Light Chopper (prototype)

I really appreciate your testing videos. Trying different heat treat protocols, edge and grind thickness.

It was also cool to see you test the nail cutting against INFI.

Many makers po-hoo INFI as a steel, or say it is only tough because it is pry bar thick, but having used it my self, at different thicknesses, edge angles and even thin high hardness, I have a feel for that steel, and it's abilities.
(And it is tough, and stain resistant... it looses a bit of points in outright edge retention from abraision, and at thinner edge angles looses some lateral stability).

It's nice to see a test at the same edge angle on the same target.

I like your understated style in videos too. No shouting, or used car salesman excitement. Just a straightforward description of what you did, and how the steel is performing!
 
Bigfattyt said:
I really appreciate your testing videos. Trying different heat treat protocols, edge and grind thickness.

It was also cool to see you test the nail cutting against INFI.

Many makers po-hoo INFI as a steel, or say it is only tough because it is pry bar thick, but having used it my self, at different thicknesses, edge angles and even thin high hardness, I have a feel for that steel, and it's abilities.
(And it is tough, and stain resistant... it looses a bit of points in outright edge retention from abraision, and at thinner edge angles looses some lateral stability).

It's nice to see a test at the same edge angle on the same target.

I like your understated style in videos too. No shouting, or used car salesman excitement. Just a straightforward description of what you did, and how the steel is performing!
Click to expand...

Yeah, INFI is pretty legit. No, it doesn't have the best edge retention in abrasive materials compared to modern vanadium steels, but it holds an edge in rough use very well which pairs well with it's application in heavy duty indestructible knives.

People see the thick geometry on the Busse knives and think that's the reason the knife is so durable. And for sure that's part of it. But even at more moderate edge angles like 18 DPS, the edge holds up to rough use better than any of my other standards, and there are some very good performers in there. I think that Jerry Busse did all of us a service by setting the bar as high as he did in that regard. Take any knife in any alloy by any maker and carve slivers off a steel nail at 18 DPS and see how the edge holds up. I've done that. Infi performs, it isn't hype.

When it comes to extreme abuse that will damage the knife and you're looking at the degree of damage in the form of major blow outs in the primary grinds I think that Infi will probably continue to be king. 3V is almost unbreakable but Infi is even more so.

Where we have made head way is 3V can hold its own in edge durability in rough use, holds an edge well in abrasive materials like hide, dirty vegetation and cardboard, and also has greater gross durability than the vast majority of materials out there. It's extremely durable and makes an excellent well rounded knife. The one shortcoming had been it's mediocre edge stability in rough use and I think we've finally addressed that, making it a great candidate for a chopper/camp knife. <-- when given an optimal heat treat.
 
xxwarderxx said:
How far away is this? Can I send you money yet? :thumbup:
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Oh, to be clear, anybody can send me money any time for any reason, that would be awesome :thumbup:

... but I can't take prepayment for a knife that isn't basically ready to ship. So your money would go towards beer which I would then drink.

The R&D phase of this project is taking some time. Both Lorien and Dan have made new handle prototypes for it that are being evaluated. Also, we're trying to get Peter's HT to duplicate the newest 3V protocol that was developed specifically for this knife, and they have to some extent, but there are still some issues with scaling it up. I may end up doing a batch of these heat treated here in my shop while we're working out the bugs. They wouldn't be clean and straight like Brad does though.

I appreciate everyone's interest in our work. I apologize for the delay but it's important we get this right coming out of the gate. When we're done I promise it will be excellent.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
I appreciate everyone's interest in our work. I apologize for the delay but it's important we get this right coming out of the gate. When we're done I promise it will be excellent.
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This is why I have subscribed to this thread, and why I'm saving my money. I've never bought one of your knives before, but that's going to change soon.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
Oh, to be clear, anybody can send me money any time for any reason, that would be awesome :thumbup:

... but I can't take prepayment for a knife that isn't basically ready to ship. So your money would go towards beer which I would then drink.
Click to expand...

I second this, though I will say, Nathan is above reproach in his integrity so it would only be fine German beers or a solid microbrew ;)
 
this is a sweet project.

Epic, perhaps. At least from my POV. Many, many years distilling all that forest work and trail blazing into one, project specific blade whose character is multi faceted in the way that a big forest knife ought to be. It's made to slice and chop, but I think you'll find it handles pretty well for bushcraft applications, too.

Love working with this Nathan character. He's awesome. This won't be the last of our shenanigans by a long shot.
 
Thanks for the updates.

With the players involved, this is going to be AWESOME.

I really like hearing the thought and development going into every aspect of the blade. I agree this will be epic.
 
Take your time and get it precisely the way youd like it to be. Otherwise there will be regrets. No one wants that. I being a perfectionist myself know that for a fact
 
by its nature, this knife MUST be ABSOLUTELY reliable. The front end time investment will ensure that it is. You'll be getting your money's worth, and then some.
 
Lorien said:
by its nature, this knife MUST be ABSOLUTELY reliable. The front end time investment will ensure that it is. You'll be getting your money's worth, and then some.
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I have no doubts of that. Especially if it's going to sell at the price that I've heard.

This is one of, if not the, blade I'm most excited for at the moment.
 
Seeing as folks are interested, this is where the design is at going into the next prototype build

chopper_revc.jpg~original


Lorien and Dan and I all made handle prototypes and I've incorporated some tweaks into the grip and a few other small refinements. The beta build is underway and will yield a few 3V prototypes soon with a real batch to follow.

Jo and I appreciate your interest. :thumbup:
 
What mods did you do to the handle? I hope its not too thick, I know Dan prob. likes them thick, but I got small hands, just wondering thats all.
 
Where would such a blade be available when the batch is ready? And I too would like to know more about the handle, particularly what it will be made of as well as size. Thank you.
 
CaptainPicardX said:
What mods did you do to the handle? I hope its not too thick, I know Dan prob. likes them thick, but I got small hands, just wondering thats all.
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I hear you, a large handle that overfills your hand is good for heavy chopping, but not necessarily other cutting chores.

The handle is smaller than one of Dan's competition knives, but larger than something like my Field Knife. Lorien designed the handle to work with a few different grips. As it is, when you grip the handle towards the rear for heavy chopping it fills the hand, but when gripped further forward it allows the hand to close more for better dexterity.



trestle said:
Where would such a blade be available when the batch is ready? And I too would like to know more about the handle, particularly what it will be made of as well as size. Thank you.
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Micarta, G10 and Terotuff

They'll be available at the Blade Show and I'll do some sales here too. Fort Henry will probably distribute some for me.
 
Breaking down a sheet of 3V, this is about as big as I can saw here:

dNlTnzn.jpg




Takes two vises to hold it:

NTRkkM6.jpg






j1jTCSd.jpg
 
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