Edward Scissorhands? Are they scissors really?

flannel jesus

When you have a pair of scissors, there’s two blades and each blade is connected to the other by a pivot or fulcrum. As you rotate either of the blades around that pivot point, the blades rub against each other, staying in contact with each other to create friction throughout the entire rotation.

Edwards blade-fingers, in contrast, have independent motion and are not connected by a fulcrum. They all rotate independently, via their own knuckles like normal human fingers, and as they rotate they do not maintain contact and friction with their neighbouring blades.

If you take apart a “pair of scissors”, is each blade separately still called a scissor, even when in isolation? I suppose you could argue that on its own, an individual blade is a “scissor”, but I personally don’t think so - I think scissors only become scissors when connected by that fulcrum, and when independent and disconnected, they’re simply blades.

This concludes my TED talk.

boethius

The fingers are connected together at the fulcrum that is the knuckle, thus combining hands and scissors into scissor hands.

The design is based on the first and best scissors, the spring scissors, where the two blades loop around a U that provides spring action.

Ancient Origins

The earliest forms of scissors date back about 3,000-4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. These primitive tools were known as spring scissors. They consisted of two bronze blades connected at the ends by a flexible strip of metal that acted as a spring, allowing the blades to automatically open after being pressed together. These scissors were used to cut fabrics, hair, and other lightweight materials. — THE INVENTION OF SCISSORS: A JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY

flannel jesus

The fingers are connected together at the fulcrum that is the knuckle — boethius

You must have very very different knuckles from the rest of us.

You can see in this clip that they are moving independently of each other - he can rotate one without keeping it in friction with any adjacent ones, just like your own fingers.

https://youtube.com/shorts/KikEXZ95ygQ

boethius

You must have very very different knuckles from the rest of us — flannel jesus

The basic scissor design is two blades connected, as you state in your OP, well obviously knuckles provide that connection of two blades.

Most, if not all of us here, have made the scissor motion with our hands to represent cutting at one point in our lives. Clearly putting actual blades on the fingers will result in scissor hands.

You are attempting to get us to reject the evidence of our eyes and ears using TED talk hypnosis. But I resist.

frank

↪flannel jesus

Virtual fulcrum? Couldn't he slide the blades against each other such that a point in space is a fulcrum, but it's not permanent?

flannel jesus

↪frank

do you call two knives "scissors" just because you momentarily rub them against each other?

flannel jesus

well obviously knuckles provide that connection of two blades. — boethius

Is that obvious to you? It's not to me. Each of my knuckles is connected to one finger only, and allows a pretty wide range of motion that the blades of scissors don't have.

frank

do you call two knives "scissors" just because you momentarily rub them against each other? — flannel jesus

I could use "scissor" as a verb for rubbing blades against each other:

The chef accidentally scissored his thumb, turning the salad pink.

So if you scissor something, it would involve... scissors?

boethius

Is that obvious to you? It's not to me. Each of my knuckles is connected to one finger only, and allows a pretty wide range of motion that the blades of scissors don't have. — flannel jesus

Key word "knuckles" which are all connected to 1 finger and then 1 or 2 other knuckles connecting to more fingers thus providing articulation that can, among other things, provide a scissoring motion, which can be described further in terms of anatomy if that is required.

flannel jesus

The chef accidentally scissored his thumb — frank

Does that make his thumbs scissors

frank

Does that make his thumbs scissors — flannel jesus

:lol: Edward ScissorThumbs.

flannel jesus

that can, among other things, provide a scissoring motion — boethius

Lots of things can provide a scissoring motion. My wrists can provide a scissoring motion, that doesn't make my hands scissors

boethius

↪flannel jesus

How would your wrists make a scissoring motion, and if so why wouldn't such a motion become scissors when blades are fitted?

flannel jesus

↪boethius

they can make as scissoring motion when placed next to another wrist, just like knuckles can. Any joint can.

boethius

↪boethius they can make as scissoring motion when placed next to another wrist, just like knuckles can. Any joint can. — flannel jesus

The difference being the wrists are just placed next to each other, whereas knuckles are quite clearly fastened together, though if you put giant blades attached to your arms then clearly it becomes scissor arms. I honestly don't see the problem.

flannel jesus

↪boethius

the problem is scissors aren't freely moving joints that just happen to connect sometimes. The blades in a pair of scissors rotate such that the blades are always rubbing against each other, not just when the angle is just right.

boethius

↪flannel jesus

The spring scissors are more flexible.

But even so, they are called scissor hands so we must expect some reasonable combination of the characteristics of scissors and hands.

It's like taking issue with potato salad because it is not made of whole potatoes.

flannel jesus

The spring scissors are more flexible. — boethius

I don't know what that is. You mean spring loaded scissors or something else?

boethius

↪flannel jesus

Ancient Origins

The earliest forms of scissors date back about 3,000-4,000 years to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. These primitive tools were known as spring scissors. They consisted of two bronze blades connected at the ends by a flexible strip of metal that acted as a spring, allowing the blades to automatically open after being pressed together. These scissors were used to cut fabrics, hair, and other lightweight materials. — THE INVENTION OF SCISSORS: A JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY

flannel jesus

↪boethius

no picture?

boethius

↪flannel jesus

No pictures.

Nils Loc

I think scissors only become scissors when connected by that fulcrum, and when independent and disconnected, they’re simply blades. — flannel jesus

You're supposed to just accept that his hands are functioning scissors and not to delve too deeply into how the prop functions.

This would be excellent content for Adam Savage, of Mythbusters fame, since he loves functional movie props. An close up inspection of how they work and the possibility of fabricating true scissor hands would be right up his alley.

flannel jesus

You're supposed to just accept that his hands are functioning scissors and not to delve too deeply into how the prop functions. — Nils Loc

When I watch the movie that's exactly what I do. This thread is just for fun really.

Edward Scissorhands? Are they scissors really?

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