Codger_64
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Noted knifemaker R.W. Bob loveless has passed away. Many of you are probably familiar with his c.1975 Schrade collaboration knife which produced woeful initial sales, yet spawned a half dozen or more offspring patterns in the Schrade lineup.
I never met Bob, but I did interview him some years ago regarding his Schrade collaboration. He was quite generous with his time, and a very interesting man. Somewhere, we have the original restaurant napkin sketch he did for Schrade for the Schrade/Loveless design.
He made his first knife in 1953 from the leaf spring of a 1937 Packard, heat treated in the galley of the ship he served. This led to the purchase of three of his knives by Abercrombie & Fitch, which sold for fourteen dollars each. Earliest designs show a strong Randall influence, but he improved, adapted and invented until he came up with his own unmistakable style.
For a good read on his career, an article from "American Handgunner", 2006:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_183_30/ai_n26947533/?tag=content;col1
I never met Bob, but I did interview him some years ago regarding his Schrade collaboration. He was quite generous with his time, and a very interesting man. Somewhere, we have the original restaurant napkin sketch he did for Schrade for the Schrade/Loveless design.
He made his first knife in 1953 from the leaf spring of a 1937 Packard, heat treated in the galley of the ship he served. This led to the purchase of three of his knives by Abercrombie & Fitch, which sold for fourteen dollars each. Earliest designs show a strong Randall influence, but he improved, adapted and invented until he came up with his own unmistakable style.
For a good read on his career, an article from "American Handgunner", 2006:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0BTT/is_183_30/ai_n26947533/?tag=content;col1
