The history of knives and other edged instruments is tied to the history of people in general. As humankind’s oldest tool, unraveling knife history can lead to even more surprising and enriching information to better understand the world.
In on the ground floor of the damascus knife movement, Daryl Meier has left an indelible mark forging and teaching.
I haven’t seen Daryl Meier for a number of years but there was a time when he was a regular at the BLADE, Guild and other knife shows. Sporting a cross between a goatee and a van dyke, glasses and his ever-present octagonal cap covering longish hair, Daryl stood out in a crowd. He looked equal parts World War II French Resistance fighter, 1950s beatnik and Vincent van Gogh (minus the red hair). In fact, it almost would have been more fitting if his name were Daryl van Meier. I can see him looking at me now, shaking his head in mild disgust at such a notion.
Daryl has a soft, laid-back way of talking that has kind of a hypnotic effect. Then, just when you think you’re going into a trance, he makes an observation that snaps you back to reality, elicits a laugh or otherwise makes you think. He has a great sense of humor and never takes himself too seriously. There is no ego in Daryl. He’s just Daryl.
BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Steve Schwarzer has known Daryl much longer and much better than me. When I asked Steve to write a story about Daryl, he jumped at the chance, and the result is very enlightening as to Daryl’s impact on damascus and the teaching of bladesmithing in general.
Steve writing the story was more appropriate than I thought at the time. In researching Steve and Daryl, I rediscovered that they each have entries in the top 13 custom knives from the years 1989-2000: Schwarzer’s groundbreaking Hunter’s Dream in mosaic damascus at No. 3 and Meier’s American Spirit Bowie at No. 9. The knives were selected in a poll of industry authorities and appeared in the June 2013 BLADE® story, “A Decade of Excellence.” Daryl presented the American Spirit Bowie in person to President George H.W. Bush in the White House in 1990.
Daryl Meier forging steel in 1976.
Daryl’s contributions to damascus are legend.
As early as 1976 he was teaching a four-week course on forging damascus steel, no doubt one of the first such courses in the modern custom knife era. He was one of the first if not the first to write a regular column on damascus steel called—surprise!—“Damascus Steel” for BLADE in the early 1980s. One of the columns was titled “Wootz Revisited” and featured an image of a misspelled “Stephen Swertzer”—aka Steve Schwarzer—doing the ancient silk scarf-cutting test.
As important as Daryl’s contributions to the forging of damascus have been his dissemination of his damascus in general he probably has had more impact on the knife industry. Call him the Sensei of Steel. He was among the first if not the first to make damascus for use by other knifemakers, and helped inspire others to do the same, including Cutlery Hall-of-Famer Devin Thomas, Mike Norris, Bob Eggerling, Chris Marks, Gary House and others.
Today, making damascus for use by other knifemakers has long been a sub-industry unto itself—and Daryl was there at the beginning of it all. For these and other contributions, he was awarded the BLADE Magazine Industry Achievement Award in 2008.
The last time I talked to Daryl was about a year ago by phone. He sounded chipper and upbeat as ever. In fact, even in his early 80s he remains physically active and was all excited about a new pursuit—dancing—and how he was attending local dances on a weekly basis. Always ready to try new things, even in the fourth quarter of life—that’s Daryl. And I bet he can beat a mean rug, too!
Three highly coveted firearms modified by the Cutlery Hall of Fame® legend—including his “de-fanged” Colt Commanders—head to Rock Island Auction.
Bob Loveless Colt “Old Smoothie” Lightweight Commander semi-automatic pistol with scrimshawed ivory grips, drop-point Loveless Knife and sheath. Rock Island Auction image
While the late Bob Loveless secured his legacy as a titan of the cutlery world, the BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® member also brought his legendary eye for utility to the firearms world. His knives remain some of the most desirable, coveted custom creations on the planet, but a rare trio of his personal, customized handguns are now heading to the auction block at Rock Island Auction in the company’s June 27 American Sale (now live online). The selection highlights how the master craftsman applied his famous Bauhaus-inspired design ethos to custom gunsmithing.
