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Post by Arborcommando on Jul 11, 2012 14:33:12 GMT
Hello, my name is rob and I can't cut bottles ! I have a hanwei tinker longsword witch I have sharpened with an acusharp, but I also have a very low success rate when I go out in the garden with a few bottles it's more like batting practice than cutting as I send bottles flying off up the garden ! Please, any advice hints or tips. Rob
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Post by Warlokk on Jul 11, 2012 14:42:34 GMT
What kind of bottles? I have tried a number of different types, and some are easier to cut than others. Milk jugs, for example, are very easy. 2-liter soda bottles, a little tougher but still manageable if you don't blow the cut. Simply Orange/Lemonade juice bottles are the plate armored knights of the bottle army.
Also, folks around here will probably tell you Accusharp is not really the best way to sharpen a sword, but opinions vary... if the bevel is too steep it can make things more difficult.
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Post by demonskull on Jul 11, 2012 15:19:49 GMT
First last and always Safety
But to assist with your cut:
First try 2 liter bottles vs those little 16 oz size one (you can decrease the size of the bottle after you become profiecent)
Second Change you focus point, most new cutters focus on the bottle, this will cause you to decrease the velocity of your blade before it strikes the target -batted vs cut. Change your focus point to 2-4" past the bottle. Start with an imaginary tennis ball size target suspended behind the bottle and ignore the bottle when you swing. After you gain some experience you can decrease the imaginary target from tennis ball to ping pong ball to jumbo marble to pea.
Third is edge alaignment- this has to do with maintaining the same angle of the cut t, throughout the cut. Twisting your sword even slightly during a cut with change the momentum and the surface area of the blade on the bottle and again will bat vs cut.
Even a moderately sharp blade will cut a bottle.
Good Luck, Have Fun and above all else Be safe. There are some safety tips for cutting posted elsewhere on the forum, so do a quick search.
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Post by Neil G. on Jul 13, 2012 13:34:47 GMT
Here are a few videos by fellow SBGers
First from Greg (I think the 4th video here will be of particular help)
Then ShooterMike (I think the 2nd video here in particular will be helpful)
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Post by Arborcommando on Jul 13, 2012 17:42:09 GMT
Righto, speed, edge alignment, stance. I've adjusted my bevel now, I took the bevel off with a file and made it tidy with 240 grit. A bit of a half assed job with the sanding as I had to do it the old fashioned way ( couple of hours of rubbing with oil and paper ). Looks better and seems to cut better ( could be the practice ! ). I'm gonna make something to put on my drill to polish it up
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Post by chopper on Jul 13, 2012 19:25:47 GMT
Those are some good videos. Thanks for posting them. Im new to cutting too and I bat some of mine around. Next time I cut I'm going to try some of these tips out.
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Post by MOK on Jul 15, 2012 12:22:32 GMT
I'm not new to cutting, and I still bat 'em around the yard the first few times when I try out a new and unfamiliar sword. Don't sweat it: practice makes better.
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Post by Neil G. on Jul 16, 2012 13:51:25 GMT
Yeah, I've been cutting for a while now and every once in a while I'll still bat a bottle pretty far myself - 'specially when I'm using horizontal two handed swings. Diagonal cuts I'm good with, one handed cuts I'm good with. I'm even pretty good cutting with those funky German cuts that use the short edge (Schielhau, Zwerchhau, Krumphau - although that last one is difficult to set up on a regular stand)... I guess I'm more mindful of my form using those.
Anyway, for some reason if I'm swinging horizontally with two hands my form reverts into a baseball swing and I wind up screwing up the edge alignment. Plus, I tend to lose the draw portion of the cut. It has plenty of speed and power but no slice, so I wind up "bursting" the bottles rather than cutting them. The caps will explode off and the sides collapse and there will be a great spray of water followed by a bottle missile shooting 10-15 feet away.
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jhart06
Member
Slowly coming back from the depths...
Posts: 3,292
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Post by jhart06 on Jul 16, 2012 15:30:46 GMT
Also of mention is a problem i'm running into. Your cutting stand being too high or too low can hamper your performance.
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Post by MOK on Jul 16, 2012 15:36:41 GMT
This, of course, should not be an overwhelming issue - no opponent is going to position themselves for your convenience, either. As long as the top of the stand comes up to anywhere between your waist and shoulders, it really should not introduce any kind of problem that plain old practice wouldn't solve.
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Lunaman
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,974
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Post by Lunaman on Jul 16, 2012 15:41:47 GMT
Mhmm, but if the target's lower than your waist you're probably scooping at it and it'll make edge alignment difficult. Too high is far less likely than too low.
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jhart06
Member
Slowly coming back from the depths...
Posts: 3,292
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Post by jhart06 on Jul 16, 2012 16:26:14 GMT
It's an additional problem that a new cutter need not inflict on themselves, hence why I mentioned it. It's easy enough to solve without the practice really. But, by all means, drive yourself nuts.
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Post by ShooterMike on Jul 16, 2012 19:28:02 GMT
I always suggest that people use multiple stands, set at heights of the points of attack on an opponent. Take your hypothetical opponent (or yourself) and measure the heights to: * lower arm/hand in a low guard position, similar to hand position in the plow and fool's guard * upper arm/chest * neck/side of face[/list:u]
That's where you want your cutting stands set with respect to height. It allows you to replicate cuts that attack openings anywhere from the groin to the head. Nevermind the leg cutting. That'll get you in trouble.
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Post by MOK on Jul 16, 2012 19:39:07 GMT
That's what I do. Another thing that might help if you're batting bottles away - instead of setting them on a stand, hang them on a string. Of course you'll only be able to cut any bottle once, this way, but it changes the dynamic a bit, you won't have to worry about hitting the stand (which can make you flinch, pull your strikes etc.) and at least you won't have to run after the ones that take flight. And, of course, it's easier to adjust the elevation.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Jul 16, 2012 20:21:26 GMT
what everyone else said...also, it was my exp with the tinker longsword that it just wasnt a good Cutting sword, it was a great thruster, but it seemed highly lack luster in cutting, even after i properly sharpened it, the tinker viking and tinker great sword have been way better cutters for me.
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