eller

First things first: no, this is not a comprehensive list of knife tip geometries! There are so many of them - and most of them so highly specialized - that, if you need one of them, you know... XD So, in order to give a "beginner-friendly" overview, I've narrowed it down to four types that are common enough you may actually encounter them in real life without having to look for them in a specialized store.



Let's look at these in some detail! (With the caveat that, of course, tip geometry is not the only thing that determines a knife's overall function. Material matters. Blade thickness matters. Grind matters. Handle design matters. Size matters. XD And so on. Really, this can only serve as a rule-of-thumb - but we have to start somewhere when trying to determine what a knife is for, right?)

( Explanations of these four knife tips. )

Anyway... This (grossly over-simplified, I know) entry will hopefully help you identify what kind of blade you are dealing with, what its strengths and weaknesses are, and what tasks people will likely use it for. (None of this is intended as legal or professional advice; don't sue me, yadda, yadda. If you do dangerous shit with sharp objects, I'm not responsible.)

This was prompted by being asked by a friend to stay on the phone with her while she walked to the station. I gladly did so (to be polite), but... Well, if she thinks this made her safer in any way, she's just wrong. XD I've taken this occasion to compile the weirdest, most useless, and in some cases even counterproductive advices I've ever received about "self-defense for women".

( Weirdness! )

That being said... Self-defense is a good thing.

...or, sexist subtitle, "Why Men* Never Cut Bread Properly", because that's what it seems to amount to in real life. ;) Ahem. So, a few nights ago, I met up with some other ladies for drinks. Somehow, this turned into one of us complaining bitterly about how her husband keeps producing Catastrophic!Bread!Spirals when cutting bread. Two others also agreed that, yes, their respective men also produce spirals rather than proper bread slices and how annoying that is. Well. I'm into technology and into knives, so, of course, I immediately took out pen and paper and produced some shitty construction drawings to show why the issue really comes down to hand size...

*I hope it's obvious this is not really a gender issue. Just that, statistically, any technical problem that exclusively hits people with very large hands is going to affect significantly more men than women.



In (1), you can see what cutting bread with an entirely straight bread knife should look like: In order to produce a clean cut, the knife is held completely horizontally, with all the teeth arriving down on the cutting board at the same time. At this point, if your hand is small enough and nothing else went catastrophically wrong, you should have produced a nice, regular slice of bread. (Because I was drunk while drawing, I'll provide translations. Tisch: table. Schneidbrett: cutting board. Brot: bread. Messer: knife. Kleine Hand: small hand. Also, no, this is not supposed to be an illustration of how to hold a bread knife... LOL)

But, oh noes, if the user's hand is too large, suddenly there's a problem! In (2), you can see that the fact that the fingers can't sink into the table surface causes the knife to be held at an angle! Under those circumstances, of course, there's an area of bread (marked orange) that's not going to be cut! And that's where the problem starts: the two main approaches to solve this are to either rip the underside of the bread (which results in really ugly slices for obvious reasons) or to rotate the bread. If you rotate the bread and your second cut does not perfectly align with the first (which it never does, not just because aligning two cuts perfectly always requires unusual levels of precision, but mainly because, hey, bread deforms when you suddenly exert pressure from a different direction, and while it's theoretically possible to correct for that, not everyone wants to fuck around with tensors during an otherwise uncomplicated kitchen task)? Catastrophic!Bread!Spirals are the logical result. Ladies, your men are neither malicious nor stupid, it's just that handing a completely straight bread knife without any kind of offset to a person with large hands is a shitty idea! (The same, of course, applies to any blade that's designed to arrive on the board surface completely horizontally. Like, also, absolutely anything with a sheepfoot blade...)

A possible solution is shown in (3): there are some bread knives with a bit of an offset that lowers the blade in relation to the handle, which means there's extra space for thicker fingers under the handle. (If you now immediately think "but this costs stability!, congratulations, you've been following my knife nerdery closely! Displacing the blade does cost stability. A knife like this will not withstand any hard impact. However, a bread knife is intended for cutting bread. If you are experiencing any kind of potentially blade-shattering impact on bread, there's most likely a bread malfunction... That is, unless you're the world's worst baker, or you intend to go into a knife fight with a bread knife - which I'd strongly advise against, even under the best of circumstances - this should never become an issue.) This extra space means that a person with large hands is now also able to hold the knife horizontally while cutting. YAY!

