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hilt

A small Riverside drop point hunter in a half tang construction with finger grooved ivory micarta slabs Made in 1979 under shop order 2016 the knife has no hilt L L

-t-~-i_--_ +_---1__ -~ e---+shy

i

I n those days Loveless was seIling all the knives he could

make on consignment He first got the idea in 1971 that collectors might be interested in his knives after the silver anniversary issue of Gun Diges t which gave him a generous mention reached the newsstands I had 75 knives on the order books as a result of the Gun Digest article he recalls I had orders from Mexico and Eushyrope By 1972 I knew I would be able to make a living making knives Every month it kept buildshymgup

1 have no idea how many knives Ive made Im going to be a nightmare for the collectors Today he makes around 300

knives a year but he hasnt always been that productive The worst year was 1979 when he simply didnt feel like making knives He produced about 75 that year

These days he and his helper might have as many as 42 knives in various stages of production at any given time The backlog keeps growshying He is now working on knives that were ordered up to five years ago Its getting worse he says Im sure Ill kick the bucket with a lot of unfilled orders but theres nothing I can do about that

Loveless first knives - the ones made from Packard springs shywere forged [ beat them to death he says Its hard work and a poor way to change the shape of metal Forging is a cheap way of getting

79

A Riverside hunter of half tang construction It has no hilt and green micarta slabs which are finger grooved Loveless says he made only six or seven of this model

A rather oldtime Riverside drop point hunter under shop order 1098_ It has a nickel silver hilt stag s labs and the original owners initia ls on the obverse side of the blade

-

A specia l order Riverside semishyskinner with serial number 100 This knife was made for the A G Russell Knife Club and has a nickel si lver hilt and coral micarta slabs

shape but not the best way for knives Then I got smart

Today he begins with a slab of metal and grinds away everything that doesnt look like the desired knife Like Michaelangelo who professed to liberate his statues from the grea t blocks of marble Loveless frees the blade that he visualizes within the stock

Stock removal is primarily a development of the Loveless shop he says adding with the hint of a smile This could be taken for boasting

Before long Loveless began to make knives from the type of steel used for saws and lawnmower blades - a nickel alloy steel with tremendous toughness Loveless went so far as to personally visit the president of the Jessop Steel Company in Washington Pennsylvania to find out more about how this special steel was made

When Jessop stopped production of the alloy (which was called 139-B) Loveless tried oil-hardening and airshyhardening other steels He experishymented with hot-work die steels shockshyresisting steel high-carbon highshychrome steel and various tool and stainless steels before making a commitshyment to a Japanese alloy called ATS-34

81

f f III I

Under shop order 115-1) this small semi~skinner with the Riverside logo has a nickel sil ver hilt and walnut s labs furnished by the o riginal owner It was part of a 5shyknife matched set tha t unfortunately was broken up

This smal[ Riverside hunter under shop order MOL has a nickel ~i lver hilt and black micarta s labs Not tuo many of these sma ller knives have been made

A yachtsmans knife of dubious o rigin Under shop order BER-L this one~of-a-kind has a nickel si lver hilt g reen micarta slabs and the new Riverside signature logo ] am toJd that while grinding the bJade for a utility hunter a mistake was made Rather than throw i t away Loveless ground it to the yachtmans shape It is a one of a kind

ThiS Riverside utility hunter has a nickel silver hilt and ivory micarta slabs There is a brass initial inlay on top of the tang near the hilt Shop order number is 642

The qualities of ATS-34 closely parallel those found in American-made lS4-CM Loveless keeps a couple years supply of the high-carbon corrosion-resistant stainless tool steel on hand at his workshyshop

The basic tools found in Loveless Riverside California shop include a Deckel universal milling machine a Sixis tool makers milling machine a manual milling machine two tool makers lathes - a Maximat Super II and a Schaublin SV70 - and drill presses to put the holes in the tangs He also uses a Burr King model 1272 belt grinder - a model that he helped the company to design He recalls that they were going to call it the Loveless Grindmaster

Loveless executes every step of the knife making process in his shop except heat treating which is done by

Paul Bos of Cajon California Bos a master in the field heat treats knives for many American and foreign makers

Although his makers mark R W Loveless Maker has always been reserved for the bench-made knives from his workshop thousands of pocket knives designed by Bob Loveless are machine made in Japan by Gerber International

While some of Loveless knives may indeed sit on velvet to be admired by white-gloved lovers of art

he insists that each is a tool for hunters for adventurers He crafts his knives for men who do the hard work of skinning deer and cutting hawsers

83

- r-shy

A fine Riverside fighter with a double nickel silver hilt engraved by Lynton McKenzie Handle slabs of green mica rta complete the knife

