cutting ballistics gel

lmao. I'm sure we could talk the local mortuary into letting us have some XD

I suggest combining steps 2 and 3 to actually get realistic results. Dead stuff doesn't cut the same as stuff that's alive...

... merely an observation, of course.

See, I thought of saying that, but 2 things stopped me.
1- pigs are pretty fast runners, and since I'm not going to chase the little bugger around, I'd have to tie him up.
Which leads us into point 2.
I could see me doing that and turning around to see a group of PETA members dressed as cows and holding baseball bats. That could ruin any BBQ.

that and pigs can be big and mean. I'd just hate to have a eulogy that reads: "BBQ samurai killed in own backyard by pig."

Well just remember those blades that did that were the most superior. It's not hard to imagine when using a blade that can cut silk that falls on to it. My brother told me about a Nihonto a friend of ours has, the thing cost over $100k. It had to be escorted to the airport with armed guards because it was considered a country jewel. Anyways, when it arrived they taught him how to maintain it and warned him how sharp it was that if it were to fall an inch or two above the arm, it would sever it instantly. So I'd imagine that's one of the swords that would cleave 7 bodies.

What surprises me about a blade like that is that it still retains it scarey sharpness even after all those years of warfare and just time.

From my, slightly limited experience with reading about swords, the way they were made, what they were made of. The Japanese didn't have a steel that could hold a better edge than what we have today, as a matter of fact out steels are better than what they had in say 15th century japan.

Falling two inches above the arm and severing it instantly, It would have to weigh a ton and be nearly paper thin and even then it wouldn't happen. I'm so tired of hearing these stories about legendary katanas that could cut through tanks, it just doesn't work.

My jedi ginsu can do more! ...search youtube


Hey absilits, have you tried make your own "tatami" with hay from your field? Because you could just bundle up some long hay and tie it, that's what I plan to do once we get moved into the new place.

Don't recall a "tank" being mentioned, but I wasn't lying about the capability of the blade. It's not an average nihonto, as I stated that the blade was escorted to the airport and shipped personally to the owner by masters.

I wasn't going to comment directly on this but it seems something does have to be said.

While bishop can be a little coarse in how he says things and many things he says I disagree with, I must chime in with bishop on this.

There are a couple of things that would lean the scenario of the aforementioned katana to simply heresay and myth...

1. If indeed the katana were a Japanese National Treasure, I highly doubt that it would be allowed to be purchased by a private collector outside of Japan. I could be wrong though.

2. Again, if indeed the blade were a Japanese National Treasure and if indeed it had been sold, I'd wager that armed guards are not a practice that even such a sword would enjoy to the airplane. There are rules that prevent such escort activities in plane terminals... granted I could be wrong as that is Japan and not the USA.

3. Even IF the above 2 variables were indeed true as the story goes sheer physics doesn't allow for a blade, no matter how finely crafted, to completely sever a human limb if just "dropped from an inch or two". The sword blade weighs maybe a max of 3lbs (which is an awfully heavy blade) and for it to drop only 1 or 2 inches wouldn't give it enough distance to accelerate to maximum cutting velocity nor would it have gained enough kinetic energy to truly cut clean through. Yes it is most likely that a bad cut would occur but the complete loss of limb from such an occurrence is well... only possible in the realm of anime and Star Wars (a la the lightsaber).

As Tom had noted, human bone and connective tissue is not as easy to cut through as skin and flesh. Even if a blade were sharp enough to slice through skin and flesh till it hit bone, there exists no blade that I know of which could cut through bone of similar weight to a katana being dropped from the distance prescribed above.

I think its sad that such stories are still perpetuated and even sadder that there are many who believe in the existence of this amazing cutting ability.

That said, I would believe that since we are all intelligent people, before telling a story that carries such obvious clues as to its falsehood, one would have thought carefully if indeed such a story ever occurred... and therefore if it merits being repeated so that yet another unwary reader might become the next believer that katana are just shy of lightsabers in cutting ability.