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Post by fool on Sept 23, 2017 3:37:23 GMT
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Post by treeslicer on Sept 23, 2017 14:32:44 GMT
If by laminate blades, you mean folded, I've dealt with Wang-katana and Kondo (both resellers), and had no problems with either forging or quenching in maru blades. One DH shinogi-zukuri no-bohi blade I got from Wang has a really active hamon, and can pass for Japanese. Chinese folded steel, IMHO, seems to be OK in the DH price range. All my blades, once sharpened to Japanese standards, "cut like lightsabers", as the saying goes.
If you mean genuinely laminated, as in san-mai, kobuse, shihozume, etc., what the Chinese do doesn't necessarily look like the Japanese product (Chinese showing visible lamination joins on the blade's surface), suggesting that the Chinese process differs from the traditional Japanese, but I have seen no evidence of poor quality control. I do know that stuff that develops open layers or other cosmetic forging issues gets scrapped, as I own a few examples (the major forges sell their intact rejected blades to smaller fry in the business in Longquan). I don't buy Chinese laminated, at retail, personally, because that price range overlaps low-end genuine nihonto, so why buy copies?
I've bought one allegedly 1095, DH monosteel unokubi-zukuri blade (by monosteel here I mean plain, not-folded, forged mill steel) with a choji-gunome midare hamon, and have no problems with it. Be it noted that technical analyses of genuine Japanese tamahagane swords have repeatedly shown that the traditional Japanese edge steel as forged only equals modern 1060 or so in carbon content, so hand-wringing over what carbon steels the Chinese use (as well as chasing after the perfect "magic" steel), is likely pointless. IMHO, the important points for edge quality are a properly packed forged edge combined with water-quenched DH. My experience is that Chinese folded steel not only looks better in terns of hamon activities, but is stiffer than their monosteels, and cuts slightly better.
I have no recent experience of Chinese monosteel TH blades, and wouldn't buy one. One that fell into my hands around 12 years ago, after an iaido buddy broke it, was grossly overhardened, chips like crockery, and snapped at the habaki during tameshigiri (the shards made a decent wakizashi).
IMHO, all the Longquan swords offered on the Web come out of a more-or-less common pot (same or very similar forges), but the performance of the resellers who offer them is very uneven. Having gotten what I needed out of them, I no longer actively fish in those waters. Japanese customer service and express shipping times are far more predictable, as are American. Good luck.
Giving your blades a tang deburr (usually necessary on Chinese), professional-class sharpening, and better/authentic koshirae, IMHO, is the only way to go. If you learn to do that stuff yourself, you'll save major money in the long run.
Edit, just in case anyone stumbling across this post doesn't know, DH = Differentially Hardened = "Clay Tempered", and TH = Through Hardened = not differentially hardened.
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Post by fool on Sept 24, 2017 1:01:11 GMT
Yes, initially after calculating the price of a full make over from shining moon 13 I thought about just getting an entry level nihonto, but unfortunatly the kind of blade I want isn't very popular/common even among the high end sellers and commissioning an actual certified japanese smith would cost about 4-5 times as much than what im planning now. I've also thought about getting Jacky to do since they have a pretty good record but I've heard she takes a very long time to even respond. Also by laminate I meant Soshu Kitae, though I was thinking about a shihozume.
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Post by shepherd214 on Oct 16, 2017 1:07:57 GMT
I ordered a sinosword custom almost a month ago. Should be done soon. Sinosword has good reviews and seem to be among the higher quality of the Chinese katana makers. Ordering was very simple and friendly.
