Katana- Japanese Samurai Sword Special, page 1

Katana- Japanese Samurai Sword Special, page

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Topic started on 1-1-2008 @ 06:34 AM by BlackProjects

Last evening I caught a show profiling the art of making the highest quality samurai sword in Japan. It starts with a special carbon steel which is provided to a handfull of sword making experts. Characteristics of the sword sought include sharpness and strength. What really caught my interest was when a US metal worker and a sword maker from Iowa were recruited to duplicate this ancient process. At the end of the show they put both swords to a series of tests to compare the quality. They even showed both swords splitting a bullet using a high speed camera. Just an excellant find ... check your guide as I forget the channel.

reply posted on 19-10-2012 @ 01:34 AM by davidmann

reply to post by BlackProjects

A butter knife will slice a bullet in half as well.

edit on 19-10-2012 by davidmann because: (no reason given)

reply posted on 19-10-2012 @ 01:55 AM by Hefficide

reply to post by BlackProjects

The secret to the ancient swords from Japan was that, during forging, they would quench the hot blades in the bodies of peasants, prisoners, or slaves. The proteins from the bodies gave the steel properties that made it harder, once cooled and easier to fold and work with while hot.

It took the west a very long time to catch up. It was discovered that simply putting animal pelts into the quenching water would accomplish the same effect.

Anyway, that was the "magic" behind Japanese swords.

~Heff

reply posted on 19-10-2012 @ 02:46 AM by zatara

reply to post by BlackProjects

A few months ago I did watch a simular program about how a katana was made in traditional fashion. This guy built his own oven. The labour took a few days on end and when the metal was just right other traditional craftsmen were hired to finish the job. Such a katana is a juwel and cost a lot of money....(un)fortunately no dead people or prisoners involved.

Some of these swords have names and have become national treaures like this one..

The Monster Cutter

Source:Samurai-Archives

edit on 19/10/2012 by zatara because: (no reason given)

reply posted on 20-10-2012 @ 11:43 PM by davidmann

Originally posted by Hefficide
reply to post by BlackProjects

The secret to the ancient swords from Japan was that, during forging, they would quench the hot blades in the bodies of peasants, prisoners, or slaves. The proteins from the bodies gave the steel properties that made it harder, once cooled and easier to fold and work with while hot.

It took the west a very long time to catch up. It was discovered that simply putting animal pelts into the quenching water would accomplish the same effect.

Anyway, that was the "magic" behind Japanese swords.

~Heff

A source would be helpful, as I have NEVER heard any such thing. Plunging a bar into a hunk of flesh during yaki-ire is not consistent, in terms of specific heat transfer. The hardness is guided to the edge by virtue of clay and other mixtures arranged so to cause slower heat transfer at the places other than the blade edge. The rate of success is determined by many factors, and, so I have read, not every sword survives this process. They can, however, be re-quenched.

www.forging.org...

edit on 21-10-2012 by davidmann because: (no reason given)

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