EDU: How to forge your own Katana.

**Nate1481** · Posted On: 10/25/2006 7:12pm

Only skimmed article so far but came across a course to learn how to do it in Japan (you only make a small one) but figgered it might intrest you lot.

Email is Katana at budoshop.co.jp

Costs quite a bit £1500 and flight & accomidations are extra, but goes down fof group bookings.

Right now going to read the article...

**Dr. Sleepless** · Posted On: 10/25/2006 8:13pm

Thanks!

**jubei33** · Posted On: 10/26/2006 7:32am

yeah thanks for the info. I've been interested in this for a while, but I think this will be a long term goal, cause I got a kid coming and I thikn my free time (and space) will be gone pretty soon. (I wouldnt want the little bugger getting into the smoke and runoff either)

one of the other projects ive got working thats a little more feasable is I might make a stone oven in my yard. Thatd be sweet, fresh pizza and bread in the summer. mmmmmm

**Dirty Rooster** · Posted On: 10/26/2006 5:58pm

I make swords too.
I disagree with a lot in the first article, but everything Planktime says is good.

Originally Posted by Sirc

- Forging hammer (kind of important too) or a hydraulic press

What's your press going to do? Just use a hammer, don't need no special 'forging hammer'

Originally Posted by Sirc

- A large anvil

Small anvil or simple iron block in the top of a heavy stump is very good. A foot of railway track is excellent.

Originally Posted by Sirc

Dip the sword in the forge until it's red hot,

Well, 'Dip' isn't the word at all.
And working red-hot will take you too long at this stage, work it bright orange or even yellow.

Originally Posted by Sirc

You just have to hammer it out to shape and be careful not to hit too hard or you'll ruin your whole project.

Hit it fucking hard!!

Originally Posted by Sirc

Knifes must be hard and sharp and swords must be tough, but not hard.

Some sword types need to be HARD, but the real skill is making a sword FLEXIBLE/SPRINGY with a hard cutting edge.

Originally Posted by Sirc

if you don't heat it up enough, it'll not harden and if you hit something it'll break.

If it's not hardened enough, when you hit something it WILL NOT BREAK ... it could bend, that's all. The real disasters occur when a sword blade SNAPS, and that can be from making it too hard.

Originally Posted by Sirc

Once this has been done your blade will take up quite a curve on its own.

Quenching a straight blade, even done edge-down or edge-up in water sometimes doesn't curve it at all, somewtimes does. It isn't a nicely predictable process.
You'll get better curvature with laminated iron/steel core construction ... but that's advanced.

...I've never made a Katana, only better swords.

**Dr. Sleepless** · Posted On: 10/26/2006 9:13pm

The geometry of the Katana is one that you can't just powerfuck your way through it. It takes some.... finess of the blade at times. A press makes making the sword-blank easier and the top notch quicker. There's no real benefit other than to cut time down.

And the nature of the katana when you work it the "correct" way, it should bend on its own.

**Don Gwinn** · Posted On: 10/29/2006 6:49pm

There's no real "geometry of the katana." If you want to make yours traditional and make the appleseed grind, that's cool, but if you want to make one with flat grind or even hollow (good luck) it's not going to be a problem as long as you have the skills to make a blade.

There are lots of smiths out there who will gladly let you come visit their shops. Better yet, there are lots of hammer-ins out there where you can just show up with no tools and no experience and leave with the blade you created yourself. NOT a sword, but you'd be most of the way there--learning to do it safely and turn out a small blade without cracking, warping, or generally screwing it up (or blinding yourself) is the hardest part. After that, making just about anything you want is a matter of the size of your scrap pile and your determination to keep experimenting.

**Dr. Sleepless** · Posted On: 10/30/2006 12:27am

By the "geometry" I don't mean it as a way that it affects the blade's performance, but more so as an aesthetic thing. I've got the flu right now and can't really make sense, so I'll come back later to make sense.