The "Ask Nathan a Question" Thread

bluemax_1 said:
Yup.

Did kendo, as well as Chinese sword styles, Filipino, as well as HEMA.

Sword vs sword, without armor, the rapier is absolutely my pick. It evolved into what it is, BECAUSE of its effectiveness in duels between unarmored opponents.

For the folks who’ve never trained in sword arts, there are a few “katana vs rapier” videos on YT. I’ll just say that every one I’ve seen is BS. The rapier wielder is always trying to stab the katana wielder through and through.

In a REAL duel/sword fight, a SMART rapier wielder isn’t going to risk a dual fatality, stabbing the katana wielder through, AS they get cut in half. The rapier wielder will simply aim to cut ANY body part within reach. Hands/wrists, forearms, knees, thighs… and rapiers tended to average blade lengths around 35” - 45”, with 40-42” being quite common.

Katanas should be sized to the wielder, so historical ones are shorter than ideal for the average Westerner, due to short average heights of samurai of the era (5’3” to 5’5”), but a 42” rapier has quite a reach advantage over a 30” katana blade sized for a Western swordsman.

Unlike the movies, ANY cut inhibits mobility and reduces your effectiveness as a fighter. Blood loss exacerbates that.

The final fight in the movie Rob Roy, is actually a decent depiction of someone with a light, fast sword (small sword, shorter, lighter and even faster than a rapier), vs a broadsword.

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Thoughts on the polish saber?

(I know nothing other than looking up videos)

Nathan the Machinist Nathan the Machinist I swear polish sabers are sharpened on the correct edge lol

(Maybe in some cases hahaha)
 
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yoko said:
Thoughts on the polish saber?

(I know nothing other than looking up videos)

Nathan the Machinist Nathan the Machinist I swear polish sabers are sharpened on the correct edge lol

(Maybe in some cases hahaha)
Click to expand...
Never specifically studied Polish saber, but the saber in general is a very versatile single handed sword, to the point our military still has them for dress/ceremonial purposes.

I trained in Chinese saber and twin/dual saber, with a preference for the liuyedao (willow leaf saber), over the yanmaodao (goose quill saber), or the newer niuweidao (oxtail saber. The shape that many/most people associate with ‘Chinese saber’, used in Wushu forms competition, where the blade widens near the tip, is a fairly new design comparatively, only showing up in the 19th century).

I’ve tried wielding various Western style sabers, and their weight and balance is very versatile for slashing and thrusting. I can also see why they became the sword of choice for horseback use of unarmored riders (and horses).
 
Nathan,

I know you have done a lot of R&D with different steels in the past and possibly currently as well. But…

Is there any steel you haven’t been able to run a fully optimized heat-treat protocol on, but you believe has significant untapped performance potential? Either from issues revolving from logistics, financial issues, or manufacturing concerns.

Thanks again

Happy thanksgiving
 
JearBeatus48 said:
Nathan,

I know you have done a lot of R&D with different steels in the past and possibly currently as well. But…

Is there any steel you haven’t been able to run a fully optimized heat-treat protocol on, but you believe has significant untapped performance potential? Either from issues revolving from logistics, financial issues, or manufacturing concerns.

Thanks again

Happy thanksgiving
Click to expand...

This is an interesting question but unfortunately I don't have a good answer for it.

There are so many materials out there. But one trend that I have found is that the steel designers sometimes have not recognized that sometimes less is more. You can put so much in your soup that it's no longer soup, it's stew.

You need the right amount of the right kinds of carbides in the right kind of matrix to get the best cutting edge durability and the pursuit of high carbide high chromium steels have led to mediocre edge retention and durability combined with difficulty with sharpening. The industry as a whole took a step backwards with s30v.

I'm sorry, I don't have a good answer to your question. The heat treat optimization process is time consuming and there are a bunch of steels out there so I have focused my energies on the most promising but I'm sure there are materials out there that I have not used that have a lot of potential in many applications. I don't know the answer to that.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
This is an interesting question but unfortunately I don't have a good answer for it.

There are so many materials out there. But one trend that I have found is that the steel designers sometimes have not recognized that sometimes less is more. You can put so much in your soup that it's no longer soup, it's stew.

You need the right amount of the right kinds of carbides in the right kind of matrix to get the best cutting edge durability and the pursuit of high carbide high chromium steels have led to mediocre edge retention and durability combined with difficulty with sharpening. The industry as a whole took a step backwards with s30v.

I'm sorry, I don't have a good answer to your question. The heat treat optimization process is time consuming and there are a bunch of steels out there so I have focused my energies on the most promising but I'm sure there are materials out there that I have not used that have a lot of potential in many applications. I don't know the answer to that.
Click to expand...

Thank you for your thoughts. There are a slew of different options but as you mentioned sometimes you need to pick a specific option and run with it. And it seems those options have been quite good overall.

Thanks again!
 
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