Thread: Can a super sharp straight razor do this?

Hi All,

I remember in the movie the Bodyguard with Kevin Costner and Whitney Houston, there was this one amazing scene. Whitney was holding a Japanese sword and Kevin took her scarf threw it up in the air and when it landed on the sword, the weight of the scarf cut itself into halves.

Is this possible or just "in the movies" type of thing.


Have a great day and God bless.


-kelly

I never saw The Bodyguard; but the same thing was done in the old '40s movie The Crusades starring Henry Wilcoxen and Loretta Young. The Saracen leader, Saladin, states to King Richard the Lionhearted, "Your swords aren't sharp enough to take Jerusalem." Richard, always up to a challenge, cuts an iron mace in two. Saladin says, "You've merely shown me the strength of your arm, not the sharpness of your blade." Whereupon he tosses a silk scarf in the air with one hand, draws his scimitar with the other and lets the scarf land on it. It neatly divides into two pieces. Nice trick, but I wouldn't want to use the same sword on flesh and bone.

Well it depends on how hard the steel is and if you can get it that sharp again after the battle.

...and whether your opponents are wearing silk scarves or steel armor.

If it's hard enough to keep an edge after banging it against steel swords, it's harder than regular steel used for swords ATT and should easily cut through steel armor, which is softer than blade steel, especially if it's chain mail or if you focus on the armor joints when fighting a plated oponent.

I don't think that scarf test is any more impressive than the HHT. The pressure of a hair has to be less than the weight of a scarf, even when it floats down. Of course, I've never been able to get the HHT to work with my hair.

Originally Posted by dennisthemenace

Richard, always up to a challenge, cuts an iron mace in two. Saladin says, "You've merely shown me the strength of your arm, not the sharpness of your blade." Whereupon he tosses a silk scarf in the air with one hand, draws his scimitar with the other and lets the scarf land on it. It neatly divides into two pieces.

Fair point, I'd say. Except I'd say an arm strong enough to chop an iron mace, and a sword that wouldn't break doing it, would be of far more interest to me in battle than a shaving sharp sword. But I guess that's just me....

Oh, as for the real question. Besides the uselessness of any weapon being that sharp, the answer is no way. Sure a RAZOR will pop a single hair, if it happens to be the right type of hair (mine won't work), but no way a piece of cloth is going to fall into two pieces.

-Mo

Personally I think it is a large amount of theatrical license woven into an urban myth,but hell what would I know
Kind regards Peter

Originally Posted by kellykungfu

when it landed on the sword, the weight of the scarf cut itself into halves.

Is this possible or just "in the movies" type of thing.

If by "sword" you mean "chainsaw", then yes it's possible.

Originally Posted by mparker762

If by "sword" you mean "chainsaw", then yes it's possible.

And if by cut you mean shredded into pieces.