Anyone else cringe when they see pics with an edge on stone?

[awa54]

...or other hard materials for that matter.

I like my edges to stay sharp and undamaged, if the edge is going to get dinged, I want it to be from cutting something! When I see pictures of a knife edge down on concrete, stone or metal I have an internal head shake moment, wondering if it was really worth having to touch up the blade to get that particular shot.

I will admit that many really great pics have been posted here that are probably more visually striking because the knife was posed edge down, but it still bugs me in a borderline OCD way

[demoncase]

Nope....A moment on concrete or stone has never caused me to have to do anything to edge on my arty shots

What DOES make me cringe is when I see a knife perched on something and you know that a gust of wind/errant footstep/kitty is going to knock it off and impact on the point or edge......Because it's happened to me more than once

[SpyderNut]

Yes, it has always bothered me to see such pictures, even though they may be beautiful. My OCD simply will not allow me to enjoy them.

[anagarika]

Definitely the edge will glint & reflect back after such shot.

Cringe inside

[The Deacon]

Not really, but perhaps I just don't sharpen my knives to the point where just being placed gently and sitting motionless on a hard surface will damage the edge.

OTOH, I will admit the sight of a metal handled knife photographed laying in a bed of stones disturbs me. To my mind, it would be very hard to do that without creating scratches.

[Doc Dan]

It does not bother me, but I do think it could possibly dull a super sharp edge. After all, it won't be my knife.

[yablanowitz]

If being set edge down on a hard surface was the worst thing that ever happened to one of my knives, they would keep me up all night with the noise from their non-stop party. Now the pictures with them stuck in wood bother me some because of the number of tips I've seen broken off (and yes, a few of them were mine). But then, I buy them to use, and scratches and dings don't bother me. They are going to get dull and need sharpening anyway, and merely being set edge down on a rock for a picture isn't likely to hasten that unduly. If that sort of gentle contact is flattening your edge, your edge isn't going to stand up to any kind of real use anyway.

[SG89]

The more dangerous the shot the better lol. 3rd Gen rigger has some precarious pictures for example

[remnar]

The more dangerous the shot the better...

I like your style :D

[3rdGenRigger]

The more dangerous the shot the better lol. 3rd Gen rigger has some precarious pictures for example

Most are a lot less precarious than they seem lol. I wanted to do a tailstanding picture of my Chokwe on the top of a tower, but towers do tend to move a little with the wind, and the wind itself could cause the knife to fall and it's not worth it. If I'm holding it in my hand it's pretty good though as I'm pretty good at not dropping things at heights. I do also take pictures on stucco deck pillars, but the edge is always resting on soft orange moss to protect the edge somewhat. I also sharpen my knives as necessary, so I don't mind perching them on a hard surface for a good shot every so often (I do tend to avoid this when the knives are freshly sharpened though...if they need a sharpening already I'm a lot less reticent). To answer the original question...yes and no depending on the particular knife and the circumstances.

[Water Bug]

I can understand why some may cringe at the sight of a knife's edge being placed upon a hard surface for a photograph... for me, though, when I see such pictures, I like to give the photographer the benefit of the doubt that he/she knows the potential that damage can occur to their blade's edge if they're not careful and that they take the necessary steps to ensure damage doesn't occur in the placement of their knife.

Now, what makes me cringe is when someone closes a pocket knife blade (or a lockback knife blade, such as a Buck 110 Folding Hunter) and they let the back spring close the blade on its own and with force, thereby letting the blade override its resting point and allowing the edge to slam into the back spring... THAT makes me cringe, especially when someone else does it to one of my knives.

[Jazz]

Edge damage is occurring, however small. I hate seeing these pics, even if they look great. And how about those glass or marble cutting boards? What jacka$$ invented those?

[awa54]

Edge damage is occurring, however small. I hate seeing these pics, even if they look great. And how about those glass or marble cutting boards? What jacka$$ invented those?

