What do you want for Christmas Santa?

When someone asked what Santa wanted for Christmas, he thought and thought and thought.

He recalled all those times when the reindeer's reins got knotted or the twine and ribbons got tangled in his bag. He also thought that maybe he needed a  tool, to help the elves when they carved toys.

But most of all he wanted something that was uniquely his - something he could use throughout the year - when he relaxed on the beach, to maybe whittle a piece of drift wood into a cane or carve a pipe with.

But then - when he really thought about it - he decided he wanted three things for Christmas - a knife designed and custom built just for Ol' Saint Nick and for you and yours to have a wonderful and blessed holiday season - plus to remember what the true meaning of Christmas is all about.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and may Christ's love and blessings be yours throughout the New Year!

Ian and Linda van Reenen!

In the spirit of Bob Loveless

This knife is a Bob Loveless drop-point reproduction.

Robert "Bob" Waldorf Loveless (or RW Loveless) was an American knife maker who designed and popularized the hollow-ground drop point blade and the use of full tapered tangs and screw-type handle scale fasteners.

He is cited by other knife-makers and collectors as one of the most innovative custom knife makers in the world, a near legendary figure.


Loveless signature design was to use red liner on the handle and (in his words) to "Dress a knife like a woman with lipstick on”

The Handle: Stag and red liner

The Blade Steel: ATS 34

The Guard: 414 Stainless Steel

The scabbard: West Texas design with Concho and Lone Star




This is a very popular hunting knife. Everyone thought that Loveless absolutely nailed the drop-point design.

A legendary knife for a legendary state ...

One of the things that drew me to Texas was the state's legendary image. Everybody knows everything is bigger in Texas. This state and city I love, embody the independent cowboy spirit of the west.

Not many people are impressed if you tell them you are from Rhode Island - but they are if you say you are from Texas.

With that in mind - I designed a knife that echoes the Texas Flag. The Lone Star was engraved by Alice Carter and the Blue and red is colored giraffe bone.

The white is pre-banned ivory and there's thorny vine file work on blade. It's constructed out of ATS 34 steel and features 416 stainless steel bolsters.

A little Texas history: The Texas Flag Code assigns the following symbolism to the colors of the Texas flag: blue stands for loyalty, white for purity, and red for bravery. The code also states that single (lone) star "represents ALL of Texas and stands for our unity as one for God, State, and Country." The "lone star" is, in fact, an older symbol predating the flag which was used to symbolize Texans' solidarity in declaring independence from Mexico. It is still seen today as a symbol of Texas' independent spirit, and gave rise to the state's official nickname "The Lone Star State".

An American knife ...

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I wasn't born in the USA - but I got here as soon as I could. As a tribute to the country that is now my adopted home - I created this truly American knife.

The Blade: ATS 34 - 416 Stainless steel bolsters
The American star was engraved by Alice Carter

The Blue and Red is colored giraffe bone and the White is made of pre-banned ivory.

These are the last 2 of a total order of 13 knives which is fitting because there are 13 stripes on the American flag.

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Safari Model Liner-Locker: a classic you can keep in your pocket

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For many of us growing up, being given your first knife was an important right of passage. It said so many things, that you were becoming a man and your father trusted your judgement enough to give you your own knife.

Of all the knives I have sold the Safari Model Liner-Locker is the most popular by far. There's something about having one of these in your pocket that brings you back to the first knife your dad gave you.

This classic design is from South Africa. To open the knife, you push over the top with your thumb. As a result, this type is more pocket friendly since they don’t have the thumb stud.

The scales are cow bone. I have a variety of colors that I use.
Each knife is unique because you never know how the bone will take to the dye. Each knife has a different hue and pattern and makes each a one of a kind.

I use different kinds of file work on my knives.

This specific pattern I call Sotho Hut, since it reminds me of how the tribal people decorate their huts. It is simple yet artistic.

Be you a lefty or a righty - I'll create a custom knife just for you.

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It's important that the knife fits the client. It's important that it's something that is not only beautiful but functional as well.

Sure- it must be sharp and cut things but it also has to become an extension of the person who carries it.

A custom knife is like a tailored suit - it just looks and feels better.

I recently made this design for a left handed-client and his friend. This is the 5th left-hand-folder (liner-locker) I've created.

Notice how there's a sheen and texture and translucent quality to the grip? That's rams horn and makes for a unique tactile and visual custom knife. The owners couldn't be happier with the outcome.

Keep in mind - the holidays are coming up and a custom knife is a gift the man or woman in your life will treasure always - because it was made just for them.

Bois d'arc - makes for beautiful knives.

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One of the key design elements in any knife is the handle.

Not only must it be strong ( and functional) but beautiful as well. A client of mine brought me a stack of Boise de Arc (bow wood) which I value for it's unique yellow - golden prong color contrasting brown rings. The heavy, close-grained yellow-orange wood is very dense and is also prized for tool handles, treenails, fence posts, and other tools requiring a strong dimensionally stable wood that withstands rot.

Straight-grained osage timber (most is knotty and twisted) was prized by Southern Native American tribes for it's excellent use in bows. The trees acquired the name bois d'arc, or "bow-wood", from early French settlers who observed the wood being used for war clubs and bow-making by Native Americans.

Meriwether Lewis was told that the people of the Osage Nation "esteem the wood of this tree for the making of their bows, that they travel many hundred miles in quest of it." Many modern bowyers assert the wood of the Osage orange is superior even to English Yew. In Arkansas, in the early 19th century, a good Boise de Arc bow was worth a horse and a blanket.

I'm currently using it for the wood of choice in a series of handles for some custom "Hog Hunters" I'm working on - but first the wood has to dry out completely. Looking at the rings - it should make for some beautiful knives.