The beauty and reverence of a handmade Katana cannot be argued with. Its elegant and specific design has spilled over into film and literature. Known for being able to finish off an enemy with a single blow, Katana swords are one of the most sought-after historical weapons in the world. Katanas, also known as samurai swords, are traditionally made by hand. Japanese blacksmiths shaped metal in a hot forge with great precision to make battle-ready swords. Katana enthusiasts have maintained the ancient process of blacksmithing in the face of technological advances in metalworking. Making these swords isn’t easy, but with a little guidance, any novice crafter can try creating a Katana of their own.
Once you have prepared your forge, take a long piece of steel and heat it up. If you’re just starting out, you’ll want to start with a tanto size AISI 1050 steel bar. This will create a Katana the size of a knife. Once you get the hang of things, you can try a regular Katana. Heat your steel bar until it glows orange and red. The heat will make the steel soft enough to hammer. Overcooking your metal bar can ruin your work. You’ll know things are getting too hot when the bar burns yellow or white. If you see sparks, they are pieces of steel that are burning.
Flatten your piece of metal by hammering down on one side. Next, you will want to create the tip of your Katana. To do this, heat the side of the bar that you want to be the tip. Once it’s completely hot in the forge, hammer in a diagonal piece. The diagonal should create a sharp point on the steel bar. Then take the bar and place it on its edge with the point pointing towards the ceiling. Hammer the point until it is firmly flush with the bar’s spine. This will create a sharp edge and direct the grain of the steel. Continue flattening the blade on both sides until the metal becomes thin.
Opposite the tip is the spike. The Katana tang is the lower part of the blade that is designed with a clamping grip. The tang of a samurai sword should be one third of the entire blade. Create your spike by filing the end of the blade on both edges. You’ll want to file the bottom down until it’s shaped like a “V.” You don’t want the bottom to have a sharp point, just an easy-to-grip shape will suffice.
After filing the spike, soak the blade in vermiculite for eight hours. Vermiculite is a sawdust-like material that is popular with blacksmiths for cooling metal. The name comes from the appearance of the material which resembles noodle paste. Once your blade is successfully cooled, you can start coating your Katana with clay. The clay used to coat samurai swords is a mixture of red clay, sodium hydroxide, and a little water. This is ground and painted on fifty percent of the sheet surface. Apply a layer of no more than two millimeters and make sure not to trap air bubbles or teeth. Once coated, heat the blade until the sword has a low red glow. Make sure not to overheat the Katana in this step. If you have trouble seeing the red glow, dim the lights or use a dark bucket.
The clay layer allows the blade to cool further at two different speeds. The uncoated part will cool faster making it harder. The process is called martensite and it occurs when steel, which is made of iron and carbon, changes temperature rapidly. Martensite is how katanas get their curve. Repeat the process to get an even meaner curve on your sword.
Use a hard piece of material to scrape off any remaining clay. When you’re done, you’ll need to polish your handmade Katana. Traditional Japanese sword making apprentices have been known to train for up to ten years before they can actually polish samurai swords. The ritual process includes special Japanese stones that vary in hardness. With water these stones are used against the leaf to clean it of imperfections. Starting with the least rough stones and working up to the roughest, Japanese katana polishing can be back-breaking work. However, nothing worthwhile came easy. Start your collection of handmade swords by creating your own Japanese samurai sword.