Hi all, I have a question regarding a slightly bent sword. It an Angus Trim 1313, has a slight bend in the last 7 or so inches of the blade. Not sure how it got there, it was like that when I bought it. I know the blade has been heat treated and tempered, and Rockwell hardness is supposed to be 51 to 53. I would like to straighten it, but don't want to break it. Does anyone have any safe ideas on how to straighten it without causing it to snap?
Sword repair AT1313
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horseclover
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Gus had once suggested heating a bit at the bend. I wouldn't get it red hot but certainly a few hundred degrees. Stove top hot. Flex a bit further in the other direction. He had one warped blade returned and even after straightening it, it warped again all by itself. I have seen a long Gus sword bent repeatedly nearly 180 degrees before shattering. Others have broken with much less stress but during blows. Sets/bends have happened during botched cuts. He has always farmed out his heat treating and the 1313 is marquenched 5160 steel. If you have no large vise, find two fixed pieces you can use as a fulcrum or even step on it (board and concrete floor to save shoe/boot).
Cheers
GC
Cheers
GC
horseclover
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I was going to add that I was cutting goza mats this past weekend with a Gus 1319 (another XIIa) and the sword certainly let me know when I was off. A lot of his stuff is pretty thin towards the point, so should flex fairly readily. I have seen them distort/flex wildly when baseballing water bottles. I was shocked watching my older thinner XIIIa looking like a limp noodle as someone launched a 2-liter some yards. Neither of those have gotten bent but other examples have.
Cheers
GC
I was way out of shape for this stuff and was powned by this novice with one of my swords but it is the correct medium. We had doubles. a triple and a couple wrapped on dowels. Actually a third wrapped one 'cause I was the one that managed to cut through a stand peg. Fun stuff
Cheers
GC
I was way out of shape for this stuff and was powned by this novice with one of my swords but it is the correct medium. We had doubles. a triple and a couple wrapped on dowels. Actually a third wrapped one 'cause I was the one that managed to cut through a stand peg. Fun stuff
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Ok, thanks for the advice, everything I've read has suggested heating before trying to bend. I contacted Pacific Metallurgy where he has the heat treatment done, hoping to have it annealed and redone, but they said because its already sharp, that it wouldn't come out too good. So I'll have to try bending it. It looks like its only off by 2 or 3mm, do you think it would be ok to use like that or should I try to get it straight?
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I would heat it slightly as suggested, it was probably tempered around 375-450 degrees, so keep it on the low side of the temp. Get two perfectly straight pieces of steel, place one on each side of the warm blade, and use clamps to tighten down on the blade. With luck, it will straighten without breaking/cracking.
horseclover
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Performance will suffer, as you will always be trying to remember which way is what but otherwise more of a technique and sharpness thing. You might try always leaving it in a closed window, with the bend at the fulcrum of the window jamb. Might seem goofy but that might be enough to convince it to straighten up over time. You could also try it cold in a vise and heave on it but some heat will relax it a bit. The bottom of a closed door would be another ad hoc fulcrum point. Insert and lift up. You may have to go forty five degrees or more to bend it back but go in increments.
Long gone is an old destructive test alluded to in an earlier reply was Randal Graham heaving on one of his earlier Swede models. I am forgetting exactly how far he went before he managed to make the first set. It was a different cross section anyway, so the exact numbers are a bit irrelevant.
Good luck
GC
Long gone is an old destructive test alluded to in an earlier reply was Randal Graham heaving on one of his earlier Swede models. I am forgetting exactly how far he went before he managed to make the first set. It was a different cross section anyway, so the exact numbers are a bit irrelevant.
Good luck
GC
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I have an update on this. My Dad has a metal press, and I used it on both the AT1313 and an M1913 Patton sword. The patton had two noticeable bends, and both came out using the metal press. I tried the AT, and was unable to bend it, but I didn't get too aggressive with since the bend isn't too bad. In fact, if I put it on a flat surface, I can hardly tell its there, so I may just leave it as is. But the point is that a metal press can be used effectively to straighten a sword. I'm sure the Patton sword is softer metal then the Angus Trim, however.