Swords!!!!!!!

[the dude]

ah, i getcha, tenshin. while i'm not knowledgable to start arguing the fine points, i think that the original methods for damascus steel are lost. they can reproduce similar alloys, but they're not certain if it's by the actual methods originally used. hell, i've heard (and don't really believe necessarily) that the steel had to be quenched in blood. that seems kind of... well, you know.

 

essentially though, the 2 schools were trying to reproduce the same effect; a hard edge to retain sharpness, and a softer core for resiliency. i couldn't really say which really produced the better result. both are famed as pinnacles of the craft, and i've never been learned enough in the subject to differentiate with any authority.

 

and alys, your husband has good taste. but you knew that. 8)

[honesty]

I actually have a small collection of swords (13).

 

As for quality, here's a bit of advice about samurai swords. If the handle is wrapped, look under the wrapping. 99% of them are plastic. I only buy wooden handled ones myself.

[Alys Kinch]

lots of people think they are clever when they try to hide things like that.... :roll:

[Tenshin_Xo]

Alys, I have a Rai Minamoto Kunitsugu forgery (the appraiser suspected a second or third generation student) dated to the early 1400's. There is some chipping along the ha, none deeper than 2 or 3 milimeters, and a deep scratch along the shingi-ji. I do have a tanto to go with it, but its about 100 years younger, so its not a true diasho. I won't separate them however.

 

When I bought it, the saya and grip(I don't recall the proper term) were both falling apart, I've carved a grip from red oak and its bound by tapered dowels so you can get to the signature fairly easily. The Tsuba is as yet unattached but uncleaned, and kept wrapped in oiled cloth along with the blade itself. The handle I've carved can be capped, I kept to the design as much as possible, but extended it by about 6 inches because of my grip/arm length. My original plan was to finish restoring both blades and auctioning them, but I would consider selling them unfinished. Email me if you want some pictures. :D

[Alys Kinch]

you aren't going to try to pass off the forgery, are you? :lol: was it at least a good forgery or was it pretty obvious?

[Tenshin_Xo]

I'm told (by appraisers and their ilk) that it's not a forgery in the art sense, but that the most likely series of event involved a student signing Kunitsugu's name after his death. The method of forging is consistant with Kunitsugu's work (Masamune, Soshu and Yamashiro style works), but the metal is from the wrong regions and is a bit newer than the time of Kunitsugu's death. I have some paperwork filed away with the composition data.

 

The provenance is only intact since the 1850's but dating puts it's age to approximately 1420 give or take(working from memory).

[Alys Kinch]

yeah, let me see some pics... i like things like... never mind, i like a lot of things. :P

[ironcross]

for anyone intrested there is a show on history channle <i think its a modern marvles? that goes pretty in depth on the making and uses of sever kinds of swords. i think you can get it on dvd. its called swords knifes and axes. for what i got from that a "real" sword would be made of steal that had been folded several times and have the tang going all the way through. manny of the swords avalible today are not relly forged at all but are mearly molten mettle poored into a mold. so even if it has the tang and can be called "battle ready" they are still fare weaker then a forged sword. this makes them cheaper, but not relly real. case in point i was looking at buying a foil for my sister who is into fencing and the locan sword, knife shop had a mass prodused foil for about 90 bucks and a hand forged one for about 250. a decent shop online i have found is www.swordsonline.com it has everything from massproduced to real forged. hope this helps someone

[Alys Kinch]

modern marvels does EVERYTHING. i would recommend watching it just for the sheer everythingness about it. :D

[GoodGrief]

I couldn't contemplate buying a sword on my budget :( But I did blow most of a hundred dollar gift voucher buying a lovely doorstop of a book called WEAPON. If I can't afford to own sharp and shiny (or large and blunt) I can at least look at it in as many forms as possible.

I've been toying with the idea of taking up fencing for a while now. Just think maybe it's time to get a hobby beyond Girl Guides.

[SinisterDeath]

Just think maybe it's time to get a hobby beyond Girl Guides.

 

You sure you didn't mean 'dirty mags'. :P

 

I got a dagger for a x-mas gift. However a sword would be awesome.. I have to think, what would be more awesome then buying a sword, if you made one your self with the resources, and a lil know-how?

*Plus, you know its not some crapy pre-fab, mass produced sword that only looks like its sharp, but can't cut toast.*

[RobertAlexWillis]

if you made one your self with the resources, and a lil know-how?

 

Its a LOT harder than you think. There's a reason that a blacksmith is respected in nearly every culture.