The tale of The Zombie Cleaver is sort of interesting to me. There are no epic journeys ending in a mountain because of an evil ring, but when it comes to real life one can't be too picky.
Instead, I've always been interested by pretty much any militaria. I like pistols, rifles, shotguns, bows, arrows, shields, kevlar, boron carbide rifle plates, chainmail, platemail, cannons, etc. Add to that list swords and you can see I pretty much enjoy anything in that vein to some extent. Some things I just appreciate, while others I'd like to own and/or use like a collector of any other type of item would.
Last Thursday, a long-awaited item finally arrived. What item is that? A sword. I'd been debating its purchase for nearly a year, keeping a tab for it open in my browser so that I didn't outright forget about it. Periodically I'd viewed the tab and considered it, but it was a low priority item when compared to more immediate needs like food, gas, and computer components.
Being a total novice, I didn't really know what to expect. Would I be able to utilize it effectively, or would I instead launch my target flying through the air virtually unscathed? Would I cut my own leg in half? I knew some very limited information based on what I have seen on the Internet. Some things are obvious but should be said to any beginner anyway: plan your cut and plan its termination for when the blade either misses or passes through the target, step into your cut, wear good shoes, keep well-balanced, make sure nobody and nothing you care about is in the path of the blade (or beyond in case of weapon failure or loss of grip), it's not a baseball bat, oil after every use, and rust will set in pretty much instantly. It wasn't much knowledge, but it was enough to ensure safety. That is substantially more important than achieving an effective or outright impressive cut.
My first opportunity to try a cut was Friday after work since Thursday night I had been occupied with a church group meeting. I had two water bottles that I'd drawn mean-looking faces on that simply had to be dispatched. The absolute lack of technique and experience showed. Despite the blade being a light 1.9 pounds, I had trouble gaining velocity. Controlling flight path was also less than perfect. The cuts were sloppy instead of smooth. I walked away unimpressed with both myself and the blade.
Blame lied solely at my feet. There was little sense in blaming the weapon for my own shortcomings, after all. Saturday after lunch I took another shot at cutting. Two more bottles were ready for slaughter--leftovers from the day before. I had a go at the skinnier bottle of the two, and *slice*...a clean diagonal cut. Quickly I found myself becoming more aware of the blade's position, enabling me to cut with it instead of simply swing it like a sharp-edged club. I cut a second time and just barely missed cutting through the entire bottle. Horizontally the blade had passed through the entire object without difficulty, but I hadn't cut "deep" enough to cleave the bottle in half. My error resulted in a cut that was about a quarter of an inch too shallow. Not bad for a novice, I thought. What a wonderful way to spend the first weekend of spring with good weather.
It is curious how rapidly high carbon steel begins to rust. It is essential for me to keep a cotton cloth in my pocket when cutting wet targets. Immediately following a cut, it's time for a wipe-down. Shortly after that, it's time for a coating of mineral oil.
Good stuff. Some times some hands-on time with a piece of the past can really broaden one's appreciation for mankind's history.
Instead, I've always been interested by pretty much any militaria. I like pistols, rifles, shotguns, bows, arrows, shields, kevlar, boron carbide rifle plates, chainmail, platemail, cannons, etc. Add to that list swords and you can see I pretty much enjoy anything in that vein to some extent. Some things I just appreciate, while others I'd like to own and/or use like a collector of any other type of item would.
Last Thursday, a long-awaited item finally arrived. What item is that? A sword. I'd been debating its purchase for nearly a year, keeping a tab for it open in my browser so that I didn't outright forget about it. Periodically I'd viewed the tab and considered it, but it was a low priority item when compared to more immediate needs like food, gas, and computer components.
Being a total novice, I didn't really know what to expect. Would I be able to utilize it effectively, or would I instead launch my target flying through the air virtually unscathed? Would I cut my own leg in half? I knew some very limited information based on what I have seen on the Internet. Some things are obvious but should be said to any beginner anyway: plan your cut and plan its termination for when the blade either misses or passes through the target, step into your cut, wear good shoes, keep well-balanced, make sure nobody and nothing you care about is in the path of the blade (or beyond in case of weapon failure or loss of grip), it's not a baseball bat, oil after every use, and rust will set in pretty much instantly. It wasn't much knowledge, but it was enough to ensure safety. That is substantially more important than achieving an effective or outright impressive cut.
My first opportunity to try a cut was Friday after work since Thursday night I had been occupied with a church group meeting. I had two water bottles that I'd drawn mean-looking faces on that simply had to be dispatched. The absolute lack of technique and experience showed. Despite the blade being a light 1.9 pounds, I had trouble gaining velocity. Controlling flight path was also less than perfect. The cuts were sloppy instead of smooth. I walked away unimpressed with both myself and the blade.
Blame lied solely at my feet. There was little sense in blaming the weapon for my own shortcomings, after all. Saturday after lunch I took another shot at cutting. Two more bottles were ready for slaughter--leftovers from the day before. I had a go at the skinnier bottle of the two, and *slice*...a clean diagonal cut. Quickly I found myself becoming more aware of the blade's position, enabling me to cut with it instead of simply swing it like a sharp-edged club. I cut a second time and just barely missed cutting through the entire bottle. Horizontally the blade had passed through the entire object without difficulty, but I hadn't cut "deep" enough to cleave the bottle in half. My error resulted in a cut that was about a quarter of an inch too shallow. Not bad for a novice, I thought. What a wonderful way to spend the first weekend of spring with good weather.
It is curious how rapidly high carbon steel begins to rust. It is essential for me to keep a cotton cloth in my pocket when cutting wet targets. Immediately following a cut, it's time for a wipe-down. Shortly after that, it's time for a coating of mineral oil.
Good stuff. Some times some hands-on time with a piece of the past can really broaden one's appreciation for mankind's history.
