Recessed Ricasso Accident Waiting to Happen.

opaul

opaul

Well-Known Member
There is an article in the recent BLADE magazine that pretty much says recesses ricassos are useless on a knife other than it makes it easier to fit a guard or makes it easy to forge the blade.
To be honest I never gave it much thought but visually it does adds a lot of interest.
I can’t agree or disagree with the article as some of the hang ups mentioned in the article could be attributable to user error?
Thoughts ?
 
I had to read the article to understand the term. Also known as the dropped edge.

I don't understand the claim that a dropped edge makes it easier to fit a guard. I don't know how that would work. It really has nothing to do with where the guard fits.

As far as I know, it would be pretty difficult to forge bevels in on a piece of bar stock and NOT get a dropped edge....at least without a bunch of unnecessary work. But maybe there's a way?

I've heard the "it snags and hangs up with field dressing" bit before. And while it is true, (I've experienced it to a very minor degree myself) its pretty easy to slightly change your grip so that it is never an issue.

The trade off to the "snagging" issue for me is maintaining the FULL length and thickness of your edge as long as possible. With no dropped edge, your actual cutting edge gets slightly shorter and less usable with every sharpening, and you get into a thicker, less acute cutting edge much sooner. After repeated sharpening you get this type of prison shank monstrosity:



I'd rather extend my full usable edge for as long as possible and learn to change my technique to avoid snagging.

As to the safety issue, use a knife properly for intended tasks and you won't cut yourself. The edge is supposed to be sharp....wrap your finger around it and you'll probably get cut. As Bill Dance would say:

 
J. Doyle said:
I had to read the article to understand the term. Also known as the dropped edge.

I don't understand the claim that a dropped edge makes it easier to fit a guard. I don't know how that would work. It really has nothing to do with where the guard fits.

As far as I know, it would be pretty difficult to forge bevels in on a piece of bar stock and NOT get a dropped edge....at least without a bunch of unnecessary work. But maybe there's a way?

I've heard the "it snags and hangs up with field dressing" bit before. And while it is true, (I've experienced it to a very minor degree myself) its pretty easy to slightly change your grip so that it is never an issue.

The trade off to the "snagging" issue for me is maintaining the FULL length and thickness of your edge as long as possible. With no dropped edge, your actual cutting edge gets slightly shorter and less usable with every sharpening, and you get into a thicker, less acute cutting edge much sooner. After repeated sharpening you get this type of prison shank monstrosity:



I'd rather extend my full usable edge for as long as possible and learn to change my technique to avoid snagging.

As to the safety issue, use a knife properly for intended tasks and you won't cut yourself. The edge is supposed to be sharp....wrap your finger around it and you'll probably get cut. As Bill Dance would say:

Click to expand...
Is that a pic of your kith knife?
 
That thing was sharpened for decades using the back of an electric can opener. Remember those John? The can openers that had sharpening wheel inside of them, its more from your time than mine...
 
Chris Railey said:
That thing was sharpened for decades using the back of an electric can opener. Remember those John? The can openers that had sharpening wheel inside of them, its more from your time than mine...
Click to expand...

I remember my grandma had one. I'll give you that this was an extreme example.
 
Yet another great reminder why I don't read that magazine anymore. Folks need to realize that it has never bee a requirement that you actually know anything about a topic to write for that magazine; indeed the evidence would indicate quite the opposite. I have seen this argument before, and it always adds up to pure opinion being presented as facts, while totally ignoring some very powerful opposing facts, such as the one that Mr. Doyle so wisely pointed to.
 
Kevin R. Cashen said:
Yet another great reminder why I don't read that magazine anymore. Folks need to realize that it has never bee a requirement that you actually know anything about a topic to write for that magazine; indeed the evidence would indicate quite the opposite. I have seen this argument before, and it always adds up to pure opinion being presented as facts, while totally ignoring some very powerful opposing facts, such as the one that Mr. Doyle so wisely pointed to.
Click to expand...
That is a good point. Does anyone know of a current magazine containing at least mostly useful information for knife makers?
 
Kevin Zito said:
Just ask me stuff.
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Hey, I would, but the last time we did that here's what we got...

7F3D82E8-3044-4810-B7D5-243B51CC47B3.jpeg
 
Chris Railey said:
That is a good point. Does anyone know of a current magazine containing at least mostly useful information for knife makers?
Click to expand...

In the words of the late Kurt Cobain- "Here we are, now entertain us". As a culture we really don't give a darn about actual information, we just want to be spoon fed pablum that makes us feel good. Thus the rare individual looking for knowledge, or even the occasional fact, has to really work for it.
 
Most magazines of any type these days are disappointing.... I still grab some from time to time nonetheless...I’m a masochist like that
 
Haven't read it, and like Kevin, I don't read the "knife rags". I quit long ago when I asked an editor.... "just what does it take get a pic in your magazine?" The response was.... "How much money have you spent on advertising in the magazine?" OK.... I'm done.

I didn't see in this thread just who authored the article? Is it someone we might know? Or.....is it someone who is an "expert" just because he/she can spell "knife"?
 
EdCaffreyMS said:
Haven't read it, and like Kevin, I don't read the "knife rags". I quit long ago when I asked an editor.... "just what does it take get a pic in your magazine?" The response was.... "How much money have you spent on advertising in the magazine?" OK.... I'm done.

I didn't see in this thread just who authored the article? Is it someone we might know? Or.....is it someone who is an "expert" just because he/she can spell "knife"?
Click to expand...

It's always been that way too Ed. Over my career I have seen some rather lackluster talent made into stars by the mags after they spent enough money on advertising. The only guy who was ever completely open and honest about it was Bud Lang. I will always remember the conversation where Bud said that was the cold reality of the business and an editor of another publication clutched his pearls and said that no editor would do business that way; and the guy feigning outrage was one of the worst offenders. It is all about the ad space, I have always said that if any of the knife magazines could sell a full page ad for every page, they would be happy not to have to bother with content at all. And lets face it, if you really look at 90% of the articles they are very thinly veiled advertisements anyhow. Some good advise I got years ago, from a writer with some ethics, was when writing an article try not to use more than one or two images of you own work and avoid the word "I" whenever you can, and you may be able to make it look like an article and not an ad. ,
 
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