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Post by stopped1 on Oct 16, 2017 1:48:50 GMT
Should I just get a mono blade instead of laminate? I heard that monos are better simply because the forges don't really quality check laminate blades, same for T10 steel. Also I'm getting a shirasaya so that I can have a professional completely redo the furniture, since the fittings from these custom ebay sellers don't tend to hold up too well. Checking for delamination and other folding flaws are near impossible. Even the near magical nihonto, I have seen so many carbon pockets and delamination coming out upon a polish. As for heat treat, the smith and polisher will notice if the blade is to hard/soft. And DH doesn't give you a more resilient blade, but a compromise that lets you have a very hard edge that doesn't snap but takes a set pretty easily. The only way to really check the heat treat is to view it under a microscope to cheack the crystal structure so no one will do that for you. Hardness testers gives an idea but even that is just an indication, it doesn't show any internal stress. Besides you can check surface hardness but how do you even check the core steel? In short, unless you cut the blade open, you can't check it. A good TH 9260 goes a long way, cuts reasonably well but doesn't bend and snap half as easy. I don't like chinese fold steel but they are ok, most forges don't really make them but rather mass produced by power hammer and made into bar stock. as much as it is not as cool, it is more uniform than two guys hammering the steel whilst the third guy holding the hot steel
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Post by shepherd214 on Oct 16, 2017 19:45:51 GMT
In my opinion, getting really specific with Chinese vendors about lamination methods is too risky and useless. Matthew Jenson put out a video on his YouTube channel where he was reviewing a laminated katana from Sinosword and the sword performed very well and after he broke it on purpose, the grain inside the blade seemed to indicate that they did actually laminate it. But the quality of this chinese lamination vs authentic japanese methods is extremedy unreliable and spotty.
Several very experienced swordsmen and collectors have recommended to me that if you are going with any Chinese vendor, to be as simple as possible and order either a differentially tempered T10, or a Through hardened 9260. The logic being there is less that can go wrong in the forging process, and both steels are very popular, tough, tried and true. There is no reason to go with a laminated blade in this day and age because of how our modern steel is superior, making lamination for function useless. The only reason you could want lamination is for the cool Factor, but the level of quality has a good chance of being subpar so you'll end up paying extra for the lamination and risk the sword not being top quality or getting your order wrong or something.
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Post by bbycrts on Oct 18, 2017 20:27:50 GMT
I have several Sinosword blades and they are all great. Communication with Mr. Kane was very good and they email pictures before shipping and will fix or change things you don't care for when complete. You can specify pretty much anything you want in the build and they'll do it.
Added: I made several choices in my first build that Mr Kane emailed me and recommended a (cheaper) option; he didn't feel my choices would produce a result I'd be happy with and preferred to save the money and make the customer happy - I don't hear that kind of service very often from other Chinese sellers.
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Post by Richard Arias on Oct 18, 2017 22:52:57 GMT
I have been in the sword Game a long time and have been working with Chinese forges for a little over 10 years now. Lamination methods will most definitely effect the character and performance in cutting. Even with modern steels a Smith like Walter Sorrells would tell you that Kobuse blades tend to be bendy vs a standard San Mai. Obata Toshishiro believes that San Mai is the superior method even though kobuse became popular in the Edo period and is still used in majority today in Japan. And I tend to agree that if you want a laminated blade go San Mai. The blade should really never be under enough stress to break it if the lamination isn't perfect either way.
I recently had an attack of nostalgia and ordered a custom heavy cutter Hira Zukiri design from Sino and it as a $400 order. I went with a folded T10 in a hand polish. Why?... Well my specs call for a think blade 8mm tapering to 6mm at the Kissaki with a 35mm-30mm width Taper. Less dramatic Sori 20mm max requested at only 26in Nagasa. So being shorter and thick bending should not be an easy thing given the stout natural ability this will give. Folded... Because it's something to look at and it means the blade is made of forged steel not just hardened stock removal steel. That is a marginal strength difference people forget that a Folded blade can yield. Most Smith's will guess a strength difference of 10% maybe 15% at best between forged vs stock removed and hardened (assuming heat treat Is good on both). No lamination because I have a lot of small details specified and care about those being met more than a lamination. Plus it's money I opted to better spend on a higher grade Polish that much more directly benefits aesthetics and performance.
