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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 25, 2012 8:57:02 GMT
Hey all, here is the video I want to show
A swordsmith in Taiwan being interviewed by a TV station but what worse is that it got on youtube and brainwashed the society with what he call a "good sword". In the video you can see he demonstrated a few things which really freak me out.
- his swords are made of titanium alloy and polished to a mirror finish, which he said those are the BEST material for swords in the world so far, nothing is better than these.
- a good sword should be flexible and the tip can flex to touch the pommel and spring back to shape is a good sword
- a sword should not be too heavy, and it should have a point of balance of no more than 2" from guard. anything over 2" is not good because it will injure your hand.
- a sword have 2 edge, it can harm you and harm others at the same time, so we must not use the sword to bully others?! What the heck?!
- His seven star (big dipper) sword is a treasure he made because it have many gem stones that represent this and that and he just engraved the big dipper on the blade body like a piece of drawing and that is a TREASURE!? The sword even look like a euro!
There are many more non-sense as you watch his videos because there are 7 parts to it. Since most of you don't read the Chinese sub, so you can watch his swords and what he demonstrate and get what it means. I had summed up his stuff above for you to read. It's shocking to see a guy who make swords can say all these things. He even use a saw to cut out his swords and sell these SLO as "treasures". Okay. You see the point? If the world is full of these swordsmith, I think sword (jian) future is doomed. If we go around telling people a real sword should be this this this and this. Who will listen? hey, this guy is at least on the TV telling people what a sword should be like!
Sword-noodles, that's what they want. Not only him, but a few other swordsmiths video I watch who are also from Taiwan all flavor those flexible swords as well, they want it flex like noodles.. sigh...!
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2012 9:44:03 GMT
A jian that's light, super-flexble, point of balance very close to the guard, and blunt...It sounds like he's describing the perfect sword (performabce prop really) for "performance wǔshù", the modern exhibition art and sport practiced in China today. That is, wǔshù with acrobatics and tinfoil weapons, not the real wǔshù- which means 'military arts', which requires a real sword! :lol:
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 10:14:36 GMT
Wait, but Titanium is a very strong material, so wouldn't that been good for a sword?
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Post by Tendrax on Nov 25, 2012 11:08:09 GMT
Not sure if sarcasm or not...
"Strength" is an ambiguous term that really doesn't mean anything when talking about metal.
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 11:34:51 GMT
I was serious, I really don't know much about this stuff.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2012 11:41:34 GMT
Titanium is strong for its weight, it's light like aluminium, and it's also a soft and weak metal compared to steel of the same dimensions. To get the same strength you have to go many times thicker, which makes it useless for sword blades...
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 12:00:47 GMT
I see, I work with Aluminium parts at my job, I can see what you mean. Titanium is like that as well then? Hmm interesting, The more you know, right?
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Post by Nox on Nov 25, 2012 13:35:03 GMT
They look like decent pieces of art, but not real swords by our standards. One thing to keep in mind is different types of people are interested in swords, those who collect them because they are cool and pretty, and those like us that want them to be real live weapons. Some people are more interested in the general art of martial arts and swords. For example one of my co workers does fencing on a regular basis and loves fencing and sword fighting, once I suggested that they should start a sword collection with real live swords. Their reply was "what would I need a real sword for? I'll never use it".
another friend of mine practices japanese arts kendo being one of them and iaido. They also have no interest in real sharp live steel swords, only bokken, shinai, and aluminum iado swords ( possibly because they live in japan and real swords aren't allowed) but you kinda get my point right? There are those who are into the sword art in a different way than us. Sad thing is some of the Real art of Real swords is kinda being lost with all of the martial sports.
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 14:20:11 GMT
Yeah that was the other thing that had confused me, Because I always heard that Taiwan had rescued the art of Chinese Sword making from the brink of extinction. Now I can see why someone would think that, because all the big names is Sword making are Taiwanese companies
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Post by Nox on Nov 25, 2012 14:33:53 GMT
So cold steel swords are really Huanuo swords...funny, you would swear by the way cold steel markets their swords that they actually forge them themselves.
