Monday, August 30, 2010

Knife Blading 101...

...Subtitled: The REAL Description of Knife-Grinds, And NOT What Frost Cutlery Tells You

There are literally dozens of variations on a theme when it comes to the knife-edge-grinds that find their way onto our favorite cutlery.

Generally speaking, there are six (6) common grinds, from which one may begin to create a custom grind.

1. Hollow Grind: A convex hollow is removed from both sides of the edge. Most straight razors are hollow ground.



2. Flat ground: The blade tapers all the way from the spine to the edge from both sides. 

3. Saber ground—Similar to a flat ground blade except that the bevel starts at about the middle of the blade, not the spine. It produces a more lasting edge at the expense of some cutting ability.

4. Chisel ground—As on a chisel only one side is ground (often at an edge angle of about 20 – 30°) whilst the other remains flat all the way to the spine.
 
5. Double bevel or compound bevel—A back bevel, similar to a saber or flat grind, is put on the blade behind the edge bevel (the bevel which is the foremost cutting surface). This back bevel keeps the section of blade behind the edge thinner which improves cutting ability. Being less acute at the edge than a single bevel, sharpness is sacrificed for resilience.
 
6. Convex ground—Rather than tapering with straight lines to the edge, the taper is curved, though in the opposite manner to a hollow grind. Such a shape keeps a lot of metal behind the edge making for a stronger edge while still allowing a good degree of sharpness. This grind is often used on axes and is then called...taa daa... an axe grind. 

After receiving...and they're still coming...plenty of heat from daring to speak the truth about Frost Cutlery, I'm in the position of being something of an instructor, because of the unfortunate few who've learned everything they know about knives from the Frosted Flakes. One cannot begin to speak the same language when one is up against they who no speaky the English.

How much IS your thumb or forefinger or pinky worth? How's about your son's or daughter's digits? The Wife? Pop, Mom, the unknowing neighbor you gifted that absolute piece of junk to?

Look fella's buy what you want to buy. No one is saying not to. You, each and every last one of you, deserve and are entitled to your own opinion.

Not your own facts.

The Frost representatives on Cutlery Corner cannot even describe what a common knife grind is. They don't have to. They specialize in misrepresenting everything there is to do with cutlery...BECAUSE....when you can't brag on the quality of your product you do what the common criminals called con-men have always done.

Lie. For example, a Hollow Grind -  has a convex hollow -  ground into the knife's EDGE. Nothing at all to do with the spine of the knife. Sometimes, as is the case with full flat grinds, the edge must be created as a continuous taper from the spine, but that's a different story and NOT what the Frosted Flakes are talking about. 

The Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night shows you've been using as examples, were featuring the piece of crap razors that both Todd Boone and Tom O'Dell were hawking, and they MISTAKENLY said, time and again, that a straight razor's hollow grind is measured from the spine to the edge.

No. It is not. How anyone who has been around knives for literally decades could believe such a thing is difficult to understand. 


I haven't mentioned Mrs. Travis. She is the co-host when its time for Tom O'Dell to take over after Todd Boone has shouted his lungs out.  Mrs. Travis - who is Mr. O'Dell's daughter-in-law, is there to assure that old Tom doesn't ramble on TOO much and give away the store. How else would you explain the addition of a woman who has all of the charm and personality of a book of stamps. Knowing virtually nothing about knives, Mrs. Travis points the seemingly slowly sinking into senility O'Dell in the right direction when she isn't busy yakking off camera with whomever happens to be in the room. 


Cutlery Corner. The epitome of FAIL.

Be the master of your own domain. LEARN more about your hobby and try not to let the conmen steal from you.

No comments: