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Post by darkhorse on Sept 4, 2024 15:28:29 GMT
I saw this video showing destructive testing of the LK Chen Song Hand Dao:
Two examples of the same sword catastrophically failed and broke in the same place, possibly due to the guard being welded on. Do you guys think that particular issue was only on that sword or certain swords, and do you think it's been fixed since then?
I'm heavily considering buying either the Gale Wind or the Scarlet Sunrise (perhaps both eventually), but I'm worried. The Gale Wind's guard is steel, so it would be possible to weld it to the blade like that.
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Post by mrstabby on Sept 4, 2024 15:37:16 GMT
Dude, that's beyond extreme abuse! Under normal and even abuse conditions none of those will fail barring manufacturng errors.
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Post by alientude on Sept 4, 2024 15:39:56 GMT
I would reach out to LK Chen's representative, KK, to ask him if they're still welding (email on their website). He's usually very open about things. I'd be surprised if they're still doing it, since LK Chen seems to be very interested in constantly improving.
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Post by mrstabby on Sept 4, 2024 15:48:24 GMT
I am pretty sure this all was right after they freshly released it too. Also the Jian have a very different guard.
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Post by darkhorse on Sept 4, 2024 17:34:55 GMT
I will probably reach out to them. That's a good idea.
As far as the extreme abuse, that's the point. Damage is expected, but what it does is expose major design and/or manufacturing flaws that are unacceptable and could potentially lead to catastrophic failure even in normal heavy usage.
The two swords of the same model tested in that video did have an unacceptable issue, and the same issue was consistent with both swords. I like LK Chen just based on what I've seen, not even having handled or owned any of their swords. I also believe that they are very serious about making quality swords and improving, so I wouldn't be surprised either if they resolved that issue more or less immediately after being notified of it.
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Post by mrstabby on Sept 4, 2024 18:08:20 GMT
I have not seen a failure like that on any other LK swords (only bending on the pattern welded version of the Flying Phoenix I think, one of the long Hans during bad cut), I find this information more important than failing during a torture test against a steel drum. I am entirely sure this type or failure is specific to this sword though.
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Post by darknovashin on Sept 4, 2024 19:56:07 GMT
While I have not taken my LK Chen swords to anything more than water bottles, I can reinforce that this is probably an isolated issue and that it's likely been addressed. The construction of the bulk of their hilts (all the Jian I have at least) are pinned in compression at the pommel cap or grip rather than welded to the tang as it was here. LK has also posted several videos over the years with some of the more recent ones indicating they have moved production almost entirely in house under their direct control rather than subcontracting due to quality control issues. I would not be surprised if this was one of the issues that drove this change. They update their build design fairly regularly to address issues provided to them in feed back as well and this was definitely going to be a priority. Welding tends to ruin a heat treat (generally will get the tang too hot) and would require a second heat treatment process to address. They tend to be more generous with epoxy than I personally would like, but, in this case, switching to the epoxy would likely produce a more reliable result of securing the cross guard without the same risk, something they would be able to quickly recognize after these videos from 2 years ago and adjust.
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Post by larason2 on Sept 4, 2024 23:38:55 GMT
The guard on my gale wind is certainly not welded on. Looks like it is epoxied in though. Traditionally, Chinese blades don't have a welded on tang. Neither were they epoxied, but epoxy is a reliable material for holding a hilt together. You'd think welding on a tang would be reliable, but we know from abundant experience it is not. It's interesting, because bronze age swords were never casted with a tang.
I also say that destruction testing isn't the best test for a sword. The reason is that this isn't typical use. Maybe one sword will survive all the destructing, but the second one breaks on the first cut. Either way, the sword has not lived a typical life. Every manufacturer has their duds, they all seem to make it on here. We don't hear as much about the ones that survive cut after cut.
I only have three LK Chen swords, but I vouch for their quality. As far as I know, they were all epoxied together, and are super solid. The finishing was very good quality. So I'd trust them for standard cutting. I think the nicer the sword, the more destruction testing is a crime.
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Post by kk on Sept 5, 2024 6:36:49 GMT
This issue was address 2 years ago.
There are no welding in any of guard on the Song Hand Dao and any other swords since.
This video shows the assembly of the Song Hand Dao guard using cold compression method by having the aperture of the hand guard
slightly smaller than the wedge shape tang. By pounding the guard in place, the metal and metal contact lock in the hand guard.
This is the same method we use for the Alexander sword.
We thank the sword community for the test and help.
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Post by darkhorse on Sept 5, 2024 16:00:44 GMT
This issue was address 2 years ago. There are no welding in any of guard on the Song Hand Dao and any other swords since. This video shows the assembly of the Song Hand Dao guard using cold compression method by having the aperture of the hand guard slightly smaller than the wedge shape tang. By pounding the guard in place, the metal and metal contact lock in the hand guard. This is the same method we use for the Alexander sword. We thank the sword community for the test and help. Great. I'm glad to see that the issue was resolved. Thanks for your response, it's much appreciated. |
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Post by mrstabby on Sept 5, 2024 17:41:02 GMT
Just as side note I'd love to get my hands on that Balaur XVIIIc, I prefer it over the other sub 800€ versions.... I have seen a few KoA exclusive Windlass in EU but no Balaurs, sad.
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