JPH
23rd July 2009, 22:16
Hello!!
It's been a while since I visited as I have been out in the studio working and finally, after 18 months of experimenting I have finally finished my own sword...
So here it is...
Warning..this is NOT in any way a "traditional" sword..rather it is a modern interpetation of various blade features and styles...the faint of heart should turn away...
The blade... Nagasa: 34" done in kobuse construction using 1095 mixed with laminated refined meteorite and wrought iron. I did 4 triple forging courses and resulting in approx 1215 "layers".. The laminate is then wrapped around a wrought iron core and then finished forged. (what I did was basically make very expensive 1060)
The blade sugata is a cross between Unokubi Zukuri and a Nagimaki. The two Bo-Hi are hand scraped with the Naginata Hi being the biggest PITA .
Straight Hamon, as this was the most "effective" on a "working blade" and besides...a hard edge it all that's really needed. Yaki-ire was done in hot caustic soda (bluing salts) brine at a temp of 260 F. I used AP green high aluminia refractory for the clay.
The hada is very jumbled but that what I was hoping for during forging. I called this sword "Drunken Bat", due to the erratic hada resemblng the flight of a bat...Hence the "bat" theme...
Tsuka is in "bat" themed motiff. Blued steel tsuba, fuchi and kashira. Tsuka length is 15"..
The Tsuka is covered with tiger ray Samegawa and black and gold cheveron pattern silk ito. A silver and blued steel twin bat menuki is under the ito.
Overall length is 50"
The Siya is covered on the top third by matching tiger ray samegawa with a horn Koiguchi and a horn "ferrule" that makes the transition from the ray skin to the black lacquer over 22K gold leaf. The gold leaf process I finally figured out after numerous failures (Was that ever a mess and quite heart reaking until I figured it out) A horn kojiri brings it all to an end...
Hope these photos work... I got a new "state of the art" Sony camera and I dunno...still they have to be better than my old one...
I'd say it's not too bad a job for an old, bald barbarian....
Cuts wonderfully well...
Hope ya all like it..
JPH
It's been a while since I visited as I have been out in the studio working and finally, after 18 months of experimenting I have finally finished my own sword...
So here it is...
Warning..this is NOT in any way a "traditional" sword..rather it is a modern interpetation of various blade features and styles...the faint of heart should turn away...
The blade... Nagasa: 34" done in kobuse construction using 1095 mixed with laminated refined meteorite and wrought iron. I did 4 triple forging courses and resulting in approx 1215 "layers".. The laminate is then wrapped around a wrought iron core and then finished forged. (what I did was basically make very expensive 1060)
The blade sugata is a cross between Unokubi Zukuri and a Nagimaki. The two Bo-Hi are hand scraped with the Naginata Hi being the biggest PITA .
Straight Hamon, as this was the most "effective" on a "working blade" and besides...a hard edge it all that's really needed. Yaki-ire was done in hot caustic soda (bluing salts) brine at a temp of 260 F. I used AP green high aluminia refractory for the clay.
The hada is very jumbled but that what I was hoping for during forging. I called this sword "Drunken Bat", due to the erratic hada resemblng the flight of a bat...Hence the "bat" theme...
Tsuka is in "bat" themed motiff. Blued steel tsuba, fuchi and kashira. Tsuka length is 15"..
The Tsuka is covered with tiger ray Samegawa and black and gold cheveron pattern silk ito. A silver and blued steel twin bat menuki is under the ito.
Overall length is 50"
The Siya is covered on the top third by matching tiger ray samegawa with a horn Koiguchi and a horn "ferrule" that makes the transition from the ray skin to the black lacquer over 22K gold leaf. The gold leaf process I finally figured out after numerous failures (Was that ever a mess and quite heart reaking until I figured it out) A horn kojiri brings it all to an end...
Hope these photos work... I got a new "state of the art" Sony camera and I dunno...still they have to be better than my old one...
I'd say it's not too bad a job for an old, bald barbarian....
Cuts wonderfully well...
Hope ya all like it..
JPH