NOTICE!
The only information I have about actually making a katana is this:
Go to the Information Page and look for Making Japanese Style Swords from Bar Stock. Follow the links.
For other, on line, information, go the my On-Line Information Page. There are important links there for katana makers! Check on the videos below, too.
Katanas are very popular now. There are lots of books about how they're made. There are some videos, I think. I've heard of a PBS show that featured the making of one, although I haven't seen it myself. There are other web sites about it. Several have links on my Information Page . A very comprehensive place to find katana info is http://home.earthlink.net/~steinrl/nihonto.htm, The Japanese Sword Index,
Which is also at http://japanesesword.homestead.com
Also see
Fred Lohman Co.
Contact Lohman for this:
Would you like a Japanese Sword custom-forged and mounted to your specifications?
And for
Custom Fittings
Buffalo Horn Parts
Tsuba
Custom Saya
Menuki
Custom Habaki
Silk Wrap
Samé
Handle Wrapping
Polishing Service
Maintenance Kits
Restoration Packages
Someone wrote to professional bladesmith Wayne Goddard at Blade Magazine to ask about making a katana, the best steel and heat treatment for katana blades. I scanned this article from pages 16 and 17 of the April/May, 1994 issue.
You might check Scott Slobodian's Tech Info Page. But his Home Page has lots of pictures (>70) and takes a very long time to load! The Tech Page starts out this way:
"There is a lot that has been written about the myth of the Samurai Sword. There are several good WEB sites you can visit with a lot of technical and historical information, so I will only deal with what I do and how it is done."
Definitely see another sword discussion bulletin board, The Internet Sword and Medieval Weapons Discussion Group. It has a section on 'Simplified Weapons Making.' There is also a long series on modifying an inexpensive Katana blade and making a new hilt and scabbard for it.
http://pages.prodigy.net/tlbuck/tsuka/tsuka.htm
Click on "How To" at http://www.knives.com/frameset.html
Added November 1, 1999:
Videos! I just ran across an announcement for a series of several videos dedicated to sword forging in great detail. The put lots of photos AND a couple of video clips on their page, though, so it takes a very long time to load! Here's their description:
Video sales of Making Charcoal, Folding and forge welding the steel, Forging a Tanto to shape, Clay coating the blade, final hardening, are available at $35 each that details the process and tools from beginning to end. Currently five VHS tapes are available, each about an hour long. Other Subjects to follow. Email for mailing address fannin@gte.net
Read his description in a newsgroup posting at http://x43.deja.com/getdoc.xp?AN=529721718&CONTEXT=941413183.1153957934&hitnum=1 or go to http://home1.gte.net/fannin/index.htm to see for yourself.
From Sword Forum Online Magazine:
Basic Japanese Sword Forging - A simple how-to step-by-step intro into forging a Japanese-style blade with modern materials. Written by Editor
And, with lots of beautiful pictures -
Sword Shop: Basic Forging of a Katana Blade Form - An illustrative guide to forging a Japanese-style blade. by Randal Graham
Sword Shop: Basic Japanese Sword Forging - Part 2 - A continuation to the March '99 Issue article, the author covers the heat treatment and clay coating of the Japanese-style blade. by Randal Graham
Tsuka-Making: Selecting Materials for a Japanese Sword Handle - The hilt of a Japanese sword functioned in perfect unison with the tang. It is important to use materials that can withstand the stresses of battle. By Christopher Lau / Motoyasu
SwordForum Magazine Article about a forging class:
http://swordforum.com/summer99/batsons.html
Other classes:
http://www.americanbladesmith.com/school.html
http://www.dfoggknives.com/sword.htm
http://www.folkschool.com/classes.html
http://swordforum.com/summer99/bell.html
Here's a sample from my Information on Paper:
Making Japanese Style Swords from Bar Stock
Find it on my Information Page .
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