Sometimes you think you’re onto something cool. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn’t. Vincent Van Gogh’s self portraits provide a good mix of these outcomes, though the jury is still out on his decision to cut his ear off. That aside, I thought I was onto something pretty awesome when I recently read that some archaeologists have been making medical-grade obsidian scalpel blades for certain types of surgery where even lasers couldn’t cut it. So, I thought maybe there could be some special use for it in my tool kit. Though pretty expensive (about $90 after shipping) on account of each one being hand knapped, I decided to take the plunge and give it a go:
Fresh out of the box. The blade is approximately 7mm long and 2mm wide, and together with the handle measures about 12.9cm.
A close up of the blade. I have a pretty average sized thumb, so you can use that for scale.
Stone-age technology epoxied into modern medicine. It was a profound moment, though not as profound as the next moment, when I went to make a tiny incision into a scrap of leather and the blade snapped off. (For the record, I was aware of how brittle obsidian is, but even with virtually no lateral pressure it still broke.) Fortunately, the company I ordered it from offered a prompt refund with no fuss, hinting that perhaps this was not an all too uncommon issue.
Regardless, it made me a little uneasy to imagine a surgeon fishing for little bits of obsidian in their patient, and decided that I get enough paper cuts already without the help of tiny invisible shards of scalpel.
Brien Beidler 
What an amazing story. It would be cool to hold such an amazing blade with its tremendous history. You must be so glad you photographed it before it broke, so at least you had that. Ah the fleeting nature of art/history. Thanks for sharing.
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Truth! I’m not gonna lie I was more than a little bummed when it happened. I may try to get my hands on one more similar to those featured in the article I read – they look a little more substantial. Thanks for your comment!
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Hi Brien,
I believe the size of the blade is to blame; I’ve worked a couple of times with obsidian for jewelry making and, for pieces the size of about a fingernail and 5mm thick – or larger, it is very difficult to shape or break, at least not without considerable focused force.
Maybe a blade with more mass and a well shaped cross section would show its cutting potential… Although I can’t think of other advantages for bookbinding besides the longevity of the blade. That and the downright awesome feeling of handling a stone-age tech blade composed by volcanic lava.
Been visiting your blog for a while now, always enjoy your posts and sense of humor!
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Hey! Thanks for the comment. I totally agree – in fact I think I want to try something more along the lines as those from this article (http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/02/health/surgery-scalpels-obsidian/), though as you say it would be primarily for sheer awesomeness. But still, you never know! I’d like to think that one day there would come a time when only the obsidian could cut it…
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It was interesting to read a first hand account of these. I only know what I have read, but obsidian is a very brittle material, so heat treated flint is often prefered for blades; it’s not quite as sharp, but should be more durable. Perhaps it’s worth looking into.
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Interesting – also from doing a quick search it seems like heat-treated flint would be a lot cheaper too. Thanks for the suggestion! Brien
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Funny, I just got one with the same idea in mind.. reading about your experience, I’m now a little paranoid about using this thing. I did some very careful (and probably timid) cutting with some paper and book cloth and it seems to work, but my judgment still out how valuable this tool will be among my set of tools. My paring knife feels just as sharp and it’s a hell of a lot tougher.. But it’s cool anyway!
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Ha! That’s awesome! Out of curiosity, where did you purchase your blade from? I’ve seen some since that seem a bit more substantial than the one I bought, but as you say, I think a paring knife should take care of the majority of needs around the shop…
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The one pictured in this blog is not a good example. It appears to have been made with little control over shape and flaws. There are others that are products of over 30 years of research and development that have been designed to control shapes and sizes, to remove flaws, and to decrease the probability of breakage. They are also hafted (mounted) in a better handle that can be autoclaved. They are provided to some medical researchers but otherwise they are extremely expensive (~ $225).
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Thanks Steven, and I agree – later I did discover some that seemed to be of a much higher quality than the one I tried out, though that distributor (who was a medical supplier) was the only one I was able to find, and though not $225, this one wasn’t cheap either – if I recall, it was still around $90 or so. Thanks for the insight!
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They certainly aren’t cheap. Still, even at the same price point, they are available with what appears to be a more stable design.
https://www.finescience.com/en-US/Products/Scalpels-Blades/Micro-Knives/Obsidian-Scalpels/10110-07
But you’ve got a good point. Even the cheapest steel blade is unlikely to break even if a surgeon tried to do it. It’s not a matter of if it will happen, but how often. Indeed, I’m kinda curious what an ultra-sharp obsidian edge would do if left in, since the finest obsidian edges supposedly don’t leave scars. What would happen with something sharp in the body that couldn’t be enveloped in scar tissue? Hopefully more research will be performed, including on how to monitor for breakage, and find and retrieve them.
No doubt as interest in obsidian scalpels increases, there will be more research in design and manufacture, and the best design(s) become standard. With more interest pushing more experimentation, perhaps a way to reinforce them will be invented. And with AI, they could be robotically napped (though that will only raise the price – with low quantities, building a “flint-napping” robot with AI software would cost more to build than building a human). And ultimately, it could be possible to 3D print reinforced obsidian or something even better.
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