Blades · 5:40am Jun 17th, 2014
From high fantasy to slasher horror and everything in between, edged weapons can be found in all kinds of stories. In describing them, they're easier to get correct than guns, but there are still things a writer should know before talking about blades.
Oh TNaB, you so silly.
First you have to figure out what the purpose is. Are you killing someone? Carving wood? Slicing cheese? All types - weapons, tools, silverware - come in many different kinds.
First, let's discuss some buzzwords that often come up with blades. Here's a basic diagram of the parts of a knife:
All blades have the same basic parts - the place where you hold it, the cutting edge, and the pointy end. There are a lot of different kinds of points.
The grind is how the blade is sharpened. Hollow grinding a blade makes it thinner and sharper.
Serration puts little teeth on the edge of the blade. This usually makes it cut faster but not as cleanly. Steak knives are usually serrated. Many all purpose pocket knives are halfway serrated. For a fighting blade, it's debatable - serration could make it cut better but could also make it stick in a person so you can't pull it out and stab the next person. Through history, you'll find that most blades used for weapons are not serrated.
A fuller (I refuse to call it a blood groove) makes the blade both stronger and lighter, much the same way that the shape of an I-beam allows a given amount of strength to be achieved with less material.
The tang is the metal part inside the hilt. The best kind is a full tang, pictured below. The metal goes all the way through.
This is what could happen if you don't have a decent tang. Pictured is a kitchen knife I broke the other day. Yes, Faberware, I'm calling you out.
With that covered, let's move on to different lengths of blades.
Swords
First off, I should say that I don't own any swords. (Does that make me a terrible brony?) Still, I can run down the basic variants: double edged, single edged, edgeless. I'm not going to cover a lot of subcategories, mostly because there are too many.
Double edged swords are almost always straight and symmetrical. The image above shows an example of the classic longsword. This particular one is a thick-bladed design to be used with two hands. Shorter than that you have an arming sword, used one handed and sometimes paired with a shield. Double edged blades tend to be more multipurpose, able to both slice and poke. Many double edged swords came from Europe.
Single edged swords are used for slicing attacks and are usually curved. For example, a horse cavalry sabre is designed to slash people as you go by, without having to stop to poke them, withdraw the blade, and go on to the next enemy. Other examples of single edged swords include the cutlass, katana, and traditionally Middle Eastern scimitar.
The most commonly known edgeless sword is the foil, used in fencing. Just poke people. Some rapiers and so-called "small swords" are so thin to be effectively edgeless. These and similar came to be regarded as a gentleman’s weapon in the later part of the sword era. Some edgeless swords even have triangular cross sections for extra stiffness.
Knives
Part of the TNaB collection: Top is a Vietnam-era M7 bayonet I got from a surplus store. Note the nonserrated, double edged blade. Bottom left is my Victorinox Tinker that I bought in 2001 and it's been in my pocket more often than not since then. It has screwdrivers, tweezers, blades, and can openers, basically everything I could need day to day. Bottom right is a Benchmade 551S that I keep in my car for preparedness reasons.
There doesn't seem to be any solid answer on how short a sword has to be before it's actually a knife. My personal thoughts are that we might as well classify them like rifles/pistols: 16 inches.
Knives were mankind's first manufactured tool. Cutting tools have been discovered dating back two and a half million years. Due to the long history, certain cultures have attached spiritual or religious significance to knives.
True story: I was talking to a Navy chaplain who was stationed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. A group of Marine recruits who were Wiccan came in. Being that there are no Wiccan military chaplains, this Christian guy got the nod to facilitate them. Not knowing much about Wicca, he asked them what they needed for services. They told him they needed candles, rocks, and an Athame, a ritual knife or dagger. This being boot camp, recruits were not authorized personal weapons so the chaplain got them a plastic dagger from K-Mart. Being that the Athame is for ceremony instead of cutting things, a fake knife was not a problem.
Other religious knives include the Kirpan, carried by Sikhs, and the Kukri, traditional to Nepalese rituals. Culturally, we have knights and samurai, both well known for their blades. There’s also the scene of a surrendering general giving up his sword to his opponent. Even if you’re not a fighter, you probably use knives on a daily basis in your kitchen. Blades are about as simple as weapons come and through long history any human almost instinctively knows how they work. Hmm, maybe this could be an interesting point in a HiE story.
Tangenting back, knives are more compact than swords. Making them even more compact, some knives fold. They can be a standard hinge like most pocketknives or something more exotic. The best example of a sliding knife is a switchblade, although you can think of a boxcutter as its boring cousin. A butterfly knife is, in my opinion, a needlessly complicated way to fold a knife, but it sure looks pretty.