Other possible solutions to the problem, of course, include...
- using a thicker cutting board (which would also provide extra finger space, albeit in an impractical way... Generally, there's the recommendation your cutting board should be exactly as thick as your fingers* - not just for being able to place cuts in completely horizontal position at all, but also to provide a measure of when you've arrived on the board, with your fingers as the spacer, so you'll stop exerting pressure then, which protects your knives so you have to sharpen them less often - but at some point this becomes impractical as it results in very unwieldy cutting boards...)
- cutting at the edge of the table (which is going to be uncomfortable because you'll have to stand at an awkward angle or strain your shoulder, but, sure, this also provides extra finger space)
- cutting with reeeeaaally long arm motions (which is unergonomic as fuck, and you lose most of the advantage of that lovely serrated edge - as in, unless your knife is excellent, you're likely to shred the bread - so it only "works" in a very theoretical way but comes with other issues in practice)

*Yes, "a finger thick" as a measuring unit is not merely a historical relic; there are use cases when using your finger as a measuring unit actually fulfills an important practical purpose! Generally, when talking about tools, ergonomy, and so on, so much depends on an individual's hand that units like "a palm width" also have to be taken literally, and followed precisely, not as a guesstimate.

...but, really, it comes down to technology. I understand how painful it can be to watch Catastrophic!Bread!Spirals, but really, there's no need for a relationship conflict over this issue! (I simply got my boyfriend a bread knife he can actually use. It's now one of his favorite knives because, hey, if you like bread, the difference between being able to cut bread and not being able to cut bread really matters. Also, I guess it was a relief to learn that, nope, he's not that clumsy, he just had the wrong tool for the task.)

I'm also tagging this entry with Germany, because - obviously - this conversation scored very high on the VFGI (Very Fucking German Indeed) scale: People getting extremely emotional over bread - check. People getting extremely emotional over knives - check. Overly technical approach to, well, absolutely everything - check. Alcohol, alcohol, and more alcohol involved - check. The only reason this doesn't get a perfect score is that one of us arrived at the bar three minutes late.

Another postcard for someone on postcrossing - this time, it's a combination of drawing, painting, and papercut. It has transparent windows! The book page, inkwell, ink blob and large leaves are see-through.



Materials:
Watercolor paper: Florence watercolor paper, smooth, white, 200gsm. This was a bit of a compromise: it's the thinnest possible paper for watercoloring, but the thickest possible paper for reasonable papercutting. (Still: not much detail possible.)
Transparent paper: Folia, 115 gsm (I chose the thicker variety, for obvious reasons), light green.
Fineliners: Staedtler, different sizes.
Acrylic pens: FlySea, white and black.
Watercolors: various brands, no idea which was what. It was not my watercolor box. I'm not at home and didn't grab the box in my bag when there was a perfectly good one open on the table.
Knife: snap-off utility knife. Cheap but good. XD Seriously, it performed really well (as in: non-wobbly, good angle, and ergonomic in my hand) but it's a no-name thingy, no manufacturer printed on or anything.
Varnish: LUKAS spray varnish, satin gloss. (Added to protect the watercolors before gluing everything together.)
Spray glue: Ghiant Hightac, an ancient can. Oh well, it came out a bit yellowed and blotchy but it still worked... Somehow.

More pictures (of the papercutting and of what the card looks like with backlighting) behind the cut.

( Pictures! )

I'll definitely make more cards with this technique. It's so much fun! :D

So, um, someone not on this site asked me a very interesting question, and because I believe in not wasting a carefully typed text, I'm also posting my answer here. The question was...

Do you recommend everyday carry (of knives) for women?

Sure, if reasonably possible. That is, I firmly believe wearing a knife is generally a good idea, and it’s entirely gender-independent (though the choice of knife is going to depend on biological sex, among other factors). The main purposes of a knife are food preparation, craft and repair work, and everybody should be able to do these things. Carrying a sharp tool is just practical. [Legal note: there are some types of knives that fall under the weapon law, and some situations and places in which carrying any kind of blade is inappropriate and/or illegal. Of course, I recommend knowing and keeping the laws in your area.]

Personally, I don’t wear knives literally every day (not least because, when I’m in the city, there are so many ‘no-knife’ zones scattered everywhere that finding a legal way of getting from A to B without having to cross one can be difficult), but I do so when it's possible. I also definitely wear knives when in the countryside (with bonus points for field trips) and when camping, because not having a knife can be dangerous. Fortunately (in this aspect at least), my hands are so small that all the knives I can reasonably use have blade lengths well below 12cm, which would be the German legal threshold for weapons, meaning that my knives are all legally tools. (There are some other ‘weapon criteria’, but, well, I don’t own anything specifically ‘tactical’, I don’t hunt, and of course I stay the fuck away from illegal weapons anyway, so it’s not an issue.)

Also, on the purely philosophical level, a knife is the most intrinsically human object that exists. I mean, if you ask people what sentience means, sooner or later someone is going to mention the ability to use tools. The knife (or, if we go far enough back in history, the rock with the sharp edge) is the tool that renders humans able to interact with their environment on a level that’s not purely reactive. As such, everyone should have the opportunity to use a knife. I also believe children should learn this skill as soon as reasonably and somewhat safely possible, not just for improving hand-eye coordination but also for the mental health aspect of it. (A knife does so much for connecting a person to their surroundings! I’m not going to discuss the full philosophical, cultural, and spiritual impact of what it means to wear a knife – that would have to be a lengthy and likely quite boring wall of text – but the philosophical purpose of knives goes beyond making sandwiches.) You only learn a skill when you practice it regularly, so, sure, having and regularly using a knife is a good idea.

