How a katana is made. How to make a wood katana: simple tips - easy crafts. DIY katana sharpening
Today we will learn how to make a wooden samurai sword katana (bokken) at home with our own hands.
How to make a wooden katana at home
The bokken is used for practicing samurai swordsmanship, it will also be excellent decorative ornament for your room.
So let's get started. If you intend to use our product for training, then it is better to choose hardwoods for the workpiece - oak, beech, hornbeam.
- On the beam, draw with a pencil an approximate outline of our future katana. Let's start with the handle - we process the place under it along the contour with a file or planer.
- Next, in the same way, we give a contour to the blade, removing the extra tree to the lines that we have drawn.
- Next, with a file, we give a rounded shape to the tip of the blade and smooth the corners of the handle, giving it an oval contour in cross section, sandpaper remove the bumps and make it smooth.
- We also smooth the blade with sandpaper so that it is flat, with effort leading the sandpaper along the entire length of the blade.
It remains to make a tsuba - the guard of a samurai sword. We draw the outline of the tsuba on a sheet of plywood, cut it out with a jigsaw. The dimensions of the center hole can be determined by placing a blank guard against the handle and making marks where the edges should be. We connect the marks along the ruler with a pencil, make a hole with a drill and cut out the center of the tsuba with a jigsaw, round the edges so that they fit the handle along the radius, put the tsuba on our katana, fix it, for example, with superglue.
Photo scheme for making a katana
Making a samurai sword from wood video
So we made with our own hands in ordinary home conditions the likeness of a samurai sword made of wood. After it is done, it is advisable to impregnate it with wood resin or varnish. The video provides instructions for making this product, after watching it, even a beginner can make a bokken.
Genre of the article - Japanese weapons
This knowledge is necessary for the customer when ordering a katana, for a master when making a katana, and for anyone who goes deep into the topic of the perfect Japanese melee weapons - katana.
Here we will consider one of the elements of this weapon, namely katana handle device.
General name of the handle: tsuka.
And so let's get started:
Tsuka- katana handle
Kasira- pommel. Rather, even a cover that has a decorative and practical purpose. Kasira- completes the handle metal lid and has a hole for passing the tape, which is used when braiding the handle.
Same– stingray skin, the traditional material for covering the wooden handle of a katana. Expensive material.
Ho — wooden lining katana handles.
- a decorative element used to decorate the hilt of a katana.
- a hole and a pin used to hold the handle of a katana.
- this is the base of the blade on which the elements of the handle are mounted.
– fastening and decorative sleeve of the handle, together with the cashier, keeps the wooden lining of the handle assembled.
— metal washers, carry both decorative and practical function. Only two pieces are installed on both sides of the tsuba.
Unlike the European sword, the Japanese sword has the function of protecting the hand when struck with a tsuba, it was the last thing.
- fastening sleeve, the main task is to create a tight connection between the blade and the scabbard.
Not marked on the image. But it is equally important to specify an element such as:
Tsuka-ito- tape with which the handle is wrapped.
Now, we know the terminology. And we understand what the handle of the Japanese katana consists of. Now, using this knowledge, we can make out what is the stylization of the handle of the katan manufactured by the Zbroevy Falvarak workshop.
For example, let's take one of the previously made katanas:
The handle of the katana workshop "Zbroevy falvarak"
As you can see we do non-detachable handle, but at the same time, we retain a significant number of characteristic elements of the original katana handle .
Menuki, fuchi, sepa is brass casting.
Tsuka-ito - leather band, which is no less typical for katana.
Same- regular skin.
Is absent: mekugi and habuki.
Here is a photo of a standard set for a katana handle, the Zbroevy Falvarak workshop (there is no menuki, but it is also included in the set)
Standard set for the handle of a katana, workshop "Zbroevy falvarak"
Generally, This high level styling. However, we strive for more.
But by default, our handle looks like this .
Katana is a long, slightly curved two-handed sword, invented and made for the first time in Japan. He was one of the weapons of the samurai. Later in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill, the katana began to excite many. How to do it yourself katana ?
You will need
- An anvil, iron sand (special black sand from the coast of Japan, from which iron is smelted), hammer, smelter, charcoal, forge, sandstone powder, water, clay, rice straw, as well as grinding and polishing tools for processing the resulting steel. If you managed to find all this, then let's proceed to the very manufacture of the sword.
Instruction
1. Immerse the charcoal, light it, place the sand in the smelter and at a temperature of 1500 degrees, smelt about four kilograms of steel. Divide the resulting metal into a little - and high-carbon iron. Mild iron is gray-black in color. Place small and big chunks charcoal, then set it on fire. After that, put high-carbon iron in the forge and also sprinkle some charcoal.
