| |||||
|
|
 
Please read this carefully before proceeding! If you want to sharpen a
sword - especially a Japanese sword - it should only be a
replica/wallhanger or newly-made reproduction. Antique swords (or modern
art pieces) should never be sharpened on your own because even in the best
case, you'll reduce its value, and in the worst case, you'll damage the
blade beyond repair and make it completely worthless! Authentic and
antique Japanese swords should never be sharpened or even "cleaned up" by
yourself - you should always seek a qualified professional polisher!That said, if the blade is not an antique and not particularly valuable, go ahead and do whatever you want with it. Note however, that most stainless replicas and most Asian/Indian-made spring-steel swords are not well tempered and/or use poor steel will not stand up to a lot of abuse after you sharpen them. The tools you'll need are a file and/or a whetstone. The file is used for fast coarse shaping and the whetstone is used to refine the edge made by the file. For a katana replica, I'd recommend a convex edge for maximum authenticity and durability. For this, simply file down the edge bevel and round it off and clean up with the whetstone. This convex edge is called niku and gives the edge some toughness without compromising a lot of sharpness. Follow with a very careful application of 400 grit paper to blend the sharpened section in with the existing fake temper line.
For other swords, if you want to be authentic, you'll have to do some
research. For most swords a bit of convexity at the edge is probably
appropriate, but some are completely flat, and still others may be concave
("hollow"). An iron blade is quite soft and would most likely be quite
convex at the edge to be able to take some punishment. You may want to
follow by rubbing with vinegar and water to brown the surface to match the
rest of the blade so the sharpening isn't so obvious.
|
|
TOP MENU | SECTION INDEX | FEEDBACK | BACK
|