Butterfly knife, sometimes called a balisong, which is apparently Tagalog slang from the Philippines
Your basic pocketknife may or may not include a locking blade. It's better to have a lock, but not required if you're careful. Swiss Army knives, like my Victorinox above, include helpful tools. A step up in capability from there are multitools like the Leatherman. That’s more like a tool that has a blade rather than a tool that is a blade, though.
Some common types of fixed knife include machetes - which are big and used for hacking, throwing knives - easy enough to understand, and the Bowie.
Search for "fixed blade knife" and I guarantee that many of the results will resemble a Bowie knife. The blade is generally about twice as long as the handle with a clip point. Back in the early 1800's a guy named Jim Bowie was apparently a pretty good knife fighter with his custom pieces and got famous for them before he died at the Alamo. 'Merica.
In the end, choice of blade depends on who your character is and what they are doing. Research is your friend. Nerds just like you have spent a lot of time posting historical references and lists of military gear on the internet.
Let’s talk a little bit about general upkeep. Let’s be honest – if a blade is in your story it’s probably going to get used, right? Stainless steel was only invented about one hundred years ago, and a lot of knives still aren’t made of the stuff. The Faberware knife I broke was terrible quality stainless and had a small spot of rust on it. My bayonet is carbon steel, but I keep it oiled.
The most important part of blade maintenance, of course, is sharpening. A simple handheld sharpener is ten bucks at your local hardware store and will do an okay job with minimal effort. To get a better edge, you need an actual whetstone. Lubricant doesn’t hurt. I personally like lighter fluid to remove sticky tape residue and metal shavings that are filed off. The final touch in ultimate sharpness is honing. You’re basically polishing to smooth it out and make sure none of the metal on the edge is folded or irregular. Honing is usually done on a very fine surface, like cardboard, cloth, or in the case of stropping a razor, leather.
Actual angles may vary. If you care a lot, you can buy the equipment to get it exact. You can still get really sharp without, though. I once shaved with my Victorinox after sharpening with a single grit stone and honing on my jeans.
How do you know if the knife needs to be sharpened? Using a bright light, take a close look at the edge. If you see any small places where the light is reflected, that’s a dull spot. Honestly though, the knife is probably serviceable if it can cut shavings from your thumbnail with barely any pressure. It’s very sharp if you can hold a piece of paper and slice a strip off. If you have a good razor, it should cut if you place it edge up and lay a hair on it.
In closing, I feel that I should point out that blades are probably the easiest way to kill people ever invented. Seriously guys, don’t screw around. I feel slightly lucky that I’ve only cut myself with my pocketknife once in all the time I’ve owned it, and that was with the can opener.
Annnd here’s a 1600 word blog that is still probably too general for its own good.
i.imgur.com/Zi3m8gZ.jpg
Explain this blade for me.
And by that, I mean, the blade/purpose of the knife and where it would be used practically.
2213141
Looks like it's supposed to be used for bushcraft/survival.
The gut hook is for field dressing animals and the fine/serrated blade is for bushcraft.
-Looks through everything-
A nice little blog, now what-
-Sees gif-
OH GAWD IT'S A SPY! KILL IT WITH FIRE!
Being a bit of a knife/sword collector (i.e. a nut by some people)
, I'm in agreement with virtually everything on here...except for one thing:
Why you no haz a Spyderco knife?
*braces self for inevitable storm of Benchmade vs Spyderco vs Microtech arguments*
derpicdn.net/img/2012/7/9/38289/thumb.png
Ah yes, the balisong. Made by the hardass people of Batangas province (just a few hours' drive from my place), where it is rumored that every grown man in that province owns one for self-defense.
If you want to go beyond basics, you could talk about how blades are used in different cultures or how they are maintained, used, etc. Example: I'm Vietnamese and a common thing I see is that instead of using a sharpener, we take the bottom of a plate/bowl (it has to be ceramic) and sharpen the blade along the rough edge of the bottom of said bowl/plate
2213192
I will argue for none of those, so you're wrong. But... I will argue for:
KA-BAR Master Race!
ewstoneknife.com/images/6350TH1STONE48.JPG
2213201
I'm assuming you also live in Vietnam. What knives are popular there?
2213199
They can also apparently put a hole in a coin.
Nah, currently in Phoenix. I can still answer your question though: any knife for any purpose. You may see a mother using a US knife from Vietnam War as a kitchen knife or a sharpened piece of scrap steel. Really, it's anything you get your hands on. My father showed me how to fashion a knife from breaking a rock.
