Looking for a wakizashi blade only

Nobody · Oct 21, 2002

"Traditional", this thread is not, so I apologize in advance if it violates any sense of etiquette...

I'm partial to the O Wakizashi (21 - 22" blade). I find I use this length the best and can switch between a variety of sword styles and use it both one- and two-handed quite well. The katana has more reach, but I personnally find it less flexible in application for me. Since I've picked up my swordsmanship "skills" from a variety of teachers and styles through time, it is fairly eclectic, but I'm comfortable with it.

Is there anyone out there that makes good usable (as in can be used for test cutting) O Wakizashi blades? I want make the handle and guard area myself, and I'm quite capable of doing it, but swordsmithing is out of the question right now. I want to do the handle/guard myself because I wish to experiment with some designs taylored to my grip styles.

Here's the other catch, I'm looking for a very, very durable material. Something like L-6, properly heat treated, would be great. I'm knowledgeable enough to understand that edged tools have purpose driven design limitations. Having just said that, I freely admit that deep down I'm still looking to have that light saber I fell in love with when I saw that first star wars movie as a kid. No matter what I know, I devote entirely too much energy trying to figure out alloys, heat treats, or some technology that will give us a blade that is fast, keen, easy to maintain, and near indestructible. Anyway, I digress. My point is that I'm always casting my eye towards blade materials that promise to be efficient cutters but can take punishment.

Any makers out there selling quality heat treated blades without fixtures?

Thanks.

beluga · Oct 21, 2002

Howard Clark
Kris Cutlery
Michael Bell
Paul Chen
Christian Griesi

Anyway, I can give you a lot if names, but how much are you willing o spend for the blade ?

The price range of the list above range from a couple hundreds to a couple thousands dollar.

Some people prefer 1084 (folded-forged) to L6. They say 1084 is sharper and better to handle. I myself am fond of L6.
You might want to research more about 1084.

Let me know.

beluga · Oct 21, 2002

One more name, Rob Criswell also makes useable sword, not too traditional though.

Nobody · Oct 21, 2002

Yes, a Howard Clark blade sounds very nice, but I was under the distinct impression that he is no longer making just blades but only custom completed swords. Am I wrong? Actually, I thought most of the makers on that list only dealt with completed swords.

I went down the Kris cutlery path about 12 years ago. I liked the balance of the sword ok but apparently in contrast to others' experience, mine was severely deficient in durability for even normal mat cutting. I think the heat treat on mine was fairly botched.

beluga · Oct 23, 2002

The last news I had about Mr. Clark was he only takes order on L6 from Bugei. I don't know about the other blade.

Oh, check www.moonlitforge.com

He's a great guy, and I think you can get your bare blade there.

Let me know how it goes.

jggonzalez · May 29, 2003

Originally posted by Nobody
Is there anyone out there that makes good usable (as in can be used for test cutting) O Wakizashi blades? I want make the handle and guard area myself, and I'm quite capable of doing it, but swordsmithing is out of the question right now. I want to do the handle/guard myself because I wish to experiment with some designs taylored to my grip styles.

Here's the other catch, I'm looking for a very, very durable material. Something like L-6, properly heat treated, would be great. I'm knowledgeable enough to understand that edged tools have purpose driven design limitations. Having just said that, I freely admit that deep down I'm still looking to have that light saber I fell in love with when I saw that first star wars movie as a kid. No matter what I know, I devote entirely too much energy trying to figure out alloys, heat treats, or some technology that will give us a blade that is fast, keen, easy to maintain, and near indestructible. Anyway, I digress. My point is that I'm always casting my eye towards blade materials that promise to be efficient cutters but can take punishment.

Any makers out there selling quality heat treated blades without fixtures?

Thanks.

Hi,

I just recently contacted Glen Parrell at Viking Metal Works about a wakizashi-style blade (20"). I spoke to him about getting a blade made of pure bainite, since that seems to be the toughest. After talking to him, I told him to go ahead and make it with his normal heat treating methods. The steel will be 5160 with a differential temper of just under 60 at the edge and about ten points softer on the back. Granted, a bainite blade will probably be tougher, but for what I intend (tameshigiri and takegiri) this blade will be more than tough enough, and the cost will be significantly less. I'd suggest giving him a call at (709)749-0483. You can also look at his website, but the wakizashi shown there is only one example of what he can do. Mine will be very different. I've found that the pictures on his website aren't fully indicative of the quality of the work he does. They are great starting points, but they don't illustrate the versatility of his designs. Basically, if you can give him a sketch or pic, he can make it. I've got two swords on order and am anxiously awaiting both.

Triton · May 29, 2003

If you want nearly indestructible I'd say you are on the right track with L6. I saw a post some time ago about the abuse a Howard Clark L6 blade was put to and the results were very impressive. I believe that Bugei is the exclusive retailer of Mr. Clark's L6 blades these days so you will have to contact them about it. I suspect that they would be only to happy to sell you anything you want if you have the money.

not2sharp · May 29, 2003

You could always simply go after the real thing. There are still some very good antique pieces around that are fully serviceable but not quite up to display standards. The one pictured above is an excellent old 16-17th century WAK, which unfortunately suffers from an "improvement" added by an ignorant dealer ages ago.

It is probably not worth sinking $2,000.00+ to have it properly polished and mounted. But, as raw material for a project, you can end up with a truely outstanding sword.

n2s

sweet · May 29, 2003

I did a custom order for some clay tempered wakizashi blades with Kris Cutlery over around 3 years ago. I used my very old wakizashi blade as a template with adding a few inches to the tang and sent it off. KC did a beautiful job on all the blades which I got to have Ted Tenold from Bugei check a few of them out at the San Francisco Token Kai a few years back and he like them and the dual hamon some of them showed in a non-polished state, he said they looked like a certain school which was known for the style in which those blades looked like...which I stupidly forgot. All depends on how much you wana spend and what maker is willing to take your order.

jggonzalez · May 29, 2003

I think it all comes down to how much you're willing to spend. I'm getting a very serviceable blade from Glen Parrell for $325, including shipping from Newfoundland to Texas. I looked into an L6/bainite blade, but it was just too expensive for my wallet.