gotta love those bites

A

ArtWlfDog

Joined
Apr 12, 2001
Messages
21
Well, I was just playing arond with my jag (do mean playing, not really paying attention, watching TV at the same time
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) when my hand sliped down, and the serated part of the blade bit me in the tip of my third finger.
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This got me to thinking about a question: I wonder if others are proud of being bit? It's not the first time I've been bit (and I know it won't be the last
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), but it got me thinking. Personaly I'm proud of my bites, and the fact that even though it's painful I always go back. Anyone else feel this way?

[This message has been edited by ArtWlfDog (edited 04-25-2001).]
 
Well, I guess I don't like to admit it, but yes, I am proud of my cuts. I think it comes down to one very non-glamorous reason. Seeing cuts on my hands and not caring makes me feel tough. It's the whole "wounded warrior" thing.

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~Dave

"One in the hand is worth two in the sheath"
 
No I don't feel that way. I'm not alarmed at being cut, but I'd rather not.

Serrations, especially a fully serrated blade like something from Spyderco have great cutting ablibilty, but also presents a hazard to the user. My rule is don't touch anything with it unless you fully intend to cut it.

As for accumulated bites/scars, in the Janich video for learning how to use a bali (which is how I started) there is a closeup of the back of his hand. It appeared to me and some friends that the back of his hand and fingers were covered with scars. The video quality is poor so it's difficult to know for sure.
 
my girlfriend was just over and we were flipping, and I cut myself frickin' 4 times! so I decided to put the 42 down and went for the keychain bali
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none of them were that bad, but still
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. must be one of those days...

so am I proud of my cuts? Not really. It all depends on how it happened and where they are. Having a bandaid covering your thumb really messes you up, while having the web between your index and middle finger slightly cut, while having your left index finger cut, while having your pinky slit open by a serrated edge is NOT FUN. I guess I'm just tired. she was too, so she went home for a little while.
So what's the moral of the story? Dont flip in front of your girlfriend while you're tired- You will mess up.
But yeah, it is cool to see some of my old wounds now, since they're closed. My deepest one just happened to land on the top of my middle finger knuckle, so you cant see it
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Why would anybody be proud of the consequences of screwing up?

Cuts happen, but they are definately to be avoided. The more cuts you get the more clear it is that you are doing something poorly. Get enough cuts and it starts to look like you don't know what you are doing at all, and might be an actual danger to yourself, and hence a danger to others as well. No, I don't think I would actually be proud of cutting myself. You have to fail once in a while in order to grow, but no sense in dwelling on your failures.
 
Well, nobody likes getting cut, I can safely say that's a given, and yes a cut means you did screw up. The thing is you hafta have the balls (for lack of a better term) to pick up a bali again knowing full well that you will get cut again sooner, or later. That's what makes me proud of my cuts.

In regards to scars, I really don't have any on my hands from my balisong. Knowing how to tend to them properly, not picking at them, and keeping my bali sharp helps in that department. I haven't really been on the scene too long (about 8 or 9 months, own 3 balisongs, and 2 books) so I've only had two cuts. The first one (4 months ago) was on my right hand pointer finger tip, and it gashed a flap off of the pad (where the finger print is), and looking at it now, there's no real scar, and it only minorly altered my fingerprint. The one I got today (5 min before I started this thread, in fact I typed my last post with one hand) is just a little numb, now, and I have to look for a second to find the cut.

[This message has been edited by ArtWlfDog (edited 04-25-2001).]
 
Getting cut on my hands is not even a consideration anymore.

I have had the tip of my ring finger on my left hand amputated about 12 years ago when I was working in a lumberyard saw shop. I still use my hands (and body) like a tool. I'm constntly leaving knuckles against some sharp edge when I'm trying to maneuver something heavy into place. Little cuts by my bali don't even give me a thought anymore.

I get much worse cuts at work than I get practicing bali arieals, or speedflips (on my double-edged bali).
 
Why would anyone be proud of the fact that they've gotten cut,sliced and diced by their balisongs? Because it shows that we are willing to suffer for our art
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I don't have any scars from my balisongs.But,I've been cut many times (usually trying to create new stuff).


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*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..
 
Well i don't really mind getting cut at all... I don't get cut doing my regular manipulations any more, but sometimes when experimenting with new aerials/hyper drops/spins i get cut... As long as the blade is sharp, i don't mind. It does sting a tad bit if i get bit by the serrated part, but oh well. The blood tastes good, and looks good on my knife hehehd... The worst cut i've gotten though is one that i got the first 3 minutes i owned the knife... So i guess i'm sorta proud of the cuts... wear them as a badge of honor, just like my yoyoing callouses (hehe my middle finger is friggin huge)... Aint nuthin wrong with a little blood 'n scars, it's cheaper than tattoos : )-
-Gibberish*
 
I only cut myself once with my BM 42, and that was when I just received it. I would've had more cuts if I hadn't started out with an old worn out Chinese cheapie that can't even cut butter
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In the last two days I managed to get around 13 punctures in my right hand from trying aerials (I taped the blade of my BM42 but the point still protruded a bit), but you have to learn from your mistakes.
As long as I don't lose any body parts while practicing, I will remain to be proud of my scars.

