How it's made...

I’d just like to dispel some myths for humanities sake.
I can’t comment on the Samurai, metallurgy is more my thing.
1. Good sword steel isn’t hard to find, most modern carbon steel is as good as the best steel possible hundreds of years ago. If you want something special look for L-6 or S-7 (if I remember correctly S-7 is used for jackhammer tips).
2. Traditional forging is a dying art because a machine can do an equivalent amount of forging much faster, not to mention forging isn’t really necessary at all (grinding your shapes out works just as well). Also. A good furnace, or even better a salt bath, with a thermometer can do a much better job of heat-treating than traditional methods.

If anything I would just like to get people to do a bit of reading. This stuff isn’t incredibly complex, and a small amount of understanding can lead to a lot less hype.
Here’s my favorite page for some metallurgical basics. http://swordforum.com/metallurgy/ites.html

And this is a good place for general info.
http://www.cashenblades.com/Info/Info.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top