Cliff Stamp said:
That is interesting, I cut a lot of cured pork fat, which has a very thick and hard outer rind and a very sharp highly polish knife glides right through it, the same holds for the freshly killed pig. Maybe it has to do with the hair which is acting similar to tougher rope which can cause polished blades to just skip over the surface.
-Cliff
Knifetester said:
Yes, I would imagine it is the fur that causes blade impediment, not the skin. Skin is easy to cut, relative to most materials, I have cut myself by accident enough times to know that.
Jeff Clark said:
The way that hair or cloth can bunch up, mold to a blade, then roll or slide with the edge can have a huge impact on hacking or slashing efficiency... The sort of ragged peeled edges left by a file cut through bunched up terry cloth extremely well... I suggest you try a file edge.
I had a feeling my opinion on this could cause some interesting discussion.
Yeah, I have no doubt the fur plays a part in it, but I can't be sure how much since I've never encountered a bald coon.
But I do believe the skin itself has a lot to do with it, because I've also noticed this during thrusts, which generally slide between the hairs rather than cutting them. It's why I make such a big deal about having a slender point on my coon hunting page. I figure this just makes sense anyway- the primary function of the skin is to protect the tender bits underneath, and it does this pretty well. Sure, you can cut skin, but it's still a lot tougher than living muscle or guts, and therefore the primary thing to defeat. (bone is next, then maybe we can worry about flesh)
Specifically, Cliff, you mentioned cured pork fat. We butcher our own hogs yet, and grill up cured hams at nearly every family occasion. Just out of curiosity, are you talking about the traditional method where the skin is still left on? Either way, I'd have to agree that thin polished edges seem to work best on the cured pork I've cut up as well. Ya gotta keep in mind the difference in relative firmness of the substances we're talking about though. Cured meat itself is rather firm, (compared to the mostly water in a coon's guts or their springy ribs) or if you're cutting it on a cutting board, you have plenty of support to get through that rind. Since I often swing at critters from the side, their weight is really the only thing to provide enough resistance/support.
Jeff- You ever tried to file bainite at 56 Rc?
Your experiences seem to match my own. A razor sharp polished edge, or a very coarse aggressive edge both seem to work very well. Which brings us back to a point I hinted at earlier. My bowie can take hairs off my arm with moderate pressure, but it's nowhere near "razor sharp".
At this sharpness level, the toothy agressive edge will work better. I don't bother to go for a "scary sharp" polished edge, because I get nicks and edge damage that need to be repaired every time I use my knife. So I'd have to start with a coarse stone to remove them, then work down through all the finer grits to polish- on an 18" double edged blade. I can get the same cutting efficiency in 3 minutes if I just leave it at the coarse grit, so I just don't bother with all the extra work.
Also, you mentioned blades with lots of sweeping belly work better. A straight edge will do the same with a "draw cut". Though of course this wouldn't be efficient with a smaller blade. I actually wrote up a test I did a while back, comparing draw cuts to straight chopping cuts. I could share it if you're interested.
At this point in the thread you could have only been speaking to JGD and me. It sure sounded to me like you were composing a comic narrative. In which case, "Wow... I think I'm scarred." Seemed appropriate. Sorta like seeing a 300 lb woman in spandex. If, indeed, you were making an attempt at a serious post, then excuse my statement. It sounded like a script from a Jeff Foxworthy comedy show to me. Maybe an assumption got the better of both of us...
) It could have saved me a lot of grief. I was quite inconvenienced when I was without a big knife after breaking my old one; thankfully I wasn't on a life or death mission in the middle of nowhere.
