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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 6:39:28 GMT
I was wondering how many of you forumites out there like the unpolished look for a blade? I happen to be fond of the look because it gives the sword an air of ruggedness and practicality over looks.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 10:13:07 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 12:48:37 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 12:56:19 GMT
In the Mindanao region of southeast asia, they would etch their Kris Sword blades in citric fruit juice to actually darken their blades and make them less shiny. They were still high polished, in fact Moro (Mindanao Peoples) Kris Smiths used very similar polishing and sharpening techniques to the Japanese. The only difference was the end result, which was a grey steel instead of a highly reflective steel; which the moros thought of as ugly and gaudy. It is thought of by many historians to also be of help in Moro warfare. Stealth, guerilla-like tactics like assassinations and ambushes were the way that these kingdoms fought, as opposed to the conventional feudal war situation we're used to hearing about in mideval england or ancient japan. The grey, dull look of the steel helped conceal the presence of the moro warrior when sneaking up on his enemies. Were his sword to glint and glisten in the sunshine, he would be spotted and killed indefinitely Etching would also reveal the folding patterns and quenching lines, as these were differentially hardened blades. This was the standard of blade beauty among Moros and with many other Southeast asian cultures. In contrast, the Japanese felt that blade etching to bring a hamon out was gaudy. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 13:25:40 GMT
I've never like the unpolished look myself: I'm of the opinion that swords should be things of radiance and beauty. Milage may vary.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 15:47:12 GMT
I believe that it depends on the sword as to what finish it should have.
A no nonsense sword for campaigning or adventuring looks good with a satin finish.
A fancy sword with a complex guard and hilt should shine a bit.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 15:55:34 GMT
I think no historical swords were unpolished. They were always made as perfect as they could be with tools available.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 16:25:09 GMT
Im with chuckinohio. If the overall look of the sword is more battle-worn and rugged, then the polish should match.. But other than that, I'm of the opinion that the shinier, the better. (exceptions include things like Lundemos Celtic Wolf. Yum.)
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 17:35:35 GMT
Im with chuckinohio. If the overall look of the sword is more battle-worn and rugged, then the polish should match.. As I see it, the reason a sword would appear battle worn and rugged in the first place is because the owner doesn't put enough care into maintaining it. Over-all I agree with Luka; swords were most likely never actually made to look "rugged" as a design feature. That way of thinking is probably more a sentiment of us modern romantics.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 18:26:26 GMT
I love unfinished swords or satin with the exception of japanese swords katanas the polish is part of the appeal for me
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 21:14:41 GMT
Mirror polished for me, wasn't flashing light from your sword into an enemy's eyes a way to gain you a split second advantage I don't think I will be going on any night stealth missions
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 21:41:34 GMT
I'm a satin finish person. Mirror polish is too much of a b*** to maintain, shows fingerprints too easily.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 21:46:16 GMT
I'm a satin finish person. Mirror polish is too much of a b*** to maintain, shows fingerprints too easily. Me to. I would actually like to get the gray color on my blades like on these Moro swords, but I'm afraid of hurting my beloved blades, so no acid on my swords yet.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 23:12:46 GMT
It seems to me that for cutting competition, a mirror finish would allow the sword to slip through the material easier But then it would show scratches easier too, right
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 23:48:29 GMT
Personally, I prefer mirror finished. Just more aesthetically pleasing to me.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 23:53:03 GMT
It depends on what you mean by unpolished? If you mean completely unpolished so it has a very rough deconstructed look, then no its not to my taste at all.
If you mean a satin finish then yes on European swords I find a satin finish far more pleasing.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2010 1:11:35 GMT
I'm a satin finish person. Mirror polish is too much of a b*** to maintain, shows fingerprints too easily. Me to. I would actually like to get the gray color on my blades like on these Moro swords, but I'm afraid of hurting my beloved blades, so no acid on my swords yet. A lot of cultures have a way of patinating their blades like the Moros did by etching their krisses. It was a way to artificially induce oxidation onto the blade to form a protective layer against active rust. A very practical practice, especially in the humid temperatures of southeast asia. The function of it was similar to people using a cold blueing agent to guns or etching a camping blade in ferrous chloride (or cold blueing as some people do to their camping blades).
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Post by Deleted on Jan 14, 2010 0:51:37 GMT
The way I'm most familiar with is the wire wheel of a grinder for the classic "brushed" finish. While this is a fairly modern method ,grind wheels go back a long way in history.
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