Looking for Japanese sword tutorial

D

DaQo'tah Forge

Banned
Joined
Aug 26, 2002
Messages
1,333
Hey Im curious about how the long swords are made.

Anyone know of a site where a step-by-step tutorial is shown ?
 
That's a beauty DaQu. There are as far as I have seen on the internet and have been told about here on BF two real sword makers tutored in Japan and now making here in the U.S.. I gotta give it to ya - you got the spirit for it.

The real sword makers will jump on this thread of yours.

RL
 
I have many questions about how such things were forged.

I dont understand the shape of the blade BEFORE the heat-treatments start.

also, I would like to see how such H/T are done and about all that use of clay in the treatments.

I also would like to know about how the blade is hammered to become that long, yet so thin?

what did the steel look like before that first hammer blow?

what types of steel do guys use in today's world who make this long of sword?

Everyone always tells me that such blades were made sharp on a water stone. But I would like to know how? The length of this type of sword seems to me to be one tricky thing to hand sharpen on a small stone.
 
Don Fogg's web site dfoggknives.com would be a good place to start. He has a good article from a sword class he taught. It doesn't have everything you're looking for, but will get you started.
 
saw your post about his website....went over and had a look,,,,I spent 2 hours going over the information,,,Lots of good stuff,,,,many of my questions are now answered...
 
Check out Sword Forum too. Also Google "sword forum" and you'll find other neat stuff.

I haven't done it but I understand a traditional sword starts out straight and assumes its curvature in the quench. Bob Engath's site describes putting the blade of a tanto in a vise and bending the curve into it; saves steel.

Obviously I don't know much about this, good luck!
 
There's also a sword discussion forum on BFC where you can ask questions. Also you can email or PM me and I can help you with any questions or concerns. I'd be happy to help you if you are interested in traditional shaping and stuff.

There's probably as much misinformation out there about the processes of swordmaking and their purposes as there is good information. Keep that in mind when browsing around.

That said, a good starter website for finding information on blade shapes and stuff would be Alan Quinn's site at http://www.meiboku.demon.co.uk

Please feel free to visit the Sword Discussion Forum here and ask as many questions as you like. I'm always thrilled to pieces when makers want to try something Japanese-style. :)
 
And even though many of these may have been clarified, here's a quick answer to each of your questions :)
DaQo'tah Forge said:
I dont understand the shape of the blade BEFORE the heat-treatments start.
Click to expand...
Straight, gentle distal and profile tapers, about 1/4" thick at the base, tapers to just under 3/16" at the tip.

DaQo'tah Forge said:
also, I would like to see how such H/T are done and about all that use of clay in the treatments.
Click to expand...
Clay applied on rough-finish blade (rough so the clay adheres), scraped off near the edge. Allow to dry, fix where cracks form, bind with wire if preferred to keep it on the blade. Heat blade to austenitic, quench in warm-hot water. Stress relief post-hardening, sometimes these things can crack by looking at them within 10-15 mins of quench. That's the basic, you can get lots more complex.

DaQo'tah Forge said:
I also would like to know about how the blade is hammered to become that long, yet so thin?
Click to expand...
Not very thin. Japanese swords are quite beefy and stout compared to other types of sword.

DaQo'tah Forge said:
what did the steel look like before that first hammer blow?
Click to expand...
Traditionally tamahagane was a hideous lump called a kera. It would be hardened and broken into little pieces and sorted. Those pieces were sorted by carbon content (ranging up to 3%) and welded together as a billet. Several "layers" of assorted chunks can be used in one billet, and those billets are welded/folded together a few times. Lots of work :)

DaQo'tah Forge said:
what types of steel do guys use in today's world who make this long of sword?
Click to expand...
10xx is by far the favorite. 1050 was promoted strongly by Bob Engnath and you can develop a nice thick active hamon on it without too much difficulty. 1095 is sometimes avoided due to its potential to crack in the quench and lack of consistent material. You want a shallow-hardening low alloy steel to display a decent real hamon with traditional techniques. Low Mn, Cr, and Ni would be ideal if you are going to perform yakiire heat treat/quench. This means 5160, 52100, L6, S7, and other steels will not display much of a hamon using conventional methods. 1050 and 1084 are favorites, 1065 is popular where you can get it. 1086M is a modified custom smelt for Howard Clark that is used by him and Don Fogg and some others.

DaQo'tah Forge said:
Everyone always tells me that such blades were made sharp on a water stone. But I would like to know how? The length of this type of sword seems to me to be one tricky thing to hand sharpen on a small stone.
Click to expand...
You use a bunch of stones to polish a sword. The first stones are a lot coarser than sharpening waterstones you see for knives and chisels, as they are for reshaping. The final stones are also very different from the waterstones for knives/chisels and using the latter will scratch up your sword. The traditional polishing process takes a very long time and costs a lot of money.

A set of even decent stones for Japanese polishing can approach $1000, I would suggest you do initial shaping and cleaning up (maybe to 220 grit) on a belt grinder, if you can control the lines and keep things straight and even. Then go with sandpaper and a hard block to continue refinement. You'll take the sword up to 600-1000+ grit and etch to bring up the hamon and activities. I think you've probably found information to help you with this on Don Fogg's page.
 
get the book "the craft of the japanese sword" by Kapp, it has a nice section that goes through the process of making a katana it also has sections on polishing habaki making and saya making, if your interested in the making of japanese swords it is the best book to get on the subject
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top