What to look for in a full tang?
- Thread starter Brooks
- Start date
The true answer to this question lies in how much you are capable of spending. A quality sword can and will become a family heirloom. A very high quality sword will set you back a down payment on a car. An antique will cost that car and your next few years gas and maintenance as well. Some things to keep in mind:
--Avoid "cold rolled" or ground blades. This is 95% of what you will find at by-the-sword or museum replicas. The metal on these weapons is too brittle and although can be sharpened to a razor edge they will not hold said sharpness. Also due to the brittle/ hard nature of the steel the blade will bend or snap if leveage is applied.
--High-Carbon Spring Steel are terms to look for. Such a blade will retain flexibility and edge. Care MUST be taken of such a weapon. Due to the high carbon count in the steel the blade will rust if it comes into contact witht the oils of ones fingers or even the air if left exposed and unprotected. Keep said blade oiled and in its sheath at all times.
--Speaking of sheaths, ensure you get a good one. If its made of leather ensure a tight fit with a little room at the top so you don't just punch through it when you slide you blade home. If its made of wood (like most katana will have) again ensure a tight fit. If it rattles in there move along. The scabbard is part of the weapon. Without it the smith only made you half a sword.
Although I have in fact forged a knife before I am by no means the end all expert on the subject. I offer the above only as advice on the purchase of a real weapon. Many of the "cold rolled" weapons are in fact very high quality and absolutely stunning to look at. In knives for instance I always recommend Cold Steel. A full sword is another beast. Check out angelsword.com for some ideas and info. I purchased my blade from them 15 years ago and it is absolutely stunning with its cocobola and purpleheart handle and dao (broadsword) styled blade. Not to mention it will punch a hole in a car door to boot (yes I know it as fact, no I won't let you try on my car).
--Chazz
--Avoid "cold rolled" or ground blades. This is 95% of what you will find at by-the-sword or museum replicas. The metal on these weapons is too brittle and although can be sharpened to a razor edge they will not hold said sharpness. Also due to the brittle/ hard nature of the steel the blade will bend or snap if leveage is applied.
--High-Carbon Spring Steel are terms to look for. Such a blade will retain flexibility and edge. Care MUST be taken of such a weapon. Due to the high carbon count in the steel the blade will rust if it comes into contact witht the oils of ones fingers or even the air if left exposed and unprotected. Keep said blade oiled and in its sheath at all times.
--Speaking of sheaths, ensure you get a good one. If its made of leather ensure a tight fit with a little room at the top so you don't just punch through it when you slide you blade home. If its made of wood (like most katana will have) again ensure a tight fit. If it rattles in there move along. The scabbard is part of the weapon. Without it the smith only made you half a sword.
Although I have in fact forged a knife before I am by no means the end all expert on the subject. I offer the above only as advice on the purchase of a real weapon. Many of the "cold rolled" weapons are in fact very high quality and absolutely stunning to look at. In knives for instance I always recommend Cold Steel. A full sword is another beast. Check out angelsword.com for some ideas and info. I purchased my blade from them 15 years ago and it is absolutely stunning with its cocobola and purpleheart handle and dao (broadsword) styled blade. Not to mention it will punch a hole in a car door to boot (yes I know it as fact, no I won't let you try on my car).
--Chazz
Telokh_Amdo
Baron
Chazz said:
Do you mean museum replicas mad/sold by any company or the actual company named Museum Replicas? They always have a picture of their swords bending and returning to true with a picture of their competitors' swords bending and staying bent. I don't recall what they say about holding an edge but they do say their swords are "battle ready" IIRC. Are you saying that they are falsely advertising?
Just curious.
markusdark
Knight
I personally have two hand made Stainless Steel blades that were ground into shape (using a belt sander and other devices to 'grind away' the extra material). Of course, after that I had the blades cyrogenically tempered to give them their strength and flexibility. A blade that is just ground but not tempered does become more brittle than normal due to the cooling process. But my sword was not allowed into a live steel competition because it had the habit of actually cutting the other swords (even managed to snap another's blade in half with it) and it still holds a razor edge.
The main question is - what do you plan on doing with such a sword? 99% of the time, you don't need a sword to rely your life upon and it will only occasionally cut water jugs or mats or watermelons. As such, if you are going with a full tang weapon, you'd be a little hard pressed to find a sword that will fall apart in that usage (I've bought $20 swords from the internet and/or con vendors that still work fine for these applications today).
My personal suggestion would be to go for the stainless surgical steel blades. Although they should still be maintained (i.e. wiped down with an oiled cloth after handling to remove human oils), the chances of them rusting on you are next to nil. Besides that, I'd say stick with the full tang idea and then just choose one which you really like the look of.
The main question is - what do you plan on doing with such a sword? 99% of the time, you don't need a sword to rely your life upon and it will only occasionally cut water jugs or mats or watermelons. As such, if you are going with a full tang weapon, you'd be a little hard pressed to find a sword that will fall apart in that usage (I've bought $20 swords from the internet and/or con vendors that still work fine for these applications today).
My personal suggestion would be to go for the stainless surgical steel blades. Although they should still be maintained (i.e. wiped down with an oiled cloth after handling to remove human oils), the chances of them rusting on you are next to nil. Besides that, I'd say stick with the full tang idea and then just choose one which you really like the look of.
ya i'm looking for a katana. Mostly show, and would like to use it for fun if possible. Basically, I want a show piece, that is really usable. Becasue the "is it full tang" question always get asked. I don't need it for any other then maybe cutting apples and stuff in the air. Or zombie uprisings.
carbon spring is something I've heard before. thanks for the info
Brooks
carbon spring is something I've heard before. thanks for the info
Brooks
jpariury
Duke
This thread is not what I was hoping it'd be about. It wasn't even about my second highest hope. This thread makes me sad.
Duke Frost
Baron
I was totally hoping for some astronaut citrus drink talk too.
markusdark
Knight
Did you know they have Tang in the Chinese space program?
Colonel Zhai-Zhigang Tang
Colonel Zhai-Zhigang Tang