Would anyone be interested in a titanium Katana?

sheathmaker said:
I was not going to post in this thread at all, but you finally tripped my trigger.

When you started this thread you received some well meaning cautions about your choice of materials, and you blew all of those off in what I thought was a far less than courteous way.

Then you continued to beat a dead horse about a subject very few if any found of any interest, (mostly because most thought the idea might not end well for you.....as in a faulty concept).

Then you sort of wind things up by insulting those who do hold the Katana and its associated legends and practices in some degree of reverence.

My opinion of you now is that you are a Mall Ninja pure and simple. I further hope, for your sake that you do bend or break the sword, before some one who does know how to use one takes it away from you and inserts it in your rectum.

that's all for now.

Best Regards,

Paul

Edited to add: No, at age 77 I'm not the one who would do the insertion......but I have a couple of young buddies who are trained and more than capable.
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Think this sums it up.
A titanium sword will lack the impact capabilities of a normal sword. It will dent super easy. Putting a coating on the edge is not very deep and will not help denting. If used in real life this sword will have huge edge chips in it when it goes up against a decent sword.
It would only do good if going up against paper or other not hard objects.
 
Snody said:
Do you Man ..Just do You....Get your Grind On......
Will it be ground like this piece you recently finished and posted?
Have a good 1..
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Snody,

You know man I respect you, but please don't insult my work. That's the first knife I made, I made it for my father for hunting. It's not perfect but It's pretty good for a first try and using a 1/8th horsepower combo grinder. I'm getting a lot better at grinding; without trying to better ones skills, what's the point of trying?

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For example, I believe this is much better. I'm not doing this professionally, I'm a college student trying to recoup some cash and feed my own addiction to learning new skills.

Now I know you weren't always a bigshot knife maker, you had to have started somewhere. Don't you remember making your first piece and the little imperfections? I'm proud of the work I do because every day I go into the shop I know I'm going to get a little better. Life is a journey and not a destination, I'm sure you understand that.

As to my disregard for the katana, judus f-ind priest is a sword, not some holy magical symbol of divine inspiration. Weapons are meant to be used. If the ti doesn't come out well, it'll be a conversation piece for the mantel. I don't want to catch holy hell for not sticking to the tried and true. If people didn't experiment and push envelopes, try things and fail, we would never make any progress. I've been experimenting on titanium for a long time, working with the material and I believe I know how to make it tick the way I want it. Don't knock it till you try it is all I'm saying. Everyone here speaks as if they've personally compared a titanium katana with a carbide edge with a traditional steel one.

And Snody, look man I don't mean to get upset, but I really take offense when people insult something I work hard on. I'm always trying to do better, so if you don't like it don't buy it. Don't hate on people when they're getting started, I'm sure you yourself took a lot of flak. Everyone has opinions and I know my grinds aren't perfect, but it's part of the pursuit of a skill I want to learn.


Dingo
 
No one insulted your work for the sake of insulting your working....it was a teaching moment to point out that you are coming off like a jackass.

Choosing a katana shape for a "zombie killing sword" is not easy and it isn't the most practical. A double edged bastard or hand and a half would have made more sense.

Do you have any idea how long it takes to become proficient at making or using a katana? About 6-8 years for either...and that is basics. To become great takes a lifetime, and just about everything that you have written in this thread has been an insult to those who have dedicated their lives to this goal. You don't just slap one out and call it katana. The sword is one of the three Holy Treasures of Japan....did you know that?

You have the nerve to talk about respect to Mike Snody? If you knew how seriously he takes the Way, you would have not spoken in this manner.

You have so much to learn, and it probably is not going to happen on these forums.....based upon statements like this:

FriskyDingo said:
And Snody, look man I don't mean to get upset, but I really take offense when people insult something I work hard on. I'm always trying to do better, so if you don't like it don't buy it.
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You have NO idea what insulting is...you lack respect, you lack knowledge and you lack dignity.


Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Alright then, you say bastard sword. I'm in a listening mood tonight, afterall business is business. I'm still going to make a katana, I like the blade shape and I'm curious what will happen. This thread started out of curiosity has now lead to everyone insulting me, I've insulted their beliefs and customs and for that I have to apologize. I didn't realize that I would take so much flak for something as simple as a sword. I guess I just don't see why the reverence to an inanimate object? I don't understand the culture, I just see it as a very good design for a cutting implement lol.

I want to make this my business someday, so I guess I'm walking a fine line here. I don't want to insult people who could be potential customers, that's not good business. I'm learning the craft, it's hard and I've been doing this for about 3 months. Right now I work in my father's shop when he's not around as we don't talk. Both of my parents never thought I'd amount to much, so I guess this is my way of using a hobby to try and eventually better myself. I'm sorry if I came off as a jackass, I'm really not like that in day to day life. Can we let sleeping dogs lie and continue on constructively?