This has turned out to be a pretty educational thread.
I was thinking about those swords having a point of balance 1 or 2 inches near the hilt, one sword came to mind the hanwei qi Jian, it is decently more flexible than the cold steel gim, and has a point of balance of about 2 inches, the way it handles is not for everyone, but it can be a deadly sword especially for thrusting.
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 14:40:42 GMT
I thought you all knew that Huanuo makes the Cold Steel gims, thats why when I posted about Huanuo's versions I was a bit surprised that people seemed less than impressed with Huanuo's. I mean I believe that the higher cost of the Huanuo Jade Lion (not the gilt version, the regular with the silver and green motif) is because they use a higher grade steel than what Cold Steel asked them for, hence the 200$ price increase.
I think the Cold Steel one is very good (if you can get one that is properly put together, OW! I'm kidding!), but if I could afford it, I'd go for the Huanuo because they have a great pedigree and they use better material
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 15:06:10 GMT
It sucks that China did that in one respect, but in another Taiwan kind of holds all the cards economically. China can't force them to come back because Taiwan could just pull the plug on their economy and plunge them back into total poverty again.
Its a real stalemate
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 25, 2012 18:00:40 GMT
dadaochen, thanks for the info but really, when you say those display pieces are for rich people to purchase... I am like.. okay. I am out. hahaha..Rich people like to buy things to put on the wall or shelf that are only for look and not for use. Just like a sword put like an antique vase or something like that. Oh man, that is really not my logic, no wonder I can't even understand that kind of "art". But really, his stuff is more like jewelry than a weapon. No joke, it is really gemmed-up. haha!
I guess it's like you have to find a smith that is like also into martial arts to find a good sword from them? I heard Chen Tin Yang is very good, don't know if his stuff is still around but he is also a Taiwanese as well.
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 20:26:57 GMT
There are an awful lot of Chens involved in Sword making, thats so weird. Is it just a coincidence?
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Post by DavidW on Nov 25, 2012 20:47:06 GMT
Chen is a really common name in China/Taiwan, especially with the Chinese language system. Each word has 4 pronunciations, but it looks to be the same word when Romanised, no matter which pronunciation/word it is. So "Chen" could be any one of the numerous Chinese characters that are romanised as "Chen." Imagine grouping together all the "Johns", "Dans", and "Chris's" into one name.
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 20:52:05 GMT
Merci veil mal  I kind of figured that was the case. |
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Post by Daishikaze on Nov 25, 2012 21:48:05 GMT
I'd love a sword by Chen Tin Yang or his son, but I'm assuming they cost 10,000 dollars or more, correct?
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 25, 2012 22:19:30 GMT
I know Chen Tin Yang passed away but guess what in 1997 or something, I encounter his website and fall in love with his work back then. I was silly enough to think my relative can go and buy one for me when they take a trip to HK and so on. But later I found out that he is in Taiwan... oh well! My relative came back to me and scam me saying THIs is what she got from the famous forge -- a dragonwell sempr!ni! Okay, the blade flex when tip press on the ground and then... damn it is not bending back! What the!? a dragonwell's sword second!!!!
There goes my first story of wanting a forged sword and ending up with crap! sigh~
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 25, 2012 22:58:32 GMT
What I mean by dragonwell is the normal class cheapos instead of what you are thinking about. Of course I know there are good smiths there but then what you get MOST of the time in stores are like very cheap stuff and I can't even imagine that one I got don't even bend back straight! So I guess you are right in some way here - that sword is only a piece of my history, LOL!
Yeah, what we can get now is always price = better. Oh well. I guess I got my welcome from the $300-$1k range of stuff. Probably looking for something higher in the future.
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Post by MakChingYuen on Nov 26, 2012 4:53:02 GMT
WOW! I remember seeing 2 of them on the website before!!! Still there eh? hahaha! Oh mine, 5 years to get a blade "qualified" to be a sword material, that is surely crazy amount of work and labor to monitor and also to QC everything too. It's really amazing to hear that! $4000 for a sword, USD? It is really buying a house treasure for keep man. Nothing like a production jian!
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I kind of figured that was the case.
