Quality Katana swords supplier? Microplating your blade is a wise choice if you don’t plan to use it for extremely heavy cutting and want to add an extra layer of protection on it, which might also help it from rusting as well as enhance its aesthetic. Choose your custom katana’s sharpening options. An unsharpened blade is mainly used when you have safety concerns or for practice. A hand-sharpened blade is razor-sharp and is mainly used for light and medium cutting. An extra sharpened blade with our Niku stone is mainly used for sustained, heavy cutting through hard surfaces. See more details on custom Katana.
Once the Smelter finishes his job, the Swordsmith takes over. His responsibility is to transform the block of steel into an exquisite blade. First of all, he takes the block of steel, reheats it in his own furnace, and forges (elongating and hammering) it as per the needs of the sword he’s building. If the smith builds a Folded blade, he elongates, beats the steel and re-folds it – making it into a steel block again. He can do this several times. This is what creates the beautiful “Damascus Steel” effect on the blade and makes for a stronger steel. For simpler, high-carbon blades – he simply elongates the steel and hammers it directly. This is also where the Blood Groove (Bo-Hi) is built – and the Smith needs to be very exact in order to create a perfect blade.
Tamagahane steel is always created in a Tatara, a traditional Japanese sword-steel smelter. There aren’t many Tatara functioning in Japan today, and even fewer that produce steel with the grade needed for swords; the Tatara is where Tamahagane is actually manufactured. The foundation costs of making Japanese swords are significantly more expensive than utilizing a flat bar of contemporary steel because of the high costs associated with creating Tamahagane and its limited availability. Tamagahane is distinguished by having a larger carbon content than standard steel, giving it some unique properties. However, using too much carbon would result in a brittle blade, so swordsmiths must discover the ideal ratio. Today’s Tamahagane steel is made with between 1% and 1.5% carbon. In contrast, it often contains between 3% and 4.5% carbon in feudal Japan.
In order to be usable, a katana needs to have a full-tang blade, meaning the blade has a part of steel going into the handle through the Habaki (blade collar) with a wrap (Ito) over it. That part of steel must be nearly the same width as the blade – which constitutes a full tang. Real, functional swords always have a full tang blade. There are other types of tang, which are of lesser quality and risk breaking when handled. One is the rat tang style, which can be seen in the picture under. A rat tang is usually welded to the blade, and thus is separate to it. While a rat tang might cut costs for the manufacturer, it makes for a much weaker blade. The sword’s handle could break at anytime, especially while hitting harder targets. Rat-tang blades, or any partial tang blades are definitely not recommended for cutting or martial arts practice – they’re wall-hangers.
Tamahagane Steel. We have Tamahagane Steel – also called crown jewel steel – the original steel used by traditional, feudal Japanese forgers. Today, the art of making blades from the tamahagane steel ore is almost extinct. The traditional processes for smelting, forging, and refining a blade is very expensive, so nearly no one does it. In addition, the particular ore (Tamagahane) needed for the conventional procedure is extremely expensive and rare. Finally, it is extremely difficult to export any of these highly valued works of art from Japan because swords remained illegal since the Samurai were abolished. Nowadays, many sellers sell fake Tamahagane from China, which is not real in 99% of cases.
Are katanas heavy? Different builds have different weights. Most of the katanas built at Swords for Sale are around two pounds – 800 grams to 1kg. Our swords are not that heavy, and should be manageable for most healthy adults to use. However, different swords have different weights. For some, handling a tachi or a naginata might be much harder than a tanto or a wakizashi. How long is a katana? The katana is usually 41” (104.1cm) in total length. Its curved blade is 27.7” (70.4cm) and its handle is 10.5” (26.7cm). However, the length can vary slightly with different kinds of blade tips, handles, and forging processes. Moreover, each smith can create his own length and set his own standards – this is why all knives and swords are different. We have our own set of lengths, which we share here. See even more information on https://swordsfor.sale/.