sword sharpening ..

N

Nemesys

Joined
Feb 8, 2005
Messages
9
hellllllooooo

i have a hand made new SHIRASAYA sword . ( high carbon steel )
i want to sharpen it in the best way , but not sending it to someone else for sharpening . the q is .. :
- how can do it ?
- would electic sharpening system be good for the job ?
- wich angel would you recommend for a razor sharp sword ?

the big q here is can i do it by myself ? ( i dont know to sharpen free-hand )
its not realy expensive sword (200 $) but i dont want to mess it ...
the sword came sharp .. but not razor sharp ...
the black one ...
thx alot !

Nemesys
 
If it was $200 dollars, then it's probably not sharpened traditionally. In fact, if it was only $200, I'd have serious doubts about its capabilities as a sword. Can you say more about it - maker/manufacturer, etc.?

If you're dead set on sharpening it yourself, then you should confirm that it does in fact have a sharpened bevel. If it's zero-ground (which, again, is highly doubtful for a sword that cost $200), then you'll either have to put a secondary bevel on it or use abrasives to follow the original grind. Electric sharpeners are not a good idea - they'll eat up way too much steel.

To sum up:

First, make sure that the sword is actually worth sharpening. Good swords in general are hard to find at the $200 mark. Good Japanese-style katanas are impossible to find at that price. Ebay sellers as a whole are very good at writing flowery, deceitful prose to make a cheap Chinese piece of junk seem like a weapon of mass destruction (BS descriptions of their swords cutting other swords, pictures of the "hand-forging" process, etc.)

Second, figure out what type of edge your blade has - zero-ground or beveled. That will determine your approach.

Third, if your sword is of any value whatsoever - sentimentally, if nothing else, reconsider doing it yourself if you have no experience. Sword sharpening is nothing like knife sharpening, particularly with Japanese blades.

Hope this helps!

PS: I took a look at the link you posted. I think that you should leave this piece as an unsharpened display item. With relatively soft targets, you might be okay, but God forbid you hurt yourself. It happens with really good swords, it's a lot more likely to happen with a sword like this. The auction's descriptions show a lack of any real sword appreciation or knowledge whatsoever. And I speak as a true novice to swords. To repeat: PLEASE don't risk your life and limbs by sharpening this and treating it as a real sword.
 
yeaaaaa you realy do helped me .
thx alot for the information .
ill proboblly leave it for display on the wall .
but i am looking for a REAL SHIRASAYA sword , katana long ...
if you know a website or anyhting ....

one more thing ... the sword in e-bay ... this is the same bullshit the they sell on the stores for 80 $$$ ???? they just write **** over there to make you belive that is hand made ???

thx agine
 
You can find good katanas from places like Bugei.com and several swordsmiths, but prepare to pay a lot. Also, shirasayas are not meant as combat furniture. They are meant specifically to hold the katana in storage. One Japanese site describes them as "pajamas" for the sword, and that is a perfect description. Shirasaya are not built to take the abuse of swinging and cutting. Of course, if you really wanted that sort of mount, a smith could easily make you one strong enough for use - but you still wouldn't have a guard, or a grippy surface on the handle.

The eBay stuff... some of it is the same stuff they sell here as wallhangers. Other times, they're actually made the way they're described - BUT - the price of a real sword reflects all the intricacies of the craft. Even with Chinese labor rates the way they are, $200 is nowhere near enough to account for all the headaches and labor time involved in making a real sword. The cheapest I personally would go is the Cold Steel Warrior series. They're not made traditionally (they aren't clay hardened, and the polish is rough) but they're actually OK for cutting use (as long as you stick to soft targets).
 
Go ahead and sharpen it with a secondary bevel (CAREFULLY). If the sword was only $200 then don't worry about messing it up. I spend nearly that much on steel and heat treatment for a blade.

Work VERY carefully...like you're scared, because there's edge all over with a sword and it can find it's way into you very quickly and unexpectedly.
 
bithabus said:
Angel Sword makes Japenese style swords in mountings that look like shirasaya, but are strong enough for actual use.

http://angelsword.com/oriental_swords/bk-oriental5.php
Click to expand...

Doesn't really look like shirasaya. There was a topic on SFI about making something akin to aikuchi mounting for a sword and the whole shirasaya can't be used was brought up, etc.

With the proper modern glue (often stronger than the wood itself) a functional shirasaya can be made... but it's often too hard to get a good grip and there is no guard to prevent your hand sliding up onto the blade. And for the money, one would be much better off getting a production blade.
 
If you're really interested in swords and think you're up to spending a fair amount of money, you could have a good sword mounted up to the shitaji stage. This is basically the "core" of the handle and saya, ready for furniture and finishing. So if you're into the look of the shirasaya, you can have that until you've outgrown it, and afterwards you can have the whole thing properly finished. This is assuming, of course, that you won't cut with it, but as no kenjutsu dojo in the world would allow the use of a sword without proper mounts, this doesn't seem to be a huge problem.
 
You're right, those swords don't look exactly like shirasaya. But they are the closest thing you will find that is also safe to cut with, unless you spend several thousand dollars on a custom project. Aikuchi mounted longswords are usually not done becasue, as you say, the absence of a guard is dangerous.

senoBDEC said:
Doesn't really look like shirasaya. There was a topic on SFI about making something akin to aikuchi mounting for a sword and the whole shirasaya can't be used was brought up, etc.

With the proper modern glue (often stronger than the wood itself) a functional shirasaya can be made... but it's often too hard to get a good grip and there is no guard to prevent your hand sliding up onto the blade. And for the money, one would be much better off getting a production blade.
Click to expand...
 
i've seen this seller before...i think he is from Ohio but the stuff he sells are made in China. i fyou look at the pictures carefully the tsuka ito (handle wrap) looks to be made of some cheap material. it doesn't even look like it's cotton. plus the other sword blanks are dao swords and not katana swords. i would seriously advice not to use this sword for cutting. with out proper fittings it might just fly out of your hands and hurt someone.

one thing i also noticed is that the cut on the tatami mat is really not all that clean either.
 
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