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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2008 1:54:02 GMT
Very thorough review Krieg. After reading it I bet I can tell exactly how this sword handles without even handling it. thanks for taking the time to present such a thorough and informative review. I'd like to second Blake's request for a follow-up after you get it sharp and put it to some use for a while. Let's see how it stands up to extended use. lol, Mike you have handled that sword. That is the one I bought while you were to NY. You cut a bottle with it. I like the sword. It is cheap, light and it has passed my pell-testing. I feel the sword is a little too light for the battlefield but good as a dress sword in a town setting. My sword came in at 2 lbs 7 oz. I found the steel a little soft when I tested it against some aluminum tubes. It dulled fast. The same test with windlass showed no dulling.
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Post by Brendan Olszowy on Jun 4, 2008 11:30:44 GMT
Sounds like a good plan. The method you are using on the belt sander should do a greta job. And as you say it doesn't heat it up very much. It will be a great cutter when you are done fixing it.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2008 13:21:47 GMT
Sorry may have missed it but where did you purchase the sword from?? Or failing that does anyone know a dealer who is carrying the new line?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 4, 2008 23:07:20 GMT
not sure if its in stock but i had emailed kult of athena about another CAS sword and they said that all the CAS swords were now from china so i placed order for there hand and a half.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 5, 2008 0:54:46 GMT
This was actually the first sword sent to me as part of the newly-formed SBG review team. I had to keep that under wraps until Paul made his official announcement. According to the shipping label, it came straight from CAS Hanwei's facility in Sale Creek, TN.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 29, 2008 23:54:02 GMT
Another update to my previous update. Sorry I took so darn long, guys, but it's finally done. Both edges are now fully convex. THis was a much tougher project than I expected. I stated out on the grinder, but soon discovered I was gonna have to remove more metal than I thought. I ended up doing a couple hours of hand filing, followed by the belt grinder. Just to let you all know, it would not be at all necessary to go to the lengths I have in order to cut with this sword. You could file a decent edge onto it in a reasonably short time and it would likely cut very well. I just decided I'd go all the way and completely reshape and blend the main bevels and secondary bevels on both edges. It's hard to get decent pics, since the now curved edge surfaces reflect light in a lot of weird ways. Here are two pics that I think get the idea across pretty well: Cutting to follow shortly. P.S. A note of interest as to the sword's hardness. I found that one edge was harder than the other. The first edge I started filing on was relatively easy, though required a bit more effort than any machete I've ever filed. Machetes typically run between 45-50HRC, so I'm guessing this edge is right at the top of that range. The other edge required even more effort. I even got out a new file of the same make just to make sure it wasn't simply a case of the file dulling. Nope. It still required more effort to bit into the other edge. I'm not sure why one edge would be harder than the other, as I'm not a bladesmith. I'd like to hear from our resident smiths on the subject though. The files were both Nicholson 8" Handy Files, in case anyone wants to know: www.toolcentral.com/ecommerce.php/mode/view/cat/2/mfr/1054/product/20801 Single cut on one side. DOuble cut on the other.
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admin
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Post by admin on Jun 30, 2008 2:22:28 GMT
Hmm, 'differentially hardened'? That is a curious thing phenomenan!
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Post by Deleted on Jun 30, 2008 4:15:47 GMT
That's it! They left one side soft for toughness and one side hard for increased edge holding. Those sly dogs...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 12, 2008 23:05:19 GMT
Still not the greatest bottle cutter, though it will pickle chip milk jugs and cut through small bottles rather than batting them away. The edges on this sword are still rather thick, even after all the refinishing I did. The edge is definitely sharp, as indicated by the pieces of foam I cut. I held the foam in one hand and did some draw cuts though it. It's too light to free cut. THis stuff will tear and "chunk" out (as I call it ;D) very easily, unless one's blade is quite sharp, so it makes a decent indicator of relative sharpness. I think the thick edge profile on these would make them far better suited to heavy targets, though I haven't had the chance to cut anything really dense yet. The fact that the edge went cleanly through the foam and was able to make some thin, if not terribly clean, cuts on bottles are the aspects that lead me to this tentative conclusion. I whacked the top of my cutting stand (such as it is) with several full power swings with no apparent damage to the edge. Not even a lot of scratching, just some dark marks from the wet wood (most of which wiped off easily with a rag). No noticeable loosening of the hilt either. Pretty decent for a sub $200 sword. P.S. Why the heck is my first pic sideways? I specifically recall rotating and saving it in Photobucket. Ah, the wonders of Photobucket...
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Post by Deleted on Jul 13, 2008 5:50:09 GMT
Hmm, I like the overall design, but either the fuller is too wide or the blade is too narrow...something just looks out of place on it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2008 16:52:40 GMT
I have to agree with Longsword, this sword would be "perfect" if the blade was wider. Not saying it isn't historically accurate, but it does look very thin (the blade that is). Still a very nice sword.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 14, 2008 17:57:43 GMT
I agree. If they'd make the main bevels maybe 1/4" wider on each side, while leaving the fuller as is, it'd look much more proportionally correct.
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