- Joined
- Dec 27, 2013
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In the quest of developing real titanium alloy swords, multi-alloy blades were always going to be near the apex of what could be done, possibly in performance and definitely in aesthetics. San mai blades have been created, unlocking the key to making ti alloy swords with three or more layers - a harder core with tougher cladding. Blades with a welded and forged bit edge have also been made, for a trimetallic billet. Here, we have a new way of making a multi-alloy titanium blade.
This sword blade tests several new things at once. The handle shape was inspired by a military knife posted a while back by
makandr
. I like it and it will be improved and used on future blades. The body of the blade is titanium alloy 6-2-4-2, a new one for me. Most importantly, the edge of the blade is of ti alloy BT23/VT23, one of the best ones I've found for the purpose. It was directly welded to the edge of the blade body, and forged - bimetallic ti alloy blade.
The edge alloy is very low on the blade, just enough for a nice bite. Above the edge is a HAZ, and the whole effect looks somewhat hamon-like. Of course it's practically impossible to capture in a photo. This is the first sword blade made using this method. When rudely beaten into logs and boards, etc, it held up well. This technique seems to be a success, and will get refined and applied to more blades.
The blade is 27" long, with a 10" handle, for just over 37" oal. The spine was left rough, with contortions and colors from the quench left intact. Sighting down the spine, it looks like it grew like a stick, while the edge is polished and straight. The whole package is almost whip-like, and should be a good blade for cutting practice and other long blade uses.
Thanks for looking!
This sword blade tests several new things at once. The handle shape was inspired by a military knife posted a while back by
makandr
. I like it and it will be improved and used on future blades. The body of the blade is titanium alloy 6-2-4-2, a new one for me. Most importantly, the edge of the blade is of ti alloy BT23/VT23, one of the best ones I've found for the purpose. It was directly welded to the edge of the blade body, and forged - bimetallic ti alloy blade.The edge alloy is very low on the blade, just enough for a nice bite. Above the edge is a HAZ, and the whole effect looks somewhat hamon-like. Of course it's practically impossible to capture in a photo. This is the first sword blade made using this method. When rudely beaten into logs and boards, etc, it held up well. This technique seems to be a success, and will get refined and applied to more blades.
The blade is 27" long, with a 10" handle, for just over 37" oal. The spine was left rough, with contortions and colors from the quench left intact. Sighting down the spine, it looks like it grew like a stick, while the edge is polished and straight. The whole package is almost whip-like, and should be a good blade for cutting practice and other long blade uses.
Thanks for looking!