I used to be good friends with Kenneth Hakeguard who was Zhou Zheng Wu's Apprentice. Most long quan forges come from the zheng Wu institution so he had a good knowledge for most of them. He would tell you some are serious and professional and some are guys working out of home garages with cheap steel. I can't say which Sino is until I see if they met my many detailed but simple specifications. I am not expecting much as forges promise everything and usually deliver half of it. So it will be interesting to see what Van at Sino makes good on and what gets left out.
Mat Jensen's video was interesting for the fact that a blade that was a poor design for what was going to happen to it lasted so long. It speaks well for the blade. It was a very thin small blade with a lot of Bo Hi removing material and robing the blade of a good amount of structural integrity. Were he to spec a Wind and Thunder type blade it would have done much better in the area of cuts and abuse.
In the long run I specified simple things like a full wrap, synthetic Silk Ito with Menuki and Mekugi in Gyaku Te, a thick non tapering Nakago, a Brass Secondary Mekugi (redundant insurance policy), a Sugu hamon with no less than 8mm width through the edge (but no more than 12mm), a 10in Rikko tsuka, and a matte Blake Ishi Mae saya. Pretty basic stuff that I was assured is possible and easy. And even on the slim Chance they meet all of my specs (not likely) I won't be getting the quality of a Citadel or the like and people have to realize that in the long run. Sino will be bang for my buck, but I'm really just hoping for a good enough building block to customize from in the future. The mounts only need to hold for a few years at Best.
But as I always tell people it helps to have a lot of experience with different blades to know what you want and why. I look at a lot of Sino Swords past work and see people who got blades they thought were cool, but lacked a practical approach to the design. So if you own a few beaters and Stock blades learn from them. Sino would be a good place to go once you know what you want in your next sword and what you don't. It's not worth a month or two wait for blades you won't like when you get them if your specs are super random and not tailored to you.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 19, 2017 10:10:53 GMT
I'm thinking of ordering a custom off sino/jkoo sword. Any good experiences with them? i heard they are more reliable than Ryansword and co. Stats from the response email pictured below. Should I just get a mono blade instead of laminate? I heard that monos are better simply because the forges don't really quality check laminate blades, same for T10 steel. Also I'm getting a shirasaya so that I can have a professional completely redo the furniture, since the fittings from these custom ebay sellers don't tend to hold up too well. Email your concerns to Van at Sinosword. He is very knowledgeable and can guide you.
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Post by shepherd214 on Oct 20, 2017 21:23:00 GMT
Lamination will affect cutting and blade performance, but that does not mean it's going to be superior to the typical choices offered in the Modern Age. Mono, through hardened blades like 5160, 9260, 1075, etc will be fantastic cutters. Differentially hardened mono blades like 1095, T10, etc will also be fantastic cutters. I seriously doubt that most people would notice a difference between a laminated blade and a mono blade, except for the fact the laminated blade can be destroyed much faster. Especially if we are talking about Chinese reproduction sword lamination. If Matthew Jensen was using a 9260 blade in his video instead of a laminated one, I guarantee this sword would have lasted two to three times longer before it broke. A sword should not be put through that kind of stress, but most people want that reassurance in case of a botched cut or they accidentally hit something. If you had a genuine nihonto or a blade made by Howard Clark or Rick Barrett, then maybe a sanmai lamination would be very nice but in the case of Chinese forges and spending in the sub $500 range, I just don't think it matters much except that your blade could break easier and there is definitely more that can go wrong with your order.
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Post by zabazagobo on Oct 21, 2017 3:08:30 GMT
I have been in the sword Game a long time and have been working with Chinese forges for a little over 10 years now. Lamination methods will most definitely effect the character and performance in cutting. Even with modern steels a Smith like Walter Sorrells would tell you that Kobuse blades tend to be bendy vs a standard San Mai. Obata Toshishiro believes that San Mai is the superior method even though kobuse became popular in the Edo period and is still used in majority today in Japan. And I tend to agree that if you want a laminated blade go San Mai. The blade should really never be under enough stress to break it if the lamination isn't perfect either way. I recently had an attack of nostalgia and ordered a custom heavy cutter Hira Zukiri design from Sino and it as a $400 order. I went with a folded T10 in a hand polish. Why?... Well my specs call for a think blade 8mm tapering to 6mm at the Kissaki with a 35mm-30mm width Taper. Less dramatic Sori 20mm max requested at only 26in Nagasa. So being shorter and thick bending should not be an easy thing given the stout natural ability this will give. Folded... Because it's something to look at and it means the blade is made of forged steel not just hardened stock removal steel. That is a marginal strength difference people forget that a Folded blade can yield. Most Smith's will guess a strength difference of 10% maybe 15% at best between forged vs stock removed and hardened (assuming heat treat Is good on both). No lamination because I have a lot of small details specified and care about those being met more than a lamination. Plus it's money I opted to better spend on a higher grade Polish that much more directly benefits aesthetics and performance. I used to be good friends with Kenneth Hakeguard who was Zhou Zheng Wu's Apprentice. Most long quan forges come from the zheng Wu institution so he had a good knowledge for most of them. He would tell you some are serious and professional and some are guys working out of home garages with cheap steel. I can't say which Sino is until I see if they met my many detailed but simple specifications. I am not expecting much as forges promise everything and usually deliver half of it. So it will be interesting to see what Van at Sino makes good on and what gets left out. Mat Jensen's video was interesting for the fact that a blade that was a poor design for what was going to happen to it lasted so long. It speaks well for the blade. It was a very thin small blade with a lot of Bo Hi removing material and robing the blade of a good amount of structural integrity. Were he to spec a Wind and Thunder type blade it would have done much better in the area of cuts and abuse. In the long run I specified simple things like a full wrap, synthetic Silk Ito with Menuki and Mekugi in Gyaku Te, a thick non tapering Nakago, a Brass Secondary Mekugi (redundant insurance policy), a Sugu hamon with no less than 8mm width through the edge (but no more than 12mm), a 10in Rikko tsuka, and a matte Blake Ishi Mae saya. Pretty basic stuff that I was assured is possible and easy. And even on the slim Chance they meet all of my specs (not likely) I won't be getting the quality of a Citadel or the like and people have to realize that in the long run. Sino will be bang for my buck, but I'm really just hoping for a good enough building block to customize from in the future. The mounts only need to hold for a few years at Best. But as I always tell people it helps to have a lot of experience with different blades to know what you want and why. I look at a lot of Sino Swords past work and see people who got blades they thought were cool, but lacked a practical approach to the design. So if you own a few beaters and Stock blades learn from them. Sino would be a good place to go once you know what you want in your next sword and what you don't. It's not worth a month or two wait for blades you won't like when you get them if your specs are super random and not tailored to you. What's your perspective on the 'bendiness' (shouldn't that be a word?) of kobuse vs sanmai? Too much soft steel in the middle? Looking forward to hearing how your order turns out, I know you have a critical eye towards swords so I'd really like to hear your impressions. Also your specs sound perfectly in line with what I'd order from them, maybe just a little more curve to the sori. I was pretty surprised with what I saw in Mat's video. Makes me think that if you put a bo-hi on the 'monster-katana' Blade Runner has the tachi-kaze would be the Disturbed's "Indestructible".
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2017 3:50:10 GMT
Still have not returned it yet (they must buff out mega rust on one side). Cannot get the larger post offices to answer their phones, so I got to drive to each one and see if they will ship it back to China for a reasonable cost.
Van tried to talk me out of such a thick blade since it is so wide and long, but I wanted a "chopper" blade. When it goes back they are going to reduce blade sakikasane from 8mm to 6 mm. 5.8 pounds is just too uncontrollable for such a large and sharp blade.
