Problems with obsidian blades how to#

In order to establish a reliable foundation for future archaeological investigations of obsidian tool functions, I performed approximately 300 experiments with 145 obsidian tool specimens controlling for two obsidian sources, two activity durations, and 29 different materials that were accessible to pre-Hispanic residents of central Mexico. However, the method of high-magnification use-wear analysis has been underutilized for functional interpretations of obsidian tools in the region, especially compared to lithic studies in sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Oceania, and North America. When shopping for commercial kitchen knives, it’s best to focus on the thinness of the blade, the sharpening style used, and online reviews.Obsidian tools are ubiquitous at archaeological sites throughout the pre-Hispanic period ( ca. While obsidian blades are probably the sharpest in the world, they’re not practical or safe for use in the kitchen. With regular sharpening and good maintenance, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about having the ‘sharpest knife in the world.’ World’s Sharpest Knife – Conclusion

The reviews you see for specific knives online.

Sharpening style (double vs single edge).

There are plenty of products claiming to be the sharpest but in general, it’s better to focus on: While they’ve been used in a medical context in recent history, the unpredictable, brittle nature of obsidian means it’s far less common as a cutting material today.

Obsidian blades were a powerful tool during the stone age. The same is true for the foods we prepare. The debris they leave behind wouldn’t be safe for the human body. Obsidian has been tested as a potential material for surgical scalpels but is often swiftly rejected. Why Don’t We Use Obsidian Knives in the Kitchen?īecause they’re so brittle! They also leave glass fragments behind in the things they’re cutting. However, obsidian can snap and break very easily as it’s a brittle material. Diamonds clock in at around 10 on this scale, so obsidian is in the middle of the road here. It’s rated between 5 and 5.5 on what’s known as the Mohs scale of hardness. Obsidian is reasonably strong but is also very brittle. In short, obsidian blades are impossibly sharp. This is around ten times sharper than the sharpest razor blade. The edge of an obsidian blade can be just 3 nanometers across.

With a conchoidal fracture, the line is much straighter and therefore sharper. When you zoom in very close to a steel blade, the edge looks more like a saw than a straight line. This kind of fracture looks very different from the edge of a traditional chef’s knife. The way that obsidian breaks are known as a conchoidal fracture. Their staggeringly thin blades are the reason for this. Obsidian knives are currently the sharpest possible knives known to man.

Problems with obsidian blades how to#

The same is true for the edge of a knife.Ĭlick here to learn how to test knife sharpness. If you dive fingertips first into the pool, however, the thinner, pointed shape created by your body will glide into the water effortlessly. If you ‘belly flop’ into the water, you’re going to have a much harder time actually penetrating its surface. A good analogy to use is to imagine diving into a pool of water. The thinner the blade, the less force is needed for it to cut food – or anything for that matter – effectively. The main factor that impacts the sharpness of a blade is its thickness. Things That Will Ruin Your Kitchen Knives.Kitchen Activities for Children with Special Needs.How to Sharpen a Knife with a Whetstone?.How to Sharpen a Knife with a Sharpener?.How to Keep Kitchen Knives From Rusting.Why Do We Use a Different Knife to Cut Bread?.Mercer Culinary Genesis 7 Inch Chef Knife.