Bob Loveless Colt “Old Smoothie” Combat Commander semi-automatic pistol with relief carved ivory grips. Rock Island Auction image
The lineup features two Colt Commander pistols that Loveless thoroughly “de-fanged,” a signature modification process where he systematically bobbed the hammers, radiused the frames and smoothed away every sharp edge that could gouge a shooter’s hand. The first is a c. 1980 Lightweight Commander, featuring his electro-penciled initials, custom Browning cuts on the slide, and smooth ivory grips scrimshawed with nude artistry. This rare piece is housed in a custom hardwood case alongside a matching 2004 Loveless drop-point hunting knife. It is joined by a scarcer steel-framed Combat Commander variant, a platform Loveless rarely altered because he felt the extra weight defeated the purpose of a carry gun, making this particular build exceptionally rare.
Bob Loveless Smith & Wesson Model 41 semi-automatic pistol with case and signed photographs. Rock Island Auction image
Rounding out the trio is an extensively reworked Smith & Wesson Model 41 target pistol, believed to be one of only 70 ever built by Loveless. This highly modified rimfire pistol features a shortened barrel with a custom vented rib, an exposed hammer conversion, a checked gold-washed backstrap with a lanyard loop, and his personal initials electro-penciled on the slide. Complete with signed photographs of Loveless, a custom leather holster and a glass-topped display case, the group offers collectors a rare look at how one of the greatest knifemakers of all time refined factory firearms into high art.
Read More On Bob Loveless:
Bob Loveless: The Icon’s Indelible Mark On The Knife Industry
The Dirk Has A Long, Exciting History And Has Been Used For Everything From Farming To War All Around The World.
The general definition of a dirk is that of a one-handed thrusting knife. Depending on region and style, it may be single-edged or double-edged. It also may or may not have a defined cross guard and pommel.
Dirk as a term is loosely associated with several Scottish and English regions. It is most commonly credited to the former, though no one really knows for sure, and it also has a long history of use across medieval Europe. It was a very important object to people in the Highlands of Scotland at an individual level and had significant ceremonial and practical uses.
Weapons Before The Dirk
As is common in the era of gunpowder in Europe, many types of knives and daggers owed their roots to the bollocks dagger and other stabbing weapons that originated hundreds of years prior when soldiers wore heavy armor. Contrary to popular belief, most swords are not like how you see in the movies. These stabbing and thrusting weapons seldom had what we’d expect as edges, rather they were made to parry and bludgeon. Maces, picks, and hammers were very common in this time, prized for their ability to bash and smash, where swords, while deadly, were not always the first choice.
These long, thin daggers were sometimes the choice when things got up close and personal, though even then the textile layers of armor were hard to penetrate. All that changed with gunpowder weapons causing a wide decline in armor use, and the dirk as we know it today was the product of that evolution. The dirk became something quite different than other edged weapons of the time and developed in its own way, largely apart from other European designs.
The Scottish were some of the first to begin independent development of swords and daggers alongside guns in the post-armor age along with strategies to fight against firearm-equipped soldiers. The heavily tribal Scottish Highlands were not especially invested in standardized firearm technology.
Guns did figure heavily into the culture, but the Scottish never developed a well-oiled machine akin to what the British developed when it came to battles. The Scottish had two primary tools for the battlefield, the broadsword and the targe (buckler), itself a small shield held in the weak hand. The combination of buckler and broadsword allowed the Highlander to easily kill British soldiers, usually armed with nothing more than a musket and bayonet.
They specialized in fast ambushes, often called a ‘Highland Charge’ where they wore virtually no protection of any kind and ran headlong at their enemy. If the enemy didn’t flee on sight, they would only have one shot at most before they had to fight hand-to-hand.
How The Dirk Developed
The dirk traces its lineage to the Scottish Highlands.
The dirks developed in the post-armor era became focused on all-purpose use, not just stabbing or bludgeoning. As a result, sharp, light-bladed swords and short-sword like knives and daggers became the norm.
Slashing through clothing wasn’t difficult and the Highlanders found themselves at a distinct advantage using these tactics. That is, until the Battle of Culloden in 1746.
Here the entirety of the Highlander army was soundly defeated by the British in a battle that lasted an hour. The British faced them on an open field and modified their tactics to anticipate the Highland Charge, resulting in a complete defeat of the Scottish Jacobite movement that had made an invasion into England a year earlier.
Dirks were common even after Culloden. The carrying of knives wasn’t necessarily seen as carrying arms in most cases, and dirks were something of a common, everyday tool for most people. They would be not only used for self-defense but also for regular tasks like eating, splitting kindling, and standard daily chores.
Dirks vs Daggers
Is the dirk a dagger? The short answer is yes and no, and that is because there is a great degree of ambiguity in the definition. A dirk is classically a large, single-bladed knife with a blade anywhere from 12 inches all the way up to 20 inches.