2213224
Huh, that's interesting. I figured there'd be some scavenged US knives.
2213228
Here's a story from one of my parent's youth. My mum told me stories of how during and after the Vietnam war, they'd take the unspent ammunition, shells, flares, etc. and take it apart, keeping the gunpowder, primer, explosives, and anything else flammable/explosive. Then they'd somehow create a "firecracker" with said collected materials and "play" with that. *Sigh* Why can't America be like?!?
2213242
Well... We have this:
i.imgur.com/VbUpf1a.jpg
All we need to do is get rid of the stupid hippies.
2213245
Right, those pesky hippies. Hold on, I gotta get my 1911.
2213254
I'll get my .12 gauge.
2213192
2213208
>implying Buck knives AREN'T master race
2213261
I'll stick with my EK daggers and custom made survival knives.
2213260
Look! It's a hippy!
2213261
Pssh, you dead wrong.
KA-BAR is Master Race.
2213262
Damn, he crossed the border over to Canada, can't touch him.
2213266
Technically we can still shoot at him. When someone questions us, we say that we were hunting near the border and the bullet that hit him was a stray. Then we blame the hippy for not wearing an orange vest.
2213267
Some states, though have a law that says you're responsible for where your bullet goes. You'd probably get charged for man-slaughter or something like that
2213270
Welp, onto Arizona where we are the most gun pro/active!
2213273
I 'fer Kentucky.
2213277
Eh, I prefer Phoenix, Az. It may be too hot for others but I like! Also, guns.
2213280
Same here, 'cept for the heat.
2213282
Look, more hippies!
2213285
We really still on this?
2213287
Eeyup. I'm bored and it's about 1 AM where I am.
2213291
My wi-fi gave out and I'm using LTE so I won't be on for much longer.
My personal favorite is the Jim Hammond Flesheater. The knife.
My teacher's sensei, Arcenio Advincula, designed it with Jim Hammond, who makes them by hand. It's a beastly knife. I have the more generic CRKT licensed-built one of stamped tool steel with a black iodized coating (CRKT FE9). I cut myself when I lightly tapped my finger with this thing it's so sharp, and it doesn't even come close to the quality of the Jim Hammond hand-made ones.
Very informative, I think I will bookmark this for further reference
Heh.
Also the easiest way to put a hole in your hand. I could see the tendons and bones moving as I flexed my fingers, and the floor through my hand.
And my first thought after the knife went into my hand, blood dripping all over the ground, was "Well, shit. Now I can cheat at manhunt!"
I don't trust non-lockers anymore
~Dash The Stampede
Sweeeeet! Very informative! Always down for learning something new, unless you're my dad and you start the conversation with "You're going to love this," because I'm an asshole and that immediately sets me against whatever it is you're talking about because don't tell me what I'll love you're not the boss of me!
...
*ahem* Aaaanyways, an excellent blog post, thanks for sharing!
Please keep writing, I'll keep reading!
I believe the triangular shape of stabbing weapons was to leave a nasty wound that would bleed more.
Pictured are some rondel daggers.
pics.myarmoury.com/rondel_daggers01_s.jpg
2213876 true. Didn't some treaty set the cross section for bayonets at two sides, because triangular bayonets were considered "inhuman"?
Question, what angle are those blade images?
Also, standard issue bayonet of the CF.
2213987 Correct. Wounds made by triangle blades didn't heal.
BSA Swiss Army knife FTW
Most of my knives are BSA. The last knife I bought is a BSA (according to the chart) modified tanto.
CutCo knives are sharpened three times.
I cut part of the tip of my finger with on while cutting the top of a banana off. Finger looks normal though.
A few years back, I was using a pen knife to cut the masking tape that was holding four used rocket engines (for model rockets) together. The blade must have been dull because I was using a lot of force. Then the knife slipped making a 1.5in long, 3/4in deep cut in my left hand, 2in from the base of my pinkie finger.
Oddly, I did not freakout or was in any pain. I dropped the open knife (I know, I know), put pressure on my hand, went to the bathroom and yelled to my mother what happened.
So I kept pressure and rinsed the wound. I found that our muscle is white (atleast in my left hand and before the blood filled it).
So my mother took me to the doctors, and they put butterfly clips on it (I cannot deal with stitches), and it healed perfectly. A small scar and no apparent loss of feeling or movement.
Sharp is Safe
Dull is Dangerous
Informative, as always, though I'm suprised that you didn't mention the fact that some cavalry sabres are actually thicker at the tip of the blade, to give the blow more weight as the horse and rider charge past the intended victim.
