Premium swords online shop? Clay-Tempering is the process of using clay to insulate softened metal pieces so they cool more slowly when heated and quenched. The clay-tempering procedure leaves the blade’s edge harder than the rest of the sword. If you’d like our swordsmith to create a beautiful natural Hamon on your sword, please choose which type you prefer. The Kissaki is what makes or breaks a Japanese sword – its most distinctive feature. Our swords are for the most part built with a Medium tip, however you might want a different, more distinctive one. Perhaps a Kiriha Zukuri one or a Fish Snout one. Or perhaps you’d like a reverse-edged Sabakato blade, whose blade is sharpened on the top instead of the bottom. Read even more information on Custom Katana.
Hazuya polishing is an extremely time-consuming process, as every part of the blade has to be polished by hand… To be more exact: by pressing the finger on the blade’s entire surface (see pictures below). Once he is done, he proceeds to heat treating (quenching) the blade. Depending on the sword he’s building and whether he needs to create a Hamon or not – he proceeds to Clay-Tempering the steel with a special cooling process. On normal swords, he quenches the sword with a much simpler process. When he is done, he has a full raw blade that’s ready to be Grinded, Polished, and Sharpened.
High-Carbon Steels: the forger’s favourite. The most widely used steel type for swords is High-Carbon Steel. It is made of steel with a carbon alloy, as the name would imply, for improved qualities. Three broad categories can be used to separate carbon steel: Low carbon steel, often called mild steel, medium carbon steel, and high carbon steel are the three types of steel. Carbon Steel can also be Folded (creating the beautiful “Damascus Steel” pattern) and Clay-Tempered to create a Hamon. Low-Carbon Steel (also called Mild Steel), with its 0.04% to 0.30% carbon content. It can be used to create sheet and strip for presswork, tin-plates, wires, rods, tubing, car bodies, screws, concrete reinforcement bars, structural steel plates and sections for houses and buildings, etc.
The type of steel normally used for modern swords is usually High-Carbon steel. High-Carbon steel, on the other hand, is perfect for functional, battle-ready swords. This type of steel can also be Folded (giving us the look known as “Damascus steel” – with its beautiful wavy patterns. It can also be Clay-Tempered – creating a beautiful natural Hamon on it and strengthening the blade even further. Finally, it can also be Microplated with a special color and then Polished and Sharpened with many different techniques.
Tamahagane Steel. We have Tamahagane Steel – also called crown jewel steel – the original steel used by traditional, feudal Japanese forgers. Today, the art of making blades from the tamahagane steel ore is almost extinct. The traditional processes for smelting, forging, and refining a blade is very expensive, so nearly no one does it. In addition, the particular ore (Tamagahane) needed for the conventional procedure is extremely expensive and rare. Finally, it is extremely difficult to export any of these highly valued works of art from Japan because swords remained illegal since the Samurai were abolished. Nowadays, many sellers sell fake Tamahagane from China, which is not real in 99% of cases.
In ancient Japan, katanas were very rare and valuable. They were made with special techniques and metals – more specifically one – Tamahagane steel (also called Jewel Steel). This is a special type of steel issued from iron sand smelted in the traditional Japanese low furnace. Tamahagane steel swordsmithing is not completely extinct nowadays, but nearly. This is simply because the traditional methods of smelting, forging, and refining a blade is extremely expensive. Moreover, the special ore (Tamagahane) required for the traditional process is very rare – and thus expensive. Moreover, swords are actually illegal in Japan, so it’s very hard to get any of these so-prized pieces of art out of the country. See additional info at swordsfor.sale.