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Post by Richard Arias on Oct 21, 2017 6:39:49 GMT
I have been in the sword Game a long time and have been working with Chinese forges for a little over 10 years now. Lamination methods will most definitely effect the character and performance in cutting. Even with modern steels a Smith like Walter Sorrells would tell you that Kobuse blades tend to be bendy vs a standard San Mai. Obata Toshishiro believes that San Mai is the superior method even though kobuse became popular in the Edo period and is still used in majority today in Japan. And I tend to agree that if you want a laminated blade go San Mai. The blade should really never be under enough stress to break it if the lamination isn't perfect either way. I recently had an attack of nostalgia and ordered a custom heavy cutter Hira Zukiri design from Sino and it as a $400 order. I went with a folded T10 in a hand polish. Why?... Well my specs call for a think blade 8mm tapering to 6mm at the Kissaki with a 35mm-30mm width Taper. Less dramatic Sori 20mm max requested at only 26in Nagasa. So being shorter and thick bending should not be an easy thing given the stout natural ability this will give. Folded... Because it's something to look at and it means the blade is made of forged steel not just hardened stock removal steel. That is a marginal strength difference people forget that a Folded blade can yield. Most Smith's will guess a strength difference of 10% maybe 15% at best between forged vs stock removed and hardened (assuming heat treat Is good on both). No lamination because I have a lot of small details specified and care about those being met more than a lamination. Plus it's money I opted to better spend on a higher grade Polish that much more directly benefits aesthetics and performance. I used to be good friends with Kenneth Hakeguard who was Zhou Zheng Wu's Apprentice. Most long quan forges come from the zheng Wu institution so he had a good knowledge for most of them. He would tell you some are serious and professional and some are guys working out of home garages with cheap steel. I can't say which Sino is until I see if they met my many detailed but simple specifications. I am not expecting much as forges promise everything and usually deliver half of it. So it will be interesting to see what Van at Sino makes good on and what gets left out. Mat Jensen's video was interesting for the fact that a blade that was a poor design for what was going to happen to it lasted so long. It speaks well for the blade. It was a very thin small blade with a lot of Bo Hi removing material and robing the blade of a good amount of structural integrity. Were he to spec a Wind and Thunder type blade it would have done much better in the area of cuts and abuse. In the long run I specified simple things like a full wrap, synthetic Silk Ito with Menuki and Mekugi in Gyaku Te, a thick non tapering Nakago, a Brass Secondary Mekugi (redundant insurance policy), a Sugu hamon with no less than 8mm width through the edge (but no more than 12mm), a 10in Rikko tsuka, and a matte Blake Ishi Mae saya. Pretty basic stuff that I was assured is possible and easy. And even on the slim Chance they meet all of my specs (not likely) I won't be getting the quality of a Citadel or the like and people have to realize that in the long run. Sino will be bang for my buck, but I'm really just hoping for a good enough building block to customize from in the future. The mounts only need to hold for a few years at Best. But as I always tell people it helps to have a lot of experience with different blades to know what you want and why. I look at a lot of Sino Swords past work and see people who got blades they thought were cool, but lacked a practical approach to the design. So if you own a few beaters and Stock blades learn from them. Sino would be a good place to go once you know what you want in your next sword and what you don't. It's not worth a month or two wait for blades you won't like when you get them if your specs are super random and not tailored to you. What's your perspective on the 'bendiness' (shouldn't that be a word?) of kobuse vs sanmai? Too much soft steel in the middle? Looking forward to hearing how your order turns out, I know you have a critical eye towards swords so I'd really like to hear your impressions. Also your specs sound perfectly in line with what I'd order from them, maybe just a little more curve to the sori. I was pretty surprised with what I saw in Mat's video. Makes me think that if you put a bo-hi on the 'monster-katana' Blade Runner has the tachi-kaze would be the Disturbed's "Indestructible". Honestly I have had a few production Kobuse that were bendy. But that just means you get more practice learning to straighten a sword. But you also have to remember people keep getting these tiny blades made with Bo Hi and there just isn't a lot of steel to them. And that I feel makes many Kobuse I have seen seem a lot easier to bend than