I've got mad respect for Snody, no doubt about that. I have one of his custom Hybrids, and I plan on doing business with him. I don't agree with everything he says but the dude does good work, and that's what I think about him.
 
FriskyDingo said:
Alright then, you say bastard sword. I'm in a listening mood tonight, afterall business is business. I'm still going to make a katana, I like the blade shape and I'm curious what will happen. This thread started out of curiosity has now lead to everyone insulting me, I've insulted their beliefs and customs and for that I have to apologize. I didn't realize that I would take so much flak for something as simple as a sword. I guess I just don't see why the reverence to an inanimate object? I don't understand the culture, I just see it as a very good design for a cutting implement lol.

I'm sorry if I came off as a jackass, I'm really not like that in day to day life. Can we let sleeping dogs lie and continue on constructively?

I've got mad respect for Snody, no doubt about that. I have one of his custom Hybrids, and I plan on doing business with him. I don't agree with everything he says but the dude does good work, and that's what I think about him.
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Here is a hyperlink to what I was talking about with a bastard or hand and a half sword:

http://www.vincelewis.net/bastardsword.html

As far as the rest goes, it is very easy to have inadvertent misunderstandings on the interwebs...hopefully all has been cleared up.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thanks man, I don't expect this to go away overnight I just hope I haven't done any permanent damage here. Honestly I wasn't emotionally invested in this thread until tonight when I checked back on it. I'm genuinely sorry if I've offended anyone beyond repair. I honestly don't want to damage relationships, I've got enough drama in my life already and y'all don't need it from me. I made myself look like a jackass, going back and reading my threads is embarrassing.

I just need someone to explain to me all the reverence of the Katana. I understand the technological marvel of the Katana (damascus steel, differential heat treating, the shape, ect.) but culturally I'd be interested in learning more about it. I'm more curious than anything now to be completely honest.

Edit: Took a look at the article, very interesting. Here's where we address problem one: I don't know enough about swords to be making swords. I believe I need to research this a little more fully. Honestly I should consult my girlfriend on this one lol, she's a medieval history major, and might be able to shed some light on what kind of sword is best for all around fighting. I like the concept of the hand and a half, it seems like a good blend of a longsword and a two hander. Making this out of Ti would be expensive, but an interesting experiment. Can anyone suggest another type of sword I should look into if not the Katana or Bastard and give merits/drawbacks? I thought at one point a saber might be interesting due to the weight of the blade, however I'm not sure it would work as well due to the lightness of Ti.

One question about the Katana: I was under the impression Katana's edges were very brittle, and thus is was generally inadvisable for their edges to contact the edge of another sword. Is this true?

Also another question, has anyone made magnesium blades? It's flammable to no end, yes, but it's lighter than Ti. I'm unfamiliar with it's edge holding capabilities... probably just as malleable as Aluminum but it's worth the inquiry.
 
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No dog in this fight, just 2 observations. You stated the 1st knife was for your dad for hunting, but then said you use the shop when he's not around because you don't speak to him...

And magnesium is no blade steel. It is used as a firestarter by taking a knife and scraping/shaving the material. I can appreciate trying to make knives, but you ought to stick to using steel, or research your materials a little better.
 
Yeah, my father and I have a very tenuous relationship. We haven't talked for most of my freshman and all of my sophomore year of college. About the only thing I know he does for fun is hunt. I have mad respect for the man, he grew up in disgusting poverty, I've seen the trailer that he grew up in, it's not pretty. He was first generation college material and paid his own way thru as his father left the family when he was 17. Now he's very successful, just not as a father. We argue a lot, especially now that my mother has passed. I guess I should probably do something to right my personal issues, but that's partially what the knife was supposed to represent. I know he enjoys hunting, so I thought it might break the ice a little, show that I can make something if I put my mind to it. My personal story aside tho...

