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.

A well sharpened Katana should be able to do the scarf test, my sensi showed it to me with his old family sword. Don't forget Japanese armour was laqured bamboo not steel.

Both eastern swords mentioned in the scarf test are also curved. Would the scarf slide down the edge as it cut? This shearing action also would aid in the cutting compared to a straight blade held horizontally. This is why you slice meat as opposed to simply pushing the knife through it. :-)

It might slide a little bit but not enough to make it obvious that thats whats happening thats why this is so cool it looks like the scarf is just droping across the blade and falling in two, whter there is any sliding going on or not thats sharper than anything but a straight.

The Hair in the HHT is held and gently forced down nto the blade. i think the scarf test as you describe it is a myth. Likely a very sharp blade and a gentle swing at the scarf could work though.

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