Thread: Katana
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Old 07-15-2018, 11:25 PM
jimmontg jimmontg is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Location: Now live in Las Cruces NM.
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Mike, making a 12" double edged dagger is a lot of work too.

But I did it anyway, most of the second part of getting the bevels perfectly even was by hand too. I also ground out a Wakizashi out of O1. Using the knowledge I acquired from that I could go longer in length if I had a reason to like money in the 4 digit range, but not just to try for the sake of trying. I'm older now and don't want to spend that much time and trouble just to show I can.

Now I would guess a Katana would not be much different than those two and you'll have only two bevels, not four like the dagger. You may want to budget twice as more time than how long you think it will take, just to be safe. I presume you're going to forge it? If you forge you will have to give decarburization some serious consideration.

You might consider doing a Wakizashi first, I made one out of a bar of O1, 3/16" x 2"x 24" using stock removal which I think is easier, or at least faster, it was 18" long with a 8" handle when I was done. I had access to a power roller with a groove in it for bending a piece of bar to a curve and managed to give it almost two inches of curvature. Without a power roll and to use the stock removal method you would have to buy stock 4" wide at a minimum (example; a one inch wide blade and up to three inches of curvature) and that gets to be expensive, so you see why forging at least some may be preferable by heating it up to bend it.

I could have made that blade longer, but the oven was only 24" deep. I sold that Wakizashi rather quickly, but not for as much as I hoped, because I didn't know how to do a proper handle wrap. That's important if you wish to maximize its value and don't forget the sheath, or maybe scabbard might be a better term? Finishing a sword is where a lot of time is spent if you want it to be perfect, or at least the best it can be. I decided after hand sanding a linear grain onto the Wakizashi for 8 hours that a satin finish would be best. O1 is a lot more abrasion resistant than 1084 it would seem. LOL

Oh if you want to get fancy and make it out of Damascus it will take longer still. If you just try stock removal I would suggest S5 or S7 tool steel as it is a shock resisting steel even at higher hardness. S5 is capable of reaching Rc 63 with an oil quench and Rc 65 with a water quench. Both are available at Cincinnati Tool Steel. They also have L6, but only in 3/8" plate or thicker, but they will shear it to size.

Michael, have you ever worked with A11?
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