Loveless style Wilderness Knife

flatgrinder

flatgrinder

Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
2,045
Both are in ATS-34, mirror polished and heat treated to HRC 61. Both have 416 stainless guards, bolts and tubing.

The first one has desert ironwood scales and a cold-fitted guard:

P1020646.jpg


The second is in natural micarta with black liners and a soldered guard:

P1020638.jpg


Opinions, recommendations, etc. are appreciated. :)

P.S. I'm trying to take better photos -just a knife maker, not a photographer ... but I'm learning.

Thanks for looking. :thumbup:
 
Those look excellent to me. I favor the ironwood myself.
 
flatgrinder said:
Both are in ATS-34, mirror polished and heat treated to HRC 61. Both have 416 stainless guards, bolts and tubing.

The first one has desert ironwood scales and a cold-fitted guard:
The second is in natural micarta with black liners and a soldered guard:

[Opinions, recommendations, etc. are appreciated. :)

P.S. I'm trying to take better photos -just a knife maker, not a photographer ... but I'm learning.

Thanks for looking. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
I like them....pardon my ignorance, but it is hard to tell on this monitor...are they flat or hollow ground?

They look hollow ground to me, but with your moniker....?

Bob Lum yelled at me once because I asked that question....without holding up a straightedge, sometimes it is hard to tell.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thanks for the comments. :thumbup:

Kohai999 said:
I like them....pardon my ignorance, but it is hard to tell on this monitor...are they flat or hollow ground?

They look hollow ground to me, but with your moniker....?

Bob Lum yelled at me once because I asked that question....without holding up a straightedge, sometimes it is hard to tell.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Hi Steven,

Both knives are ground on a 5" wheel (same size as what Bob and Jim use -the original Wilderness knife was ground on a 4" -but the Loveless shop now uses a 5" wheel according to Jim ... produces a stronger blade), so "yes" they are hollow ground. The hollows are deeper in real life, I'm not particularly good at photos. I'll try posting some more pics later.

(Bob Lum was very, very good at grinding a blade. Few makers can grind a knife like he did.)
 
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I'm not sure what you're looking for in the way of comments. How many years apart are they in manufacture? You've obviously changed more than just the guards; the pins are positioned differently, etc.
 
eisman said:
I'm not sure what you're looking for in the way of comments. How many years apart are they in manufacture? You've obviously changed more than just the guards; the pins are positioned differently, etc.
Click to expand...

Any advice in terms of style or materials is appreciated. They are a month apart in terms of when I made them. I only started making Wilderness knives this year and the ironwood is my second and the micarta is my third (with a couple of screw ups in-between ;)). A double hollow grind isn't easy to do, flat grinding is much easier!

I'm still figuring out how to make that "perfect" knife if there is such a thing.

The Ironwood model is also based off Bob's Wilderness knife during his Lawndale years, while the micarta is more Riverside -but I added a longer clip.
 
Very clean execution!
The "Loveless type" sheath is a nice touch...

All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
 
Both fantastic knives. The first one I commisioned and the second one I saw yesterday for the first time when Marcus sent me the photo's. They both will be on their way to me very soon.
Marcus makes very good Loveless style knives and I would recommend his work. At this moment in time is making a Loveless style Big Bear knife for me too.
 
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Knives: Both have really good proportions and appear to be especially well made. I love the flat of the bolster transitioning into the the rounder handle. I like them sharp and defined, myself.

Photos: Not bad, but yes, they could use work. Stop apologizing, though. You make sheaths well. That's not knifemaking. ;) We are hoping for a Photography forum for guys like yourself. Your note in the thread in the Service and Support forum pressing for this would be smart. :)

Other: Marcus Lin?? I gather this is your name from your mark and Big Rick's comments. Why in the world would an fine aspiring maker remain anonymous, without a signature, homepage, or any reference? :confused:

Good work. Keep it up.

Coop
 
BOTH look good to me. I like the ironwood best also, and the sheath looks very well made.

Peter
 
WOW ! Very, very nice work Marcus ;)

You're progressing at an astronomical rate my friend !

In regards to the double edge, when you get close to the tip, bad things can happen fast :grumpy: ..... IMHO, you've really nailed the grind lines here.

FWIW, I prefer the 2nd, natural micarta handled Wilderness style knife. The look of the knife, along with the soldered guard make it just a bit more appealing.

Please post pics of the Big Bear style knife you're making for Big Rick. I'm sure it will be a real dandy ;)

Very well done ! :thumbup:

SharpByCoop said:
Marcus Lin?? I gather this is your name from your mark and Big Rick's comments. Why in the world would an fine aspiring maker remain anonymous, without a signature, homepage, or any reference? :confused:

Good work. Keep it up.

Coop
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more Coop :thumbup:

I've asked Marcus these very same questions ..... on more than one occasion.

Marcus Lin = Humble, when it comes to his MAD knife making skills :)


Again Marcus, well done !


:cool:
 
eisman said:
I'm not sure what you're looking for in the way of comments. How many years apart are they in manufacture? You've obviously changed more than just the guards; the pins are positioned differently, etc.
Click to expand...


Just my opinion, Correct me if I'me wrong Marcus:

The Desert Ironwood is a Loveless style knife, which I asked for hence the rivetts

The micarta one I guess is Marcus's own interpretation of what a Widerness knife should be, Corby rivetts on this one
 
SharpByCoop said:
Other: Marcus Lin?? I gather this is your name from your mark and Big Rick's comments. Why in the world would an fine aspiring maker remain anonymous, without a signature, homepage, or any reference? :confused:

Good work. Keep it up.

Coop
Click to expand...

