A ricasso is an unsharpened length of blade just above the guard or handle on a knife, dagger, sword, or bayonet. Blades designed this way appear at many periods in history in many parts of the world and date back to at least the Bronze Age—essentially, as long as humans have shaped cutting tools from metals.

What is a knife Quillion?

On a sword or knife the quillon is the crossguard that helps to keep your hand or fingers from moving off of the grip and on to the blade. After the Middle Ages, crossguards became more elaborate, forming the first quillons.

What is gimping on a knife?

Jimping: Notches down the spine of a blade created to provide grip on a knife beyond the bolster.

What is a sub hilt knife?

The sub-hilt allows you to strongly thrust the knife while hunting, and then you can use the trigger to easy pull the knife out. The sub-hilt also allows you to keep your grip on the handle during action instead of having the handle slip.

What part of the knife is the bolster?

The bolster sits where the blade meets the handle as a strengthening element for the entire knife, though some bolster shapes can get in the way of electric knife sharpeners. The knife bolster can sometimes serve as a spacer between the blade and the handle.

How To Polish a Knife Ricasso. Knife Making Tutorial: Zac Buchanan Knives: Polishing Flats (Ricasso)

45 related questions found

What is a full bolster on a knife?

A knife bolster is a thick junction between the handle and the knife blade which provides a smooth transition from the blade to the handle. A bolster strengthens the knife, adds durability, and provides a counter-balance. ... Full tang, professional quality culinary knives will often have a bolster.

What is the strongest part of a knife?

The heel

The heel is the section of the blade closest to the handle. It's the strongest part and the optimum area to use for shearing through tough ingredients.

What is the purpose of a sub hilt?

In hairy situations, the sub-hilt will minimize the possibility of you losing your grip or the knife slipping down. The downside is its lack of versatility because you can only hold the knife one way.

What is the purpose of a Swedge on a knife?

Swedge (also spelled swage) – A tapered or beveled false edge (usually not fully sharpened) along the spine of the knife. It reduces the point thickness for improved piercing ability.

What are the serrations on the back of survival knives for?

The serrations seen on Aircrew Survival Egress Knife (ASEK) are intended to allow air crewmen to cut their way free through the relatively thin metal skin of a crashed helicopter or airplane.

What are the bumps on a knife called?

Knife indentation is done away from the edge of a kitchen knife. A knife most simply has either a rectangular or wedge-shaped cross-section (saber grind vs. flat grind), but may also have indentations, whose purpose is to reduce adhesion of the food to the blade.

What does a sword go into?

A scabbard is a sheath for holding a sword, knife, or other large blade.

Why do swords have handguards?

On a sword, the crossguard, or cross-guard, also known as quillon, is a bar of metal at right angles to the blade, placed between the blade and the hilt. ... The crossguards were not only used to counter enemy attacks, but also to get a better grip on the sword.

What is a sword handle?

The hilt (rarely called a haft or shaft) of a knife, dagger, sword, or bayonet is its handle, consisting of a guard, grip and pommel. The guard may contain a crossguard or quillons. A tassel or sword knot may be attached to the guard or pommel.

What is a false edge on a knife?

False Edge -An edge that isn't sharpened but gives the appearance of being another sharpened cutting edge.

What is an apple seed edge on a knife?

Also called an Appleseed or Moran grind, it is often produced by grinding on a slack grinding belt. HOLLOW GRIND. A blade with bevels that are ground with a concave radius. The bevels may extend the full width of the blade (full hollow grind) or only a portion of its width.

What's the difference between stamped and forged knives?

Forged knives are made up of a single bar of steel. They are first heat-treated and then hammered/pounded to get into the right shape. ... On the other side, the blade for a stamped knife is obtained by cutting a large sheet of steel. After cutting, it is honed as well as heat-treated to ensure higher durability.

What is the middle of a knife called?

Spine. The back of the blade, or, if it is a double-edged knife, the middle. The spine is the thickest part of the blade, and provides strength to the edge.

What can happen if a chef uses a blunt knife?

When a knife blade is blunt or dull, it requires more pressure to cut, making it more likely to slip with the increased force behind it and cause an injury. ... Food that has been poorly cut will not cook properly and will also impact your portioning and how the food appears to your guests.

What is the back of the blade called?

The spine of the knife is the unsharpened back of the blade. Having an unsharpened spine is what separates a knife from a dagger, which has an edge on each side.

Why is the heel the strongest part of a knife?

The heel on a chef's knife is ideal for chopping tough ingredients like nuts, carrots, and even bones. The cutting edge is the sharp edge of the blade that extends from the tip to the heel. This is where all of the magic happens.

What knife is easiest to sharpen?

While there are steels that are easier to sharpen, our pick for easiest steel to sharpen goes to 440C grade steel, as it offers an excellent balance between durability and ease of sharpening. Of course, there is more to this topic than a single sentence can cover.

Why do swords have blood grooves?

The blood grooves are a single indention where the steel dips down in the middle. ... Whether used in a Japanese katana or any other bladed weapon, this indention doesn't have anything to do blood. Rather, it's used to lighten the blade.

What is a sword knot?

: an ornamental cord or tassel tied to the hilt of a sword.