Eric Santucci
Gold Member
- Joined
- Sep 23, 2006
- Messages
- 102
These blades are made by James Raw of Raw Blades in South Africa. They are extremely well-balanced and nicely designed and may be called a daisho due to their similar shapes and steel compositions although they were forged separately from one another at different times. The blades are made from tempered spring steel and oil quenched. The katana was described as being EN45 steel and the wakizashi AISI 1050 steel. James website indicates that his oil quenched blades are his most durable blades and are excellent for unskilled swordsmen.
A few notes about Raw blades. They are not as aesthetically pleasing as other high-end blades, but tough blades nonetheless. Although James may not be theoretically ranked up at the top with other Japanese-style smiths, he does produce some very good blades. Also, these are not Production blades, but instead hand-forged, custom designed one-of-a-kind blades made by a single craftsman.
Specs:
Shinogi-zukuri Katana
Nagasa: 28.5 inches
Kissaki: 1.5 inches
Motokasane: 6mm
Motohaba: 30mm
Sakikasane: 5mm
Sakihaba: 22mm
Nakago: 9.5 inches
Shinogi-zukuri Wakizashi
Nagasa: 23.5 inches
Kissaki: 1.5 inches
Motokasane: 6mm
Motohaba: 30mm
Sakikasane: 5mm
Sakihaba: 24mm
Nakago: 8.5 inches
The blades do not have a jihada or hamon and do not come with a habaki or shirasaya, but would be excellent selections for a basic mounting project. Like most Raw blades, the katana has a slightly uneven surface you can feel when moving your cleaning cloth down the side of the blade and the cutting edge could use some slight resharpening/finishing. The nakago has a slight amount of very fine rust here and there, which is acceptable for a blade. The wak is quite different no uneven surface and the edge is straight and sharp; no rust on the nakago. There are no problems with the geometry of the blades from what I could discern and certainly no rust on the nagasas at all.
I am the first and only owner of these blades, they have never been used to cut, and have been greatly respected like all of my swords. The problem with James blades is that they can be slightly complicated to get to this country because he lives in South Africa. Thus, when ordering from James the buyer needs to pay for global shipping and also pay via a bank wire. Therefore, the cost of a similar set of blades from James would be around $1400 USD with global shipping and cost of the bank wire transfer.
Im offering these at a low price of $625 USD total for both blades for a quick sale. I will pay for shipping/insurance in CONUS via USPS Priority Mail. No trades or shipping outside of CONUS and no payment plans. I prefer Paypal, but personal check or cashiers check is fine too. Ill cover the % surcharge if you pay by credit card. Swords will ship only when form of payment clears.
Basically, you will get the chance to own two nice basic Raw blades at excellent prices without the complications I went thru to get them here. Please contact me if interested thank you.
A few notes about Raw blades. They are not as aesthetically pleasing as other high-end blades, but tough blades nonetheless. Although James may not be theoretically ranked up at the top with other Japanese-style smiths, he does produce some very good blades. Also, these are not Production blades, but instead hand-forged, custom designed one-of-a-kind blades made by a single craftsman.
Specs:
Shinogi-zukuri Katana
Nagasa: 28.5 inches
Kissaki: 1.5 inches
Motokasane: 6mm
Motohaba: 30mm
Sakikasane: 5mm
Sakihaba: 22mm
Nakago: 9.5 inches
Shinogi-zukuri Wakizashi
Nagasa: 23.5 inches
Kissaki: 1.5 inches
Motokasane: 6mm
Motohaba: 30mm
Sakikasane: 5mm
Sakihaba: 24mm
Nakago: 8.5 inches
The blades do not have a jihada or hamon and do not come with a habaki or shirasaya, but would be excellent selections for a basic mounting project. Like most Raw blades, the katana has a slightly uneven surface you can feel when moving your cleaning cloth down the side of the blade and the cutting edge could use some slight resharpening/finishing. The nakago has a slight amount of very fine rust here and there, which is acceptable for a blade. The wak is quite different no uneven surface and the edge is straight and sharp; no rust on the nakago. There are no problems with the geometry of the blades from what I could discern and certainly no rust on the nagasas at all.
I am the first and only owner of these blades, they have never been used to cut, and have been greatly respected like all of my swords. The problem with James blades is that they can be slightly complicated to get to this country because he lives in South Africa. Thus, when ordering from James the buyer needs to pay for global shipping and also pay via a bank wire. Therefore, the cost of a similar set of blades from James would be around $1400 USD with global shipping and cost of the bank wire transfer.
Im offering these at a low price of $625 USD total for both blades for a quick sale. I will pay for shipping/insurance in CONUS via USPS Priority Mail. No trades or shipping outside of CONUS and no payment plans. I prefer Paypal, but personal check or cashiers check is fine too. Ill cover the % surcharge if you pay by credit card. Swords will ship only when form of payment clears.
Basically, you will get the chance to own two nice basic Raw blades at excellent prices without the complications I went thru to get them here. Please contact me if interested thank you.
/ :grumpy: