The knife Bruce Bump is making for me

Keith Montgomery

Keith Montgomery

Joined
May 9, 2000
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Here is a sketch of the Loveless chute knife that Bruce is making for me. It will have a 52100 blade, stainless guard and mammoth ivory handle. It should be a fine knife.

I will post photos of the knife as I get them.
 
This is awesome. I have 2 chutes from GenO Denning - a dress one with DI handle and mirror polished blade, and a carry one with a micrata handle and guard and a bead blasted blade. The blades however are 440C, and I would have liked better a non SS blade. As always with GenO, the fit & finish are impeccable.
 
Do I see a little recurve to the blade? If so, did you ask for that, or is that typical of a Chute knife? I don't remember honestly. :)

From the specs, and sketch, it should turn out great, knowing you, it will have some very nice ivory, did you provide it or is Bruce?
 
Megalobyte said:
Do I see a little recurve to the blade? If so, did you ask for that, or is that typical of a Chute knife? I don't remember honestly. :)

From the specs, and sketch, it should turn out great, knowing you, it will have some very nice ivory, did you provide it or is Bruce?
Click to expand...

Bruce took the design from a book he has. From what I have seen of the Loveless chute knives, they do have just the tiniest bit of a recurve.

The ivory is being supplied by Bruce. He had some really nice stuff for a good price.
 
Exposed tangs on carbon knives are a PITA to maintain.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I'm not trying to cause trouble, but ...

I've seen the chute design before, but have always wondered if a chute knife has a specific purpose.

What benefit does the chute design have?

Thanks
 
Kohai999 said:
Exposed tangs on carbon knives are a PITA to maintain.
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Hmmmm. Maybe so. But it would not be a traditional Loveless with a hidden tang. Colored liners are essential also..... ;)

Great choice Keith! Bruce, we will be looking forward to your progress pics. :D :eek: :)

Coop
 
Well , this may not make a lot of sense to most knife folks, but instead of 52100, or a frame handle with a stainless frame, Bruce is going to forge the blade from S30V stainless steel. He asked me if I would'nt rather have the blade made from S30V and I told him, only if it could be forged. I was expecting him to say that he wasn't the least bit interested in forging stainless, but instead he got back to me saying that he would. I have wanted a forged chute knife and a knife forged from stainless. It looks like I am going to get both at the same time.

I am not expecting forging to be of any benefit with stainless, but this knife will not be for use anyway. My wanting a knife made from forged stainless is more for the novelty than anything else.
 
Valiant1, here is a quote from Bob Loveless in an article in Blade magazine. He is describing why he came up with the design for the chute knife.

“I invented the concept, I want to say in 1967 or ’68, in response to Harry Archer’s request,” says long-time knifemaker and Blade Magazine Cutlery Hall-Of-Famer© Bob Loveless. “He described what he wanted—a knife that could serve him well in semi-tropical and tropical jungle areas as a survival knife and weapon. He wanted something that could be used for self-defense or as an offensive weapon, and a knife that could be lashed onto the end of a long pole for killing small game.” So, who was Archer? “Harry Archer never disclosed what his duty was, and I never asked him,” Loveless notes. “His work was with an agency that operated in adjunct with the Special Forces. Archer’s chute knife was meant to be a tool to help in a survival situation, and specifically to be lashed to the top of a chest pack, a chest chute—secondary parachute—so Harry could get at it quickly in case he got hung up in a tree after parachuting out of an airplane.”

What Loveless describes is a chute knife, a double-edged fixed blade appropriately named for what it’s designed to do—free a parachutist, or jumper, from his parachute cords should he or she become entangled in them or caught up in and suspended from a tree.
 
Don't forget the holes in the guard ;)

Looks good, nice to see a hand drawn image!
 
Kohai999 said:
Exposed tangs on carbon knives are a PITA to maintain.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

You are right. Bruce is going to try forging this knife from S30V. If that starts to drive him crazy he is going to make a frame handle with a stainless frame.

Coop, it won't be traditional, but then again, it wouldn't be traditional with a forged carbon steel blade either.

I left it up to Bruce as to whether he wants to include the holes in the guard. This is a feature that is left off of many of the Loveless style chute knives that I see.
 
Keith,
Kudos to you for commissioning what sounds like an incredible Chute knife
and to Bruce for getting the job.:thumbup: :thumbup:
Would be :cool: to see the forged S30V on the finished knife.:D
 
I really like the design of this knife. It's not a Bowie but I believe you're going to like it just as much.
 
This knife should be very fun to make. I have made many full tang drop points and Loveless designs in the past before I joined the ABS. I think I was the only member testing for Journeyman with full tang knives. Forging the stainless seems like a natural thing to do. One concern though is the vanadium can cause illness. Do you guys know if it is dangerous from forging as well as grinding?
My thanks to Keith for the job.
 
Vanadium fumes are more dangerous toxic than vanadium dust. I am not sure if forging gets the steel hot enough to create vanadium fumes, but I wouldn't take the chance. Wearing a respirator may be a pain, but much less so than the hospital stays that could result from not wearing one. It is not just vanadium that can cause problems, but chromium as well, and possibly other elements of the steel. Better safe than sorry.
 
Keith Montgomery said:
It is not just vanadium that can cause problems, but chromium as well, and possibly other elements of the steel. Better safe than sorry.
Click to expand...
5160 and 52100 are both chromium bearing alloys that are routinely forged...
 
Bruce Bump said:
Do you guys know if it is dangerous from forging as well as grinding?
Click to expand...
If it turns out to be, this could end up being your last project. Make sure you charge Keith accordingly.:D
 
Its a good thing my insurance is paid up. I always told Kaye that Im worth more dead than alive.:)
 
Joss said:
5160 and 52100 are both chromium bearing alloys that are routinely forged...
Click to expand...

Yes they are, but just because people forge them, it doesn't mean that it is safe to do so. We used to think it was safe to have lead pipes and asbestos insulation in our homes.

I'm not saying that these elements are a health risk when forged, just that I am not sure that they aren't.
 
Bruce, Do you remember when you met me 5 years ago and I had a full head of hair? Must be male pattern baldness. Who needs hair? I've got plenty on my back for everyone.
 
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