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[Malarauko]

Of course, it's so light that it would not be able to attain enough energy from falling to provide the energy necessary to seriously deform the rock, so if the blade has any thickness it will need to get that force from something other than the mere impetus of gravity....

All objects fall at the same rate regardless of weight though.

[BigFatStupidHead]

It isn't too difficult to fix obsidian swords, if you're not afraid of a little bit of raw editing. Check out this thread for the specifics. Old, but I don't think the problem has changed at all.

[Girlinhat]

But not all objects fall at the same energy.  A sphere of wood and a sphere of lead will both fall at the same rate, but lead is a lot denser and will sustain higher energy at the end of the fall.  Adamantine has the same density as styrofoam (literally, I'm not exaggerating there) and m adamantine guillotine might not weigh enough to achieve a clean slice.  Iron-cored adamantine would be devastating.

[arzzult]

Only iron-cored? why not take full advantage of the nearly unbreakability of it and fill it with lead or another heavier metal? Even if you didn't want it to weigh more you could always simply use that to make it less bulky.

[Malarauko]

But surely the edge would be so fine it would cut under its own weight.

[arzzult]

Not really. Not with something as rigid as stone. I mean it might scratch the surface but to go deeper into the stone it would have to deform all the stone around the cut area with blunt force. And a lot of it.

[Girlinhat]

It would cut pretty good, yes, but ultimately when you're cutting things it's about spreading your target.  Thick armor works well because a sword would have to first slice through the thickness, then it would need to actually force apart the armor to attain any more depth.  You're basically using your sword as a wood splitting wedge or the Jaws of Life.  Adamantine would have a lot of sharpness, but wouldn't quite have the energy to spread armor apart.  If you core it with something heavy and give it an adamantine edge, then you impart a lot more force and you're much more likely to achieve deep penetration.

Of course this mainly applies to swinging weapons.  Thrusting spears would manage you work fairly well, as you can put the whole weight of your body behind your thrust - and preferably use the enemy's momentum as well - to get in the kenetic energy and spread a small section, then it's a uniform diameter shaft that doesn't need to push apart any more armor.

Of course all of this applies to flesh and bone as well, just that these are easier to spread.  Same ideas still apply.

[Kofthefens]

The nice thing about an obsidian scalpel is that it is self sharpening -- as pieces flake off during use the newly exposed edge has the sharpness of the original.

Might be, but steel doesn't leave flakes of super-sharp obsidian in your guts.

That's why you use obsidian *cackles*

[wierd]

It would cut pretty good, yes, but ultimately when you're cutting things it's about spreading your target.  Thick armor works well because a sword would have to first slice through the thickness, then it would need to actually force apart the armor to attain any more depth.  You're basically using your sword as a wood splitting wedge or the Jaws of Life.  Adamantine would have a lot of sharpness, but wouldn't quite have the energy to spread armor apart.  If you core it with something heavy and give it an adamantine edge, then you impart a lot more force and you're much more likely to achieve deep penetration.

Of course this mainly applies to swinging weapons.  Thrusting spears would manage you work fairly well, as you can put the whole weight of your body behind your thrust - and preferably use the enemy's momentum as well - to get in the kenetic energy and spread a small section, then it's a uniform diameter shaft that doesn't need to push apart any more armor.

Of course all of this applies to flesh and bone as well, just that these are easier to spread.  Same ideas still apply.

Sounds like adamantine would make an excellent katana, or wakizashi.  Unlike western swords and knives, these two are thin, fragile, and not meant for "cleaving". They work based on the pressure exerted against the blade, and the energy with which it is drawn across the target surface. Basically, they work like a very fine, very very sharp sawblade.

An impossibly light, rigid, hard, and sharp material like adamantine would let you slice somebody literally in half anime style with a katana, because you could literally make it paper thin, and still exert your full swing strength\speed with it without worrying about it folding over, whipping around, wobbling, and all the other things that plague a sword.

A rotating serrated disc trap made of the stuff would be unbelievable.

[Phynhas]

The nice thing about an obsidian scalpel is that it is self sharpening -- as pieces flake off during use the newly exposed edge has the sharpness of the original.

Might be, but steel doesn't leave flakes of super-sharp obsidian in your guts.

I could see it being sharper than adamantine ..

I read a thread somewhere, discussing the physical properties of adamantine. Basically the consensus became that adamantine edges are a single molecule thick.
Which made me wonder: 'Would an adamantine whip be the same as a monofilament wire?'