Well I was just curious about the magnesium, as this is part of my research. I'm a material science major believe it or not, but they don't really teach you anything of use until second semester sophomore year. I've spent most of the past two years getting my chemistry and math requirements out of the way just to get into my major. However, I work with Ti and Magnesium all the time for my combat robotics stuff. You might find this interesting... this is one of our heavy weights from a couple years back:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGQcq6oCI8A

Bottom line is I work with a lot of these materials on a regular basis, "Vera" here is AR400 tube steel with titanium plating, running a 100 pound bar of 7075 milled Aluminum with milled 20 pound S7 tool steel heads around 50 RC. We've found that this setup is pretty durable. The S7 are replaceable because no matter what we use, they're going to shatter on impact. We've shattered Ti heads, Aluminum (yeah I know, it usually flows but 7075 is a quirky SOB), Magnesium, ect. We're rotating that bar at 6000 RPM as a kinetic energy weapon. I'm not a knife maker, that's not my background. However I've been into combat robotics for years, so I am familiar with metal work and basic properties. Don't discount me yet ;)
 
Frisky Dingo, Your apology seems sincere enough, but I'm sure you now realize that the apology is just the first step in buying back the respect you lost as a result of this encounter. What was torn down in seconds, minutes or hours will take a very long time to build back and will test your patience and humility. If you lack in either of these then the road back will be even longer and harder.

Most of the folks here are older, much older than you and have life experience that you have yet to encounter. You would save yourself a lot of future grief if you listen and profit from their experiences.

I hope you will return here and contribute and enjoy in the spirit you will come to understand.

Best regards, (also)

Paul
 
Frisky, Paul is always right :D and a very good man pay his words alot of respect

I sent you a PM with some info on Japanese swords I hope you find it helpful.

I do not know Mike Snody that well but what I do know is that he is all about respect and he knows that ya gotta give it to get it. I am sure the new respectful you will gain his wisdom along with many others

Good luck and stick around
 
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Thanks guys, I really am sorry I've been in a pretty stressful place lately and last night I kind of had a critical look at what kind of crap I've been spewing on this thread after Snody chimed in. I guess it puts things into perspective when one of your "heros" makes a criticism. The trick now is to earn back what I've lost here and show you guys I seriously am sorry. I just want to move forward here and make a quality piece, and maybe learn a little more about the cultural significance of the Katana that I'm missing.

JParanee, after reading your PM I went online to see what I could look up about the culture surrounding the sword in japan, and I found a very interesting documentary on its construction on youtube that covered a lot of the religious and cultural implications of the Katana. It's very interesting stuff, I honestly had no idea. I guess ignorance never pays, so this information is good to know. Thinking on it, I don't think I can build a better sword than the japanese masters, they know what they're doing. However, I still am curious what will happen with a titanium/carbide one. Maybe it'll work and we'll all be surprised, maybe it'll just be an unrecoverable piece of metal.
 
FriskyDingo said:
I just want to move forward here and make a quality piece, and maybe learn a little more about the cultural significance of the Katana that I'm missing.

Thinking on it, I don't think I can build a better sword than the japanese masters, they know what they're doing.
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that's more like it. Take it from a guy who's shoved his foot into his mouth more than once on this forum:thumbup::D

What grade of ti do you think would be most appropriate for this app?
 
Well 99% of what I have laying around is 6AL4V, which from what I've found carrying my 'Dashi's is not too bad. I've sold a couple to guys on other forums who agree, for light utility use and food prep it's not too bad. I've also used the metal for rock carving and soap stone; there's a large garnet deposit very near where I live that's been exposed by road construction, you can literally walk up and pick up any rock and it will have pea sized garnets in it or bigger. My girlfriend and I took a set of chisels I made from Ti up there and beat the holy hell out of them and they stayed together pretty well, tho I had to "resharpen" them afterwards.

I guess I like it because it's essentially a sunk cost, I have it for the robotics and I use a lot of the drop from the waterjet for my knives and such. Hence why I'm "stuck" on a Ti Katana. There might be some more exotic alloys of Ti out there that would hold a better edge tho.
 
Not the best pics, but here we go... some initial shots. Going to get a black cord weave tomorrow.

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Drill work is all the way up and down both sides. Tiger striped blade.
 
drill work=stress riser.:thumbdn:
 
:D
you know, like when a smooth surface is interrupted by a blemish, which is where, under duress, the material will fail catastrophically? Didn't you say something about materials science?:D

You might like the way those little divots look, but I'm telling you that adding that kind of 'texture' to a blade is going to do nothing but ensure catastrophic failure under usage. Mark my words. But, I'm not the boss of you, so, carry on:)
 
No it's okay Lorien, I hear you. I'm pretty sure we all know by now that this isn't going to work as well as a steel katana for cutting, so the only option I have left for this sword is to make it look good. Do you at least like the looks of it, functionality aside?

You know the funny thing is I just got a PM from a member of another forum wanting to buy it when I'm done lol. Idk what to do, he offered me good money. I made sure to let him know Ti doesn't hold the greatest edge and has a chance of bending, but he didn't seem to care. Just wanted a lightweight rustproof blade that would look good.
 
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