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January 15, 2009
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  • Mood: Artistic
Today I recieved a rather unique present, a sword to put on my shelves, however this one is suposed to be battle ready and what not, so I thought I would ask you guys a couple questions.

Considering I've never held a sword other that a couple of these stainless steel ones, I am not sure if is good or bad. It is awfully heavy, when I've heard these swords (folded steel katana) are surprisingly light. Also, the edge is not -that- sharp, so I wondered if there is any way to sharpen it without screwing up the edge.

Halp plz?

Some stuff I found about the blade. If is good or not I have no idea :P

Hand forged and folded high carbon steel blade
Folded 10 times creating 1024 layers.

EDIT

Upon further examination I found out this:

The blade goes all the way into the handle and is secured by two wood pegs. It also has a name written down in the part that goes inside the handle (I think the maker's signature), and the whole sword can be disassembled. There is no visible hamon but the whole sword has a "wavy" texture and shows what seems to be a very faint grain here and there (much like wood). Also, I realized the sword is really sharp in the upper third of the blade and it turns dull as it reaches the handle. I guess this means it doesn't need any more sharpening?


The sword in question is this one, just with a black handle and sageo  www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZ7G9A…
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:iconwascarlet:
WAScarlet Featured By Owner Aug 7, 2009
Sorry to add a comment to such an old journal, but it does happen to be one of a handful of things I feel truly competent enough to answer.

On the sword itself, as a gift and a showpiece it is fine. However, I would never consider anything battle-ready unless the wielder were comfortable holding it. You described it as being "Awfully heavy" which indicates at a passing glance that though you may understand the style, the blade simply isn't suitable to your build.

Could you use it? Yes. Absolutely. Would a lighter blade be more suitable? Most likely. Hold the handle of the blade in one hand, extend your arm straight out from your chest, keep the blade level and steady. Hold it for ten seconds. If you find yourself straining, be wary. The weight of that blade will inhibit your movements in combat. While it remains dangerous, your attacks are slowed - leaving you vulnerable.

You can remedy this, of course, if you're willing to do the work necessary to train your upper body to handle the weight and balance of that weapon, though it would be much easier to you to pick a shorter or lighter blade for practice and protection.

[Just for the record, I've always preferred drywall hammers.]
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:iconsynnic:
Synnic Featured By Owner Mar 6, 2009  Hobbyist General Artist
Ok folks. Time to disabuse some myths.

For starters, expense is no guarantor of quality; it could just mean you're getting ripped. There is no substitute for thoroughly researching your topic and the reputation of a vendor. Especially when selecting swords.

The katana is primarily a slashing weapon, not piercing. The whole shape of the blade is designed to deliver powerful cutting attacks. Watch some of the martial arts masters and better students testing katana on rolled tatami mats and you should get the idea.

The original Japanese katana were made from iron that was very low grade. The iron has to go through a refining process in large ovens prior to being used to produce a sword and the process would result in various grades that had to be recognized and sorted appropriately. Swordsmiths would carefully select the steel and then put it through various process, including folding, eventually in a sword with steels of two different properties, forming a matrix that gives a hard edge for sharpness and a core of less brittle steel that keeps the sword from shattering. The hamon is the result of clay being applied to what will become the cutting edge of the sword so that it will cool differently and form martensite. (Read the manufacturing section of the wikipedia article at [link] . In fact, read the whole article. It's pretty good.)

As a side note on hamon, many decorative swords fake hamon using an etching technique, so the presence of something that looks like a hamon is no indication of quality. A trained eye can spot the difference but amateurs are frequently fooled by this.

Regarding weight, to a point, lighter is generally better. Remember that katana were used in battle as well as single combats. An overly heavy blade is a hindrance because wielding it can quickly become tiring and a tired fighter will eventually be taken down when facing multiple opponents. 2.4 pounds is actually a pretty good weight for that sword. If the balance and construction are good it should serve you well.

Sharpening: resist the urge to tamper with the edge provided. More good swords have been ruined by amateur attempts at sharpening than you can possibly imagine. Do lots of research and learn sharpening on things you can afford to destroy before trying it on anything that matters; otherwise, stick to finding a pro to do it for you.

Basic sword care: Always unsheath the blade with the spine down. Unnecessary wear on the cutting edge is bad. Use a proper cleaning kit (powder ball, oil, etc.) and follow good handling techniques. Avoid skin contact with the blade in handling. Yes skin oils will damage steel. Also, katana and other similar sword aren't really supposed to be stored in the sheath. They should be placed on a stand and cleaned periodically. Dust can cause pitting on swords too.

Lastly, this site is also nicely informative and worth a look [link] .