they are. San Mai gives a seasoned bamboo feel to a blade firm, but slightly yielding. Someone like Walter Sorrells would be the brain to ask being a Smith and a swordsman. As for the Hira Custom many forges have received the same specs and fallen short over 10+ years, I'm not expecting to much because Chinese forges just to ignore important details. As far as Sori I actually prefer maybe just over a half and inch 15-18mm because curvy blades can get annoying for Noto and Hasuji in my hands. Plus I am known to thrust with my swords and a lot of curve can also make a two handed thrust kinda awkward. As for my "critical eye" I am to use to being direct and practical. Even with this sword I still think of it as a Weapon. So it's Blade can be drawn and used to clear rooms in my apartment if need be, it will much less likely scrape the roof or walls of most rooms should it be used in a self defense scenario. As a Batto Do and Tameshigiri blade it is a cross between a gunto, a classic nakamura ryu Spec and Competition geometry. I just tend to rub people the wrong way because a am obsessed and serious about things. After so long doing this you just kinda get tired of seeing certain trends while important things keep getting passed over :)
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Post by Richard Arias on Oct 21, 2017 6:57:39 GMT
Still have not returned it yet (they must buff out mega rust on one side). Cannot get the larger post offices to answer their phones, so I got to drive to each one and see if they will ship it back to China for a reasonable cost. Van tried to talk me out of such a thick blade since it is so wide and long, but I wanted a "chopper" blade. When it goes back they are going to reduce blade sakikasane from 8mm to 6 mm. 5.8 pounds is just too uncontrollable for such a large and sharp blade. Start working on your conditioning. Earn the skill to wield that big sword. How can you ever be more than you are right now if you never try to do more than what your able at this moment? A few months of strength training and some practice and that sword would be very manageable. A little work can go a long way. I called that blade a novelty. Prove me wrong and don't let that hunk of metal beat you.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 21, 2017 7:40:33 GMT
Richard - Your comments are very timely. I am still recuperating from double hernia surgery after a long battle with chronic nerve pain (misdiagnosed too many times). I use to work out with weights all my life, on a regular basis, until this illness 2 years ago. Now, I use my dojo pro O-katana currently to build arm strength. No heavy weights until doctors release. The monster katana is all wrapped up waiting to be shipped back to Sinosword for at least, deep rust removal. However, when I get it back, I will workout with it. Promise. Thanks for your encouragement. On another note, what company makes the nice katana in the video? It looks wider and longer than normal? Very nice indeed.
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Post by Richard Arias on Oct 21, 2017 9:55:33 GMT
Richard - Your comments are very timely. I am still recuperating from double hernia surgery after a long battle with chronic nerve pain (misdiagnosed too many times). I use to work out with weights all my life, on a regular basis, until this illness 2 years ago. Now, I use my dojo pro O-katana currently to build arm strength. No heavy weights until doctors release. The monster katana is all wrapped up waiting to be shipped back to Sinosword for at least, deep rust removal. However, when I get it back, I will workout with it. Promise. Thanks for your encouragement. ;) On another note, what company makes the nice katana in the video? It looks wider and longer than normal? Very nice indeethe No company. Those are Japanese blades. It's a MJER branch that uses huge swords. I very much feel your pain. I was Born with Cerebral Palsy and am a spastic. And that has lead to all kinds of fun. Continuing to work and do martial arts most of my life has lead to loss of cartilage, pinched nerves in my back, arthritis, fibromyalgia... And the list goes on. With the CP it does not matter how much I lift or how hard I train the neurological damage won't change nor will the damage from my posture grinding me down all these years. I have more people putting me down in this world and not wanting someone like me messing with their perfect arts and systems. I have faced a lot of discrimination in life and the martial arts world. And it's hard. But you can build yourself up as much as possible. As Walter would say "you have to fail your way to success" and that applies to your sword. Don't change it. Let if change you, let it change your measurements physically and mentally. I would make it challenge. Or struggler if you prefer :) People think I'm a hardass but students know I just want them to do the work. So less chat more rehab. It's all about the physical therapy now. I know that better then most.
