Solingen Machete hardness 45 HRC. Is RC as important as we think it is?

[baeleg]

Swords did not generally get heavier as armor went from mail to plate. They got more rigid to thrust into the gaps better. A Type XII cutting sword from ~1300 and a Type XVIII cut/thrust longsword from ~1500 could easily be the same weight. The blade geometry would be vastly different though.

IIRC, hardness generally ranges more across the sword than from type to type though. The portion near the grip would be softer, with the tip being harder.

 

[Luis G.]

Depends baeleg. What I can say is when two heavily armored opponents went in the battlefield, it's better to have a heavy sword to impact a blow and hopefully break bones than to miss or break a thinner thrust oriented sword.

Remember the same people making the swords, were making the armor PRECISELY to combat the sword. And chances are a sword will give out way before armor does.

If you follow history you will see trends of smaller thinner swords during periods of relative peace, and very thick and heavier swords in periods of war.
Keep in mind: trends.

 

[Gator97]

It'll be quite difficult to sharpen that thing. Soft steel tends to fold once the edge starts forming... I'd say hardness is one of the most important factors

 

[XiaolongJackson]

I can chop wood with a dull axe, too, but it sucks. Sharp machetes work a lot better than dull ones.

But isn't the point of using a machete to vines and foliage apart so they don't get in your way when taking a stroll through the jungle?

 

[me2]

The hardness is just an indicator of strength and ability to resist indentation. There are more than one way to reach the same hardness. You can have a 1095 blade at 45 HRc because it was quenched in used motor oil or you can have one that was quenched in fast quench oil and then tempered back to 45. They will behave very differently. A certain minimum strength/hardness is required, but, especially in larger blades, high hardness isn't necessary. What one is really after is the proper microstructure, in the case of knives, tempered martensite.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

But isn't the point of using a machete to vines and foliage apart so they don't get in your way when taking a stroll through the jungle?

A sharp edge is ESPECIALLY important on light targets. Dull ones just knock stuff out of the way.

 

[tltt]

Here's a historical look at Rockwell hardnesses of some famous knives from 50 - 100 years back.

In Gun Digest of '78, an article by Robert Burmeister gives the following Rockwell N scales values:

1) Collins Machete- 71(53 C scale).
2) 1917 Bolo- 66(47-48).
3) Collins No. #18- 69(51).
4) Norwegian Bayonet- 62(43).
5) Marine F-U- 74(56).
6) Navy F-U- 66(47-48).
7) M-1(M4) Carbine Bayo.- 41(20).
8) Remington Hunter(6 1/4")- 66(47-48).
9) Marble's Expert- 66(47-48).
10) Bower Bowie knife- 54(34).
11) Wingen Skinner- 59(39-40).
12) Wusthoff Folder- 52(32).
13) Randall No # 7- 75(57-58).
14) Randall #8- 65(46-47).
15) Randall #1- 72(52).
16) Norwegian Gelio knife(Morseth)- 30 (no C-scale listing cause of multi- layered const. looks like a Morseth).
17) Wingen Yukon Hunter- 78(60-61).
18) Dexter Butcher- 76(58-59).
19) Western- 75(57-58).
20) Buck- 72(54).
21) Buck 110- 75(57-58).
22) Wilkinson- 58(38-39).
23) F-S- 57(37 -38).

 

[XiaolongJackson]

A sharp edge is ESPECIALLY important on light targets. Dull ones just knock stuff out of the way.

I suppose. I don't have a machete and I live in an urban area, so I just assumed that the reason why most machetes don't seem to be sharp out of box is because they don't need to be.