Non metal knife blades

Canotila · May 5, 2011

I have a character that wants to make a knife to kill his enemy. His enemy is impervious to metal, but any other material could definitely work. Also, there can be no metal used in the construction of the knife even if it isn't the blade.

What are some good materials for this sort of thing? It would be all right if was a one use tool, as he intends to finish the job in one go. The character is an avid boar hunter, so he'd have a pretty good stockpile of trophy tusks. Would a sharpened tusk bound to a handle make an adequate stabbing tool? Or would it make more sense to use a length of weight bearing bone?

Aside from bone, all I can think of is glass or obsidian.

alleycat · May 5, 2011

I'm no expert, but I would think a sharpened tusk would make quite an effective weapon.

Besides tusks and bone, there is stone and wood. A piece of pointed oak or hickory would make a nice spear.

Lapinou · May 5, 2011

Why not bone? I cut myself on a sharp piece of bone the other day and it would have made a very good weapon if necessary! No handle required either!

Nugus · May 5, 2011

Bone sounds good to me. Or ceramic. Maybe a large sharpened tooth - enamel is the hardest substance in a mammal's body. That'd work.

waylander · May 5, 2011

Flint blades worked well for our ancestors for thousands of years.

Modern ceramic knives are popular with some chefs and are used by bomb disposal squads.

jeseymour · May 5, 2011

Isn't a CIA letter opener made of plastic? Or is this a world without modern technology?

KQ800 · May 5, 2011

Canotila said:
I have a character that wants to make a knife to kill his enemy. His enemy is impervious to metal, but any other material could definitely work. Also, there can be no metal used in the construction of the knife even if it isn't the blade.

What are some good materials for this sort of thing? It would be all right if was a one use tool, as he intends to finish the job in one go. The character is an avid boar hunter, so he'd have a pretty good stockpile of trophy tusks. Would a sharpened tusk bound to a handle make an adequate stabbing tool? Or would it make more sense to use a length of weight bearing bone?

Aside from bone, all I can think of is glass or obsidian.

Apart from what has been said so far, there is horn. Deer antlers make great stabbing weapons if you sharpen the ends.

Or if you don't like stabbing you can go the really bloody way with one of these:

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5102/5678309793_6584c14f34_o.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P0VRfEfiCo&playnext=1&list=PL5C04F18DA5FC17F2

Adam · May 5, 2011

Ceramic bladed knives have been out for a while now, thanks to decent edge retention. They're strong enough to do the job, too.
Most will have metal in the handle, or in the case of a folder, the liner lock (or fixing screws). There's no reason someone who hunts a lot couldn't have a fancy all-ceramic fixed blade hunting knife, though. Maybe that he doesn't use it much and bought because it's something fancy.

Or a tusk'll work.

Kitti · May 5, 2011

What about diamond-bladed knife? Not quite sure what would go into the construction, but it would certainly be sharp....

Lapinou · May 5, 2011

Or an icicle!

Steve Collins · May 5, 2011

The 'Blackie Collins' CIA letter opener has now been banned from airports, in fact it is a felony. It is totally constructed from nylon polymer and should fit the bill were you buying one.

KQ800 · May 5, 2011

Adam said:
Ceramic bladed knives have been out for a while now, thanks to decent edge retention. They're strong enough to do the job, too.

All I've seen have been designed to work as cutting tools and so have far to thin blades for combat use where the target will twist during the cut. Ceramic blades can't handle lateral stress anymore than glass can. It you make the ceramic thick* enough, then yes, but I don't think they sell any like that**.

Second, and not well known is that the material the knives are made from is a type of nonferrous metal, namely oxide of zirconium. So, against metal-invulnerable enemy, not good.

* My guess is that you would have to have a knife blade 7-9mm thick, no longer than a handwidth, and half a handwidth wide. (Of course, not having seen a fighting ceramic blade, I might be talking out of my rectum on this one.)

** According to the shop justflint.com flintknives have to be one fifth as thick as they are wide.

waylander · May 5, 2011

KQ800 said:
Second, and not well known is that the material the knives are made from is a type of nonferrous metal, namely oxide of zirconium. So, against metal-invulnerable enemy, not good.

Zirconium oxide is no longer a metal by virtue of it being an oxide. It is a insulator, non-ductile, non-malleable. A non-metal by any definition

Snowstorm · May 5, 2011

Ditto on the ceramic knives. I've heard they're better (stronger and sharper) than metal knives.

Mr Flibble · May 5, 2011

Glass

Yeah, I know, but Venetian (?? I think??) glass daggers - had a nice feature too. If you twist as you stab, the blade snaps off in the body. The body/wound then kind of sucks it in.

I've read about them in a couple of books, but I can't find much on google sadly.

