Tiger Katana

TheoRockNazz

TheoRockNazz

Joined
Sep 5, 2012
Messages
90
Finally the sword is complete! Spent nearly a year on this one.

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15n20 and 1045 shell with differentially hardened W2 cutting edge. 3D printed cast bronze tsuba and kashira with blue Reconstone menuki and koiguchi. Wenge handle and saya are wrapped in Japanese cotton ito. The tsuba is shaped like a pair of tiger paws grasping one another, and the tiger's head pommel has a blue sapphire in it's mouth.

You can watch the forging of this sword (and some of my other blades) at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjzoeOLdYg_5FfCbgWbyXmA?nohtml5=False

This has been the most ambitious project I've ever attempted, and I am happy with the results.

Right now the things that bother me the most about it are the finish on the saya and seeing the 3D printing lines on the tsuba and pommel.* There is one small (purely aesthetic) flaw in the sword, which I have been calling "the eye of the tiger" because it coincidentally looks like there's a tiger's eye on the blade.*

Critique is always appreciated :)
 
The habaki looks like it needs massive beveling to keep from chewing up the koiguchi.

It's an interesting looking sword, obviously more focused on the art aspect, I'd like to hold it! Visible metal seppa would help tie the look together.

The shape to the tsuka is very "stick like", generally speaking the aesthetic AND function benefit from at least a slight wasp waisting.

The saya material is exceptional, but I hope you used stabilized wenge, as it is a very soft material. The saya look would benefit GREATLY from silver shitodome, imo.

The kizu is so far back on the ha as to be a non-issue....placement almost looks intentional, lol

Is there a yokote?

Best regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
The habaki looks like it needs massive beveling to keep from chewing up the koiguchi.

It's an interesting looking sword, obviously more focused on the art aspect, I'd like to hold it! Visible metal seppa would help tie the look together.

The shape to the tsuka is very "stick like", generally speaking the aesthetic AND function benefit from at least a slight wasp waisting.

The saya material is exceptional, but I hope you used stabilized wenge, as it is a very soft material. The saya look would benefit GREATLY from silver shitodome, imo.

The kizu is so far back on the ha as to be a non-issue....placement almost looks intentional, lol

Is there a yokote?

Best regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Thank you, I appreciate the honesty. I do regret not shaping the tsuka more, as having handled it for a couple hours now I can see that would have been beneficial.
...yes the flaw was intentional... if anyone asks haha.
No yokote. I tried, but ultimately decided I needed more practice or else risk pushing the edge back too much.
 
That's an odd and interesting sword. I quite like the curvature of the blade, and how that curve is followed by the scabbard. I'd love to see what the blade looks like with the tsuba and tsuka removed.
 
very cool. Have you looked into acetone smoothing for the 3D print? Tested.com has been doing a lot of stuff recently on mold making as well as their normal 3d print stuff, so there would be more info there (its where I saw stuff about it) But as the bronze ages it will add an interesting effect I think.
 
Honestly, I like the 3D printer lines in the Tsuba, don't know why, just do. And the Tigers head isn't bad even with the lines from the 3D printing
 
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