Machete

Personally I don't see what the commotion is all about. Some people say the Criswell is too hard. Well it's been indepently tested and it held up. Has anyone had a broken Criswell sword? So maybe A-2 isn't as tough as some other steel, but maybe it's tough enough for a sword. And if at the same time it can hold better edge, why would anyone complain about that? According to Cliff Stamp, his Strider knife made of ATS-34 steel at 61 HRc with a 42 degree edge was tougher than his TOPS knife of 1095 steel at 57 HRc with 55 degree edge. Looking at the chemical composition for the two steels this should not happen. But the real world is a lot more complicated.

Criswell sword's appreance are not for everybody. But it's just the stuff for other people. Just to remind everyone that there are makers out there selling A-2 katanas for $6,000! I haven't seen any custom maker selling swords for as little as Criswell. At my last knife show, the Criswell swords were sold out. Just to show that there is a market for them.


Triton,

You should know that information in Dr. JPH's book assumes conventional heat treat for L-6 steel. Howard's L-6 bainite blades are not conventional.

Another thing about A-2 being mentioned recommended for the "advanced smith" -- A smith is someone who forges. What he is saying is that A-2 is hard to forge compared to simple carbon steels. I'm pretty sure the Criswell blade is stock removed -- like most makers of A-2 blades. Not that smithing is better than stock removal, just that the book was not saying A-2 is an expert level material. In fact A-2 is a favorite steel for beginning knife makers because it's extremely easy to heat treat.
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Just an example of how information can easily be misinterpreted. People assume 1095 to hold a better edge than 1084 and much better than 5160. But according to Jerry Fisk, 1084 holds the best edge, and 5160 is indistinguishable from 1095 in edge holding. Doesn't make much sense does it? What looks to be true on paper can be misleading.




[This message has been edited by tallwingedgoat (edited 10-13-2000).]
 
Just a different angle from the posts above.

I've handled Mr. Criswell's sword(Waki size) in one of the Hong Kong dealers, the sword is not balanceing well, most of the weight is at the hilt, and that sword is hollow-grind.

One of my senpei at our dojo has a showa gunto, convex grind(clam shell X-section) but quite crappy... in a sense that it doesn't hold an edge in a knife's view point--doesn't shave etc.

But with a right diagonal cut, he was able to cut through a dried bamboo with 3 inches in diameter...hehe not circumference(The bamboo was from a construction site).The cut was clean and smooth. That suprised me, maybe suprised him too. The sword came out dead straight
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Will a sword with hollow-grind do this? Will it get stuck at the end of the hollow? I don't have the answer as I haven't tried a hollow-ground sword up to now.

A side note, don't try that on wood, as wood is not hollow inside, the shock of rebounce is very much greater than bamboo!

Joe

[This message has been edited by JoeL (edited 10-13-2000).]
 
Joel,

That's interesting.....really
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But the Gunto I said was most probably forged from railway tracks, with the thickness of 8mm and only about 3cm wide at it's widest , just infront of the habaki and the sweet spot to cut the bamboo is just under 2cm wide. You can easily bend it to 45 deg and it takes a set and then bend it back easily.
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Do you see how crappy it is?

The Espada was made from 3V, state of art metallurgy. It has it's widest portion at about 4-5cm, at the sweet-spot(about 3" just after the curving edge), thin blade(only about 5mm thick) and tough and flexible.
Wide and thin blade always make a formidable weapon, put a long pole on it, it become a untra thin bladed naginata.

Tradition shape katana(shinogi-zukuri) is a strong shape to be made to avoid failure and at the same time doesn't have to add too much bulk to the sword to hinder maneavourbility. If a katana is to be made from 3V, with a thinner and abit wider blade than the traditional katana, I would expect a big leap in the performance department.

I can see the finishing is very smooth and nice. The hollow-ground on the criswell sword is deep and rapid and the blade is much thicker, didn't measure it, but maybe like 1/4". And the finishing at the hollow is like going straight to the buffer after the 60 grit belt.
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Joe

[This message has been edited by JoeL (edited 10-14-2000).]
 
As has been noted already by many other people, and I recall a recent thread on the Sword Forum about this...

There are a number of modern high-end swords being made with flatter, more acute edge geometries to optimize a sword for tameshigiri use. I also agree with a number of people who feel that this is more a step towards advancing it as a "sport."

It has also been established some that with the gradual change to flatter, wider blades with low shinogi, the cutting effect is gradually changing towards that of old sabers from different cultures.

And with modern, consistent steels and an expanded knowledge of the inner workings and thermal treatment, we can make wider or proportionately thinner blades with more acute edge geometries without sacrificing structural integrity.

Definitely not for me though...
 
Hey Guys,

Actually, I am fully aware that the steel isn't everything. I know that the heat treat and forging process is just as important if not more so then the material used. On the other hand having L6 all other things being equal makes a tougher sword then say 1086 Mr. Clark's favorite medium. In my post above I was not really trying to compare L6 and A2 so much as just give some data on the two metals. Adamant had asked a question about the properties of L6 and I just provided him with what I had.
 
Mr. Criswell,

Are you making any tantos in the style of your swords? I would be very interested in something like a 6-7 inch blade tanto without the tsuba.
 
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