Project by Ken Reed | posted 09-09-2012 06:24 PM | 2854 views | 1 time favorited | 7 comments | ![]() |
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This is the second in a series of Katana swords that I’ve been modifying for a client. The blade looked like plain steel when I started, with just a hint of the Damascus pattern that could only be detected with close inspection. I polished, etched, blued and polished again in order to expose the Damascus pattern. The mosaic inlays are standard fare from the knife making hobby. The purple heart, or amaranth as some call it, is very difficult to work due to it’s extreme hardness and interlocked grain. The handle is spalted big leaf Oregon maple.
7 comments so far
Jim Jakosh
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#1 posted 09-09-2012 07:15 PM
Nice job on that old sword!............Jim
-- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!! Variety is the Spice of Life!!
Dan'um Style
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#2 posted 09-09-2012 08:07 PM
Super precise work … awe inspiring … eye candy!

-- keeping myself entertained ... Humor and fun lubricate the brain
blackcherry
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#3 posted 09-09-2012 10:51 PM
Just a wonderful looking piece, the handle really compliments the blade. Client has to be trilled,well done..BC
HillbillyShooter
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#4 posted 09-10-2012 01:48 AM
Truly outstanding—absolutely love your modification, even though it strays from traditional Japanese sword craft.
-- John C. -- "Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the peoples' liberty's teeth." George Washington
BTKS
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#5 posted 09-11-2012 01:33 AM
Nice work. I really like the accent of the damascus pattern. Oh, the handle is pretty eye catching as well.
-- "Man's ingenuity has outrun his intelligence" (Joseph Wood Krutch)
Ken Reed
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#6 posted 09-11-2012 02:29 AM
Thanks for all the positive feedback! I had fun doing it, but, Jim, it’s a new sword, not an old one. The steel is made in Tibet of all places and it’s on par with the stuff I’ve seen come out of India, which is to say not top notch, but not terrible either. The Swedes make some great Damascus, but it’s very expensive.
HillbillyShooter: yeah, it’s definitely strays; think of it as a chopped and channeled ‘32 Ford hot rod. It’s just for fun.
I’m starting on a series of displays for some antique pistols for the same client, but haven’t decided on a design yet. We’ve discussed some possibilities and he’s pretty open so it should be fun.
s_grifter
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#7 posted 09-20-2012 08:27 PM
very nice
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