Rope Cutting

[Doug C]

Are there special blade shapes,edge shapes or sharpening techniques for these rope cutting contests?Special knives for rope cutting?I won't ask the question I really want to as to which blade steel is the best.It's probably about equal as far as Damascus vs.Carbon vs. Stainless.The user probably has a lot to do with it too! IMO,leatherbird.

 

[JDBLADE]

You will find that the edge is probably the most important component in rope cutting. An aggressive edge works best Vs a polished edge. As far as steel goes you should look for a steel that has good edge retention.

 

[Doug C]

JDBLADE,Thanks for reply,I was thinking Titanium but will have to research edge retention as I don't own a titanium blade.I don't know but I suppose a diamond sharpener is called for or a very hard sharpening system.

 

[Cliff Stamp]

Grind the edge very thin as it is ony hitting a soft target, hook the blade slightly, and don't over polish it. The steel doesn't really matter because the cutting media is so soft and you are only making few cuts.

Skill plays a major part of course, Lynn Thompson and Jerry Busse both have videos of them doing a large amount of one inch ropes in a single cut with their standard working blades.

-Cliff