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Post by xingyusword on Dec 24, 2023 7:02:23 GMT
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Post by Sir Thorfinn on Dec 24, 2023 14:57:52 GMT
Wow, just wow. I'm not a fan of Japanese swords except as art. This is beautiful. Also, this is the first example of wootz being used in a katana I've ever seen. So potentially you just made a true modern super sword.
2 thoughts. The Koi artwork is beautiful. I didn't see any obvious spots pattern in the steel, I may have missed it. But if it's there, point it out. Oh, and I wonder what it looks like polished out? Might be boring, might be extraordinary....
Edit,looked closely, I see the wootz. Fantastic....
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Post by mrstabby on Dec 24, 2023 15:31:58 GMT
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Post by xingyusword on Dec 24, 2023 15:58:56 GMT
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Post by xingyusword on Dec 24, 2023 16:00:13 GMT
Wow, just wow. I'm not a fan of Japanese swords except as art. This is beautiful. Also, this is the first example of wootz being used in a katana I've ever seen. So potentially you just made a true modern super sword. 2 thoughts. The Koi artwork is beautiful. I didn't see any obvious spots pattern in the steel, I may have missed it. But if it's there, point it out. Oh, and I wonder what it looks like polished out? Might be boring, might be extraordinary.... Edit,looked closely, I see the wootz. Fantastic.... See, I didn't get a very good shot.
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Post by mrstabby on Dec 24, 2023 16:08:38 GMT
Wow, just wow. I'm not a fan of Japanese swords except as art. This is beautiful. Also, this is the first example of wootz being used in a katana I've ever seen. So potentially you just made a true modern super sword. 2 thoughts. The Koi artwork is beautiful. I didn't see any obvious spots pattern in the steel, I may have missed it. But if it's there, point it out. Oh, and I wonder what it looks like polished out? Might be boring, might be extraordinary.... Edit,looked closely, I see the wootz. Fantastic.... See, I didn't get a very good shot. You have better luck showing the pattern with a very diffuse, indirect light source, but I think the light in front of the blade could be a problem as well.
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Post by jester on Dec 24, 2023 16:29:52 GMT
Blade looks very nice. Saya also looks cool (not in my taste but I see the added value there). Then this whole package is completed with cheap fittings and non alternating ito. Seems like a waste of good resources to me.
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Post by ggolden219 on Dec 24, 2023 18:10:22 GMT
Blade looks very nice. Saya also looks cool (not in my taste but I see the added value there). Then this whole package is completed with cheap fittings and non alternating ito. Seems like a waste of good resources to me. "Waste of good resources" - I agree. The blade deserves a better polish and I'm not a fan of the kissaki geometry. The saya is well done (not my personal taste either). The tosogu and tsukamaki are low quality - in my opinion. The tsuba may be ok, depending on the metal used. Overall - I think there is room for improvement, depending on the price point it's trying to hit.
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Post by El Chingon on Dec 24, 2023 20:19:30 GMT
Please stop doing that "reverse polish", it looks horrible. If the hamon is darker than the ji, you're doing it wrong. The saya may be shaped well but the extra art is not needed and looks gaudy. Plain iron fittings are better and would look more authentic.
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Post by wildv on Dec 26, 2023 11:18:29 GMT
Please stop doing that "reverse polish", it looks horrible. If the hamon is darker than the ji, you're doing it wrong. The saya may be shaped well but the extra art is not needed and looks gaudy. Plain iron fittings are better and would look more authentic. Gotta second the plain iorn fittings but I know the guady stuff seems to sell more because everyone uses that style. Hard to find minimalist, well put together and simple koshirae.
Gotta supply what majority will want and I think this sword forum is actually a minority.
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Post by mrstabby on Dec 26, 2023 11:42:42 GMT
What do you mean by "reverse polish"? Honestly the fittings and scabbard on 99% of japanese style swords look kitschy to me and I don't see much difference, so I only look at blades. For the price segment of 300-600$ saying it's wasted resources is not fair in my opinion.
