Bob Loveless Custom Knife 1967 Safariland Logo Stamped Loveless Parke Finger Groove Hidden Tang Stag “Banana Skinner”

This "Bananna Skinner" was made in 1967 by Bob Lovess for Safariland. It is stamped "Loveless & Parke Sierra Madre, Calif." There were only 36 Loveless Parke knives made in total. Out of the 36 Loveless Parke knives, only 10 exist with a "Safariland" stamp.

Bill Parke was Bob's first business partner. He was going to sell and market the knives that Bob Loveless made. Parke was a marketing and sales specialist. His influence on Bob Loveless' knife making was fantastic. Prior to Parke's influence, Loveless knives were much stubbier and shorter in the hand. He explained to Bob that if he would elongate the handle of his knives, they would photograph better and be perceived by collectors to be more substantial for their cost.

This particular knife was made for Safariland, a custom sheath and holster company. This exact "Banana Skinner" is featured in Bob Loveless' book "Living on the Edge" and was a part of the Al Williams Collection.

The blade of the knife was an experimental steel that Bob Loveless called "Special Melt Steel". It was very difficult to mirror polish and has a cloudy appearance to it. If you look at the blade closely you can see (a small pin sized dent in the steel) where Bob Loveless tested the Rockwell Hardness. This particular blade has a Rockwell Hardness of 64- 66. In order to preserve this blade it was necessary to have it professionally polished.

The finger groove hidden tang stag handle feels fantastic in the hand. Here's an opportunity to own a piece of knife history by Bob Loveless.