Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2011 2:21:00 GMT
A couple weeks ago i bought a $60 Musashi katana and after several cutting sessions I think my blade has started to dull or is damaged. I noticed some little bends on the edge of my blade where the sword usually made contact with the bottles. Now whenever I try to cut bottles at this spot it just bats them away or busts them open, but only on these spots, if I cut with a different part of the blade it is still fine. Also when I do the paper cut test it can no longer cut once it gets to this area of the blade. Do I need to sharpen it in this spot (or the whole sword), do some other procedure, or just accept that a lower end katana is only good for a few sessions? This is my first sword, so any advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by D'artagnan on Sept 29, 2011 2:32:04 GMT
That means you have bent/rolled the edge which is common in lower end swords (but of course not limited to those) as it can happen to just about ever sword. Sometimes it is possible to move the edges back. Now I'm unsure of how to go about this and I defer to another member who might know more about it. but there is a very decent sharpening video I believe by TomK? or another senior member. In the helpful articles section, I believe.
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Lunaman
Senior Forumite
Posts: 3,974
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Post by Lunaman on Sept 29, 2011 3:18:59 GMT
A rolled edge can be honed back into line with a variety of stropping or honing implements if the edge itself is still intact. There's probably a specific agreed-upon proper method, but the main thing is to gently coax the edge back into alignment with some non-abrasive surface. I've even used hickory drumsticks to hone sword edges as if the blade was a large kitchen knife.
Honing a knife (ignore the word 'sharpening,' that's not what he's doing, but this is the idea) :
Sharpening removes material to create a new edge; honing realigns material without removal to reveal a still-sharp edge.
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Post by Jakeonthekob on Sept 29, 2011 4:42:11 GMT
Well, the proper way would be to use waterstones on Japanese swords to reset the edge and get proper geometry. However, that may not be available to you, so here's my "down and dirty" suggestion. (this is to strictly sharpen the blade, not so much for traditional style polishing)
First you can get sandpaper/micromesh that's rough (about 220) and suited for working with metal such as aluminum oxide sandpaper and go over the places where the edge is rolled or you can just disassemble the sword and work on the entire blade to get a more even look.
Put the sandpaper on an even surface that's not too large. Then you would go and rub the sword along the sandpaper lengthwise until the edge is suitably sharp, then move on to a finer grits and repeat. While moving the sword lengthwise across the sand paper, also move the blade in the opposite direction from the edge to lessen the chance you will slice the sandpaper and form burrs along the edge. So in essence you would start with 220 grit sandpaper, then go to 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, etc.
You may go up to whatever grit you desire but be careful not to take away too much metal or spend too much time on one particular side. You want to work each side as evenly as possible. I would also suggest going to about 2000 or 3000 grit to get a fine edge and a decent polish. You can go higher if you want but it really just works the polish of the ji and not so much the edge.
*note- the more you work on the blade the more metal will be removed, and there's also a greater possibility that you will start forming improper geometry with the blade. It takes lots of skill and practice to be able to attain proper geometry after working through many grits.*
If you have a belt-sander, then TomK's tutorial is stars and stripes for getting your blade REALLY sharp. I also have a sharpening tutorial but with waterstones. If you are interested then please PM me and I will send you the videos.
Sorry for the essay, but I hope this helps! Please PM me if you want more elaboration on this method.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Sept 29, 2011 17:08:17 GMT
follow Tom K's sharpening video and it will be so sharp it scares you. trust me.
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Post by Elheru Aran on Sept 30, 2011 18:15:17 GMT
I will note that the TomK method, at least the belt sander one, will leave marks across the edge bevel of your blade which you may want to polish out. Musashi katana frequently come with a high-gloss, almost mirror finish, and if you want to preserve that it'll take a good deal of work to polish back to that condition, plus extra care to avoid getting cut by the newly-sharp blade. Just makin' sure you know!
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Sept 30, 2011 19:01:44 GMT
youl never get i back to that mirror polish. Just for the record, no matter how hard you work youl always have reminiscent scratches, once its been sharpened in hat way the best thing to do is give it a smooth satin polish, cuz the mirror effect ant happenin, not by hand anyway, unless you have japanese finger stones
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Post by 14thforsaken on Oct 6, 2011 13:38:02 GMT
Not necessarily, I have hand sharpened katana before using metal files and sandpaper. But then again, I am very careful with the files and went up to 5000 grit on the sandpaper with lots of different girts in between. I think I went metal file, 80 grit sandpaper, 100 grit, 180 grit sand paper, 220 grit, 300 grit, 400 grit, 500, grit, 600grit and so on up the grits to 5000 grit. Then I use fine steel wool (000 grit). It can be done, it just takes a long time.
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Post by 14thforsaken on Oct 6, 2011 13:41:41 GMT
The other thing you need to decide is if you want a working edge or a razor sharp one. The difference being a working edge is a little duller and requires a little pressure to cut but is less brittle or prone to chipping or rolling. A razor sharp edge will cut you if you look at it wrong. While it is not always the case, I have found in my experience, they are somewhat more prone to chipping or rolling. Of course your experiences may be different than mine.
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Post by Lonely Wolf Forge on Oct 6, 2011 15:12:35 GMT
i tend to agree with you on that, razor edges seem to chip or roll more, and if they dont, they lose their edge quickly and require re sharpening, besides, good geometry is more important than sharpness IMO, after reprofiling my Tinker viking and removing the secondary bevel following dadaochens instructions im able to make silent cuts on bottles with a sword that isnt sharp enough to cut paper. its oly got a 150 grit edge on it so far cuz i ran outta money to buy higher grit paper
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