Naval dirks were commonly used for ship-to-ship fighting as they were short enough to be used in tight confines yet large enough to still be effective. Daggers at this time would have been primarily understood to be stabbing weapons, whereas the dirk was large enough and stout enough to be used in a primary slashing role.
Daggers are, by type, geared mostly for stabbing. Rarely do companies refer to any large, single-edged knives as ‘daggers’, but the dirk is often classified right alongside them by name in many laws.
The American dirk which evolved in the early 1700s, was almost always single-edged and was primarily used as a support knife alongside the tomahawk and rifle. It could be said that a significant and wide-ranging number of knife styles, including the Bowie, evolved directly from the Scottish dirk on the American frontier.
Daggers as stabbing knives were somewhat uncommon in America because they lacked general utility in the field at a time when larger camp knives and multi-purpose tools saved weight.
Is It Legal To Own A Dirk?
Unfortunately, Dirks have a wide legal definition across the board that often describes them as daggers or stabbing weapons. In many municipalities, this type of weapon is not legal to carry. There is a blurred line in this definition, as many places considered double-edge, stabbing weapons as the verboten item. As many historical dirks are single-edged, there could be room in these laws that skirts one definition or another.
4 Best Dirks Available Today
COLD STEEL SCOTTISH DIRK- $119.99
Cold Steel is well known for making some very durable and interesting products. They pay great attention to detail and their Scottish Dirk is no different. While it is not the most costly, it is a step above the rest, and it is affordable and backed by Cold Steel’s legendary standard of excellence. The Cold Steel Scottish Dirk is a working tool that does everything the historical versions did and then some. If you’re looking for a hard-use dirk, look no further.
Knife Specs
Overall Length: 18.38 inches
Blade Length: 13 inches
Weight: 1 pound
Blade Steel: 1055 Carbon
Handle Material: Rosewood
WINDLASS BONNIE SCOTTISH DIRK- $149.00
If you’re looking for a prettier dirk than the rest, Windlass makes some excellent historical replicas that reflect various periods of Scottish history. The Bonnie Scottish Dirk is reminiscent of the late stage of refinement on these weapons. It is ornate yet functional and is sure to be a conversation starter. While other companies tend to take some liberties, this is a very accurate replica of what may have been on the belts of Highland Warriors at the Battle of Culloden.
Knife Specs
Overall Length: 17.5 inches
Blade Length: 11.75 inches
Weight: 18 ounces
Blade Steel: 1055 Carbon Steel
Handle Material: Wood
WINDLASS EARLY SCOTTISH DIRK- $139.95
This product is a replica of some early dirks as they would have looked descending from the bullock dagger. A functional reproduction, this early replica features a more basic feature set as would’ve been seen a few hundred years prior to the Battle of Culloden. Although it has unrefined features, it is still not out of place for costuming or period reenacting.
Knife Specs
Overall Length: 21.25 inches
Blade Length: 15 inches
Weight: 16.2 ounces
Blade Steel: 1055 Carbon Steel
Handle Material: Hardwood
CAS IBERIA (LEGACY ARMS) SCOTTISH DIRK- $159.00
This dirk has some classic lines, but is all about function. It will not look odd at a cultural event, although it is made with a slight skew to the modern. The handle design is reminiscent not of the bullock dagger, but the earlier Rondel form characteristic of the late medieval era prior to the renaissance. While it is the most expensive so far on the list, it is right in the same price range as most common dirks. If you prefer this look over the more classic Scottish design, this is the one for you.
The origins of damascus steel date to as early as 1500 BC.
The allure of damascus steel lies not only in its beauty and utility, but also in the mystique of its origins. Though its development began in ancient times, the word damascus has grown to encompass more than one method of steelmaking, and the earliest method is believed to date back to 1500 BC.
“Damascus steel today can mean at least three things,” explained blacksmith and steel authority Rick Furrer. “First, there’s pattern-welded steel where a bloom of steely irons is welded into a solid mass which then has a pattern. This is the oldest of damascus-steel-making technologies and one which most blacksmiths reproduce with layers of modern steel welded together.
“Second is crucible steel, where the material is fully melted in a container and then the resulting ingot is forged into a bar, which may or may not have a surface pattern. Third is overlaid or inlaid wire, gold, silver, copper or such into a base metal surface such as steel or silver to make a surface pattern. Some call this damascening or damascene.”
