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Post by pellius on Sept 14, 2016 21:00:33 GMT
Timo - I do own a digital scale, but I have not had a chance to weigh my sword. Once I do, I'll amend the review.
I own what may be the cheapest analog dial calipers ever brought to market. Eventually I hope to obtain a decent instrument, but for now, I'm stuck with what I have. According to my plastic calipers-like-object, my dao measures 5mm at the guard and 3mm near the point. I didn't put these stats in the review because I don't trust my measuring device. Also, when I did the measuring, I didn't think the blade flex was an issue. Hopefully, it will turn out not to be.
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Sept 14, 2016 21:53:43 GMT
5mm at the guard should be OK. From your description of the flex, it's OK. A little bit more thickness makes a lot of difference to the flexibility - 6mm instead of 5mm (so a 20% increase in thickness) makes it 80% stiffer. That, or just different perceptions of what "flexible" means, is likely the difference.
(I like my dial calipers (good brand, steel). Unlike digital calipers, they don't run out of battery. And easier to read, especially in poor light, than a vernier scale.)
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Post by pellius on Sept 15, 2016 0:08:50 GMT
Timo - as always, thanks for the great information. A little perspective and experience can go a long way in evaluating this kind of thing.
*edit* Also, thank you for the feedback. I added a section in the review of my measurements of this particular sword (which I can hopefully expand in the near future), and made a note regarding their questionable reliability.
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pgandy
Moderator
Senior Forumite
Posts: 10,296
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Post by pgandy on Sept 15, 2016 1:09:37 GMT
The scabbard sucks. Simple as that. The wood is nice but as above I too think it should be he same color as the grip. When mine arrived the metal bands were loose...so I took them completely off and redid the scabbard to match the handle. It looked fantastic. But then I goofed and tried putting he metal bands back on...this cause its own issues. So for my sword, the scabbard looks good from far, but far from good. The sword does not even fit in the scabbard well. Its really loose. Something I have not dealt with yet but eventually will. Maybe this will help; I assume the bands are metal. What if you replaced them with a wrap such as cord, perhaps manila? This would give an appearance more similar to some island countries as well as the Philippines as opposed to Chinese but should fit better and can be applied without scratching the finish. You could also in cooperate the metal rings in with the cord. Just a thought.
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Post by Croccifixio on Sept 15, 2016 1:50:16 GMT
TFW scabbards are made of a local wood - sometimes kamagong, sometimes a different wood like banati or narra, sometimes with differing slabs of wood even.
This makes them bad for different climates as these woods are normally exposed to our tropical (and wonky) climate that's hot and humid. My TFW scabbards have no problems here in the Philippines but would certainly not work properly in a colder climate.
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Post by redrab on Sept 15, 2016 12:53:45 GMT
pgandy: Yep! Would love to do that with the scabbard. Unfortunately, that is where it was totally my bad. I glued the bands back on with glue that essentially melded with the wood and metal! Again, I had no idea and it was my first attempt at fixing anything using this type of glue. So I am afraid that it is what it is now. The bands wont be coming off anytime soon. If I removed them, it would probably wreck the scabbard. Its not horrible to look at. Just could have turned out so much nicer. Especially after reading the forums on here. People have great ideas such as yours. Cord or rattan wrap or something like that would have been awesome. Like I said, I love the sword. But my scabbard is so loose.
Croccifixio: I totally agree. Definitely had to do with being here in Canada. Overall though, I think it is one of the best dao for the money on the market. I truly do appreciate TFW blades. They are fantastic.
Pellio: I agree with Timo, I think your sword is good. Run it through its paces. I think it might surprise you. When I get home I will measure mine but I do not think it is that far off. Again, from your first descriptions of the sword, they just feel good in the hand to use. They feel like a good weapon. They are heavy and not like the wushu blades that are out there. Again, I truly love my TFW Dao. It is a fantastic edition to my collection and I use it frequently...carefully! Because it is SO sharp! ;)
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gandermail
Member
Bill, WEWolf, Slackitude...I need to settle on a name.
Posts: 248
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Post by gandermail on Sept 15, 2016 16:47:47 GMT
My dao arrived dull as a butter knife. I had read a lot about TFW and was pretty sure this was an unusual thing so I emailed Ron and he couldn't have been better about it, apologized and said it sometimes happened, offering to replace it, etc., everything you could expect. But I had just got a Harbor Freight belt sander and was anxious to try sharpening it myself. Wow, that sword took and held an amazing edge, scary sharp. I was very impressed with TFW's steel. And Ron is a real stand up guy and gentleman.
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Post by Croccifixio on Sept 17, 2016 3:41:24 GMT
My most punished (abused even, on wood, rope, etc) blade has been my TFW Gayang (also my first sword) and it's held an edge better than many other swords I've used much less (Hanwei, Windlass). I haven't been able to visit the TFW forge but it would not surprise me if they had modern heat treating kilns (I've seen some videos of their production with charcoal forges but I don't think that's how they heat treat). Still very skeptical on the 5160/D2 claim since many swordsmiths I know say it's not weldable or even if weldable, the heat treatment of both steels are way too different to get a good quench. Even so, they are tough and sharp and that's what matters to me in the long run.
Too bad their local distributor here hasn't released more models.
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Post by cody on Sept 17, 2016 15:53:43 GMT
I believe they mean 5160 and o2 not d2. 5160 and o2 are oil quench able so that makes sense. D2 would be way too brittle for such a long blade and I wouldn't know how they would mix it. O2 is a good steel however, and great for swords, so it's a better fit than d2 anyway. Thoughts? Cheers, Cody
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Post by Croccifixio on Sept 17, 2016 15:55:58 GMT
I believe they mean 5160 and o2 not d2. 5160 and o2 are oil quench able so that makes sense. D2 would be way too brittle for such a long blade and I wouldn't know how they would mix it. O2 is a good steel however, and great for swords, so it's a better fit than d2 anyway. Thoughts? Cheers, Cody Eh, they really mean D2 when asked (to be fair Ron knows nothing but sticks to his guns). The forge is here anyway - maybe I'll get to visit sometime soon who knows?
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Post by cody on Sept 17, 2016 15:59:08 GMT
Yea I've asked him about it before as well. However I really believe there was a miscommunication somewhere and Ron really believes that there is d2 in the blades. I could be wrong. I like their stuff, so that's how I like to think anyways ;-) Cheers, Cody
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Post by pellius on Sept 18, 2016 1:15:18 GMT
As far as metallurgy, forging and other metal working goes, I have *zero* firsthand knowledge. But in the interest of making a more complete review, I'll add this: I have seen the 5160/D2 suspicions/doubts expressed on other sites as well as threads here on SBG. I have no opinion to give, other than to say I see no good reason for TFW or Ron to be untruthful in making this claim. I did some Internet digging (that's what passes as "research" for me - as always, experts please correct and educate me!), and one thing I can offer is this: TFW makes a significant effort to describe its proprietary heat treat process. The steps and methods they claim to use are similar to those some tool steel manufacturers recommend to properly treat D2. (Talk of carburising, nitrate quench, controlled atmosphere forge, etc.) I don't know if all that specialty heat treat is necessary for 5160. Perhaps this is something the experts can expound upon. traditionalfilipinoweapons.com/materials/
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Post by Croccifixio on Sept 18, 2016 7:24:59 GMT
More significantly, etching their blades shows zero laminations so I dunno. I have a feeling they're all just well-treated 5160 (which is tough as hell anyway) with correct geometry and enough beef to stay strong despite heavy use.
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