9/2/2023 0 Comments Fake katana vs real katana![]() ![]() So why exactly did they differentially temper their blades? Effects of the differential tempering Swordsmiths surely didn’t perform this complicated process for aesthetic purposes. One important thing to note is that the hamon line is merely a side effect of the clay tempering process. In order to explain the effects of the curvature, I wrote an entire article about the curvature of the Japanese katana. Oil quenching is commonly used for industrial purposes with the goal to bend the blade as little as possible.Įven though a straight blade might seem like a good choice, the curvature of a katana is a key characteristic. In this video by Walter Sorrells he shows the entire process of clay temperingĪnother noteworthy fact is that when quenching the blade with oil the blade doesn’t curve as much. Therefore, the swordsmiths might use methods to artificially create or enhance the hamon. However, the hamon doesn’t stand out as much. While water is the riskier option it creates a more prominent hamon line. Therefore the smiths have to pay a lot of attention.Īs mentioned before you can either use water or oil for quenching the blade. During the quenching process the entire blade can break. Most high-quality katanas are differentially tempered. While the other part looks a bit darker and was covered in a clay layer. The hamon line shows the location were little to no clay was applied. Therefore two regions with different hardness are created. When quenching the blade the edge cools much faster than the spine (which is covered in clay). After that, the sword gets quenched in water or oil. The next step is to heat the blade to the desired temperature depending on the steel used. During the tempering process, the spine of the blade gets covered in a thin clay layer. In the sword forging process, the heat treatment is one of the last, but most important steps to create a perfect sword. Most people also refer to it as clay tempering. How is the hamon line created?Īs mentioned before the hamon line is created during a process called differential tempering. However, no one can deny the positive aesthetic effect of the hamon line on the overall look of the sword. Nowadays even some European swords are forged with a hamon line.įrom a historical standpoint, European swords with a hamon line are extremely unrealistic. Therefore, it makes sense that a lot of people prefer swords with a hamon line. From a design perspective, it looks very pleasing to the human eye. The hamon line is a bit brighter than the regular steel on the back of the blade. It outlines the transition between the region of harder martensitic steel at the blade’s edge and the softer pearlitic steel at the back of the sword. ![]() The hamon line is the hardened zone (yakiba) which contains the cutting edge (ha). For example the spine has a hardness of 44 HRC and the edge 60 HRC. On katanas the cutting edge is harder than the spine. I will come back to differential tempering later on in this post.īlades which are differentially hardened have two different zones. Most samurai had katanas which were differentially tempered. The hamon line is most commonly found on differentially tempered swords. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |