pyzik 597 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Was getting a little bored with guns. Happens from time to time. So swords caught my attention. Did a bit of reading and decided on this, a Musashi Kirashawa. 1060 high carbon steel, differentially hardened. I know Juggernaut has at least one, who else has some swords? DSC_0017 by Damage Photos, on Flickr DSC_0005 by Damage Photos, on Flickr 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HB of CJ 1,263 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Wow, a very nice FUNCTIONAL blade. I think one of my cousins still has a real 1858 or so British Calvary Saber that supposedly saw active duty for the South during the War Of Northern Aggression. I got to handle it years ago. If the steel could talk. A very nicely balanced deadly edged weapon indeed. Can you shave with your edge? Big edged weapons give me the willies! Yikes! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pyzik 597 Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 (edited) Wow, a very nice FUNCTIONAL blade. I think one of my cousins still has a real 1858 or so British Calvary Saber that supposedly saw active duty for the South during the War Of Northern Aggression. I got to handle it years ago. If the steel could talk. A very nicely balanced deadly edged weapon indeed. Can you shave with your edge? Big edged weapons give me the willies! Yikes! Portions of the blade are probably shave sharp. It's not got the most even edge on it but the whole thing is sharp. Glides through paper. I took it out and was cutting milk jugs of water. Need to get or make some cutting mats. DSC_0019 by Damage Photos, on Flickr Edited March 11, 2016 by Pyzik 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Heartbreaker 1,085 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 I have a mini katana with a 17" blade. Just a cheap thing that's cool to have. 4 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Juggernaut 11,054 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Watermelon is a "perfect" cutting medium.. just clean the hell out of the blade when you are done... 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Juggernaut 11,054 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Yeah... I got a problem... 6 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sobrenegade 795 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Well since Jugg didn't suggest moving this, I won't be the spoiler about the "blade" section. I've always admired katanas and really get off on Forged in Fire on the History channel. I am no stranger to long blades although I can't do shit with them until my arm and thumb get back to healing. Got some replicas and a handmade katana and some cheapies. 1060 isn't at the top of high carbon as it is only three away from the bottom. It goes 1045,1050,1055,1060,1070,1075,1080,1085,1090,1095. I had to look it up again, but I use the scale when I make any purchases. If you check out some of the higher dollar blades for example, you will see they use a higher carbon content 1080-1095, etc. Nothing wrong with some of the lower ones, just can't take the punishment a stronger blade can and this goes for knives. You got a beauty there and the Musashi line makes some good looking ones. Not advocating them, but Bud K has a buy one get one free going on today. Got several Damascus katanas two for one. Not bad for them. Try WildBill Wholesale, he has some great prices also. Enjoy them, I do. Damn Jugg, I posted before I saw your arsenal. Puts my meager collection to shame. 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Juggernaut 11,054 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 1060 is good for a dojo blade.. it holds an edge well enough and forgiving if you don't get a good cut... anything over 1085 and and the steel is so hard, your blade is likely to chip if you cut 'wrong".. Sure it has a hard edge.. but.. for day to day cutting, I'd go with 1060 or 5160 for mono tempered cutters.. Ronin Katana is my fave (Dojo Pro).. Solid blades for the money.. the "AK's" of the sword world... 3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pyzik 597 Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Yeah... I got a problem... Niiiice!! Quite the collection. This wont be my last. Already looking at what is next. Haha And I dont think I even knew there was/is a blade section here... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pyzik 597 Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 1060 is good for a dojo blade.. it holds an edge well enough and forgiving if you don't get a good cut... anything over 1085 and and the steel is so hard, your blade is likely to chip if you cut 'wrong".. Sure it has a hard edge.. but.. for day to day cutting, I'd go with 1060 or 5160 for mono tempered cutters.. Ronin Katana is my fave (Dojo Pro).. Solid blades for the money.. the "AK's" of the sword world... I looked that those exact ones. Will probably end up being my next Katana. It's funny that you mention the "AK of the Sword World" because that is exactly how I posed the question when looking for a sword! Haha. I asked what would be the equivalent to an AK. 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Juggernaut 11,054 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 1060 is good for a dojo blade.. it holds an edge well enough and forgiving if you don't get a good cut... anything over 1085 and and the steel is so hard, your blade is likely to chip if you cut 'wrong".. Sure it has a hard edge.. but.. for day to day cutting, I'd go with 1060 or 5160 for mono tempered cutters.. Ronin Katana is my fave (Dojo Pro).. Solid blades for the money.. the "AK's" of the sword world... I looked that those exact ones. Will probably end up being my next Katana. It's funny that you mention the "AK of the Sword World" because that is exactly how I posed the question when looking for a sword! Haha. I asked what would be the equivalent to an AK. They have their scratch and dent sale, soon.. normally a ding on the saya or something minor... perfect for "cutters"... tell Chris @ Ronin Kat that Juggs sent ya... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin38 2,117 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 My best, functional blade is a Paul Chen Musashi sword. I used to be able to stack 2 apples vertically, slice the top one in half without scratching the bottom one, and have the two pieces fall next to it on the table. That was quite a few years ago, though. I also have a couple of swords I bought at the renaissance faires, the kind they use in the full-contact jousting. None have sharp edges, but they're danged strong! Oh- the cheap "wall hangers," if decently constructed, are still good for practicing techniques and katas, so long as no cutting or contact is required, and if you should happen to bang it, scratch it or drop it- who cares? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