2. Later, spread rice straw ash and pre-crushed charcoal on the bottom of the hearth, place a layer high carbon steel and put it all down charcoal. After that, start pumping the furs rapidly until there is only iron left in the forge. Carefully remove the pieces of steel and begin to forge flat sheets from them. Make sure that they are no more than five millimeters in thickness. Divide iron into high- and low-carbon iron.
3. Place pieces of high-carbon steel on a steel blank with a handle, wrap in paper and apply clay. After that, put it all in the forge and fill it with coal. Heat for approximately 30 minutes until white color. Remove the resulting block, put it on the anvil and hit it with a hammer several times. After that, put it back in the forge, heat it up perfectly and again hit it several times with a hammer. Repeat this procedure five to six times.
4. You have iron, which is called "kawagane". Take the low-carbon iron that you have previously set aside, make a bar out of it by forging, and then roll and forge it 9-10 more times. You have now received the shingane iron.
5. The next step is to prepare the blade. Split the bar and forge a rectangular plate out of it. By stretching the plate perpendicular to the length, you will give the blade the desired shape. File the shank of the blade. The process of making a katana, complete in the following way. From a pair of wood blocks, make a handle, which is first wrapped in leather, and then with a cotton cord.
The aura that surrounds the mythical samurai sword - the katana, has maintained interest and admiration for this type of weapon for more than one hundred years. Katana is a strong, light and elastic sword. It becomes so due to the special materials from which it is forged, the special forging technique and, according to legend, the true heart of the master.
You will need
- iron sand
- foundry
- The hammer
- Anvil
- rice straw
- Clay
- sandstone powder
- Tools for grinding and polishing steel
Instruction
1. In order to forge a true katana, you need to stock up on special "black sand" from the Japanese coast. These are ferruginous sands from which you have to smelt tamahagane - the traditional Japanese iron used for forging samurai swords.
2. Load the ore sand into the smelter - Tatara - and smelt about 4 kilograms of steel on charcoal. Temperature in melting furnace should achieve 1,500 degrees Celsius.
3. Sort iron into low carbon and high carbon. High carbon tamahagane is heavier, clear silver color. Low-carbon - coarser, gray-black.
4. Coat the bottom of the blacksmith's forge with crushed charcoal, add huge chunks of charcoal, and set them on fire. Lay a layer of mild steel and backfill with a layer of charcoal. Wait until the iron sinks to the bottom of the forge.
5. Cover the bottom of the hearth with rice straw ash, half with powdered charcoal, lay a layer of high-carbon steel in a slide, pour charcoal on top. Start actively pumping mechs. Wait until only iron remains in the forge.
6. Take pieces of tamahagane and start forging them into flat sheets half a centimeter thick. Cool the sheets in water and break into 2 square centimeter plates. Sort iron into high carbon and low carbon.
7. Take selected pieces of high carbon steel, lay on a steel plate with a handle. Wrap with paper and coat with clay. Place in forge. Cover with charcoal and heat for at least thirty minutes until clear yellow or white.
8. Remove the block from the forge, place it on the anvils and siege with a hammer. Re-place in the forge, heat and forge. Repeat this cycle several times.
9. When your block is ready, poke it with a chisel and roll it over. Heat again and hammer until the top and bottom halves fuse and the bar returns to its original length. Repeat this cycle six times.
10. Before continuing forging, cut the bar into four equal parts. Stack them one on top of the other and weld them together by heating and forging. Repeat folding, heating and forging six more times. You've got kawagane iron.
11. Take the low-carbon iron you set aside, forge a bar out of it, and then roll and forge it ten more times. You have a "shingane" or core iron.
12. Forge a flat plate 40 centimeters long from kawagane, fold it into a U shape. Place a block of shingane inside this plate. Heat the workpiece in the forge to a clear yellow color and begin to forge. Achieve complete welding of the plates together.
13. Make a blank for the blade by heating a block in a forge and forging a rectangular blank out of it. Shape the blade by stretching the blank perpendicular to the length. Form a cutting edge, point, side ribs and butt.
14. With the support of a scraper knife, finish the surface of the sword. File the butt and the cutting edge. Using a carborundum stone, pre-grind each blade.
15. Prepare a sticky clay mixture of clay, crushed charcoal and sandstone powder in equal proportions. Dilute with water and apply with a spatula to the cutting edge. A thick layer along the butt and on the side surfaces and hefty thin layer along the very edge. Wait until the clay hardens. Heat the blade in the forge to 700 degrees Celsius and cool in a container of water.
