Are there any real swords made out of black steel?

But then again its also wider(spine to edge), as well as shorter overall. Anyway, if stainless really is that tough, I wouldnt mind a stainless, maintenance-free katana. My old kaze isnt too pretty right now =/

Infi is as close to maintenance free as it gets, and tougher than any stainless as far as i know. Personally, as has been mentioned before, if i were looking for a weapon rather than just something to practice forms and tameshigiri with, i'd go with one of the offerings in Infi, 5160, SR77, SR101, or S7.

Infi doesn't rust much if at all, but it's expensive, the others vary widely in price.

Why don't you just tell us what you want to DO with it. That will tell us a lot more about what to recommend.

Are you looking for something to practice with, something to use as a SHTF weapon, or something that you can take out and hack trees with?

The condor bush cutlass is CHEAP, and very very durable.

CN35622HCa.jpg


The condor Dadao is built like a tank, is still under $100 and you could cut a cow in half with it.

condor_dynasty_dadao_sword.jpg


there are plenty of Sword shaped objects that will do many tasks well... until we know how it will be used, we're all just guessing
 
Wow! This discussion always works people up. So I am going to throw my .02c in and see what happens. Steel choice is up to the maker. There is a difference between forging and stock removal because some steels are easier to forge Vs. stock removal. I would grind D2 all day long but would not forge it. 5160 and the 10XX series are very forgiving in the forge and do not require an exotic heat treat. Your higher end blade steels require precise temp control during HT. Since I do all my work at home and it is a hobby, I do not have access or the money to invest in the equipment needed for that.

I use mostly 5160 and the 10XX series for making blades.
5160, spring steel, flexes great, easy to HT and takes a great edge. And is easy to forge.
1060 thru 1085 are great for blades. Easy to work, forgiving, and easy to HT.
1095 is great for knifes but you will run into issues for swords. It would be too brittle for a sword unless you temper the hardness down. When you do that you lose the properties that make it a great knife steel. So you might as well use 5160 or lower carbon 10XX series.
440C for a sword? For a wall hanger only.

I know this could go on and on and on as each one us discusses and defends their fav steel. So I will step back and watch.
 
I'm a fan of "black Blades" myself.
I've become a fan of leaving the "fire scale" or "forge scale" on my blades after the heat treatment.
Most of my swords/daggers have been finished this way, and is very reminiscent of the type of finish you'd expect to see on a nazgul blade from LOTR. It definitely requires a little more maintenance than a polished blade.
 

Wrong thread maybe? Or am I missing something?

@kaos, what makes you say that forge finished blades require more maintenance? Certainly requires less work to finish than polishing, and nice if you're going for that rough look, but does it not hold up to wear or something? Stuff seems pretty tough.
 
Good to see that condor and zombie tools were given a mention. Both have merit in terms of economy and toughness. Although the edge profile on the condor line makes them machetes, there are really very few people that have the skills to use long blades effectively. It would seem to me that a condor would have far greater value per dollar spent than any of the junk wallhanger stuff out there. With proper sharpening and strike angle I can lop off 2" plus ash or cedar branches with one hit, green, non-cured wood. A simple blade of this type can be used for bushcraft, agricultural use (pigweed anyone?), butchering, and self-defense. A heavier wedge type bevel is easier to resharpen for the amateur and will not dull as easily from misuse - it will never have the cutting power of a sword but a sword really has only one purpose. The flip side is that even some of the most expensive of the modern made katana's will not actually handle near as much cutting as a cheap machete - if the back had just a little too much clay laid on, for instance, the blade will fail almost instantly. Untempered steel deforms, permanently. Controlling the process is an art in every way within the confines of traditional or semi-traditional forging. Art costs money.
 
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