Sharpening False Blades on Swords?

[Jaruemalak]

Jarue -I bow to your superior experience. mine is based purely as a amateur with an interest in swords. Do u forge for urself??? that would be a really nice skill to have and also a very impt person to be friends with for the coming Zombi-pocalypse!

Also I know wot u mean abt a nice katana. My wife is half Japanese, and the cost of having one made on request ... well lets just say I dont have one in my collection SOme nice forgers in UK though, but we are talking closer to $1000!!

I guess the stainless steel you mentioned is often called the high carbon content stainless steel isnt it? Generally get the idea that metallurgy to a bladesmith is like asking a star wars Fan which TK lid is the nicest - every one has an opinion!
But I guess it boils down to wot u are gonna do with the sword and compromises u wish to make with the metal used. Heaven knows, carbon steel isnt perfect either!

my comments were based on :

http://www.realarmorofgod.com/sword-materials.html - which does mention 440 stainless steel

and this one

http://www.swordforum.com/metallurgy/stainlesssuitable.html

I used to forge my own blades, but that was a few years ago, before my health caused a change in professions. As to my quote of 500 bucks for a decent katana... well, that was 20 years ago! I'm not surprised that it would be 1000 or more, now. My prized posession is a hand made copy of the Zatoichi cane sword, and I still practice with it on a daily basis, when I can. It actually does scare people when you can do that old movie cliche', where you take a swing at a watermelon, and everyone is convinced that you missed, because the melon doesn't move... then you tap the top and it falls in half!

Yes, most of the stainless used for bladesmithing is high carbon stainless. Most of the time, stainless is used for a process called "Stock removal" which, at its most basic level, means "grind away everything that doesn't look like the blade you want it to look like". Bladesmithing is forging and hammering, and I'll tell you from experience that stainless can be a pain to forge... it can be done, but give me high-carbon steel any time! Most of the people I know would send their stainless blades to a professional heat treater to have them hardened.

 

[Heatshock]

Zatoichi cane sword

nice. another thing banned in UK - concealed weapon
never got the weird Karoke bit at the end of the DvD though

I gave up on a katana, after learning the the hassle it was to maintain!
lol I could bend ur ear for a wee while with u being an ACTUAL bladesmith, but this is the wrong forum for that!

I went down the route of stabbers in the end, with late greek/roman era replicas of carbon steel

 

[Chiok]

Just as aside, unless the law has changed *again* since December, you can still buy swords and whatnot as long as:
A:- The blade is less than 500mm (or maybe 510mm)
B:- The blade is straight (no curves or nothing)
C:- The blade is made using "traditional methods" which includes folding of course, but even just forging counts. Straight stock removal is a no-no.

Grinding takes strength out, forging puts strength in. Perhaps because they've not made a suitable electric hammer yet.

 

[Invicta]

Invicta - ooooh nice blade my friend? is that the WIndlass version? was trying to decide between the Windlass version, which was more historical accurate cos of the curve, or the Gen2 version, which was meant to be a better chopper, but had a straighter blader. New law got passed as I was procrastinating! go figure.

I have the Gen2 version http://www.gothicfantasy.com/Gen2/17IP086.html which my wife bought for my birthday a couple of years ago. And you're right about being a good chopper. I was talking about it at work and one of the guys wanted to see how good it was. We set up a 2x4 piece of wood on some saw horses and with a good overhead swing it cut through 80% and split the remaining 20% of the wood.....zombies beware.

 

[Heatshock]

I have the Gen2 version .....which my wife bought for my birthday a couple of years ago....

lucky sod ;P

oh and as for UK law - I wrote to Justice dept cos the curve and length of the falcata is kinda border line, and just got a generic 'it could be legal, but wil be judged on a case by case basis'

other problem is only Gen2 vendor in Europe is in Germany

Nate

 

[CessnaDriver]

I went through a little thinking on this when I got the Conan sword and debated is it worth getting the Albion or not, or getting a sharpened Marta.

Why would I want a sharpened sword???

I'm I going to fight another swordsman with it??? :lol

or use it for home defense? I have firearms and a very functional Bowie knife.

Do I want something like that laying around?

Then I have to lock it up. and not display it, and be very very careful when I do take it out

Caring for it keeping an edge that I will never ever use?



So yeah cool to say hey man this thing is real. but why bother?

 

[Chiok]

It's just another thing to really scare the guys your daughter brings home. That's just what I'm planning. And zombie or mutant outbreak.

 

[Jaruemalak]

This is funny, because I've actually done that! My daughter was bringing home a guy who I felt was "questionable", so I made sure that when they got to the house, I was in the back yard, practicing with a katana, doing a kata and slicing some reed stalks!

The guy turned out to be pretty cool, but I wish I had a photo of his face when he first saw me in back yard!

 

[Ramiel]

This is funny, because I've actually done that! My daughter was bringing home a guy who I felt was "questionable", so I made sure that when they got to the house, I was in the back yard, practicing with a katana, doing a kata and slicing some reed stalks!

The guy turned out to be pretty cool, but I wish I had a photo of his face when he first saw me in back yard!

AHAHAH:lol
Probably, if I was that guy I would have asked to try the katana out with you completely forgetting your daughter! Yes, I'm addicted to swords like that...:lol