Those who have studied the origins of damascus tend to agree that pattern welding did happen first and that it occurred in the Far East, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Indonesia and Europe. Crucible steel production is also referred to as wootz, and its beginning, for some, is easier to pinpoint.
“Some call crucible steel, or wootz, the original damascus, but pattern welding predates it by more than 1,000 years. Pattern welding was in Europe by 1100 BC in Greece and easily by 600 BC in Central Europe. It was very widely spread by 400 BC,” observed Furrer, who in 2011 participated in the filming of a Public Broadcasting System NOVA segment on the famed Viking swords from circa 800-1000 AD with the Ulfberht inscription. The extremely low slag content of the Viking blade steel may indicate a new development in steel processing in Europe, or that the Vikings were forging blades from imported crucible steel.
“The earliest examples of blades made from wootz steel date from around the first century BC,” related ABS master smith Kevin Cashen, “and the oldest examples of the material seem to come from India. While the Indians seem to have been the first to produce crucible steel, they were soon followed by other cultures in the Middle East such as the large production centers in what would now be Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Pattern welding is a trickier process to pinpoint, date or credit to a given culture as it is very old, and just about any people working iron would have produced welded blades on some level.”
Technological Advancements Of Demascus
As technology evolved, production methods improved and fueled the availability of high-quality blade steel. Performance and purpose have contributed to the growth of the industry and the changes in the scale of production through the centuries.
“All of these steel processes were driven by warfare and weapons technology,” noted ABS master smith Steve Schwarzer. “As soon as someone discovered a new method, everybody who wanted to survive jumped on that new method. The moment the local smith developed a method to heat steel to a totally liquid state and control the carbon, the need for wootz and pattern-welded blades fell to the wayside except for the very few who viewed it as art. When the Bessemer converter came into use [in the 1850s] and steel was produced in tonnage at any carbon level desired, there was no need to use the labor-intensive process of making one small piece of material at a time.”
The basic tools used by early makers of pattern-welded damascus were quite similar to those used by the modern bladesmith—hammers, anvils and forges. Dan Farr hammers hot steel in his shop. (Dan Farr image)
Nonetheless, the craftsmanship and performance of forged damascus is timeless. Modern damascus makers take advantage of improved technology and know-how. The ancient producers worked with basic tools and equipment during a process of both production and discovery. The early makers of pattern-welded damascus combined bloomery steel with varying properties, says Cashen, but the basic tools were quite similar to those used by the modern bladesmith—hammers, anvils and forges.
“One difference is possibly the absence of the fluxes we use today,” Kevin added. “The simple bloomery products of that time period, when worked in a charcoal fire, would weld much more easily and not require the oxygen barriers that we have become so accustomed to today.”
The early crucible process would have involved sealing some amounts of premade iron along with certain organic/carbon-bearing materials and fluxes into a clay crucible that would have been placed in a charcoal-fired furnace, which would usually have been fired by a bellows or natural air drafts.
“The clearest difference in either method now compared to then is the fuel we have at our convenience today,” Cashen commented. “Gas-fired forges and furnaces make the tasks much more convenient than the arduous, dirty labors at ancient charcoal fires.”
Staying True To The Steel’s Roots
Maybe it is true that the more things change the more they stay the same, particularly as it relates to damascus steel. Surviving examples of either pattern-welded or crucible damascus are impressive in their quality. Modern bladesmiths produce damascus and mosaic damascus/canned steel that simply defies description, the beauty of the patterns speaking for themselves.
One of the differences between the way damascus is made today as opposed to centuries ago is the use of flux—applied here to a twisted billet by Tim Britton. (Britton image)
Damascus also originally occupied a transitional period in human history. As the Bronze Age waned in Europe, basic iron blades began to appear and pattern welding followed. In the East, iron blades of piled construction were made and pattern welding may have taken place concurrently with it, both being phased out as the crucible process came along. Most experts agree that Europeans were introduced to crucible damascus/wootz during the Crusades.
“With the wootz made by high-temperature smelting in a crucible and forming a cake, bulat or ingot, this ingot was then formed in a very slow, methodical process to produce a beautiful pattern of iron-carbide ferrite and cementite banding,” Schwarzer commented. “This was called watered or damascus steel. It is thought Europeans encountered this material for the first time during the Crusades near Damascus, Syria. Then, this cast material was traded all over the world.”