16. Adjust the curve of the blade and polish it.
17. File the shank of the blade.
18. Finish the production of the katana by making a handle out of 2 halves of wood wrapped first with leather and then with cotton cord.
Related videos
Helpful advice
It is possible to learn the art of making an ordinary katana extraordinarily personally from a genuine master. There are a lot of subtleties and secrets that are transmitted only from teacher to student.
A real katana, being a samurai weapon, is made from certain types of iron, forged in several layers. But modern katanas, as usual, are forged from spring steel. Consequently, the sharpening of Japanese remake swords has its own characteristics.
You will need
- - katana;
- - stones for sharpening;
- - electric emery;
- - marker;
- - protective glasses.
Instruction
1. Take the sword in your hands and mentally divide the blade into three parts. The upper part will require especially sharp sharpening (it will cut), the middle part - sharpening at a huge angle (it will be loaded upon impact) and, finally, the lower part, which is closest to the guard, is sharpened minimally (it really is not loaded) . Mark these parts with a marker.
2. First, make the blade a minimum sharpening. To do this, turn on the electric emery, put on goggles, wait about one minute for it to fully unwind, and bring the tip of the sword perpendicular to it. With a slight movement, without pressing the blade firmly against the emery disk, pass the sword from right to left, then tip it over and move it from left to right. Repeat the procedure until you can clearly feel a sharp corner on the cutting edge with your finger. The same result can be achieved by driving a grindstone along the blade, but it will take much more time and effort.
3. sharpen now upper part blade. Bring it up again katana to the emery, lay the blade flat on the disc. Tilt it so that cutting edge lightly touched the spinning disk. Move the blade from left to right and right to left from the tip to the mark of its middle part. This will reduce the sharpening angle.
4. Sharpen the middle part of the blade. The sharpening angle should be 40-45°. Drive the blade along the sandpaper, pressing it firmly against it - from the middle part mark to the bottom mark as described above, until you achieve the desired sharpening angle. Do the same with the bottom of the blade. Here the sharpness of sharpening is not so significant, therefore, an angle of 50 ° will be enough (but no one forbids you to make it smaller). The sharpening of the lower part should end 2-3 cm from the guard (it will be difficult to sharpen further, and it is easy to peel off the guard).
5. Now bring the sword to the required sharpness with whetstones. First, evenly run them along each length of the blade in order to remove the allowable irregularities. After that, purposefully sharpen each part separately, starting from the bottom, with steep short movements.
Note!
How smaller angle sharpening, the smaller the strength of the blade. For cutting hard materials huge taper angles are needed, and for cutting soft materials, the taper angle must be much smaller.
Helpful advice
Later, cutting on swords on your blade will inevitably leave notches (for its safety, it is better to beat off enemy weapons with the flat side of the blade), so repeat the sharpening procedure with whetstones later than the entire battle or once a week.
The katana is a long, two-handed, curved sword with one sharp edge. Along with the wakizashi short sword and the auxiliary tanto dagger, she was part of the core set of weapons of the Japanese samurai. The katana was the soul of a warrior, a jewel, a family heirloom, and even a philosophy. Today, Japanese culture and martial arts extremely famous in Russia, consequently samurai swords are in great demand. Knowing to positively prefer the katana is also an art that needs to be learned.
Instruction
1. Decide for what purpose you want to buy katana. The size of the sword, equipment and even material will depend on this.
2. If you need a sword for training, get a bokken - a wooden model of a katana. Bokken must withstand powerful impacts, therefore it is made of hardwoods (beech, oak, hornbeam) and impregnated with varnish or resin to increase density. With intense training, the sword will last 1-2 years. In Japan, bokken are treated with about the same respect as real katanas.
3. If you choose to train with a real sword, pay the main attention when choosing a katana not to decor, but to size and shape. Take the sword in hand: it should be comfortable and nice to hold it. The length of the katana varies from 95 to 120 cm. In order to positively choose the length of the sword for yourself, stand up straight and take it by the base of the blade near the round guard (tsuba). The tip of the blade should actually touch the floor. The length of the handle of the katana (tsuka) should be approximately three of your fists (about 30 cm on average).
4. When purchasing a weapon as a present, as an interior decoration, give preference to a set of 2 swords (katana and wakizashi) or 3 (katana, wakizashi and tanto). It will look more significant and rich. Unlike European sabers, daggers and swords, Japanese katanas are not hung on the wall, so you will certainly get a special stand.
5. In order for the katana to take its well-deserved place in the interior, take care of the accessories. A distinctive feature of samurai swords is the ability to disassemble them into combined parts. From the fact that the handle was usually made of wood and covered with leather or fabric, it quickly wore out and needed to be replaced. Choosing katana, purchase an accessory kit for her frame (soroi-mono). It includes tsuba (guard), menuki (handle ornaments), kashira, and fuchi (handle head and sleeve).
