- Joined
- May 4, 2003
- Messages
- 196
Hi Everyone,
I just posed this question to Hugh Teater, the man who kindly allowed me to put a 28" Criswell katana on layaway. I thought I'd throw it out here on the forum too and see what kind of response I got. Maybe Rob will answer directly if he happens to see this post.
I was discussing the sword with my sensei after showing him a pic. He liked it, in fact he had a different pic of the same sword on his computer because it caught his eye. He wasn't sure about the hollow grind. He said that some hollow-ground blades have a weak edge and are prone to chipping, bending, or wedging themselves in bones when cutting. (He meant wedging between bones in the ribcage, not when cutting a single bone, like a femur.) I told him about the first-hand accounts I've read of people going through heavy branches with their Criswell swords without damaging the edge. He told me to bring the sword for some tameshigiri (mat cutting) and takegiri (bamboo cutting) when I received it. I promised to do so, knowing that neither type of target would be a problem for the sword. I get the feeling my sensei has had negative experiences with other blades that look like Rob's, but weren't of similar quality.
So my question is, would any of the Criswell owners here comment? I'm interested in personal experiences, opinions, or most especially, if someone who knows Rob well has discussed this point with him. I know he has found a way to make his blades sharp and tough, but I'd realy like to know how he did it. I know the fact that his edges are so hard aren't the whole story, because a hard edge that isn't properly designed would be prone to chipping. I'm thinking its a combination of steel choice, heat treat, and grind, all blended wonderfully together. Is there anyone here who could enlighten me?
I just posed this question to Hugh Teater, the man who kindly allowed me to put a 28" Criswell katana on layaway. I thought I'd throw it out here on the forum too and see what kind of response I got. Maybe Rob will answer directly if he happens to see this post.
I was discussing the sword with my sensei after showing him a pic. He liked it, in fact he had a different pic of the same sword on his computer because it caught his eye. He wasn't sure about the hollow grind. He said that some hollow-ground blades have a weak edge and are prone to chipping, bending, or wedging themselves in bones when cutting. (He meant wedging between bones in the ribcage, not when cutting a single bone, like a femur.) I told him about the first-hand accounts I've read of people going through heavy branches with their Criswell swords without damaging the edge. He told me to bring the sword for some tameshigiri (mat cutting) and takegiri (bamboo cutting) when I received it. I promised to do so, knowing that neither type of target would be a problem for the sword. I get the feeling my sensei has had negative experiences with other blades that look like Rob's, but weren't of similar quality.
So my question is, would any of the Criswell owners here comment? I'm interested in personal experiences, opinions, or most especially, if someone who knows Rob well has discussed this point with him. I know he has found a way to make his blades sharp and tough, but I'd realy like to know how he did it. I know the fact that his edges are so hard aren't the whole story, because a hard edge that isn't properly designed would be prone to chipping. I'm thinking its a combination of steel choice, heat treat, and grind, all blended wonderfully together. Is there anyone here who could enlighten me?
) and the edge is still great! There is a small deformation in the edge near the tip, but I believe I stuck something hard (concrete, rock, etc) that caused it.