NO PAIN, NO GAIN
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I hadn't been cut for a long time, and a couple of days ago I was flipping as usual, and for some reason I thought I could do a finger twirl a lot faster, and harder, than I could...and I cut myself pretty bad on the index finger, 2 cm long wound and it's a big piece of skin and the stuff under the skin that "came loose". I taped it back on and I hope it will be ok. Now I'm ok about it, but for a couple of seconds there some thoughts were racing through my mind: "****! What am I doing?? playing with knives? I should be locked away somewhere! I'm such a screw-up, I'm destined to kill myself sooner or later with this bali, why didn't I realise that? flipping is not for someone like me!!"
But... hehe now I'm ok, and I'm waiting for the cut to heal so I can get back to flipping... 8-)


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Balisong Sweden
 
Even those who don't skateboard have probably heard the name Tony Hawk. He is the undisputed world grand pooh-bah of boarding. You'll never see him screw up or try to get his balance after a huge trick. His seamless lines on the pipe and his huge air is fun to watch, even for a non-boarder. Don't worry, I'm getting to my point here... From his knees to the top of his feet look like a missle testing range. It almost makes you cringe. Dents and scars and all that. Legs like that are seen as a badge of honor to most boarders I know. It shows dedication. One of my friends always likes to brag about how he dislocated his right thumb 4 times trying the same trick. Balisong manipulation is more like skateboarding than most other skills as in you just have to try some dangerous things to ever learn them. You cannot drop slowly into your first halfpipe, and you can't do your aerials in slow motion. Everone has had to try that first aerial. I don't cut myself too often these days, but a couple of months ago, I always had at least 50 nicks and cuts on my right hand. I had been practicing aerials and bite-handle moves. Now, I have 2 cuts (healin' fast). And don't get me wrong, I do my damn best to NOT cut myself. But when I see my bali laying in my marked up, scarred hand, I know I've earned my skill, that I've conquered a fear, and that I probably won't get those cuts the same way again. And it makes me feel good about myself. And, like I said before, it makes me feel a little tough too, but that's never a good reason. Machismo never got anybody anwhere.

And I plan on getting a whole new group of cuts when I start practicing throw openings from behind my back over my shoulder. I've already bought the economy band-aid pack.
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~Dave

"One in the hand is worth two in the sheath"
 
Someone once told me, and I learned for myself working in kitchens, that EVERY new blade has to be FED.
Not by cutting meat, mind you. But by biting hard into living flesh.
Just about the smartest thing that you can do when you get a new blade is nick yourself with it intentionally. If not, it will bite you when you aren't looking, usually a lot harder than you want.
I remember working in a restaraunt and the boss comes in with a nice new Forschner 16" bread knife with full serrations. He hands it to me, and I inspect it VERY CAREFULLY, then set it down. Within 15 minutes, someone else had to be rushed to the E.R. for slicing off the top 1/4" of his thumb. I knew that after that happened, that the knife has been fed, and it was safe to use.

You must feed all new knives. Sure, if you work/play with knives, you will get cut, but it's much better to give yourself a controled cut than for it to bite you worse than you want.
 
That's by far the most interesting response.

But, I still can't get with the badge of honor thing.

When I got my mdl 45, I did practice with a live blade, edge as delivered. I did this intentionally (despite advice to the contrary) so I would concentrate and develop better skills. I did not cut myself, but then I stayed with standard openings. I was only interested in learning to use the bali as a knife. And had no interest in learning trick manuevers.
 
Now cuts are a fact of life if blades are your hobby, I'm just saying that they are to be looked at with the proper sense of maturity and responsibility, if attributing such characteristics to an adult who plays with knives all day is not too much of a contradiction for you.

Cuts will happen, but it is the adult's responsibility to follow reasonable enough safety practices to keep them to an absolute minimum. My wife views me as an unfit example for our son whenever she catches me squeezing a finger with my hands held up, or bent over the bathroom sink with the cold water running, or coming home from training with a piece of my tee-shirt tied around my hand.

But I refuse to quit playing with knives, and consider my part of the adult bargain to be maintaining the proper attitude towards sharp things and the possible consequences of accidents.
 
Blasto,beware of those behind the back-over the shoulder moves.I knew a guy who had to be brought to the hospital several times.Once it was because the blade sunk into the shoulder..he had tossed the knife just a little too high and didn't get the shoulder out of the way fast enough.Those are some *very* dangerous moves.I've heard of a few more people that have had some bad incidents doing similiar stuff.
Just remember this: "Some things just aren't wise to do".

Blade,the bit about feeding knives (almost any blade actually) is pretty much true.I've faced that on many occasions myself.My favorite knife has a little bit different take on it.I will let others try him out,but I always warn them before hand that he will attempt to bite them.Anyone who picks him up will be bitten..and if the person laughs at the warning,he'll make sure his bite will be a bad one.If they show caution he'll just do a tiny nick..one that usually won't be seen immediately.


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*The* Lunatic Puppy
It wasn't me...It was my *good* twin..
My "inner puppy" made me do it..
 
If what you say about feeding knives is true, then it was my misfortune to buy a glutton.
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Just stabbed myself on the back of the knee, trying to do an arial faster than I'm capable. I wouldn't say I'm proud of the wound, though, rather the otherway around..hurts like hell and keeps dripping blood down my leg, and I can only slap myself for doing something so stupid.

*SLAP*
 
I can only conclude that some percentage of the population here is into self-mutalization.
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Sorta of like a full body suit.

[This message has been edited by RKnight (edited 04-27-2001).]
 
Ouch, back of the knee. I hope you don't have to go to the hospital for that one.

Yeah, from what I've seen blades have a need to be fed. I've gotten bites from both of my sharp balisongs, and my dull practice sure does try. I remember when I got my sword (showroom sword, blades a crap blade that can't be sharpened) how my hands where always getting onto the blade somehow. Now I know!
 
MacCanine, you're very correct about the over the shoulder openings being dangerous. Luckily I've been throwing dull cheapies and all I've gotten is a small ding in my back (the knife did not open as it should have... dang jags).

Blade, I agree completely, and it seems the sharper the knife, the bigger the appetite
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. Every new bali I get bites me within the first 5 minutes. "Oh yeah," I think, "these things are sharp." Then I'm safe for a while.

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~Dave

"One in the hand is worth two in the sheath"
 
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