6. Remember that a samurai sword, like any other weapon, must be positively looked after. Be sure to purchase a special katana care kit. It includes powder natural stone for polishing rice paper for cleaning, oil for lubricating the blade, as well as mekugitsuchi - a tool for extracting wooden nails(mekugi) with which the handle is attached.
Related videos
Note!
If you want to buy a katana as a present not as a piece of furniture, but for martial arts, be sure to come to the store together with the future owner. Of course, there will be no surprise, but only the warrior himself will be able to determine whether the sword has a positive length and whether it will be convenient to work with it.
The Japanese katana sword is created within a few months. The process is so difficult because the weapon must be sharp, strong and not brittle at the same time. In order to achieve this, craftsmen combine several types of metal in one blade. If you choose to draw katana and if you want the drawing to be believable, consider the features of the device of this weapon.
You will need
- - pencil;
- - paper;
- - eraser;
- - paints / colored pencils.
Instruction
1. Draw a straight line. It will serve as the basis for the essay. If there are other objects or people in the picture besides the katana, determine their proportional relationship. Consider the length of the weapon - about 70-100 cm.
2. Divide the line into three equal parts. The top line indicates the length of the handle. From the fact that the sword should be curved, slightly bend the drawn segment. The most "convex" point is located in the middle of the segment.
3. Mark the width of the katana. The width of the blade is about 30 times less than the overall length of the weapon. Make the handle slightly wider than the blade. The edge of the blade should be beveled - "cut off" the end of the sword at an angle of 45 °.
4. Draw a guard on the border of the handle and blade. This is a metal nozzle that guards the warrior's hand. Its diameter is on average 8 cm, and its thickness is 5 mm. You can choose the shape of the guard as you wish - it can be round, oval, quadrangular, polygonal, divided into parts. On the surface of this part of the katana, it is allowed to depict carving or edging with non-ferrous metals. Above and below the guard is attached with washers - draw them in the form of thin strips.
5. Draw a strip under and above the guard, make the top more tight. These are couplings made of brass or bronze.
6. Delete the auxiliary construction lines and draw in detail the surface of all parts of the katana. It is allowed to make a watercolor background in advance, and add pencil strokes to the dried paint.
7. The handle of the katana should be covered with leather. It is wrapped with tape on top. Think of a winding pattern or copy it from a photograph of a genuine weapon. Between the turns of the braid it is allowed to add three-dimensional decorative elements. Closer to the guard, draw a small pin with which the handle is attached to the blade.
8. A katana blade can be made from one or more metals. The most solid specimens are made from strong metal along the edges and more soft - in the center of the blade. Draw the boundaries of these "layers". When cutting the blade, determine where the light source is, and mark the highlights and shadows on the blade.
9. Draw the sheath for the katana in the form of a curved rectangle. In its upper part there should be a cord threaded into a loop.
Japanese weapons have long since won fame in every world. The katana long sword even got into the Russian weapons state standards of edged weapons, where it was called a two-handed saber. A well-made katana seems to be solid, but in fact it can be taken apart. For example, it is recommended to disassemble it during transportation. You may also need to replace the handle. In addition, collectors are often allowed to see individual parts of this sword.
You will need
- - a small hammer;
- - brass tongue:
- - gloves.
Instruction
1. The scabbard is an integral part of the katana. In Japan, they were most often made from stingray skin. Now given material applied mainly in expensive models, and for the rest, the scabbard is made of any skin, including unnatural. Katana in the scabbard, they are traditionally placed behind the obi belt. This fashion originated in the 17th century and has survived to this day. Before removing the hilt, remove the sword from its scabbard.
2. The tsuka (handle) of a cool katana is attached with the help of one or more pins - mekugi (in a different transliteration - mekugi). The pins were usually made of bamboo and were not glued. Now mekugi is made from other materials, and inexpensive models handle parts are repeatedly put on glue. It is consequently that when buying a katana, you need to ask the seller to disassemble it. Put on gloves before removing the handle. It is allowed to do with one - on the hand with which you will hold the blade.
3. Put the katana on horizontal surface. If you are not too sure that the pins will come out easily, you can carefully fix the sword in a vise. But usually this is not done. Attach the brass tongue with the tip to the pin. Carefully hitting the head of the brass part with a hammer, knock it out. That's right, knock out the rest of the mekugi in the same way. It is rare when it is larger than 3 pins, traditionally one or two are enough. Set the mekugi aside or in a small box so they don't get lost. Tsuku was usually made from magnolia wood. Now often different plastics are used.