H-- f------I------J-----I----- J-------+--shy --shy --shy

84

A ra re Ri verside semi skinner with a wide hilt engraved by Giuseppi Forte The knife sports a green micarta handle and there is no thong hole or handle pins

A beautiful Riverside drop point hunter with a wide brass bolster engraved by H H Fra nk and big horn sheep slabs The logo was etched a t the special request of the Ovncr J pictu re of this knife appears on the cover of Knives 82

(tvIfIIJ$ Mrlltti I lVt-f~li Ii ( r~ JoI-

A rare Riverside dagger under shop order 003 A beautiful and deadly knife with a double s tainless s teel hilt engraved by Steve Lindsay and a black micarta coffin shaped handle A mini logo appears on the obverse side of the blade ilt the ricasso a unusual place to put a logo

This sti ff horn model has two Naked Lady logos-front view as shown and back view on reverse side Ha ndle has red pick bone scales and bolster is nickel silver On the under side of the bolster is a unique square checkered finger grip

A 1985 Riverside stiff horn with a wide nickel silver bolster and fine grained stag for the handle Comes with a tubular sheath This is a mean package

86

Loveless proudly refers to himself as a tool maker and expresses his conviction that without the tool maker society could never have afforded the artists In primitive societshyies everybody works to survive There are no artists People come up to me and say Boy Mr Loveless youre a great artist I say No Im an artisan I deliberately took a common hunting tool and refined it to its ultimate degree

I abhor the term art knife The term is an oxymoron We make working knives A Loveless knife is the anti thesis of an art knife He also frowns on the expression custom knives We call them bench-made knives

About half of the knives Bob Loveless creates end up in the hands of hunters even though he no longer hunts himself l stopped hunting in 1970 1 realized there was no need for it and no sport in it Using a modern center-fire rifle with a scope theres very little excuse for missing

Under shop order 11S-B this Riverside big bear was part of a set of five that unfortunately was broken up The double hilt ilnd sub-hilt are nickel silver and the walnut slabs were furnished by the original owner A brass inlay is found on the tang for initials (See next page) 87

I I I I i I I I I I I I I I I ~ I

~ i

I lt S- W-hI I

I I I i I I I I I I r

I I I I I I [ I i 2=gt I-- I-shyi~ I I

I I

I I

This stretched semi skinner with the Riverside logo has a very narrow nickel silver collar instead of a hilt and black micarta slabs with a subtle finger groove on the lower side The tang is extremely narrow It it a very sleek looking knife

The Riverside steak knives pictured above are not found in the Loveless brochure One is a right hand model and one is a left hand modeL One blade is serrated and one is not Both have stag on one side of the handle and are of integral construction

This knife and fork set was made in 1979 and is of integral construction with a long bolster on only one side of the handle I have never seen another knife and fork set by Toveless although he does make steak knife sets occasionally

Loveless hunted groundhogs when he lived on the East Coast You havent lived until you eat groundhog Best way to fix it is in a cast iron skillet five to six inches deep Put the meat in with pork lard and one inch of water Slow cook it all day with some dandelion greens

In Delaware he hunted grouse and duck with members of the du Pont family I was raised on fried and roast chicken To me duck is a poor substitute

Deer hunting was a fall ritual for Loveless for many years My last hunting trip was October or November 1970 in Del Norte County California I got a little Columbia blacktail deer on Thursshyday and Saturday I got another I got 80 pounds of meat out of both deer It took the whole family two years to get it eaten Venison makes good meatballs and great sausage but basically it isn t very good meat

If you have to kill to eat thats one thing All life kills other life to exist but if you dont need to do it why do it He pOints to a volume on his bookshelf Gail

91

I r

Small Riverside wilderness modt- under shop order 27 It has a nickel silver hilt and polished stag s lab~ This particular kn ife has a small Riverside logo on both sid es of the blade Sometimes Loveless would add an extra logo at the request of the buyer or if he were in the mood

An unusual Riverside chute knife under shop order 805 It has a double njckel silver hilt and stag slabs oVhat makes this piece a bit of a rar ity is the blade It is one inch longer than the s tandard model

92

This Bowie is the only one made at Riverside to date It is fairly large with a double stainless steel hilt and cocabolo slabs

93

-~-

_O_+ ___ j__

-c--shy

This standard size Loveless-Johnson semishyskinner has a nickel silver hilt engraved by Ray Viramontez and beautifully matched stag slabs The shop number is 236 The knife was purchased at the 1976 Guild Show in Dallas Texas

