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Jimi Edmonds




Location: Dunedin, New Zealand
Joined: 25 May 2009
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PostPosted: Thu 15 Jan, 2015 6:53 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Interesting, I went and spoke to a knife maker friend of mine, who was saying that at a recent event on swords and such that he attended over in Europe, it was said by a prominent person who knows about such said that medieval swords were 'razor sharp' (or I guess along those lines), so if this is the case coming from a person who knows much more about this than I, I'll take their word on it.

Also as for sharpening my sword, I have been recommended that I start with about 220 grit (as it's dull sharp) and then go on from there with 400 up into like 1200 and follow that with a grey scotchpad. So I have a better base to start .

cheers all.
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Nathan Robinson
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PostPosted: Thu 15 Jan, 2015 7:42 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Jimi Edmonds wrote:
Interesting, I went and spoke to a knife maker friend of mine, who was saying that at a recent event on swords and such that he attended over in Europe, it was said by a prominent person who knows about such said that medieval swords were 'razor sharp' (or I guess along those lines), so if this is the case coming from a person who knows much more about this than I, I'll take their word on it.

Also as for sharpening my sword, I have been recommended that I start with about 220 grit (as it's dull sharp) and then go on from there with 400 up into like 1200 and follow that with a grey scotchpad. So I have a better base to start .

cheers all.


"Razor sharp" doesn't mean anything, however, because the blade geometry of a sword and a razor are COMPLETELY different as is the edge geometry. So while swords were, in fact, sharp (and often sharp as hell) they were not, strictly speaking, "razor sharp". It would be folly to take such a comment literally.

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Jimi Edmonds




Location: Dunedin, New Zealand
Joined: 25 May 2009
Likes: 8 pages

Posts: 145

PostPosted: Thu 15 Jan, 2015 9:33 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

Yes true Nathan, I think this also, as to me razor sharp in regards to razors are, Razor Sharp, thin blade edge, but if I think about it in a sense of swords 'razor sharp' tells me that it was sharp, but not necessary a thin blade edge sharp but very sharp within the geometry of the blade but not as fine as a Cut Throat razor, if you get my meaning.

It's like our Kiwi slang, saying; Mean as, or That's mean as.
Which depending how it's used could be positive or negative.
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Herbert Schmidt




Location: Austria / Europe
Joined: 21 Mar 2004

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Posts: 161

PostPosted: Thu 15 Jan, 2015 10:29 pm    Post subject:         Reply with quote

So far we have no real measure for "sharpness".

A lot would depend on the cross section of the edge and the blade - as others have been stating.

The question can not be answered as such. I always use the analogy: how sharp is a pocket knife?
I know people who carry pocket knives which are really razor sharp or sharper than (modern) scalpels.
There are also those, whose blades are quite dull and those who have really dull blades…all for very different reasons.

The same with swords. There were dull ones, medium sharp and really sharp ones.

I have handled dozens of original swords and sharpness is always something I check.

I have seen swords with more of a chisel edge and swords that were still sharp after hundreds of years.
I even cut myself ones on an original that was about thousand years old.

So: how sharp were swords? I don't know, you'll find evidence for every opinion.
It all boils down to your personal preference and what you use it for…just with pocket knives.

Herbert

www.arsgladii.at
Historical European Martial Arts
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