July 4, 201510 yr I just finished up the Habaki on this one . OL is 31 " It is a wide blade . Will cut a Shirasaya soon . Thanks for looking .. Steel is low manganese 1075...... James
July 4, 201510 yr Are you using Aldo's 1075? That's a really nice hamon, and the sori is really visible - not something 1075 is known for although I know that some low manganese variants like Aldo's are shallow hardening enough to get these kind of results. Also, out of curiosity, what was you quench medium and temp?-J
July 5, 201510 yr Author Are you using Aldo's 1075? That's a really nice hamon, and the sori is really visible - not something 1075 is known for although I know that some low manganese variants like Aldo's are shallow hardening enough to get these kind of results. Also, out of curiosity, what was you quench medium and temp?-JHello JW., Yes its Aldo's steel .I quenched in Parks 50 . Temp was right around 1475-1500 F Just a bit past non Magnetic. I did not use temp gauge I go by color and such. This particular 1075 was a special order from Aldo , pretty low in Manganese.I really like the results I got . Although it's a crap shoot when doing traditional claying and quenching and luck is a factor . As I get older it seems I break fewer blades . Ordered some extra when I bought this steel, enough for 20- 25 blades. Guess I will be making some things from Aldos steel for a while. He also has some really nice low mang. W-2 that is also very good for Hamon. Aldo quite a guy , easy to deal with .... James
July 5, 201510 yr He also has some really nice low mang. W-2 that is also very good for Hamon. Aldo quite a guy , easy to deal with .... James I just go a nice hamon to show on his W2, it's a little trickier than just slapping some clay on it though. Normalization is the key with his W2 - 3 cycles, first around 1560 cooled to black, second around 1475 cooled to black and the last at around 1430 cooled to ambient temp. This is one of the reasons I might just have to throw another high temp electric oven together. -J
July 8, 201510 yr Author Normalization and Polishing skills are the key to a vibrant Hamon . Tempering Japanese style is also key , as they use a flash temper that does not affect hamonHeat is the biggest enemy of a good hamon. regards James
July 8, 201510 yr Author Fabulous workmanship - what do you get for one of those after it's finished?I tried to send you PM would not work ???
July 8, 201510 yr I tried to send you PM would not work ???No idea what happened. I have not received anything.
July 9, 201510 yr Author Will give it another shot .... James No Dice ?? get error code EX2 ? Edited July 9, 201510 yr by Bubbasan
October 11, 201510 yr Author Here are pics of finished shirasaya. Turned out allright. I normally don't make saya during warmer months because wood soaks up moisture and when it dries out saya can shrinkand make it rattle a little . This wood was dried for 7 years in Japan . I kept the wood inside where it is nice and dry so It didn't shrink. Thanks for looking ........ Bubba
October 21, 201510 yr For those who haven't yet seen them. Check out Isao Machii's videos on YouTube to see what can be done with swords like these! I like the one where he cuts a 100 mph fastball in half! These are really beautiful! Museum level pieces IMO!
November 20, 201510 yr BUBBA SAN this is absolutely gorgeous. Beautiful sori... beautiful hamon... beautiful all the way around!
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.