what is a loveless cam?

chuck buck

chuck buck

Joined
Nov 4, 2007
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ive asked before in the general section and no response. looked it up on google. no help. i saw someone mention it the other day though around here. can anyone tell me? what is a loveless cam? thanks -CB
 
the cam is like a little hump or bump, so to speak, on the leather welt of a sheath. bob loveless puts one in his sheaths to help the knife 'lock' into the sheath preventing the knife from falling out. when you put the knife in the sheath the guard has to slide over this hump with some resistance. - i believe. hope this helps.
 
i think i know what you mean. kinda makes the sheath look like a batwing on the stitch side of a folded sheath?
 
chuck buck said:
i think i know what you mean. kinda makes the sheath look like a batwing on the stitch side of a folded sheath?
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The cam does not necessarily show in the stitching. The bump is formed in the spline so that it catches the finger guard when the knife is fully inserted. The outside edge of the spline may or may not have that same profile. I have seen the "batwing stitching" you refer to, and this is usually done to create a pocket for the finger guard, not a Loveless cam. The Loveless cam is used by Loveless' contemporaries also, such as CR Sigman. This device makes a pouch sheath as secure as a strap sheath.
 
Not necessarily. Every Loveless made sheath I've seen does have the "step" in the welt but I've done several where the edge is straight in that area.
 
I consider the cam in the welt as a "gimmick" that is fine when the sheath is used very little. One must remember that if the knife is difficult to extract that the same dimensions are there for the insertion. The more often the knife is inserted and withdrawn, the more that small cam area is burnished until it is non-existant. I do not consider the cam welt as worth the trouble to fit. It is a "verbal" selling feature but I would not consider it as factual. The statement that the cam welt makes the sheath as good a restraint as a strap over a guard or some retentive knife feature is a fallacy. Some knives have so little features for retention that a flap is needed on the sheath.

Another thing that I find rather confusing is the outlandish identification for knives such as (fictional) RTZ13-4, ZXZ43, etc etc. With literally thousands of knives available, this tells me nothing. It does not identify the maker which is of prime interest. What would be wrong with an identifying system using the maker's name and model number? At least we would have a focal area rather than a confusing set of letters and numbers signifying nothing of interest to a potential customer------------Sandy
 
thank you all, ive been doing this on most of my sheaths but never knew the name. id have to agree with swivel knife about the retention wearing over time. i remove and reinsert my knife at least 50 times during the work day and have noticed less retention. could just be my sheaths but i dont really believe so.
 
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