Well marble boards are actually for pastry and candy making, *not* cutting, I assume glass is the same, however I have friends who use them as cutting boards :mad:

One such friend had been gifted an 8" yanagiba, traditional pattern and hand forged in white steel, needless to say use on the marble "cutting board" annihilated the edge... It was my first full re-profile on a single bevel knife. Fortunately this one had a generous hollow on the back, with a fairly tall edge flat, so it came back to true with no issues, but d@mn did it take forever to back the primary bevel up to the point where the chips were all gone! In the end, I decided to try shaving arm hair to test the final sharpness, but when I laid it on my forearm it drew a line of blood before it even moved... I settled with shaving hair thin strips of paper to prove to myself that it had regained its full insane sharpness :D

[Jazz]

Edge damage is occurring, however small. I hate seeing these pics, even if they look great. And how about those glass or marble cutting boards? What jacka$$ invented those?

Well marble boards are actually for pastry and candy making, *not* cutting, I assume glass is the same, however I have friends who use them as cutting boards :mad:

One such friend had been gifted an 8" yanagiba, traditional pattern and hand forged in white steel, needless to say use on the marble "cutting board" annihilated the edge... It was my first full re-profile on a single bevel knife. Fortunately this one had a generous hollow on the back, with a fairly tall edge flat, so it came back to true with no issues, but d@mn did it take forever to back the primary bevel up to the point where the chips were all gone! In the end, I decided to try shaving arm hair to test the final sharpness, but when I laid it on my forearm it drew a line of blood before it even moved... I settled with shaving hair thin strips of paper to prove to myself that it had regained its full insane sharpness :D

Yes. I've actually seen an article in a knife mag showing off a knife cutting cheese on a marble one. It hurt me.

[Liquid Cobra]

The one that gets me is when someone posts a pristine knife and advertises it as brand new in the box while its sitting on some rocks or gravel. Maybe not a big deal depending on the make of the scales but I see this happen with titanium knives all the time. Ouch!

[Bloke]

I'm the sort of bloke that would take all care and precautions as I carefully laid my knife on a rock for a photo! Only to have a sudden gust of wind uproot a nearby tree and have it fall onto my knife as I got it focused and central to the frame!

I drop very little if anything except for knives! I've never dropped a knife on carpet, grass or even a wooden floor!

My knives insist on falling onto tiles or concrete! :o

[SpyderEdgeForever]

Yes I feel the same way, awa. I also do not like to see knives photographed on beds of stone or pebbles, I prefer to see them on a nice even surface that gives good lighting and angles of the knife.

I have heard that some of the ancient Chinese steel swords were so well-made that one of the sharpness tests was to take paper thin slices from a block of granite or similar hard stone. I don't know if that is true or just an old rumor?

[3rdGenRigger]

Sounds like someone's been pulling your leg on that one bud.

[Sharp Guy]

It doesn't bother me even a little. We are talking about knives right? If the edge happens to touch something hard and IF the edge happens to suffer microscopic damage can it not be easily resharpened? Isn't the edge slowly breaking down every time we use a knife? What happens when we cut cardboard or other abrasive materials? Heaven forbid it touches a sharpening stone. Might as well leave 'em in bubble wrap in the box.

I'll admit that I'm one of those people who takes pics of knives on hard surfaces. I usually try to set it down so the edge doesn't touch anything but if I know it will, I set it down gently. I don't slam it down or scrape it along the hard surface. My knives get babied enough as it is. Not gonna worry about the edge getting microscopic damage if it happens to touch a hard surface. :rolleyes:

This thread needs some pictures! :D

Note: No innocent knives were harmed during the production of these pictures.

[awa54]

It doesn't bother me even a little. We are talking about knives right? If the edge happens to touch something hard and IF the edge happens to suffer microscopic damage can it not be easily resharpened? Isn't the edge slowly breaking down every time we use a knife? What happens when we cut cardboard or other abrasive materials? Heaven forbid it touches a sharpening stone. Might as well leave 'em in bubble wrap in the box.

I'll admit that I'm one of those people who takes pics of knives on hard surfaces. I usually try to set it down so the edge doesn't touch anything but if I know it will, I set it down gently. I don't slam it down or scrape it along the hard surface. My knives get babied enough as it is. Not gonna worry about the edge getting microscopic damage if it happens to touch a hard surface. :rolleyes:

This thread needs some pictures! :D

Note: No innocent knives were harmed during the production of these pictures.

OMG! we're gonna have to call the ASPCK out on you for all that edge abuse!!