ABS master smith Al Pendray is well known for his work in wootz steel. Along with John D. Verhoeven, he is listed by the U.S. Patent Office as one of the inventors of “a method of making a steel article having an external surface appearance and an internal microstructure resembling that present on an antique ‘Damascus’ steel sword or blade.” Pendray contends that the earliest crucible damascus was made in Persia and quickly got the attention of Westerners who came in contact with it. “Wootz is ultra-high carbon and will take a real clean edge,” he remarked. “With all the nonmetallic stuff and impurities floating to the top in the process, it’s also a super clean steel.”
But Why Call It Damascus?
As intriguing as the steel itself, the name damascus has a mysterious origin. While the obvious link is to the ancient capital of Syria, the answer to the source of the steel’s moniker is open to speculation.
“One such story maintains that only wootz can be called damascus steel because it was wootz that the Crusaders first encountered in the Middle East, with the town of Damascus being the trading hub for its distribution, thus lending it the name,” Cashen offered. “This theory ignores the fact that there were also damask cloths [with intricate patterns formed by weaving], and that the treatments on many materials involving carving, inlay or otherwise were worked with an intricate flowing or water-like pattern called damascene. It is also worthwhile to note that an old Arab term for water is damas, a coincidence that’s hard to ignore when you consider the number of cultures that refer to patterned steel as ‘watered’ or having ‘watering.’”
Speculating about the origin of the name is intriguing, but Cashen says it is what it is. “In any case, the number of centuries that any steel with a pattern in it has been called ‘damascus’ sort of renders all of these speculative picky semantics irrelevant,” he noted. “Languages evolve, and the word means what it does today. When this is taken into consideration, any steel possessing an induced pattern could be safely referred to as damascus, with pattern welding or crucible steel being the more specific types of patterned steel.”
According to Master Bladesmith Steve Schwarzer, modern steels are far superior to even the best of the ancient materials because of quality control and repeatability.
Finest Blades Ever
As with many highly prized skills, individual bladesmithing and the production of high-quality damascus steel in small quantities has been eclipsed by mass production, given the availability of modern equipment and technology. However, the steel still owes its lineage to the blacksmiths of ancient times. Additionally, today’s bladesmiths keep the tradition and the skill alive like no mass production process can.
“Modern steels are far superior to even the best of these ancient materials because of quality control and repeatability,” Schwarzer mused. “What modern steels don’t have are beauty and the visual fingerprint of the steel artist’s hand. The damascus blades being made in modern times are far superior to the ancient blades because the modern smith is using these very sophisticated steels and modern scientific techniques to produce the finest blades ever made.”
A week after BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Fame® member Bob Loveless died at age 81 on Sept. 2, 2010, Los Angeles Times reporter Valerie J. Nelson wrote a lengthy story on the man who sold his first knife to the Abercrombie & Fitch sporting outfitter for $14 more than 55 years earlier.
Nelson wrote that Loveless “made some of the world’s most coveted sporting cutlery by refining knife design to high art.” These succinct words convey a glimpse of the influence this giant in the cutlery industry wielded during his lifetime. In this 50th anniversary year for BLADE®, his legacy stands tall among those who have dedicated their lives in building the knife industry to what it is today.
Bob Loveless in his shop in October 2006. (image courtesy of Aaron Merritt, grandson of Jim Merritt)
Truth is, there’s scarcely an aspect, nook or cranny of the knife business that Robert Waldorf Loveless did not touch during his lifetime. He was forthright, sometimes gruff and always prone to speak his mind. During an interview for BLADE, he once asked this writer what the tapping noise was that he heard in the background. When I responded that it was the keys clicking as I was taking notes while we talked, he bluntly asked, “Can’t you remember anything? Why can’t you just listen?”
Loveless’ Defining Designs
No matter. Loveless was articulate, extremely intelligent and deep down passionate about art in knives. Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Bruce Voyles knew Loveless and respected him for what he was.
“The thing about Loveless is he made a knife with eye appeal,” Bruce observed. “It was different, and a lot of people don’t understand why, but it was [his use of the] natural French curve. It was the design appeal.”
True enough, Loveless was a master of design. He had actually studied briefly at the Institute of Design in Chicago in the 1950s, and was a student of the Bauhaus Movement, a cultural and artistic design wave that peaked in the mid-1930s, something of a North Star, a muse if you will. Its dictum: Form Follows Function.