4. With a gloved hand, take the sword by the blade next to the guard. Pull the handle firmly. It must be removed from the shank, the one called nakago, with some effort. Remove the futi sleeve located between the handle and guard.
5. The next piece to be removed from the cutter is the seppa, the original washer, which makes the joint stronger and prevents the handle from splitting. It is true that the same seppa is located on the other side of the guard.
6. Remove the guard, which is called a tsuba in a katana. Later, it remains to remove another washer and another clutch, which is called habaki. Occasionally it is allowed to disassemble the handle by removing some decorative elements. But in modern working swords, these decorations are traditionally not removed.
Helpful advice
A short Japanese sword is disassembled similarly and with the help of the same simple devices. The hammer doesn't have to be huge. They do not need to knock powerfully, brass is enough soft material, and the tongue may be deformed. Katana care items can be purchased at the same store as the sword itself.
Charcoal is one of the combustion products of wood. Black porous substance, which is composed of carbon and hydrogen with a small number of mineral impurities in the form of carbonates and oxides of various metals.
You will need
- - wood to be turned into charcoal
- - wood for the fire
- - steel container
- - scoop
Instruction
1. Charcoal is obtained by thermal decomposition of wood without air flow. This process called pyrolysis. Depending on the combustion conditions, a product with different properties. The main parameter affecting the quality of coal is the pyrolysis temperature.
2. When wood is charred, moisture and oxygen are removed from it, leaving only combustible substances - carbon and hydrogen. The pyrometric indicators of the obtained product increase in comparison with starting material. To purchase coal, the heating of wood must be carried out slowly, and the process temperature should be about 400 ° C. Rapid heating to high temperatures will lead to the formation of tar and volatile combustion products.
3. It is also possible to get charcoal at home by building an analogue of a charcoal furnace. For this, a steel barrel with an airtight lid is suitable. Prepare a place and firewood for a fire, as well as wood prepared for transformation into coal. Set the barrel on a stand, say, on stones or bricks. Fill your makeshift charcoal kiln with wood that has been sawn into small pieces ahead of time. Close the lid tightly. Provide small openings for combustible gases to escape. Light a fire under the barrel.
4. After a few hours, when gases stop coming out of the holes, heating is allowed to stop. But the barrel should not be opened until the resulting coal has completely cooled without air access. Otherwise, the combustion process in air can resume, and the coal will completely burn out.
5. It is allowed to easily burn firewood in a stove or in a fire until red coals form. After that, collect the coals with a shovel in iron container, tightly close and leave without air flow until it cools completely.
Note!
Attention! When working, take precautions! Work with gloves in cool lighting.
Helpful advice
Don't start making a katana until you have all the right components ready.
Hello dear kenshi!
Today I would like to tell you how to make a handle yourself ( tsuka) for katana ( iaito, shinken). I was prompted to prepare this review by the need to restore my old iaito, which, for a number of reasons, lacked a handle. Making a handle to order in Russia or Japan is quite expensive and takes a lot of time and resources. So I decided to save time and money, plus check out the place where the hands grow from. 😂😂😂
In this review, I will tell you how to carve a wooden handle and prepare it for winding ( tsukamaki), which I will talk about in the next review.
Any budoka dealing iaido or battodo at least once faced with a situation where the handle katana for one reason or another fell into disrepair. Usually handle katana has two flaws - tsukamaki(winding tsukaito) and the shank attachment point katana. If rewind tsukaito- this is not quite a difficult and costly task that anyone can handle, all you need is a new cord and skill. Then with a loose shank, things are more complicated. Depending on the situation (if there is no critical damage to the integrity of the handle), this problem can also be solved by mixing sawdust with wood glue and pouring it into the hole for the shank. After that, you will need to insert the shank itself into the hole with the substance so that the substance fills all the extra cavities, and pull it out before it sticks tightly. However, this method does not always work. If the handle is cracked due to a dangling shank, then for your own safety and the safety of others, such a handle must be replaced.
Well, either someone wanted to have a front or vice versa “working” handle, then this review will also be useful for making it. And how to do it right - will be discussed further. 😏
To get started, you will need katana(unassembled). Part koshirae for tsuka, namely: habaki, seppa(2 pcs.), tsuba, footy and kashira .
The last two positions are very important, since the handle is usually machined under footy and kashira certain size. The choice of material depends on this, and specifically - its dimensions.
Of the tools you will need: a vice, a clamp, a hacksaw, a set of files and sandpaper of different grain sizes, chisel(if you have a wood cutter, this will make the task easier), a knife, a diamond sharpener (you will need to sharpen the chisel in the process, because a dull chisel is a pain!), mallet, a set of rulers, a marker and epoxy glue.
