So i got these swords...

[lol]

Yea, so I got these two swords off ebay really cheap. I just got them in the mail today. They are a good quality, and for some reason I intrinsicly know how a good blade should look. The blades are decent sharpness, but I noticed they tend to veer to one side (slightly bent), which might be due to me test trial on the blades

. Does anyone here invloved in cutlery know how I can best take care of the swords, to keep the blade sharp, keep it from staining/rusting etc.? Thanks.
This is how they look- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....IT&rd=1

 

[endparenthesis]

However you store them, make sure they're in the sheath blade-up so it isn't actually touching anything. You probably know that already, but I figured I'd mention.

 

[PlantAKiss]

That's not what I think of when I think "sword." To me they look like an oversized Ginsu knife on an Ginsu infomercial.

They'd probably carve bread really well...

 

[lol]

Trust me, they'd be quite functional

! You don't want a blade too large, or it wont be practical... in combat. A 24" sword is nice. If I had gotten one any larger, I would have demanded that it either be a doubl-edged longsword or a katana. I prefer longswords though. Anyway, the two swords were made in China, but I can't figure out their method of construction. Their signd of slight imperfection and their sharpness would seem to mean they are not made like most decorative swords, but closer to a real combat/functional sword.

 

[ChronoKiento]

I have a bunch of swords too, some of mine are really crappy though. But that's just because they were incredibly cheap. I just clean my swords when I'm done using them (cutting weeds) and then put them in the sheath and they usually stay in pretty good condition. My favorite one has this really thin blade and when I flick it, it makes this long tinging noise, really cool.

 

[endparenthesis]

Quote[/b] ]This item can be held as a single sword or "split in half" and used as two swords. The pieces do not connect together with any type of fastener.

I didn't notice that before. So they both have half a handle? Yikes. If we're talking practicality that doesn't seem to help much... but in the end it's not like you're going to need them to save your life or anything.

Maybe that's why they veer to the side... to make sure they contact each other firmly?

Beyond a sharp blade of course I'd say the most important characteristic in combat would be the balancing, but no way to tell from a photo how they measure up.

 

[lol]

Actualy, they veer away from eachother when held together. The half handle really makes it impractical to switch hands between the two swords. The black is better held in the right hand, and the white in the left. Otherwise, you'll notice it's uncomfortable to have the flat end of the handle facing your palms. Otherwise, they are pretty good. As far as balancing, I forget where the balance should be. I think in these swords, the balance is 4.5" (towards the blade) from the handle. The whole sword is 27.5" long, the handle is 7.75", and the blade is 19.75" long. Is that good?

 

[endparenthesis]

Dunno... I figured how it felt was the clincher.

I had some of those cheap chrome sai you see in every weapon store that I bought a long time ago, and the second I picked up my soke's pair (made by people who know exactly what they're doing) I knew my old pair might as well go in the trash. It was like putting on my own shoes after spending a day in someone else's.

I got curious about how it used to be calculated and found some stuff on wikipedia that was amazingly detailed. You should take a look if you haven't already. This was interesting too: http://www.myarmoury.com/feature_properties.html

 

[Dimka]

Whoa... and I thought you guys were kidding about the really freakish people present here...

 

[endparenthesis]

Someone has to preserve martial arts history. 95% of the martial arts world sure as hell isn't doing it.

 

[rattler]

sorry to burst your bubble but those arent very good swords. the made in china mark and the price should tell you that. any steel used to make any sort of blade reguardless if they are purly decorational or not can be sharpened. however how long and through what kind of use they will hold that edge makes a huge difference. i have a hand made folding knife that my dad bought me that i use for hunting though i plan on replacing it with a fixed blade by next hunting season for rust reasons as its hard to get blood out of the mechinism out in the feild and blood and steel do not mix. its blade is made out of a circular saw blade. even with my pathetic attemps at sharpening it will keep its edge through field dressing two deer and the rough butchering one which is fairly impressive. my buddy has a blade that he used to field dress and slice a whole deer into lil strips for jerky. that impressed the hell out of me.

as to swords, you will almost never pick up a decent one for under $10 and if you do you robbing some one blind cause they dont know what they have. the work that goes into true Japanese katanas is unreal. but there is absolutly no way to mas produce them. they must each be made by hand. medevil type swords arent nearly as involved but it still takes time and effort to make them. and you never use stainless steel for a true sword, its to tough to work and generally is pretty poor at keeping an edge. heck most custome gunsmiths dont care to work on guns made of stainless cause its a pain.

 

[lol]

I know it's not supreme quality. I just wonder how good it actualy is...

 

[SarraceniaScott]

Quote[/b] (lol @ Nov. 21 2005,7:24)]Yea, so I got these two swords off ebay really cheap.  I just got them in the mail today.  They are a good quality, and for some reason I intrinsicly know how a good blade should look.  The blades are decent sharpness, but I noticed they tend to veer to one side (slightly bent), which might be due to me test trial on the blades  

.  Does anyone here invloved in cutlery know how I can best take care of the swords, to keep the blade sharp, keep it from staining/rusting etc.?  Thanks.
This is how they look- http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....IT&rd=1

I recommend Renaissance Wax. One coating on my swords almost 10 years ago has prevented rust.

Those swords you linked are not my style. I have a few inexpensive historical replica pieces; I don't like the fantasy pieces. The only item in my collection I actually can wield is a katana. It's a cheapo one, with a stainless steel blade, but I keep it by my bed, and would get the job done in a pinch, provided my assailant is not armed with a gun (or, at least, is a horrible shot). Yeah, I'd prefer a handgun, but the wife is adamantly and irrationally opposed to them.

Anyway, if I were ever to get a new sword, I'd get a more traditionally-made katana. However, for the several thousand it would cost to get the quality I'd like, I can think of many other things I'd far rather have: A really nice apochromatic refractor telescope, for one.

 

[nrbelex]

SINCE WHEN DID 90% OF PFT FORUM USERS COLLECT SWORDS!?

~ Brett

 

[lol]

Since they were cool

! But they are more than cool. Swordsmanship and cutlery are time old skills that need to be kept alive. Apart from the time and effort it takes to make a real sword, crafting it in a scientific art to create the strongest "piece of sharp metal" possible, the feeling of just holding a sword is empowering. It's hard to explain, and you'd probably need to experience it for yourself. I won't speak of how it must have felt in centuries past, when people would carry these things into battle. Their very lives depended on the strength of the sword, and their ability to wield it as an extension of their very bodies. Plus, the use of such weapons are tightly intertwined with the martial arts that I love so dearly

.