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Post by randomnobody on Dec 26, 2023 12:32:52 GMT
What do you mean by "reverse polish"? Not the person you're asking, but notice how the hamon in these photos appears darker than the ji. This is not correct/accurate/appropriate to traditional Japanese swords and many collectors dislike this appearance. Many also don't care or don't know better. Personally, the saya art is not my thing, but I absolutely appreciate it as something that might have been on someone's sword at some point in history, and it's executed to a level I can respect. Japanese people loved showing off, back in the day, so flashy and gaudy suits replicas fine. It's only in pretty recent history that standing out became a bad thing, and stuff got more understated. Myself, I prefer understated, so I like this segment better. As to the sword itself, I'm not sure I'm comfortable calling it "wootz" and I'm not sure wootz works well differently hardened? Perhaps this specific alloy is fine, but I can't recall seeing any antique wootz blades differentially hardened, and seem to recall reading that one disadvantage to wootz is that, when hardened, it's quite brittle.
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Post by mrstabby on Dec 26, 2023 12:45:59 GMT
What do you mean by "reverse polish"? Not the person you're asking, but notice how the hamon in these photos appears darker than the ji. This is not correct/accurate/appropriate to traditional Japanese swords and many collectors dislike this appearance. Many also don't care or don't know better. Personally, the saya art is not my thing, but I absolutely appreciate it as something that might have been on someone's sword at some point in history, and it's executed to a level I can respect. Japanese people loved showing off, back in the day, so flashy and gaudy suits replicas fine. It's only in pretty recent history that standing out became a bad thing, and stuff got more understated. Myself, I prefer understated, so I like this segment better. As to the sword itself, I'm not sure I'm comfortable calling it "wootz" and I'm not sure wootz works well differently hardened? Perhaps this specific alloy is fine, but I can't recall seeing any antique wootz blades differentially hardened, and seem to recall reading that one disadvantage to wootz is that, when hardened, it's quite brittle. It isn't "real" wootz. I think it's just all used interchangably (damascus, tamahagane, wootz) plus add in some translation problems. Though some do experiment with crucible steel and there are a few smiths in china that use it, but it is a modern recreation.
EDIT: Matt Easton showed/spoke about wootz indian Tulwar with a hamon.
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Post by randomnobody on Dec 26, 2023 13:26:19 GMT
It isn't "real" wootz. I think it's just all used interchangably (damascus, tamahagane, wootz) plus add in some translation problems. Though some do experiment with crucible steel and there are a few smiths in china that use it, but it is a modern recreation. That was basically what I was wondering. Is this crucible steel, or is it just pattern welded? Oh? I don't really follow Matt, but I'm gonna have to find this one.
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larason2
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Post by larason2 on Dec 26, 2023 19:47:44 GMT
It definitely has a dendritic sort of appearance (lines coming out of a round bit), so I would think it's some kind of crucible steel. Whether you can call it wootz or not is another matter!
The ha does look darker than the Ji, but the hamon is actually hard to make out. Those lines near the ha, are they the consequence of a brushed on finish, or are they parts of the steel that remained a bit soft because of the metal composition? It's hard to say. Japanese swords sometimes have those lines coming out of the hamon, but they are welding lines or lines intentially left soft by putting more heat absorptive clay over them. However, Japanese swords that are traditionally polished never have a hard to make out hamon.
My opinion is that it is some kind of crucible steel, doesn't have the colours of authentic wootz, however (which might be good if it means less sulfur). I suspect an acid washed finish, but I'm not sure. Definitely the hamon is hard to make out, an undesirable detail. Any hardened steel can be brittle, but in DH blades the soft spine helps to prevent cracking. I think it's an interesting experiment, maybe when I'm done polishing the blades I have I'll buy a bare blade and see how it polishes up traditionally.
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Post by randomnobody on Dec 26, 2023 21:10:10 GMT
I'm not sure how well wootz would respond to a traditional Japanese polish, per se. Usually wootz just gets polished smooth then etched out with some variety of acid. Japanese polishing goes for a different look than wootz got...
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