What is a FLUTER?

[EBrand]

Hi there.

I have on a census record that a male, living in Yorkshire 1891, is a 'Sword and Hunting Knife Fluter'. Could anyone clue me in to what this means/what the job entails?

Thank you.
EB

[majm]

Hi there,

I think you will find that the handles of some knives are still made with flutes.  We certainly still use table knives with fluted handles. 

Here's an advertisement from the 1920s, the knife 108A has a fluted handle.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/123254153 Freemans Journal  13 Nov 1924

JM

[majm]

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/108006176  Evening News 22 July 1887
Advantages of saucepan handles being fluted !

JM

[EBrand]

http://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/108006176  Evening News 22 July 1887
Advantages of saucepan handles being fluted !

JM

Thank you for that!

EB

[tonepad]

Perhaps the word should be Fuller instead of Fluter.

From wikipedia:

A fuller is a rounded or beveled groove or slot in the flat side of a blade (e.g. a sword, knife, or bayonet) that is made using a blacksmithing tool called a spring swage . These grooves are often called "blood grooves" or "blood gutters" as well as fullers, although their purpose has nothing to do with blood. A fuller is often used to lighten the blade, much the way that the shape of an I-beam allows a given amount of strength to be achieved with less material. When combined with proper distal tapers, heat treatment and blade tempering, a fullered blade can be 20% to 35% lighter than a non-fullered blade without any sacrifice of strength or blade integrity. This effect lessens as the blade is reduced in length. A blade is said to be "fullered" after introduction of the groove.

[majm]

Hi EB

I have 'always' (so for decades) known the handles on my knives to be 'fluted' but perhaps in light of tonepad's post, you could post the census reference so that we can look it up, or perhaps if you have a snip tool on your pc, you could snip that section of that image and attach the snip to a reply post.

JM

[majm]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuller_(weapon)   

JM

[youngtug]

I thought that fluting on a knife was the scalloping on the blade, like a granton or santoku knife.

[tonepad]

I thought that fluting on a knife was the scalloping on the blade, like a granton or santoku knife.

These are kitchen knives, this type of fluting is not applicable to swords and hunting knives.

Tony