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Post by sankojin on Oct 5, 2017 5:27:24 GMT
Hello, everyone. I would like to hear from people that have owned and or used both of Howard Clarks 1086 and his L6 blades.
The reason why I am asking is that I am about to finally have my L6 blade from Howard finished with being polished. I ordered the sword back in 2008 and it has been a project in the works for the last 9 years. My preferences in blades have changed a lot since I first ordered the sword and I was thinking about selling the blade when I get it back to order a new one to better fit my new preferences. So now I am trying to decide if I want to order a 1086 blade from Howard or another L6. Now I do know that Howard isn't taking any new orders right now so I will be waiting a while for the new one but thought I would ask people there opinion on what they liked better. I would be using the blade for both cutting and Iai if that helps.
A few question for people
What did you like about each one and what one would you pick if you could only have one of them?
From what I understand his 1086 blades hold a better edge of his L6 blades. Can anyone confirm this?
Just how strong are his 1086 blades, has anyone ever bent one of his blades on a bad cut or have seen one of his blades bend?
I know that my sensei has used both of his blades but I haven't been able to talk to him about it as he is out of town for a few weeks. I plan on asking him about it when he gets back but thought I would ask you all your thoughts and opinions on the matter.
thanks for any thoughts, opinions or insights you might be able to give me.
Also if anyone is interested the current blade is a shinogi zukuri with a nagasa of 28.5", sori of 1/2" and a sakihaba of 1" with a chu kissaki. Not really sure of the other measurements as I haven't seen the blade in a long time.
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Post by Croccifixio on Oct 5, 2017 5:39:53 GMT
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Post by sankojin on Oct 5, 2017 5:49:45 GMT
thanks for the name drop but I know Matthew, and have already kind of talked to him about this. Was hoping to get some more feed back from others.
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Post by Croccifixio on Oct 5, 2017 6:44:55 GMT
Yeah he's pretty much the only guy here with extensive experience on Howard Clarks (that I know of).
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Post by Matthew.Jensen on Oct 5, 2017 12:38:22 GMT
I liked them both. The shaping and skill is there on both types of blades. The 1086 blade I have had heft that the L6 blades I have had did not. In terms of cutting, I have done a bit with both L6 and 1086, I found them both capable though the blades all had very different styles and they are hard to compare that way.
I would say that the 1086 had a more interesting look and it did not have issues bending or anything. I can't confirm anything about edge retention. Both did a good job. At the dojo L6 blades need to be sharpened more frequently than other types of steel.. So I suppose that might be something common with L6. I did not have edge issues with either of them.
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Post by Richard Arias on Oct 9, 2017 7:26:41 GMT
Hello, everyone. I would like to hear from people that have owned and or used both of Howard Clarks 1086 and his L6 blades. The reason why I am asking is that I am about to finally have my L6 blade from Howard finished with being polished. I ordered the sword back in 2008 and it has been a project in the works for the last 9 years. My preferences in blades have changed a lot since I first ordered the sword and I was thinking about selling the blade when I get it back to order a new one to better fit my new preferences. So now I am trying to decide if I want to order a 1086 blade from Howard or another L6. Now I do know that Howard isn't taking any new orders right now so I will be waiting a while for the new one but thought I would ask people there opinion on what they liked better. I would be using the blade for both cutting and Iai if that helps. A few question for people What did you like about each one and what one would you pick if you could only have one of them? From what I understand his 1086 blades hold a better edge of his L6 blades. Can anyone confirm this? Just how strong are his 1086 blades, has anyone ever bent one of his blades on a bad cut or have seen one of his blades bend? I know that my sensei has used both of his blades but I haven't been able to talk to him about it as he is out of town for a few weeks. I plan on asking him about it when he gets back but thought I would ask you all your thoughts and opinions on the matter. thanks for any thoughts, opinions or insights you might be able to give me. Also if anyone is interested the current blade is a shinogi zukuri with a nagasa of 28.5", sori of 1/2" and a sakihaba of 1" with a chu kissaki. Not really sure of the other measurements as I haven't seen the blade in a long time. It has been 10 years since I have seen anyone seriously use a Howard Clark Blade and really push it. Fully done they cost more than most used cars. Unless your planning actual heavy use does it matter? There is an old Saying with JSA cutters that we can tell how we like a blade cutting 1 mat. And Howard is a good Smith so you would have to border on abuse to get the L6 to edge out the 1086M. They are both simple and minimalist on looks compared to Nihonto. I would say stick with what your getting or go to a new Smith. By the time you get a new blade from Howard your taste could change again. Get a blade and start using it before you buy something else. Do you buy a car, pay it off then unseen just sell it at a loss?
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Post by inchinatialrey on Oct 10, 2017 5:43:05 GMT
Ive never owned a Clark L6, but I have had the opportunity to cut with a couple of them, katana and wak. Its definitely a tough steel but if your technique is sound, IMO the premium price isn't justified. Bainite L6 is not a magic steel by any stretch of the imagination, its main advantage over 10XX steel is that it is more resistant to taking a set since the spine isn't pearlite. Edge retention is lessened as a trade off, but not significantly. As for the hamon, I find them to be boring to say the least. I mush prefer 1050, 1086m and 1075.
So long story short, if someone is a newb and looking for a blade that can handle more abuse than your average blade, then Clark L6 is an option. That being said, should a newb really be into a custom blade in the first place? I dunno, I guess if they are wealthy enough and got their learners permit with a Ferrari then maybe that makes sense........
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Post by Croccifixio on Oct 10, 2017 7:08:48 GMT
But how could edge retention be bad if it's martensite (with the rest of the blade being bainite)
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Post by Deleted on Oct 10, 2017 11:26:59 GMT
Ask Howard and discuss with him exactly what your expectations are.
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Post by inchinatialrey on Oct 10, 2017 12:25:44 GMT
But how could edge retention be bad if it's martensite (with the rest of the blade being bainite) I never said anything about edge retention being bad. What I said was "Edge retention is lessened as a trade off, but not significantly."This is because in order to get steel to convert to Bainite instead of of Pearlite, it has to be held at a certain temperature for a longer period of time. This of course will affect the martensitic edge.....to what degree depends on the that smiths desired recipe of temperature and length of time held there.
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