Anyone know how Bob Loveless designed his fighters?

Bill Siegle

Bill Siegle

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Always loved the look and feel of the Loveless designed fighters like the Big Bear, Dixon, and Wilderness. I was curious if anyone knew how Bob came up with the designs he did. They seem to be very well thought out and very efficient designs that I would think display a well developed martial skill set to come up with. any info would be appreciated. No real reason I am asking other than curiosity :)
 
Bill Siegle said:
Always loved the look and feel of the Loveless designed fighters like the Big Bear, Dixon, and Wilderness. I was curious if anyone knew how Bob came up with the designs he did. They seem to be very well thought out and very efficient designs that I would think display a well developed martial skill set to come up with. any info would be appreciated. No real reason I am asking other than curiosity :)
Click to expand...

He was influenced by knives that he saw initially.....Randall knives at Abercrombie & Fitch to be exact.

While a Merchant Marine, he made his first knife onboard his ship in the machine shop....one that was influenced by those Randall knives.

Bob wasn't a martial artist, nor was he a big fighter for that matter, but I'm sure he had his fair share of scraps growing up.

He studied design in college, and was also a keen proponent of historical designs, which is where the idea for the Big Bear handle came from.

The subhilt was designed to greater control in the hand and easier extraction of the blade should it become buried in your opponents body.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thank you Steven! Makes a lot of sense :) Blending historical features with modern design technique makes a lot of sense! I find the designs simple yet the details of how Bob interpreted his designs makes them more complex than just a Bowie with a micarta handle :)
 
I'm betting some of his designs came from input from people that used the fighters. The Chute is a good example, designed with Harry Archer. Bob was making knives during the Vietnam era and there was a need for "fighters". Bob was really a genius at design and use of materials, so glad I had some conversations with him.
 
That is interesting to learn. I assumed he was accustomed to running a horizontal mill at a minimum, I should have also guessed he was a machinist. It pretty obvious the way he got those perfect recesses in his handles.
 
Yes, thanks for sharing the articles. They were a good read. As someone who began his knife education rather late in the game I'm always eager to read about the giants upon whose shoulders we stand.
 
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