pyzik 597 Posted March 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 1060 is good for a dojo blade.. it holds an edge well enough and forgiving if you don't get a good cut... anything over 1085 and and the steel is so hard, your blade is likely to chip if you cut 'wrong".. Sure it has a hard edge.. but.. for day to day cutting, I'd go with 1060 or 5160 for mono tempered cutters.. Ronin Katana is my fave (Dojo Pro).. Solid blades for the money.. the "AK's" of the sword world... I looked that those exact ones. Will probably end up being my next Katana. It's funny that you mention the "AK of the Sword World" because that is exactly how I posed the question when looking for a sword! Haha. I asked what would be the equivalent to an AK. They have their scratch and dent sale, soon.. normally a ding on the saya or something minor... perfect for "cutters"... tell Chris @ Ronin Kat that Juggs sent ya... I'll be sure to mention! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunfun 3,931 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 I have had a couple. One surprising thing is that with western swords, it is often possible to get the genuine article for half the money as a crappy repro, or a quarter of a functional quality repro, i.e. albion. Years back I really wanted to commission a custom piece, so I have handled a few of those, but not owned them. I would probably get something from albion or another 1822 pattern british sabre rather than a katana now, but I still like them. I did a lot of cutting with a Hanwei Practical + 4th gen that I customized a little, and it held an edge well. It is fairly hard metal, probably pushing 60 HRC at the edge. It was due for some polishing and re-etching due to a few scuffs, when some people borrowed it and banged it edge to edge with an antique sword of mine for about fifteen minutes in the rain and put it away wet. Fortunately no one was hurt, and the antique was unsharpened as is common. The katana became a rusty hacksaw. I've been meaning to make a try of redoing the edge preserving basic geometry, then redoing the polish to bring back the hamon. If I do, I'll try to make a youtube video on the project. Alternatively, I could just blunt it the rest of the way on purpose, repolish and sell as an iato. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunfun 3,931 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 If you want to challenge your cutting technique, and don't mind scuffing the sword, you can make a dummy out of layered cardboard and packing foam. Be sure to remove every staple from the cardboard. I'm talking about 4-5" thick on each wall of just stacked thinner cardboard. That dense pink packing foam like you will find holding a DVD player centered in its box. Closed cell, plasticky kinda bouncy like pool noodle. It's easy to cut at first, but as the cardboard gets broken in and flexible, you will find your blade gets stuck and you get very shallow cuts unless your edge control and follow through is good. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Juggernaut 11,054 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 My best, functional blade is a Paul Chen Musashi sword. I used to be able to stack 2 apples vertically, slice the top one in half without scratching the bottom one, and have the two pieces fall next to it on the table. That was quite a few years ago, though. I also have a couple of swords I bought at the renaissance faires, the kind they use in the full-contact jousting. None have sharp edges, but they're danged strong! Oh- the cheap "wall hangers," if decently constructed, are still good for practicing techniques and katas, so long as no cutting or contact is required, and if you should happen to bang it, scratch it or drop it- who cares? I really like my Hanwei (Paul Chen) swords.. My raptor Unokubi-Zukuri is my fave to cut with. Tied with my Ronin O-Kat.. I like 'em a little longer as the traditional 28" Kat blade is designed for Japanese men vs a 6'3" Magyar.. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunfun 3,931 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 I've handled a few antique katana. Most of them were more curved than most of us would think and are very tiny. I'm 5'7" ~180 and the one I got to handle the longest felt more like a wak than a katana to me. We tend to forget that mostly for the owners, these were the equivalent of a small sword in europe. A badge of rank, and a defensive gentleman's weapon, in your way day in day out. Small men needing the smallest encumbrance that was socially acceptable. For exactly the same reason that none of us CCWs an H&K Mk 23, small men and the few larger men generally wore the smallest swords they could get away with. they often had several sets of fittings to match different settings and outfits. These were a nuisance, carried by men who might duel, but really didn't war for generations. If they were going to war, they had tachi and other war swords, though some katana might have been carried. The evidence is inconclusive whether any katana were used in war, which says a lot.. However their main weapons were polearms and bows. As elsewhere, swords were primarily a backup weapon. It also seems to be the case that many people had multiples, this means if you were showing off with test cutting, or had to duel, you probably brought or borrowed a different sword than your EDC. We Americans tend to buy swords that fit our stature and feel impressive at test cutting. Swords made to sell appeal to these aesthetics. A sword that is most accurate to most katana, even scaled to our body size would feel just a little puny to us. 