Fun fact: Obsidian IS capable of holding an edge one molecule thick, or nearly so.  Three nanometers, or three billionths of a meter, to be exact.  A helium atom is one-tenth of a nanometer.  A water molecule is less than one nanometer, and a bacterium is about five thousand.

[AWdeV]

Basically they work like a sword. You, simply put, clobber people with it. Or you skewer them with it. You do not saw them with it. You need teeth for proper sawing.

And I don't think that, even with adamantine, you could cut people in twain. It's amusing, yeah, but not very viable. There's more to it than just the sharpness/wobbliness of the blade. Maybe you could cut someone in half if you held them taut on something like a vertical torture rack.

Also, having a "razor" edge on a sword is a waste and useless.

Alsoalso I doubt it is possible to have anything "a" molecule thick. But then I'm not a scientastic person. How thick is a molecule?

[Blizzlord]

It would cut pretty good, yes, but ultimately when you're cutting things it's about spreading your target.  Thick armor works well because a sword would have to first slice through the thickness, then it would need to actually force apart the armor to attain any more depth.  You're basically using your sword as a wood splitting wedge or the Jaws of Life.  Adamantine would have a lot of sharpness, but wouldn't quite have the energy to spread armor apart.  If you core it with something heavy and give it an adamantine edge, then you impart a lot more force and you're much more likely to achieve deep penetration.

Of course this mainly applies to swinging weapons.  Thrusting spears would manage you work fairly well, as you can put the whole weight of your body behind your thrust - and preferably use the enemy's momentum as well - to get in the kenetic energy and spread a small section, then it's a uniform diameter shaft that doesn't need to push apart any more armor.

Of course all of this applies to flesh and bone as well, just that these are easier to spread.  Same ideas still apply.

How about making the adamantine blade itself as slim as the edge? It would still be nearly impossible to shatter and would not have to displace nearly as much metal to cut the hapless [CREATURE] in half.

[wierd]

Basically they work like a sword. You, simply put, clobber people with it. Or you skewer them with it. You do not saw them with it. You need teeth for proper sawing.

And I don't think that, even with adamantine, you could cut people in twain. It's amusing, yeah, but not very viable. There's more to it than just the sharpness/wobbliness of the blade. Maybe you could cut someone in half if you held them taut on something like a vertical torture rack.

Also, having a "razor" edge on a sword is a waste and useless.

Alsoalso I doubt it is possible to have anything "a" molecule thick. But then I'm not a scientastic person. How thick is a molecule?

A katana is a sawing weapon, Really.  It has microscopic serrations. Unlike a claymore, longsword, etc, a katana is "Drawn" over the object to be sliced, much like a good kitchen knife. (Western swords "Cleave", like a meat cleaver.) Katana are not used to strike one another in the fashion that a western fencing sword is. Katana have 2 distinct types of metal used in construction, and the cutting edge is VERY VERY FRAGILE. (A curse from feudal japan is "May your sword shatter and break") Katana have only 1 cutting edge. The other is blunt, and made of mild, low carbon steel.  When using the katana to deflect a blow, this blunt side is offered to the incoming blade, in the attempt to shatter the enemy blade.  This 2 metal composition is what causes the sword's unique bowed shape. (The two metals have different modulus of elasticity, and different rates of thermal contraction.)

Due to the fragility of high carbon steels, a katana needs to be "Folded" and "Laminated".  Basically, this means that part of the structural integrity of the blade is maintaned by the softer, mild steel in the back part of the blade, because it is folded in with the high carbon, fragile steel in layers. The mild steel bulks up the blade, but makes it so that it wont shatter if it strikes poorly, and gives it a little flexibility it otherwise wouldn't have.

Imaginary Adamantine does not suffer a high fragility, like high carbon steel. As such, it wouldnt need lamination, could be made absurdly thin, and could be used absurdly fast. It would be like giving "Super paper cuts" rather than "Chopping".

Basically, a super paper-thin nano-serrated razorblade that never goes dull, and is 5ft long. Due to not needing to be laminated, and not needing a deflecting edge because the cutting edge cant shatter, it would\could be a 2-edged straight sword. (Though curved would permit easier use.)

[rtg593]

If the blade was made the width of the edge, as suggested, I have no problem seeing it slice someone in half, if it were indeed a mono blade. Pretty much any non-Addy material has enough give for a single molecule wide blade to slice clean through, with very little force needed...

Back to the topic... Obsidian swords. Cool :p Ya, they should be a lot sharper, since they can be sharper than steel, and all.

[KtosoX]

...Iron-cored adamantine would be devastating.

*slow clap* Genius! Just think of the possibilities...