Good luck with your new blade. I hope you get many years of enjoyment from it.
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:icone-mart:
e-mart Featured By Owner Feb 17, 2009  Hobbyist General Artist
that is a very good sword real swords are usually more heavy (about 2 or 3 pounds) which is much more heavy than the fake ones since the hilt and handle will be solid wood and thick metal instead of cheap plastic.

the grain you mention is the result of the forging technique of the blade and this is a sign that it is quality as the fake ones were just cast steel poured into a sword shaped mold or cut from a steel sheet. this is a very good sword and is worth a lot of money(i envy you)

oh and the reason it isnt sharp on the lower portion of the sword is because only the upper portion is used to slash someone and if it is totally dull at the base then the wielder can have another point to hold the sword during combat(at least with european swords anyways)
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:iconkatrileo:
Katrileo Featured By Owner Jan 30, 2009  Professional General Artist
Well Jessica, hte katansa compared with various western swords (as broadswords) is no doubt light, but not very light (these are the chinese "dao")
You got a real treasure and if this is not very sharp is better by now (a sharp katana is so dangerous considering the original japanese or spanish one) even the mines are not sharpened (yes at my avatar) but you could really enter in a martial art school one day to learn the way of the jap sword, look for kendo shool or "Iai-do" school, this second one teachs exactly the using of a real katana i speciallly recomend to you.
I don't know how many deviants did told you maybe the same, :D but I like to speak about this themes. Byebye :katana:
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:iconstoop-solo:
Stoop-Solo Featured By Owner Jan 27, 2009
That's a fine sword.

Re. the sharpness, have you actually tried cutting anything with it? It may be sharper than you think. It actually sounds like it has the correct level of sharpness. A sword is not supposed to have a razor edge, if the cutting edge of the sword is too thin, it will damage too easily. Most of the cutting power actually comes from technique.

I never needed to sharpen my Paul Chen Practical Katana, although after any cutting exercises, I would clean the blade with isopropyl alcohol (at least 99%, no water!) and then after drying it off with something soft and non-abrasive, apply a coating of mineral oil.

Stainless steel swords are very low maintenance, but stainless is generally more for decorative swords, as it isn't really strong enough for a functional blade of that size. A good carbon steel blade will eat it for breakfast. The downside of course is that carbon steel can rust and deteriorate, so care must be taken to keep the blade oiled. Moisture = bad. If you are intending to display it only and keep it mostly sheathed, you will not need to clean and oil it as often.
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:iconarchonx5:
ArchonX5 Featured By Owner Jan 25, 2009
Wow. Tired of reading some of this bull. Heres the skinny - as told to me BY the guys who make swords.

Katanas are really sharp for actual use.

Battle ready generally means it can stand up to full combat, blade on blade action.

The more you sharpen a blade the weaker it gets. Although laser sharpening is the height of sharp, it also dulls and breaks the easiest.

Suggestions - if you want to use it leave it dull. If your going on a mission sharpen it to "fine".
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:iconcuddlestheoctopus:
CuddlesTheOctopus Featured By Owner Jan 24, 2009
Depends on if you want it razor sharp all the way down the blade.
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:iconraziel-hotokashi:
Raziel-Hotokashi Featured By Owner Jan 23, 2009
The cutting part of a katana is about a third of the way from the top. Here, it gives the most strength, as well as distance, while still preserving the blade's integrity.
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:iconhentai-neko-kun:
Hentai-Neko-Kun Featured By Owner Jan 23, 2009
i know this is a bit late, but thats ok. don't forget that a real blade is heavier than cheap impressions. Also, see if the blade and handle are two seperate pieces, if they are, thats a cheaper product. the Handle and the blade must be made from the same piece. next, check the balance: on the blade near the handle, find where the balance point is. If it's close to the handle, great, it's well balanced. but if it seems that the blade seems heavier than the handle, then it may not be properly balanced. it may be heavier than you expected to you, but it should at least comfortable and not feel head strong.
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:iconlangtang:
LangTang Featured By Owner Jan 21, 2009
No after reading your edit you do not need to sharpen in fact you may want to have it dulled by a professional For informational purposes i will make you a text thingy explaing sword parts and cause i really wanna now.


^
|| This is the stabby part that goes inside people
_________
||This is the part where you want to block with it
||is sharp but not as sharp it is also where you
||would want to do long deep slashes
________________________________
||Here is were you want to try to block with it
|| is best to try to block here as it is nearist the
||ballance point and where you can twist a sword
||out of someones hand.
________________________________________
|D handle, i suck at text handles this is the part you want to hold. so as to not cause harm to yourself


In most countrys mainly the ones i am sure of Canada and the US it is illegal to have a blade longer then the width of a persons hand so yours might get you in trouble. Secondly Weapons such as these are not permitted in public unless unsheathed and in clear view of anyone.(sheathed makes it a concealed weapon). i think thats all i had to say. . . if i remember more then i will post it.
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