Another of Loveless’s favorite designs is the sub-hilt, radiant in one of Bob’s Baby Bear fighters with mother-of-pearl scales, Naked Lady logo and Riverside, California, stamp. (Exquisiteknives.com image)
Longtime Loveless authority John Denton told reporter Nelson, “He is pretty much the Picasso of the knife world and the father of 20th century knifemaking. His design is what made him famous.”
Dave Ellis, proprietor of Exquisiteknives.com, agrees.
“Going back to the 1950s, Loveless has been instrumental in perfecting some of the more common traits found in contemporary knives,” he related. “The dropped hunter is probably Bob’s most emulated design, although the Archer chute, sub-hilt fighter and more show that Bob did not rest on his laurels. When a smaller, carry-sized fighter was called for, Loveless came up with the New York Special.”
Denton recalled the Loveless willingness to revive and reintroduce design and construction concepts that caught hold in modern times and energized new frontiers of imagination and artistry.
“He was not the first to use the tapered tang,” John explained, “but he found out about it from an old knife made in the 1850s that was given to him by Billy DuPont of the DuPont family. Loveless brought it back into the modern world with the tapered tang taking the weight out of the knife. Bob said, ‘It has to look so good you want to pick it up and feel so good you don’t want to put it down.’”
From left, Bob Loveless, John Denton and Jim Merritt in the Loveless shop in Riverside, California.
According to Denton, Loveless also brought the brass wrap handle, hidden pin, two-tone pins and half tang into play.
Design achievement crowns Bob’s career, but there was so much more to him—so much that attempting to compile a summary of his contributions would require more space than this publication might allot in another half-century.
Voyles commented, “I always liked him because he could sum up a complex subject in a sentence. He and I visited one time and I would throw out topic after topic, and he would snap back a quick response. When you left him you knew you left somebody that was phenomenally intelligent on a variety of topics, but that doesn’t mean he had social graces.”
One of Bruce’s favorite Loveless memories was Bob’s rationale during the controversy that raged within the Knifemakers’ Guild as to what truly defined a handmade knife. Loveless liked Jack Daniel’s, so Voyles and Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer Dan Delavan bought a 1.75-liter bottle of Gentleman Jack whiskey (Single Barrel wasn’t available at the time) and presented it to Loveless at his home in Riverside, California.
In an arrangement between Loveless and Schrade’s Uncle Henry Baer facilitated by A.G. Russell, Loveless sent this actual prototype to Schrade to copy and make the Schrade Loveless collaboration in the early 1970s. It has no guard, an “improved handle,” and a more pronounced belly than most of the Loveless dropped hunters of later years. The handle is burgundy Micarta®. As John Denton observed, the knife “has a magical feel from the ol’ man.” (Denton image)
“I said to him, ‘I hope you will accept this gift in the spirit in which it is intended,’” Bruce smiled. “He laughed and put the bottle on his shelf. Then we sat down and asked him what he believed to be the definition of a handmade knife. We videotaped his answer. He said, ‘I wish I had a machine that I could dump handle material, steel and pins into, and then a knife would come out the other end, boxed and ready to send to somebody. So, make your knives any way you want to. The marketplace will sort you out soon enough.’”
Simple, straightforward and wise.
Bob’s Impact On The Industry
Loveless played a pivotal role in the genesis of knifemakers’ organizations. He was a founding member of the Knifemakers’ Guild and a pioneer with the California Knifemaker’s Association. He was a staunch supporter of knife shows, bringing people to the events just with his mere presence. According to Ellis, Bob regularly attended the Guild Show, BLADE Show, Solvang Show, California Custom Knife Show and Phil Lobred’s Art Knife Invitational
Loveless also brought along younger knifemakers, working with them and offering advice. A few include Jim Merritt, D.F. Kressler, Yoshihito Aida, Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer D’ Holder and Steve Johnson. Bob’s style and artistic interpretation live on in part with the work of these incredible craftsmen.
Steve Johnson worked in the Loveless shop in the early ’70s and remembers Bob fondly. “He was a true friend to those who were genuine and sincere with him,” Steve noted. Of this rare set of Loveless-Johnson daggers John Denton wrote simply, “Three really great knives.” (Denton image)
“Many a maker is in debt to Bob Loveless for the support, counsel, corrections and guidance that he gave,” Johnson said. “He was a true friend to those who were genuine and sincere with him, and the relationship that they had with him. Bob, as we know, was outspoken and quick to correct what he felt was not right or smart, which led to some loving him and others not, a bit like Ed Henry—love or hate—but both were so very good to me personally!”