First Marcus, I would like to say (from photos) I find the execution of both your knives and sheaths to be extremely well done.

To follow up on Coop's point, I have never been able to figure out why a maker (especially one of your talent) would not take full advantage of the most economical and precise advertising aimed your target market by not using your real name on forums.

I also see you have two totally different maker's marks on knives that were made only weeks apart? I would strongly advise newer or less well-known
makers to adapt a single mark and stick with it as you are in effect "building a brand" or brand recognizability for your knifemaking business. I know, guys like Bob Loveless, Steve Johnson, Edmund Davidson have done quite well by varying their marks, however you are not yet one of these guys (yet) and they didn't face as strong competition as newer or less know makers face today.

One thing that's starting to distress me as I man the CKCA booth at knife shows is that it seems more people I speak with are aspiring new knifemakers than aspiring new collectors.

Sorry for the marketing speech, however thought it needed to be said.
 
Big Rick said:
Just my opinion, Correct me if I'me wrong Marcus:

The Desert Ironwood is a Loveless style knife, which I asked for hence the rivetts

The micarta one I guess is Marcus's own interpretation of what a Widerness knife should be, Corby rivetts on this one
Click to expand...

Just my opinion, I believe the direction of a newer maker (of the Loveless style knife) in both following the master's design very close on some knives, yet taking a 'what if' approach on others is a very healthy business and creative decision.
 
SharpByCoop said:
Knives: Both have really good proportions and appear to be especially well made. I love the flat of the bolster transitioning into the the rounder handle. I like them sharp and defined, myself.

Photos: Not bad, but yes, they could use work. Stop apologizing, though. You make sheaths well. That's not knifemaking. We are hoping for a Photography forum for guys like yourself. Your note in the thread in the Service and Support forum pressing for this would be smart.

Other: Marcus Lin?? I gather this is your name from your mark and Big Rick's comments. Why in the world would an fine aspiring maker remain anonymous, without a signature, homepage, or any reference?

Good work. Keep it up.

Coop
Click to expand...

Hi Coop,

Thank you for the advice and it would be very cool if there was a Photography forum.

Man, you don't want to know what I went through last week trying to make a sheath for a customer, I use a Tippmann Boss to sew my sheaths now and I guess my son messed with the tension screws (I keep the sewing machine in the house), so it took me a whole week to get it right. Here's the sheath:

DSC04667.jpg


It has a really cool "click" when used.

I just prefer to be anonymous until I get better and faster at knife making. Plus, I'm really disorganized, my shop is basically my garage and there are tools and electrical cords everywhere. It's horrible, I need to get organized one of these days. First the shop, then once things are a bit more efficient and orderly, I'll start marketing ...

David Wesner said:
WOW ! Very, very nice work Marcus ;)

You're progressing at an astronomical rate my friend !

In regards to the double edge, when you get close to the tip, bad things can happen fast :grumpy: ..... IMHO, you've really nailed the grind lines here.

FWIW, I prefer the 2nd, natural micarta handled Wilderness style knife. The look of the knife, along with the soldered guard make it just a bit more appealing.

Please post pics of the Big Bear style knife you're making for Big Rick. I'm sure it will be a real dandy ;)

Very well done ! :thumbup:



I couldn't agree more Coop :thumbup:

I've asked Marcus these very same questions ..... on more than one occasion.

Marcus Lin = Humble, when it comes to his MAD knife making skills :)


Again Marcus, well done !


:cool:
Click to expand...


Thanks for the kudos David! :thumbup: The tip is really hard, I screwed up a couple between the ironwood and the micarta -as Big Rick knows. Heck, I think it was a bad "phase" -I couldn't even grind a dropped hunter right for a week or two. I just got "psyched out" by the grinder. Just took a break from knifemaking for a few days, relaxed, then went back ... no more screw ups ... yet. ;)

I'm still working on that website ... one of these days, hopefully this year!


Big Rick said:
Just my opinion, Correct me if I'me wrong Marcus:

The Desert Ironwood is a Loveless style knife, which I asked for hence the rivetts

The micarta one I guess is Marcus's own interpretation of what a Widerness knife should be, Corby rivetts on this one
Click to expand...

Thank you Rick. I completely forgot to mention that. The Ironwood uses Loveless style "rivets" -Bob's original design, I turn them on my lathe (one side is a bushing with a flat head screw and the other is a threaded round). The micarta uses Corby bolts.

Incidentally, I'm shocked at how much stronger Loveless' setup is, I can really crank down on the screws when I glue up (no clamps are needed) -with the Corby's I snapped one of them which necessitated replacement.


Kevin Jones said:
First Marcus, I would like to say (from photos) I find the execution of both your knives and sheaths to be extremely well done.

To follow up on Coop's point, I have never been able to figure out why a maker (especially one of your talent) would not take full advantage of the most economical and precise advertising aimed your target market by not using your real name on forums.

I also see you have two totally different maker's marks on knives that were made only weeks apart? I would strongly advise newer or less well-known
makers to adapt a single mark and stick with it as you are in effect "building a brand" or brand recognizability for your knifemaking business. I know, guys like Bob Loveless, Steve Johnson, Edmund Davidson have done quite well by varying their marks, however you are not yet one of these guys (yet) and they didn't face as strong competition as newer or less know makers face today.

One thing that's starting to distress me as I man the CKCA booth at knife shows is that it seems more people I speak with are aspiring new knifemakers than aspiring new collectors.

Sorry for the marketing speech, however thought it needed to be said.
Click to expand...

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for the marketing advice.

I'm actually phasing out the logo that was used on the Ironwood Wilderness -and switching to my own logo. I'll put the Loveless designed logo on only if the customer requests it.
 
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