'caught a documentary on this fella, two things caught my attention in particular, the lighting of the furnace with a technique of making an iron rod glow red by working it on the edge of the anvil, and an unbelievably cool technique of creating the curve in the katana blade by quenching it at the correct speed and angle.
The different rates that the soft and hard steels contract create the curve and i'd imagine they also create some form of inner tension within the steel adding to its stiffness.
found a download - worth exploring further if your into making your own blades im sure:
http://www.hayashibara-museumofart.jp/museum/index3.html
there are several downloads on the lower right hand part of the page.
awesome stuff!
The different rates that the soft and hard steels contract create the curve and i'd imagine they also create some form of inner tension within the steel adding to its stiffness.
found a download - worth exploring further if your into making your own blades im sure:
http://www.hayashibara-museumofart.jp/museum/index3.html
there are several downloads on the lower right hand part of the page.
awesome stuff!
