How to make a Samurai Sword?

Answer 1

Step 1/ Raw Materials/ The resource for metal was mainly steel scraps, nails and almost any scrap steel.

Step 2/ Forging/ They start making it look like a sword by banding and shaping the superheated metal.

Step 3/ Hammering/ They used all kinds of hammers from big to small, they had to hit the hammer in an exact spot or start over.

Step 4/Folding/ They folded and stretched longitudinally to make it stronger. Throughout the process they continually dowsed it in water and heated it up again to make it stronger and to get rid of impurities.

Step 5/Shaping/ The blacksmith shapes the form of the sword in his mind and then makes it a reality.

Step 6/Layaring/ Next they layer a clay like substance onto the blade to determine the cooling rate of the blade.

Step 7/Heating/ The most important process in which the heat the blade up to 720-780C. If it is heated up to fast you can't make the Nioi-deki of Bizen style. If you heat it up really fast you can make the Nie-deki of Soshu style.

Step 8/Dowsing/ after heating it up to the required temperature it was then dowsed it a water box to harden it, this step is very tricky because you can't dowse it to fast or to slow. If you do that it will become to brittle or to soft.

Step 9/Tempering/ If needed they temper it again.

Step 10/Curving/ Next they curve the sword to the required curvature.