Bob Loveless

Bob Loveless or RW Loveless (Robert Waldorf Loveless),born January 2, 1929 in Warren, Ohio, is an American knife maker who designed and popularized the hollowground drop point blade design as well as the use of full tapered tangs and screw-type handle scale fasteners within the art of knifemaking. Cited by other makers and collectors alike as one of the most innovative, top custom knifemakers in the world, he currently resides in Riverside, CA where he still makes knives with Jim Merritt.

In December 1953, Loveless visited Abercrombie & Fitch in New York City in order to purchase a Randall Made knife. After learning there was a nine month wait for the knife he wanted, he decided to make his own. Loveless ground his first blade from a 1937 Packard Automobile spring found in a Newark, New Jersey junkyard. After showing this homemade knife to a buyer at Abercrombie & Fitch he formed a relationship with the retailer to sell his knives. [Williams, Al, "Living on the Edge - Logos of the Loveless Legend". ISBN 0-9613834-5-3]

Loveless has been a participating maker from 1993 through 2006 in the Art Knife Invitational Show which is a closed association of the 25 most collectible knifemakers. [ Karwan, Charles, "Collaborating for Quality", Safari Club International:Hunt Forever Magazine, Winter 2004] Loveless was a founding member, with ten other knife designers/makers, of the The Knifemakers' Guild. [cite web |title=Guild History |url= http://www.knifemakersguild.com/about.htm |publisher=The Knifemakers' Guild |accessdate=2006-07-25] He has authored books such as the 1977 "How to Make Knives" with coauthor Richard Barney. [cite book |last=Barney |first=Richard W. |coauthors=Loveless, Robert W. |title=How to Make Knives |origdate=1977 |date=March 1995 |publisher=Knife World Publications |id=ISBN 0-695-80913-X ]

Loveless introduced 154CM steel and ATS-34 stainless steel to the knife making world in or around 1972. [Shackleford, Steve, "Top Knife Innnovations of the Past 50 Years", Blade Magazine, August 2006]

Loveless designed the Gerber Guardian knife model for Gerber Knives. For his many influences in custom knife design and promoting the art of handmade knives, Bob Loveless was inducted into the Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame at the 1984 Blade Show in Atlanta, Georgia.cite news |title = Bob Loveless| work = Blade Magazine| date = 7/01/1984 | accessdate = 7/30/2008 ]

References

See also

* [http://www.lonewolfknives.com/store/pages/designers-loveless.shtml Bob Loveless Photo & Biographical Info]
* [http://www.veoh.com/videoDetails.html;jsessionid=5C1091E3EEEFDA3E3EF463878C7E044D?v=e14906&feature=1&likeVideo=e14914 Interview at American Knife Invitational (AKI) 2005]
* Hughes, B.R. (May 1993). R.W. Loveless." [http://www.knifeworld.com/ "Knife World"]
*Dozier Loveless Drop Point Hunter - A.G. Russell