Summonere · May 5, 2011

A few nonmetallic knives and other implements can be found at the links, below (most are variations of nylon plastic).

http://www.selfdefenseproducts.com/Nylon-Fiber-Knives-p-1-c-396.html

http://www.botachtactical.com/knivnon.html

MeretSeger · May 5, 2011

Just a note: if you go with flint or obsidian, it takes a LOT of skill and practice to make a useable blade. They can come pretty thin, and be hafted with bone if you like.

You might find this useful: http://modern-flintknapping.blogspot.com/

skylark · May 5, 2011

You can buy plastic (nylon) knives for use in nonstick cake tins.

They're not exactly sharp, but they are fairly structurally strong and the right shape. I'm thinking that they might make a good backbone for a sharp glass edge. if you need easily homemade.

Does it have to be a knife? I'm thinking of something like a carbon fibre arrow.

Sarpedon · May 5, 2011

hmm, isn't calcium technically a metal?

Most things are, when you come right down to it.

Adam · May 5, 2011

KQ800 said:
All I've seen have been designed to work as cutting tools and so have far to thin blades for combat use where the target will twist during the cut. Ceramic blades can't handle lateral stress anymore than glass can. It you make the ceramic thick* enough, then yes, but I don't think they sell any like that**.

Second, and not well known is that the material the knives are made from is a type of nonferrous metal, namely oxide of zirconium. So, against metal-invulnerable enemy, not good.

* My guess is that you would have to have a knife blade 7-9mm thick, no longer than a handwidth, and half a handwidth wide. (Of course, not having seen a fighting ceramic blade, I might be talking out of my rectum on this one.)

** According to the shop justflint.com flintknives have to be one fifth as thick as they are wide.

He's after killing a guy immune to metal with it (which I took to mean an immunity to harm from metal, like some enemies in D+D board games, for example). One slash over the jugular doesn't require a particularly sturdy blade.

Then again, a big enough clout round the lughole with a two by four would work too.

Of course, if the OP meant that he's immune to steel because he's armoured, then the ceramic would likely be a no go. But so would glass, obsidian and tusks.

waylander · May 5, 2011

Sarpedon said:
hmm, isn't calcium technically a metal?

Yes it is

Most things are, when you come right down to it.

Only those that conduct electricity

Aaron Wilder · May 5, 2011

A sharpened ghost pepper.

Canotila · May 5, 2011

Adam said:
He's after killing a guy immune to metal with it (which I took to mean an immunity to harm from metal, like some enemies in D+D board games, for example). One slash over the jugular doesn't require a particularly sturdy blade.

Then again, a big enough clout round the lughole with a two by four would work too.

Of course, if the OP meant that he's immune to steel because he's armoured, then the ceramic would likely be a no go. But so would glass, obsidian and tusks.

Yeah, the guy he's trying to kill has a field surrounding his body that repels metal. Its effectiveness seems to work based on how well the metal in question conducts electricity, but rather than making a lead knife he'd rather make one that won't be affected at all.

It sounds like the tusk would work, though the Venetian glass ones sound wicked painful! He's liking the sound of that.

An arrow would probably work better and be safer, but it just didn't fit the character. He's one of those crazy hog hunters that chases boar down with a couple of dogs and then stabs it in the heart with a hunting knife.

Thanks for all the flint knapping links and things too! Those are totally fascinating, and good to know about. That might be a route he'd go. Anti-metal dude caused the character to lose a leg and killed his brother, so he's got a lot of time to fill keeping occupied. I was trying to figure out if he'd be more interested in wood, leather, or metal working but that could be a good diversion.

The technology level is right about where America was during the civil war. Sorry for not mentioning that in the original post.

KQ800 · May 5, 2011

Harsh dude!

Aaron Wilder said:
A sharpened ghost pepper.

Aw man! C'mon! that's just evil.

KQ800 · May 5, 2011

waylander said:
Zirconium oxide is no longer a metal by virtue of it being an oxide. It is a insulator, non-ductile, non-malleable. A non-metal by any definition

Ahem: "Also, there can be no metal used in the construction of the knife even if it isn't the blade."

I took that to mean that you couldn't use metal in the knife at all.

Non metal knife blades

Canotila

Sever your leg please.

alleycat

Still around

Lapinou

Nugus

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

jeseymour

KQ800

Adam

Not dead.

Kitti

procrastinatrix

Lapinou

Steve Collins

KQ800

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

Snowstorm

Baby plot bunneh sniffs out a clue

Mr Flibble

They've been very bad, Mr Flibble

Summonere

MeretSeger

The Alydar of Writers

skylark

Sarpedon

Adam

Not dead.

waylander

Who's going for a beer?

Aaron Wilder

Canotila

Sever your leg please.

KQ800

KQ800