A rare Loveless-Johnson capeT it is one of a kind Under shop order 786 the knife has no hilt and an ivory micarta handle with ODe

finger contour The bolts are

I

---t--+----+--I-+-+-I-++-t --+---+--t -+-~-middot-+----tmiddot-i ---I - - -shy

engraved and on the obverse side of the handle a big horn sheeps head is scrimmed by Adam Funmaker

-r-r -+-I-7-~-I-J-~~4-~~4----L-I----4--~-imiddot~-~-o---I_ o ~-

---t-II-----j---t-I--+----+-t--+-+~middot-I---r-+--I--+--+-H- -1-----1t+shy94

Sheehys Passages Peer pressure accounts for a lot of hunting I love guns but I love them as an example of ways man can manipulate them to serve a purpose My sport is popping beer cans with a 22

That might seem hypocritical- I make hunting knives and yet dont personally beshylieve in hunting I don t insist that other people feel the same way If you want to shoot ten deer a year thats your business I think I outgrew it But [ sure as hell know how to make a good deer knife

Unless youve had field experience you can t make hunting knives I see knives with cutting edges tha t are too thick Wi th blades that are too long - 3W to 4W is fine for North America With awkward and ill-shaped handles Too many knife makers dont understand their own hand Their knives are not user friendly You cant teach a guy to make a good hunting knife if hes never been in the woods shot a deer and been up to his elbows in deer guts Its like giving a typewriter to a man who is illiterate

Loveless says of the dropped hunter perhaps his grea test stroke of inspiration The dropped hunter was obvious to me in the 50s It is almost a spitting image of an autopsy knife TI1e dropped hunter got its name because of the way the point drops away from the back of the blade for greater ease in deer skinning

And how does Bob Loveless differentiate the seashysoned hunter from the tenderfoot When I ask a guy where he likes to do his hunting and he has an answer on the tip of his tongue hes a hunter A lot of Loveless dropped hunters lie on a coffee table to be bragged about

95

1shy

+ shy- --t-shy

This Loveless-Johnson drop point hunter has a nickel silver hilt and black mkarta slabs It was made under shop order 746-8

A one of a kind Loveless-Johnson dagger with a double brass hilt and black micarta slab on a birds head shaped handle The exact number of Loveless-Johnson knives made ma y never be known Loveless estimates fewer than forty while Johnson feels the numbe was closer to one hundred ]n anY event there were not too many made and they are desirable add itions to any collection

A five inch Loveless-Johnson utility with an improved handle of wood micarta There is no hilt with this type of handle The shop order is 772 This knife is unusually light in weight for its size

Loveless admits that demand for his knives has driven the price up to the point where very few men can afford to actually use them We could sell all we could make at $750 but theres stiU a limited market I equate the price of a Loveless knife with a good bolt-action rifle and scope Some guys will carry a $900 rifle and a $10 knife The rifles job is over in 20 seconds but it will take many minutes for the knife to finish its job

Theres no question that Loveless knives have strong symbolic value among men who should know about such things Ernest Hemingshyway took five Loveless knives with him on his last trip to Africa And legend has it that each of the four commanding generals of the South Vietnamese army carried a Loveless fighting knife on his hip as a compleshyment to his Rolex watch and Dehner boots

Many Loveless knives found their way to the jungles of Vietnam But Loveless is quick to point out that he is very selective about accepting orders for fighting knives We dont make fighting knives for soldiers of fortune - men who work in clandestine military service he says conshytemptuously adding There are many good service knives available at factan) prices

Bob Loveless knife making is governed by his personal ideals We wont do an ivory handle Theres one in the leather room That will be the last If enough people would stop using ivory maybe they wauld stop poaching elephants in Africa Ivory is a second or third-class handle

IIII

97

There were only three knives marked with the ImclessshyJohl1sott Riverside Cal logo This one 002 has a hilt of nickel silver and Lignum Vitae slabs There are thumb serrations on top of the blade near the hil t Directly behind the hilt there is a brass inlay for init ia ls Extremely rare Rare Loveless-Johnson d rop point hunter with serial

number 003 The knife has a ni ckel silver hilt and ebony slabs middotvith thumb serrations on top of the blade ahead of the hilt l)irectly behind the hilt on the tang is a brass inlay for initials Of the thre knives so marked 001 is in Taiwan A rare knife

This I a specjally designed knife to commemorate thirty-fjve years of knifcmaking by loveless A refined version of the old Delaware Maid with s tacked leather washer handle and an aluminum butt cap Origishynally sold for $200000 only thirty-five wercgt made This knife is number 10

The first knife is gone In Bob Loveless

words it walked out of his shop stolen

by an unknown visitor who may not

even realize what he possesses 99