Very old debate .

[Pine]

With the hunting getting started and we are all getting our gear ready , I was remembering a debate that was going on in the 1970s .
It was about sharpening broadheads .
There was good points on both sides .
Here goes .
Sharpen a broadhead to the finest honed edge as possible .
This blade will cut with no shock and therefore blood vessels will open and bleeding will be faster .
The other way is to file the edge with a burr and strop or knife steel the edge to straighten it up .
This leaves a micro serrated edge that will grab a blood vessel , thus cutting instead of sliding past it .
I think this debate got started when the razor type changeable heads were starting to hit the market .
I personally don't think it makes any difference except for the file edge is easier .
So do any of you remember this ?
And what do you think ?

[buckeyebowhunter]

I wasn't around in the 70s but I have heard this discussion before from older bowhunting videos in my collection. I remember a video of Paul Brunner explaining that leaving the burr is best for the very reason you've stated above. Personally I have never left my broadheads with the burr, I just feel better when I can see them taking hairs from my arms with ease.

[fnshtr]

Yep, I remember that.

I just try to get my BHs shaving sharp and leave the debating to others. Too busy shooting and hunting!

[PEARL DRUMS]

Stone heads have killed more meat than steel ever will. That really tosses a wrench in the gears when you stop and think about stone heads and how they are made.

[TIM B]

I like to see them shaving as well--- but either way works when it's put in the right spot.....

[ron w]

I file, run thru a Rada set of wheels, then strop, takes the hair right off my arm......That's good enough for me.

[McDave]

Originally posted by PEARL DRUMS:
Stone heads have killed more meat than steel ever will. That really tosses a wrench in the gears when you stop and think about stone heads and how they are made.

Flaked obsidian edges evidently can be sharper than the finest edged steel.  I have read that some surgical instruments are made (or at least were made; I don't know if they still are) from obsidian for this reason.

[myshootinstinks]

Yep, remember it well. I was in the micro-serrated edge camp as were most of my buddies.
   I doubt if it makes a practical difference.

[PEARL DRUMS]

Originally posted by McDave:
 

Originally posted by PEARL DRUMS:
Stone heads have killed more meat than steel ever will. That really tosses a wrench in the gears when you stop and think about stone heads and how they are made.

Flaked obsidian edges evidently can be sharper than the finest edged steel.  I have read that some surgical instruments are made (or at least were made; I don't know if they still are) from obsidian for this reason. [/b]

You got that right. Some surgical procedures are done with obsidian. But, my main point being that they are serrated, all stone heads are. So, if a steel blade is file sharp and left alone, it will kill all kinds of meat. That being said, I think we find peace of mind in hair popping sharp heads. Nothing wrong with confidence when carrying a stick and string.

[ChuckC]

If you go micro enough all blades are serrated.  

There are arguments both ways.  I believe a sharp head going thru the chest of a critter will kill it quickly and even the sharpest of heads going thru where it is not supposed to will be a crap shoot as to whether it will cut some arteries or not.

Remember too, surgeries done with obsidian are / were done with flakes, single bevel, not retouched, not with something made into a broadhead.
ChuckC

[kevsuperg]

I like a burr. Clean slices clot easier, jagged one's don't. But they both kill.

[monterey]

Originally posted by kevsuperg:
I like a burr. Clean slices clot easier, jagged one's don't. But they both kill.

It's actually the opposite of that.  The sharper the instrument the more it will bleed and the longer it will take for the blood to coagulate.

[JimB]

Originally posted by kevsuperg:
I like a burr. Clean slices clot easier, jagged one's don't. But they both kill.

Actually,the opposite is true.Jagged induces clotting.
 http://www.tuffhead.com/education/clotting%20cascade.html

[Terry Green]

Stone heads,are really different....serrated by production...but smoothed by production also.

Notches cut (serrations) flake off to infinity (smooth)....so you get BOTH.

Serrated and burr are two different things.

I've always used honed....but wouldn't hesitate to use filed edge if all I had....

I'd rather sharpen my shooting skills than debate this sharpening issue        

[yeager]

Hey Pearl Drums,  maybe in a few thousands years us modern Bowhunters will eventually catch up to the stone age people, unless the antis win their agenda!

[Roy from Pa]

Heck I can't even hit the darn deer so I don't worry about it much...    

[Sam McMichael]

This debate will live as long as bowhunting does, because both types of edge work very well. Therefore, the essential factor to consider is personal preference.

This is a never ending argument that all will never agree on. I am in the razor sharp camp, and have had pretty darn good luck with it over the years. The most important thing is putting that broadhead, no matter which way it is sharpened, in the right place!

Bisch

Oops, double post!

Bisch

[Bladepeek]

Seems like whenever there is an old debate that is still going on, it will continue going on....... and on...