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Juggernaut 11,054 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Tachi's stopped being produced in the Kamakura Period... though I'm sure plenty were passed down.. Plenty of kats were used in combat during the Meiji period against both Chinese and Russians.. Kat's sizes varied from 28 inch down to 23 inch and back up to 28 over the years.. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Juggernaut 11,054 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 "Recommendations" from modern practitioners/Masters 5 ft 1 in - 5 ft 3 in 2.30 shaku 27.5 inch5 ft 3 in - 5 ft 5 in 2.35 shaku 28 inch5 ft 5 in - 5 ft 7 in 2.40 shaku 28.5 inch5 ft 7 in - 5 ft 9 in 2.45 shaku 29 inch5 ft 9 in - 5 ft 11 in 2.50 shaku 30 inch5 ft 11 in - 6 ft 1 in 2.55 shaku 30.5inch6 ft 1 in – 6 ft 3 in 2.60 shaku 31 inch 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Garys4598 1,065 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Yeah... I got a problem... ..................... 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HB of CJ 1,263 Posted March 11, 2016 Report Share Posted March 11, 2016 Our old family British Calvary Saber had a few tiny sharp edge nicks. The whole blade was not razor sharp but seemed to be very cutting sharp. I do not know the difference. Wonder what caused the nicks? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
G O B 3,516 Posted March 12, 2016 Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 My long blade is a 31" Collins machete. It will zing thru 2 1/2" cedar, 3" bamboo and holds a very sharp edge. Have had it for at least 40 some years, and chopped up a LOT of bamboo with it, I could chop zombies all day with it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin38 2,117 Posted March 12, 2016 Report Share Posted March 12, 2016 Our old family British Calvary Saber had a few tiny sharp edge nicks. The whole blade was not razor sharp but seemed to be very cutting sharp. I do not know the difference. Wonder what caused the nicks? Brass buttons? 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
HB of CJ 1,263 Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 I do not know what brass buttons means. If memory serves, the entire sword was kinda silver like. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
patriot 7,197 Posted March 13, 2016 Report Share Posted March 13, 2016 I do not know what brass buttons means. If memory serves, the entire sword was kinda silver like. Brass button on the uniforms. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JonWienke 131 Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 Of the enemy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ronin38 2,117 Posted March 14, 2016 Report Share Posted March 14, 2016 Yep, I was implying the saber had been used in anger. Who knows with a historic artifact like that, it may have been improperly played-with by a soldier's kid! 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gunfun 3,931 Posted March 15, 2016 Report Share Posted March 15, 2016 The majority of those were unsharpened until deployment. Some rear line officers still chose to keep them blunt. From what I understand, if you have a sharp antique it is just as likely that a later owner sharpened it and dinged it up cutting weeds in the back yard as it is to have been sharpened by the original user. European sabers were sharpened differently from individual to individual, but sharp meant sharp the whole world round. Interestingly, with a lot of them, the etching on the side gets partly messed up when they are sharpened, but it also serves as a guide to the sharpener to help keep the angle consistent. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
storm6490 2,768 Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 I'd like to get a functional sword some day but the ones I see don't really catch my attention. I have become a blade snob over the years. My first really nice knife was an emerson cqc7 that I had when I was 18. the chisel edge on that thing was a whole lot different than my hunting knives and utility blades. It got me into other blades like spyderco, benchmade, then microtech and chris reeves. The madness continued into lile randall lee and many other fancy blades the mostly just appreciated and didn't even get used. I have yet to find a sword that really catches my eyes. I have seen a few online that I like but apparently, I have expensive taste and requirements due to the hunting and fighting knife addiction. If I did get a sword, I would want to be able to use it somewhat carefully and hopefully have it retain it's value or even appreciate. The modern ones swords seem pretty cool. Maybe some day I will find one that feels lucky. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Juggernaut 11,054 Posted March 17, 2016 Report Share Posted March 17, 2016 I'd like to get a functional sword some day but the ones I see don't really catch my attention. I have become a blade snob over the years. My first really nice knife was an emerson cqc7 that I had when I was 18. the chisel edge on that thing was a whole lot different than my hunting knives and utility blades. It got me into other blades like spyderco, benchmade, then microtech and chris reeves. The madness continued into lile randall lee and many other fancy blades the mostly just appreciated and didn't even get used. I have yet to find a sword that really catches my eyes. I have seen a few online that I like but apparently, I have expensive taste and requirements due to the hunting and fighting knife addiction. If I did get a sword, I would want to be able to use it somewhat carefully and hopefully have it retain it's value or even appreciate. The modern ones swords seem pretty cool. Maybe some day I will find one that feels lucky. http://www.wtknives.com/warrenthomasswords.html 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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