Other than that little bit of information, an excellent little informative piece from you is allways appreciated.
(Also, I agree with you on refusing to call the fuller a "blood groove". Fillers are intended to lighten and strengthen the blade, not to cause more bleeding or something stupid like that.)
Nice post. That was a good summary. Next post you can talk about how they are made (Like what Annealing vs Quenching mean). People often get that wrong in writing or get the process wrong.
Speaking of metal-working, have you ever tried making your own blades? It's really fun, especially when you get your hands on a good anvil and forge.
you watch/follow Man at Arms?
They make some cool swords.
2213209 I don't quite follow your reference though.
2213192
Wow, how did I miss this blog post? This topic is something that is particularly interesting to me, as I am actually a hobbyist blade smith.
Some pictures of my work:
I made this blade out of a 1/2" thick piece of D-2 tool steel. I know, I know, a half-inch thick piece of steel is ridiculous. But, you'd be amazed at how difficult it is to find specialty tool steels in this town. The only thing I could find was a 1/2"x3"x10" so that's what I used. I had to take down a quarter-inch of thickness from the whole piece. So, after a bit of slightly-successful and highly-frustrating time spent milling the steel, I learned how tough D-2 is to cut. I then spent a few more hours here and there grinding it down with an angle grinder, then finished it off with a belt grinder to make a flat, uniform surface.
After a few minutes with a portable bandsaw, I was able to to cut out the rough shape, and refined the profile with the angle grinder, a bench grinder and, the belt grinder, then made the blade and edge contour by hand with a few different files. I decided to go with a single-bevel (flat-grind) with a convex edge. In my opinion and research, this offers the most durable blade geometry possible without sacrificing too much sharpness. Of course, it also means that the blade needs to be stropped to sharpen it, but it's much easier to carry a piece of leather and some sharpening compound than a heavy stone or diamond-coated steel.
i.imgur.com/LxTXKtB.jpg
Once I completed the blade profile, I had to put together the handle. For this, I selected 3/8" thick micarta handle scales, red vulcanized fiber liners, and 316 krupp stainless-steel corby bolts to hold it all together. I clamped the scales to the blade, made sure it was all aligned properly, then (very carefully) drilled the holes through all the pieces together, I also made sure to counterbore the holes so the corby bolts could recess into the handle. Once I did that, I measured the thickness of the holes and machined the corby bolts accordingly so that they could thread far enough into each other to hold the blade together. Needless to say, it was tedious. After fitting the handle, and putting the finishing touches on it, I had to take it all back apart and send the blade off to be heat treated in a vacuum furnace. It came back with a beautiful blue-black sheen, and perfectly hardened to 60 Rc. All it needed after that was final assembly and sharpening.
i.imgur.com/ddXPYNn.jpg
One thing to note, I'm 6'7" and I have rather large hands. That should help you get a feel for how large this knife is.
i.imgur.com/jy7bwEi.jpg
A smaller companion piece made out of A-2 tool steel. This one is a single-bevel with a scandi grind.
i.imgur.com/TrgZEC6.png
i.imgur.com/RwJFisK.png
Some throwing spikes I made for personal use. These things are addictive once you get the hang of the no-spin throw. It's not easy though.
i.imgur.com/UKMABCB.png
Sadly, since I left the industrial field, I no longer have access to the equipment I used to make some of these. The mill was great for helping fit the handle scales to the blade, and I couldn't have fitted those corby bolts without the tiny little screw lathe we had in our maintenance shop. I halfway made a kickstarter to see if I could get together all the tools I need to actually make a business out of my hobby, but I'm really not sure how successful that might be, or if I would get any kind of support. Your thoughts?
2213876
It's arguable whether the main purpose of the triangular cross-section is for rigidity, or damage capacity. I think you could easily go either way. Was added rigidity a side-effect of the desire to make a larger wound channel, or was the larger wound channel an added bonus of using triangular geometry to make the blade more rigid? Who knows? I'd say in some cases it's both.
2696464 I don't know a whole lot about Kickstarter efforts. It sounds like it might be difficult.
2697089
Yeah, it seemed fairly involved. I don't think something small like that would be able to gain enough support, sadly. I guess I'll just have to bide my time and save up for the things that I need.
2696464 Dude, that's so wild, cuz I was just talking on Skype tonight about making a group here on Fimfiction for bronies with interests in blades, swords, smithing, collecting and such.
How about it?
Sounds cool to me. Let me know if you end up making it!
2213141 The hook at the backside is for skinning, the serration near the handle is for sawing (and too short to be really useful) and the design of the tip is simply a mess