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Post by zabazagobo on Oct 21, 2017 17:26:34 GMT
Honestly I have had a few production Kobuse that were bendy. But that just means you get more practice learning to straighten a sword. But you also have to remember people keep getting these tiny blades made with Bo Hi and there just isn't a lot of steel to them. And that I feel makes many Kobuse I have seen seem a lot easier to bend than they are. San Mai gives a seasoned bamboo feel to a blade firm, but slightly yielding. Someone like Walter Sorrells would be the brain to ask being a Smith and a swordsman. As for the Hira Custom many forges have received the same specs and fallen short over 10+ years, I'm not expecting to much because Chinese forges just to ignore important details. As far as Sori I actually prefer maybe just over a half and inch 15-18mm because curvy blades can get annoying for Noto and Hasuji in my hands. Plus I am known to thrust with my swords and a lot of curve can also make a two handed thrust kinda awkward. As for my "critical eye" I am to use to being direct and practical. Even with this sword I still think of it as a Weapon. So it's Blade can be drawn and used to clear rooms in my apartment if need be, it will much less likely scrape the roof or walls of most rooms should it be used in a self defense scenario. As a Batto Do and Tameshigiri blade it is a cross between a gunto, a classic nakamura ryu Spec and Competition geometry. I just tend to rub people the wrong way because a am obsessed and serious about things. After so long doing this you just kinda get tired of seeing certain trends while important things keep getting passed over It's a good thing to have a critical eye. I focus on the practicality of a sword in the same manner that you do by the sounds of it, which is why I really like hearing your impressions on swords. You have a very direct 'does it work' mentality, something I struggle to keep consistent because I like hada too much. Thanks for the input on kobuse and san mai. I'll have to spend some more time snooping, but my hunch is there's just too much soft steel in one spot in a kobuse blade. Might be sort of an antithesis to soshu-kitae because the steel was in multiple pockets giving it flex and reinforcement throughout rather than just a flexy center and hard 'shell'. And now I'm derailing with my speculation so I'll cut myself off. But looking forward to hearing your impressions on the hira zukuri. A 26 inch thrust oriented blade sounds great, hope it comes together well.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 22, 2017 2:16:47 GMT
Richard - Your comments are very timely. I am still recuperating from double hernia surgery after a long battle with chronic nerve pain (misdiagnosed too many times). I use to work out with weights all my life, on a regular basis, until this illness 2 years ago. Now, I use my dojo pro O-katana currently to build arm strength. No heavy weights until doctors release. The monster katana is all wrapped up waiting to be shipped back to Sinosword for at least, deep rust removal. However, when I get it back, I will workout with it. Promise. Thanks for your encouragement. On another note, what company makes the nice katana in the video? It looks wider and longer than normal? Very nice indeethe No company. Those are Japanese blades. It's a MJER branch that uses huge swords. I very much feel your pain. I was Born with Cerebral Palsy and am a spastic. And that has lead to all kinds of fun. Continuing to work and do martial arts most of my life has lead to loss of cartilage, pinched nerves in my back, arthritis, fibromyalgia... And the list goes on. With the CP it does not matter how much I lift or how hard I train the neurological damage won't change nor will the damage from my posture grinding me down all these years. I have more people putting me down in this world and not wanting someone like me messing with their perfect arts and systems. I have faced a lot of discrimination in life and the martial arts world. And it's hard. But you can build yourself up as much as possible. As Walter would say "you have to fail your way to success" and that applies to your sword. Don't change it. Let if change you, let it change your measurements physically and mentally. I would make it challenge. Or struggler if you prefer People think I'm a hardass but students know I just want them to do the work. So less chat more rehab. It's all about the physical therapy now. I know that better then most. I though about it. I will not change the sakikasane thickness. I will just have them remove the rust. I will perform katas with it until I can wield it properly. I will update my monster katana thread as I progress. Thanks for your time and attention. Obviously your medical condition and the prejudice you have encountered, has only made you stronger, as you are an accomplished instructor. Very cool.