For the preparation of the handle, it is best to use wood hard rock. You can use the "traditional" tree - magnolia or paulownia, however, they are quite difficult to find in Russia, and the prices bite. If the origin of your handle does not matter to you, then the most common and affordable option This is Russian oak. There are several online stores that offer craft bars of various lengths and widths for sale. On average, prices range from ₽500.00 to ₽1,500.00 per bar. Personally, I saved money and used the remains of solid Italian oak parquet as a blank. 😎
N.B. parquet board or any other puff wood is not suitable as a blank! And, probably, it is not worth mentioning that the tree must be dry!
So, we have all the necessary materials and tools. We proceed directly to the process of manufacturing the handle. Estimated production time is two days.
Before that, we need to determine the size of the handle. Dimensions are an individual thing. I can only offer to measure your "working" tsuka which is convenient to use.
I'll tell you with my own example. The length of my tsuka(together with footy and kashira) — 280 mm. Width at widest point (together with tsukaito) — 45 mm. Thickness (together with tsukaito) — 25 mm. Length tsukamaki(between footy and kashira) — 260 mm. Width tsukaito — 8 mm.
N.B. Here you need to be very careful! Since, depending on the material (cotton or silk) and tension, as well as the method of winding, the cord can be different widths, and the number of steps (diamonds) that can be wound on the handle between the futi and kashira, as well as the space for the lower knot, strongly depends on this. So that there are no gaps and the knot “fits”, I advise you to look at how your “working” handle is wound, and estimate (taking into account the material) how long the handle will be required.
Having decided on the final dimensions of the future handle, we now need to determine the dimensions of the workpiece. Of course, the wooden handle itself is under samegawa(stingray skin) and tsukamaki much smaller sizes, which I indicated (except for the length). But, it seems to me, you should not take the workpiece quite back to back, since working with solid wood requires a certain level of skill. Therefore, in the absence of it, production flaws often occur (somewhere they planed too much). If you take the workpiece slightly larger than the dimensions of the handle assembly, then in case of errors there will be more space for maneuver.
For my handle, I took two bars as a blank, each of which is long ~300 mm, height ~50 mm, width ~25 mm(see photo above).
Now you need to choose the most even sides (this will be needed later). Collecting katana for measurements. Tightly put on the shank habaki, seppu, tsuba and then another seppu. We place assembled structure on one of the bars (see photo below) in the center. Draw as accurately as possible with a marker. Since usually the shank katana not quite flat, wide on one side and narrow on the other, then on the other bar we do the same mirror(turning katana). This is important, when we glue the blanks, we should get a hole for a specific shank.
N.B. I circled the shank with a thick marker (see photo above), I will cut a cavity for it inside this line. It is very important that the shank fits perfectly in the cut, otherwise it will dangle. The depth of the hole is not very important, since then it can be removed with a file.
We take a chisel in our hands and begin to plan out the groove for the shank. Make sure that at one end the gutter should be deeper than at the other. Constantly check the depth and width by applying the shank. In the end, the shank should fit perfectly into the gutter and not “walk” in it.
The end of the gutter can be made 3-5 mm longer than the length of the shank. This is necessary in case you will be adjusting the futi by grinding down the top of the handle so that the shank does not stick out of it too much when assembled and you do not have to use spacers.
N.B. I specifically do not show in the photo that it is necessary to drill holes for the mekugi, since in my case I will make a new hole (mekugi-ana) during the final assembly. If you are satisfied with the existing hole for the mekugi, then before gluing it is necessary to drill a hole in each half of the future handle. Please note that on the shank it goes at an angle. Accordingly, first mark with a drill with a smaller diameter, and after gluing it will be possible to drill to size.
When both shank grooves are ready, clamp them together in a vise to check how the shank sits in this hole.
Slide the shank in and out of the workpiece. If he enters tightly enough, but at the same time without any extra effort, and if he does not walk, then you can proceed to the next stage. If it does not enter to the end, then you should still grind the excess. If the shank walks a little, then this problem can be solved by gluing the workpiece.
The next step is preparing for gluing. Earlier I indicated that it is necessary to select the most even parts of the workpiece. This will shorten our work with the file. Now you need to first grind both halves of the future handle with a file, and then with sandpaper so that they fit evenly and tightly against each other.
So, both halves are perfectly in contact with each other. Now we are ready for gluing. I had experience gluing the handle with special wood glue. However, I think epoxy is stronger and more durable, and most importantly, easier to use. I used epoxy glue in a special package (like a syringe), which, when pressed, immediately mixes the components, giving out the substance we need at the output.