However, if we’re talking about the specifically American interpretation of ‘everyday carry’, with the idea of having a knife for self-defense: NOPE. That’s a terrible idea. Knives are not defensive weapons. If you get robbed in the street, a) you won’t have the time to take out your knife, and b) it’s a lot safer to just hand over your money. [Technical note: yes, I know there’s a radius within which a knife has better winning chances than a gun, something like 6-7m for trained men and 5-6m for trained women, but also, there’s still a pretty high chance of dying, so, in practice anyone sane is going to hand over their money anyway unless they know for sure the other person is planning to kill them.] If anything, wearing a knife openly increases your risk of being shot if the would-be robber doesn’t want to take the risk of you jumping them. It’s just stupid all around. DON’T DO IT.

Because the question was specifically about women wearing knives: umm. Of course, I’m aware that some people will hand pocketknives to young boys but not to young girls. THAT practice is shitty and sexist. I believe in equal opportunities. (I don’t believe in pocketknives because I’m firmly a fixed-blade girl, and I don’t believe in mass-produced factory knives because those suck, but that’s another matter entirely.) However, there’s no woman-specific knife use. As far as I’m concerned, that’s really a unisex thing.

Today's shitty knife is an authentic example of North German knife culture (which deserves the name 'culture' about as much as bacteria in a fucking yogurt). Of course, the typical North German 'working knife' is rather flexible in shape and material. Being able to make your own knives is considered a source of pride and joy. (Historically, it also used to be way to save money, because hey, large regions of Northern Germany are traditionally dirt poor. These days, it's mostly hobby, tradition, and a nice way to pass the time.)

( People like to improvise. )

Today's shitty knife (for 'bushcraft enthusiasts') is a masterpiece of awful (and dangerous) knife production that is enjoyed best along with its product description.

( 'Er�st�j�' by Er�puu )

Why do I feel the intended buyer's name is Karen? 'Bushcraft enthusiasts'. Indeed. I love it!

Double knives are a great thing: you have a larger blade for rough work, a smaller blade for detail work, and you wear them in the same sheath for easy access. A blade for every occasion! I (unironically) love the concept - it's very practical. However... This also happens to be the type of item that tourists love to bring as a souvenir from Finland.

( Let's take a look at a very touristy product. )

I had promised yhlee some reviews of really shitty knives (or knife-shaped objects), and after our recent conversation about the purpose of a ricasso on a blade, it's clear which shitty blade had to be first in line. (The opposite of an all-purpose knife is a no-purpose knife, right?) This lovely "hunting knife" combines all the historical accuracy of pink glittery resin rune earclips with all the functionality of a matte black sundial. Obviously, I'm the target group! :D

( Pictures and detailed review behind the cut )

...so, uh, this "hunting knife" can hunt dust bunnies on the shelf.

In case anyone is curious: these are my most important papercutting tools.



In this picture:
- large scissors (for long cuts; actually the professional thing because hey, Fiskars is a ridiculously expensive brand but they do make great scissors)
- small papercutting scissors (actually also the professional thing; these ones are from "ideen mit herz")
- utility knife with snap-off blade (the most important tool ever: cheap, reliable, irreplaceable)
- tiny paper scalpel thingy (No idea which brand this one is, but it's magic: I got it in an Advent calendar a few years ago, regularly use it since then, and the blade shows no sign of wear at all.)
- black paper: professional papercutting paper. Because I'm not a professional, I tore it, which is something I often do with paper.
- white paper: super-cheap note paper that I use for my practice papercuts. It's not good paper, but it somehow works.

I'm showing a close-up of the sharp things because the tips are kind of important.



NOT in these pictures:
- Japanese swivel knife which I have somehow misplaced. (It has to be somewhere in my suitcase, I guess.)
- can of spray glue
- cutting mat, because I don't own one yet. (You may think it's kind of important to have one, but so far, I've simply used scrap paper and the back of watercolor pads. I'm planning to buy one next week, though.)
- like, twenty scissors I can't use for various reasons. (I draw and write with my left, which is why well-meaning people assume I'm left-handed and keep gifting me scissors intended for use with the left hand... Except, oops, I'm actually mixed-handed, and I use almost all tools with the right, including scissors and knives. Also, yes, I usually hide that because of the serious stigma, so ending up with wrong scissors is partly my own fault for "passing" as lefthanded, which is also a social problem but less of one. Of the tools shown here, I'd only use the smallest scalpel, which feels like a pen in my hand, with my left!)
- lifetime supply of different papers. LOL