Trueswords.com?

Yeah I could do that sometime in the weekend.
I'll ask in the site forum what would be the best way to do this.

 

I can imagine a lot people tapping their swords with their rings after reading this thread.
I didn't know you are knifesmith. I'd like to hear more about that.

 

I'll have to get a ring to tap my sword with on sunday >_< lol

 

He has banged his blade into 2 inches of wood.

I know a smith, doing stuff (armor, pommels, crossguards, etc) for weastern re-enactment, and he have allso been a collector of samurai swords. He told me that in the 90's he was on occation approached by people devastated, because crappy Ninja movies had fooled them into believing that cutting or thrusting into oak-wood was a good idea. When they had tried to cut, they came with the blades (some cheap replicas, others genuine swords) bent to one or the other side, as this fellow have written, those that had thrusted into wooden doors, walls, etc, ended up with s-shaped swords.

He usually could not help them, telling how easily it is to break a sword if you try to straighten it after it's bent in the first place....

 

Isn't that most movies though, not just asian ones?

 

Well, my story is similar to most people who end up a knifesmith.

First of all, I have a normal day job as a systems engineer. It is very difficult to earn a proper living as a knife smith. As a good friend of mine (a master smith) said: The only way to end up with a small fortune as a blacksmith is to start with a big fortune. I do what I do mainly as a hobby that pays for itself.

I've always been fascinated by all things with a cutting edge. Mainly knives, axes and swords. Many years ago I started restoring straight razors. Then I made custom straight razors from knifestock. Eventually I built a forge and started handforging knives and razors. I mostly make things that will see use. I refuse to make fantasy knives because my time is too precious to waste it on things that will never be used.

Most of what I make are straight razors and kitchen knives, because people who have those custom made actually tend to use them a lot. I've recently put in an order for a professional grade belt grinder to complete my workshop. When I have that up and running and the weather turns nice again, I'd like to try and forge my own sword. Not just because I think it would be cool to do this, but also because I am too cheap to actually pay for a handmade sword.

The main reason I forge knives and things like that is that I truly like forging and making stuff. Selling what I make is just a means to an end. That way I can buy more materials to make more stuff. I also try to make my own tools such as tongs and chisels.

That's it in a nutshell. If you have specific questions or things you'd like to know, I am more than happy to expand on specific topics.

 

Brilliant thanks. I love hearing people passionate and involved in what they do.
Just this lunchtime I've cut my hand on a kitchen devil.

 

Thanks again for the info, Count. You're the only one who's provided any constructive and helpful information in this thread. I spent around $300 on it a couple years back, not the $80 ones (even though $300 is still cheap compared to authentic quality swords). I wasn't sure how to disassemble the hilt without risking breaking the thing (since I wasn't sure of the quality) so I avoided it.

Still, I don't think it was money ill-spent. It's just a decoration piece and I decided to test it one day.

 

Really?

This you may consider a bit direct but it's hitting the nail on the head.

 

Whilst this is no substitute for the sage advice of actually getting a teacher to show you how to handle a live blade, as for practicing a cut I personally have found that rather than starting off with chopping trees practicing your cut against a piece of newspaper is a good way to test your cut.

I mean, you aren't testing the blade to see if it holds in Zombie Apocalypse, you are testing if you can cut right?

A long string attached to a bull clip that you hang a 2 inch by 6 inch piece of paper from, if you can cut the paper you are off to a good start, and when you cut it you can look at the cut and see if it is curved or straight, if curved that cut was curved (and if you hack at a zombie or a tree with a curved cut, you will bend your blade).

 

How should he cut? Cutting is not the same between ryu-ha.

Grip? This can differ between ryu-ha.

Little point in cutting if he's doing it differently to what he's going to be learning in the Genbukan.

Where should his cut finish? What is his body position?

Again little to no point unless he's taking these things into account, cutting shouldn't be a separate exercise to your sword work it should be an integrated aspect.

Safety aspects? How should he stand? What should he avoid?

This is why his best and, IMO, only recourse is to seek instruction. Which from the looks of it he will be.

 

I must say I hadn't thought about cutting techniques potentially differing between Ryuha, but I guess upon reflection that it does make sense.

It does seem to be a good test of how straight your cut is though!

 

Dean, Gap, Aiki, my bad, thanks for your input. Helpful or not, I don't do well with taking advice from people with a chip on their shoulder, whether online or in person, so I mean to exclude them.

 

A simple thanks would be enough.
:cry:

 

who is the maker of the sword better yet what kind of steel was it?

for 1060 musashi brand i would not recommend cutting anything more than plastic bottles

 

Ryu-ha have lots of differences. Everything from the method of wearing the sword to the draw, grip and more.

On a fundamental level it helps measure tenouchi, hasuji and maai but taking it a little further you can look at kata integration. Also if you approach it in the one way there's a certain psychological aspect to it.

 

Totally should seek out instruction. I am just pointing out to the crazy folk out there that if you want to be Highlander you will get better results from cutting the paper than cutting a tree in terms of measuring if your cut is true.

The ryu might have differences in the styles you mention, but a good cut is consistent in that it doesn't curve.

 

Sorry Dean, I'm not familiar with those Japanese terms, could you please elaborate?

 

You may get a cut that shows no scoop or curve on the target but that doesn't automatically make it a good cut.

Just check out the YouTube clips out there with people widely swinging or winding up and massively over cutting.

 

Fair point.

But the cut without curve is still the key (in addition to the range of the cut) to not bending your sword.

Of course, ending the cut in your own toe or stuck in the ground are to be avoided too, and again instruction is critical. However this is also a good form of natural selection.