N.B. Unfortunately, according to the instructions, we were given 5 minutes for the next stage, so there was no time for photos. Remove the koshirae from the katana in advance!
We take a "syringe" with glue and squeeze out the line " U» around the liner groove. Do not squeeze too much glue into this place, as the excess will flow inside. The part remaining below the gutter is smeared with glue abundantly.
Carefully insert the shank into the half smeared with glue, then cover with the other half.
We strongly clamp this structure in a vice in the area of \u200b\u200bthe beginning of the gutter. The end of the workpiece is strongly compressed with a clamp. We have approximately 5 minutes to pull out the shank.
Now back to the moment "if your shank is walking". After we clamped the glued workpiece in a vice, some of the glue fell into the groove for the shank. This is fine! To avoid backlash in the future, do not immediately pull out the shank for at least a minute. When you feel that it is pulled out with difficulty, pull it out halfway and insert it back. Repeat this procedure several times within the allotted minutes. Now all the extra cavities are filled epoxy glue. When it hardens, the shank play will disappear.
N.B. The shank must be cleaned immediately!
We leave our design to dry according to the instructions for 8 hours. This is quite enough for the workpiece to stick together “tightly”. 👌
So eight hours have passed. Our workpiece is securely seated and ready for further processing.
As you can see in the photo above, in fact, our workpiece is a bar. This bar needs to be given an oval shape. We have centerline- this is the line of gluing the halves. it should be adhered to. We begin to grind all sides evenly, but not too much (see photo below).
In my experience, it will be more convenient to decide on the form if you attach footy to the top of the handle.
And circle footy marker. In further processing of the workpiece, it is worth adhering to this form.
At this stage, it is necessary to determine the direction of the handle, as well as adjust footy. Therefore, with the help of a chisel and a file, we grind the rim under footy.
After we fit footy and mount katana on the handle, it will be easier for us to decide on the direction where to remove excess wood.
Now the handle begins to emerge from the workpiece. It's time to think about the shape of the future tsuka. It can be straight from start to finish; it can be wider at the beginning and narrower at the end; it can be tapered in the middle, like an hourglass (I personally prefer this shape). Having decided on the form, we should outline this form on the workpiece. In the photo below you can see a slight bend at the top of the handle. Having done the same from below, we get the shape we need.
The handle should not be thicker (wider) than the edge footy and kashira. Since stripes will be located on the sides in the future samegawa, and then tsukamaki. All this will give us the thickness we need, so feel free to cut off all the excess.
N.B. Tsukamaki should be on par with futi and kashira!
Before moving on to finishing the handle, we need to place kashira at the end of the handle. Fitting the tip of the handle kashira. At kashira there are two holes for the final node tsukamaki. However, these openings are currently unavailable. Our job is to make them accessible. To do this, we need a round file and a little patience. Clamp the handle vertically in a vise. We put on kashira on her. We mark the place for the hole on both sides. And we make a hole, as shown in the photo below.
As a result, we should get something like this (see photo below), when kashira put on the handle.
Having collected footy and kashira, we bring our handle with a file and sandpaper to finishing. It is imperative that the sides of the handle are flat enough to accommodate samegawa.
As a result, we got tsuka according to our sizes for our katana, which is ready for finishing winding ( tsukamaki), which I will tell you in the next review.
Stay tuned! 😎
This review (text and photos) was prepared by Bragin Andrey Evgenievich, specially for Moscow kendo and iaido club Shogun.
The sword blade is like
The flow of a mountain stream.
I admire them on a transparent summer morning.
Have you ever touched samurai sword and feel at hand not cold steel, but a hot, lively flow of energy? As if this blade contains the soul of the master who made it, and the emotions of the warriors who pulled it out of its sheath to protect the honor of the samurai.
The katana appeared in the everyday life of Japanese warriors around the 12th-13th centuries, and over the centuries since then, its design has hardly changed. The sword fell into the hands of the samurai already spiritualized, it takes years to make it.
Each generation of masters brought their own nuances to the manufacture of katana.
Today, swords of 4 eras are distinguished:
- Kato (made before the 16th century inclusive);
- Shinto (17th century);
- Shinshinto (late 18th-early 19th century);
- modern Gendaito.
The reason for this difference is not that the traditions of the Kato masters were lost, but that other raw materials were used for the production of swords of later eras, affecting the combat qualities of the weapon. For example, modern katanas and Shinshinto swords easily cut bamboo bundles, while Shinto blades crumble and Kato crumple.
Metal production
The metal from which the ancient katana is made has a unique layered structure. There are several technologies for obtaining high-quality weapon steel for katana.