Materials Maven
Loveless was an innovator in the aspect of materials as well, including 154CM stainless steel and the introduction of ATS-34 from Japan, while also popularizing Micarta® as a handle material.
Ellis commented, “Loveless pioneered the use of many of the common steels used today, especially 154CM. The shop was able to purchase such quantities that Bob could pretty much order what he wanted. The favorite handle material of the Loveless shop was green Micarta.”
Johnson remembered, “There was a stack of 154CM steel lying in the driveway at 4319 W 187th Street [the address of the Loveless shop] the day I first walked in. Bob mentioned that he was excited to get some blades done and heat treated right off. Green canvas Micarta was set in stone as the best handle material in Bob’s view. It’s still right up there on top and is used by many a maker. It’s because of Bob’s legacy that this happens.”
Global Influence
A lasting dimension of the Loveless legacy was his bridge to Japan, as well as his overtures in the European markets.
“Bob was deified to the extent that every Japanese knifemaker included his designs among their offerings,” Ellis explained. “Bob was an icon in Japan, and to this day many of the top makers in Asia have Loveless designs in their repertoires.”
Five Loveless fixed blades sport the no bolt/no pin look in ivory handles. (Exquisiteknives.com image)
Voyles commented, “Bob went over there and showed the Japanese how to make good knives. I went to Japan in 1981 or ’82, and in every factory I went to there was a picture of Bob Loveless and the factory owner. The thing was that Bob’s wife, Yoshiko, was Japanese, so he didn’t have a problem with the language barrier, and he went to Japan to show them how to make knives that appeal to Americans.”
Loveless used his connections to make things happen, and Voyles credits him with the evolution of the folding knife among Japanese manufacturers, as well as a surge in the Japanese collector market.
“Bob didn’t make folders and the Japanese wanted folders,” Bruce recalled. “He had worked on a design with Jess Horn, and Bob put Jess and Japanese collectors in touch with each other. Horn also had a series of folders that he patterned after the old Remington Bullets. When Japanese collectors discovered that, their market for vintage Remingtons went straight through the roof. Loveless sowed the seeds in the 1990s for the collectibility of vintage knives in Japan.”
Collecting Loveless
Today, a Loveless knife is a collectible phenomenon in its own right. Name the year, name the mark on the blade, name the style and the materials, it will sell for astonishing dollars. Denton has noted some models made in the 1970s that sold for $400 then and have reached the rarefied air of $100,000 or more in recent years. The power of Loveless pricing simply takes your breath away.
Bruce is quick to add that Loveless was professionally unselfish. “If you wanted to make a style of his knife in your factory, that was OK,” Bruce noted. “Just ask him.”
Circa 1955, Loveless sold his first knife to Abercrombie & Fitch for $14 (adjusted for inflation, almost $160 in today’s money). Loveless made this early model for A&F in his shop in Claymont, Delaware.
The pervasive Loveless influence stretched far and wide, from the custom knife shop to the factory.
“His designs for and collaborations with Schrade, Gerber, Lone Wolf and others, and the factory knife market in general, were significant,” Ellis recalled. “Early on the astute factories were taken by Loveless designs and made limited editions in dropped hunters and others. These days factory collaborations are quite common, and you can thank Bob Loveless if you want to give credit where it is due.”
When Sports Illustrated called Loveless for an interview in 1980 and the magazine published his words in the same edition that featured tennis superstar Bjorn Borg on the cover, the impact on the entire knife universe was transcendent. When asked why so many people considered his knives “better” than those of others, he mused, “A knife is an extension of your experience. And I’ve had more experiences than most people. There’s more character running in my veins.”
For those who knew Bob, just the knowing was an unforgettable experience. His contributions to his present and to the futures of others in the knife industry remains incalculable. And so, the longevity of a man does not reside in his years on Earth, but in the perpetual remembrance of his ideas, his workmanship and his innovative perspective on the world.
Therefore, it can be said that when Loveless left us he did not go gentle into that good night. He did not fade away. He didn’t drop the mic. He handed it to those with the foresight and the intestinal fortitude for the days to come. Now, what do we say and do? Loveless might grouse. He might gripe. But he just might also manage a grin.
John Dennehy’s replica of his father’s Dan D Alamo Bowie, was accepted by the site on the 190th Anniversary of the historic battle.
We should always remember the Alamo, but 2026 is a particularly good year to keep the battle top of mind. It’s the 190th anniversary of the defining fight for Texas independence, and a fitting backdrop to a father-son knifemaking tale.