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Post by Richard Arias on Oct 22, 2017 4:02:39 GMT
No company. Those are Japanese blades. It's a MJER branch that uses huge swords. I very much feel your pain. I was Born with Cerebral Palsy and am a spastic. And that has lead to all kinds of fun. Continuing to work and do martial arts most of my life has lead to loss of cartilage, pinched nerves in my back, arthritis, fibromyalgia... And the list goes on. With the CP it does not matter how much I lift or how hard I train the neurological damage won't change nor will the damage from my posture grinding me down all these years. I have more people putting me down in this world and not wanting someone like me messing with their perfect arts and systems. I have faced a lot of discrimination in life and the martial arts world. And it's hard. But you can build yourself up as much as possible. As Walter would say "you have to fail your way to success" and that applies to your sword. Don't change it. Let if change you, let it change your measurements physically and mentally. I would make it challenge. Or struggler if you prefer People think I'm a hardass but students know I just want them to do the work. So less chat more rehab. It's all about the physical therapy now. I know that better then most. I though about it. I will not change the sakikasane thickness. I will just have them remove the rust. I will perform katas with it until I can wield it properly. I will update my monster katana thread as I progress. Thanks for your time and attention. Obviously your medical condition and the prejudice you have encountered, has only made you stronger, as you are an accomplished instructor. Very cool. Not accomplished... But I teach a few things. People are lazy and don't want to put out the effort to be good or even proficient at things I teach. To them the Kung fu, or the Batto Do or Shooting is a hobby. To me it's life :)
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Post by Richard Arias on Oct 22, 2017 4:07:15 GMT
Honestly I have had a few production Kobuse that were bendy. But that just means you get more practice learning to straighten a sword. But you also have to remember people keep getting these tiny blades made with Bo Hi and there just isn't a lot of steel to them. And that I feel makes many Kobuse I have seen seem a lot easier to bend than they are. San Mai gives a seasoned bamboo feel to a blade firm, but slightly yielding. Someone like Walter Sorrells would be the brain to ask being a Smith and a swordsman. As for the Hira Custom many forges have received the same specs and fallen short over 10+ years, I'm not expecting to much because Chinese forges just to ignore important details. As far as Sori I actually prefer maybe just over a half and inch 15-18mm because curvy blades can get annoying for Noto and Hasuji in my hands. Plus I am known to thrust with my swords and a lot of curve can also make a two handed thrust kinda awkward. As for my "critical eye" I am to use to being direct and practical. Even with this sword I still think of it as a Weapon. So it's Blade can be drawn and used to clear rooms in my apartment if need be, it will much less likely scrape the roof or walls of most rooms should it be used in a self defense scenario. As a Batto Do and Tameshigiri blade it is a cross between a gunto, a classic nakamura ryu Spec and Competition geometry. I just tend to rub people the wrong way because a am obsessed and serious about things. After so long doing this you just kinda get tired of seeing certain trends while important things keep getting passed over It's a good thing to have a critical eye. I focus on the practicality of a sword in the same manner that you do by the sounds of it, which is why I really like hearing your impressions on swords. You have a very direct 'does it work' mentality, something I struggle to keep consistent because I like hada too much. Thanks for the input on kobuse and san mai. I'll have to spend some more time snooping, but my hunch is there's just too much soft steel in one spot in a kobuse blade. Might be sort of an antithesis to soshu-kitae because the steel was in multiple pockets giving it flex and reinforcement throughout rather than just a flexy center and hard 'shell'. And now I'm derailing with my speculation so I'll cut myself off. But looking forward to hearing your impressions on the hira zukuri. A 26 inch thrust oriented blade sounds great, hope it comes together well. I can defend hada in the sense that Its proof the blade was forged. And the 10-15% strength bump from stock remove blade to forged is worth the minor price bump. And something to look at colors a lot of purchases. I would do a basic San Mai over Kobuse. But I would never turn down a Kobuse. I hope I get most of what I asked for. If I do it will be a good balanced performance work horse... But let's see in a month's time :)
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