The first way to make steel
Iron ore, rich in tungsten and molybdenum impurities, was mined from satetsu sand. The resulting raw material was burned, cut into crumbs and burned again. This process saturated iron with carbon, turning it into raw steel - oroshigane. To separate high-quality steel from metal weakened by the presence of slags, oroshigane was forged, cooled in water and crushed, easily breaking out slagged pieces. Water quality was of great importance, so most of the forges were located near mountain rivers and springs. Since the raw steel was not homogeneous enough, it was forged and welded several times until a high-quality pure steel was obtained.
The second way to make steel
Another method of obtaining steel appeared in Manchuria and was actively used by Japanese craftsmen at the end of the 14th century. It consisted in the long-term smelting of iron ore in Tatar furnaces. The process was labor-intensive, expensive, but effective: to obtain 5 tons of smelted metal, called kera, it took several days and more than a dozen tons of coal. Almost half of the kera is steel with a 1.5 percent carbon content. The rest was a conglomeration of several metals, including zuku cast iron.
Before becoming a weapon steel, the metal had to pass one more test - the test of time. The workpiece was buried in moist soil near volcanoes and geysers, and in a few years the rust had eaten away the “weak” parts of the metal.
Metal processing: carbon reduction
From the carbon-enriched steel obtained by one of the indicated methods, a blank was made for the future blade. At the same time, it was necessary to reduce the saturation of steel with carbon, since its content of more than 0.8% makes the metal hard, but brittle after hardening.
Carbon was burned out directly from the blank of the blade in stages. Raw steel was forged into a plate, cooled in water and split. The resulting pieces were sorted and laid out on a spatula made of iron or raw steel, fixed with clay and forged at high temperature. The resulting bar was folded in half, notched across, welded, then folded in half again, this time notched along and welded again.
Several such cycles were carried out, up to 15. With each such doubling, the carbon content decreased: after the first stage by 0.3%, after each subsequent stage by 0.03%. Thus, it was possible to quite accurately catch the moment when the level of hydrogen in the steel decreased to the desired 0.8%. What will be the final composition of the steel, each master decided for himself: someone preferred to work with a strong, but softer metal, and someone was interested in hardness, even if the blade became very brittle.
Each doubling step added new layers to the workpiece. From a mathematical point of view, there should be millions of them, but since the molecules of the thinnest plates were mixed during the welding process, in reality, several thousand layers were obtained.
Techniques of various weapons schools
Each of the more than 1,800 gun schools had their own own secrets forging blades from the resulting high-quality steel. But at the same time, each master followed the same rule for all: the blade of a long sword should be hard, and the rest of the parts should be strong, but softer.
Most craftsmen made blades in three layers according to the san-mai scheme: a hard but brittle sharply honed blade is surrounded on both sides by softer viscous iron plates. A slightly improved technology involved wrapping a steel blade with an iron "shirt" on three sides.
In the famous province of Bizen, recognized as the weapons center of Japan, the exact opposite was used. technological method- kobu-shi. Craftsmen from Bizen used iron to make the base of the blade, which was “wrapped” with weapon steel. The blade of the blade was forged from a solid part of the steel "shirt". At the same time, it was necessary to know special methods of hardening, which would provide the blade with high elasticity without loss of hardness.
Types of Japanese blades.
Sharpening and grinding
Having made a slightly curved 60–70 cm blade 3 cm wide from the resulting steel, the master proceeded to sharpening and grinding. The katana is sharpened on only one side so that the sword can be used both in mounted and on foot battles. The shift of the center of gravity towards the tip facilitates the application of chopping blows.
The blade was also ground in stages, each time reducing the grit grinding wheel(a total of 9-12 circles were used). At the last stage, the master polished the steel with his fingertips with finely ground charcoal. The appearance of a mirror shine meant the birth of the katana.
After polishing, a longitudinal line appeared on the blade - jamon, denoting the border between matte surface steel blade and mirror-shiny more soft part, jigane. On the highest quality blades, jigane has a hada pattern similar to the surface of Damascus steel.
katana blade
Sometimes jamon is called a hardening line, which is not entirely true, but has a basis. If the blade was hardened using the kobushi technology, then the jamon was manifested through the use of clay. Before hardening, the part of the blade, which was supposed to maintain viscosity, was coated with clay, leaving the blade area free. The blade was heated and hardened in water. At the same time, the open part cooled down faster, acquiring the desired hardness, and the part hidden under the clay became more elastic due to the long cooling. At the junction of these areas, jamon appeared. The blade, hardened in this way, was called yaki-ba, which means burnt.
Connoisseurs call the sword of the samurai, the katana, the most perfect edged weapon that has ever been created by man.