When Dan Dennehy donated his custom Dan D Alamo Bowie to the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in 1968, little did he know that a reproduction of the very same knife would be presented almost 60 years later to representatives of Alamo Trust just a few months before the historic anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo.
Made by Dan’s son John, the presentation reproduction is based on the original donated by Dan to the DRT in 1968. Save the engraving on the accompanying brass plaque. John did the entire repro project, which included 5/16-inch O1 tool steel like the blade material on his father’s original Dan D Alamo Bowie, and an embellished oak presentation frame.
Engraved number 5 of 10 by Pearce Richardson, the brass plaque reads: “Commemorative Dan D Alamo Bowie” over “In Honor of Those who Lost their Lives defending the Alamo in March 1836 and to the late Daniel J. Dennehy, Knifemaker, whose Alamo Bowie has proudly been on display at the Alamo since 1968.”
“It’s an honor that we can say we have knives from a father and son in our collection,” Alamo Senior Researcher and Historian Kolby Lanham said. “We are grateful to both Dan and John, two generations of knifemakers who chose to create works of art honoring James Bowie and the Alamo.”
John’s project started soon after his father’s death in 2011.
“The Alamo let me take pictures of Dan’s original knife in the spring right after his death,” he said. “I used those pictures and his knife pattern to make the reproductions. I wanted to jazz up the handle a bit since they are special editions with ivory Micarta and imitation ivory Micarta, along with some brass spacers for bling.”
From his own retelling of the story, Dan was inspired to make the donation during a visit to the Alamo, when he realized the historic site then didn’t have a single bowie knife. The namesake of the blade—Jim Bowie—was among the heroic men who fought and lost their lives at the battle.
The original Dan D Alamo Bowie is displayed inside the lobby of the Alamo Exhibit at the Ralston Family Collections Center, according to Lanham. John’s knife resides in the Alamo’s artifact vault.
There are other storied knifemakers whose works are displayed at the iconic Texas site, including a reproduction of the Joe Musso bowie by BLADE Magazine Cutlery Hall-of-Fame® member Gil Hibben.
A founding member of The Knifemakers’ Guild, Dan Dennehy was also a member of the Cutlery Hall of Fame and the International Knife Throwers Hall of Fame, and for many years conducted knife-and-tomahawk-throwing demonstrations at the BLADE Show. John makes knives and sheaths and has conducted seminars on how to make sheaths at both the BLADE Show and BLADE University.
New York-born, Dan was always a Westerner at heart, John pointed out, known as “Tex” in the Navy and wearing cowboy boots and a hat most of his adult life. He also loved and revered the history of the Alamo, finding it as sacred a location as native Texans.
“Having one of his knives on display [there] was one of his most cherished accomplishments,” John said.
With 200 years under its belt, the U.S.A. was in the spirit of celebration in 1976. And the nation’s bicentennial not only brought out the best in citizens, but knifemakers as well.
BLADE® Magazine Cutlery Hall of Fame® member Jimmy Lile was one of them, offering up a set of knives for America’s 200th birthday in the July/August issue of that year’s American Blade. Unlike other custom makers advertising flashy commemorative pieces, “The Arkansas Knifemaker” took a more stoic and serious approach to his collection.
Jimmy Lile produced 276 bicentennial sets. The first run of 76 featured historic inscriptions: colonies (1-13), Declaration signers (14-69) and Revolutionary icons or battles (70-76). The second identical run was numbered 1-200 to mark each year of American independence.
The bowie and dagger composing the set were sober in design and ornamentation, with clean lines the defining feature of the coffin-handle knives. Yet, what the pair lacked in stars and stripes celebration, they more than made up for in Lile’s deadly serious and patriotic scrimshaw on the handle scales. One might even cast the inscriptions as stark warnings.
On the bowie it reads: “When government has taken everything from the individual, he is no longer within its power, he is free again.” While the dagger is inscribed with, “In democracy, you cannot give to the people that which you first do not take from them.”
Interestingly, these do not appear direct quotes but paraphrases by Lile. The first most closely resembles a passage from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s novel The First Circle. The second bears a striking resemblance to a line from an essay by French economist and philosopher Frédéric Bastiat.
No matter the words’ origins, they stand as portents as sharp as the knives they were inscribed on. And they’re as relevant 250 years after our country’s founding as they were at its bicentennial.
