Combat Steel

[Sphinx]

i know almost nothing about swords and all that but i am slowly learning. I know about tang, samurai sword sizes, sai history and a little on the

Gurkha knife. But what would be really handy would be to know which steel is good for what.

Stainless steel i know is strong and doesn't rust, but is it strong enough for realistic combat, If so would it be recamended for use? What r some other steels that r not to heavy that can with stand damp air and water without corroding?

Thanks!~~~

[Grenadier]

Stainless steel i know is strong and doesn't rust, but is it strong enough for realistic combat, If so would it be recamended for use? What r some other steels that r not to heavy that can with stand damp air and water without corroding?

I could easily write a much longer post, but for the sake of bandwidth, I'll keep it concise.

Stainless steel is OK for knives, but terrible for swords. No stainless blade will be nearly as good as a decent 1050, 1090, 5160 carbon steel blade (assuming properly forged and differentially tempered).

Most grades of stainless steel does not hold an edge well on a sword, and those that could conceivably do so are too brittle for regular use. I'm sure that most of the sword buffs here remember the infamous "shattering stainless steel sword video."

The bottom line here, is that if you want a decent sword that would be combat worthy, it's going to cost you at least in the upper 100's. Furthermore, you are going to have to regularly maintain it by oiling the blade (most folks use choji or mineral oil, I prefer Teflon-based sprays).

Now, if you get a good sword, you'll find that the blades are NOT heavy. Yes, even the European-style ones. The legends of how knights swung 50-60 lb swords back in the old days are nothing more than fiction. Even a 10 lb sword is unrealistic.

Before I make a recommendation on a sword, though, it would help if you provided a bit more information. You've gotten off to a good start, and if you provided what kind of sword you are seeking (Katana? European long sword? Claymore? Saber?) you'll get a better answer. I'm assuming that regardless of what blade you select, you want one that is combat-worthy.

[Martial_Artist]

A "combat" worthy blade will cost more than a couple hundred. I suggest thinking along the lines of 1000 USD or more.

Knights Edge, Kris Cutlery to name a couple sell carbon steel, but this is not "combat" steel. More or less stage steel. Ritter steel is bad too.

A good blade one that will last and is more than a cheap carbon steel one will cost you money.

I suggest investigating https://www.bugei.com. From there you can find links to not only the swords they sell, but to a sword forum where you can find details on other swords.

Traditional japanese swords, antiqued authentic made from japanese steel run average of around 15,000 USD and claim to much, much higher.

An entry level sword runs around 900 USD.

If you are serious about swords don't waste your time with 120USD to 150USD cheap carbon steel blades or worse the useless stainless steel blades. Save your money and buy a real blade. There is no comparison in quality and workmanship. I mean no comparison.

https://www.swordforum.com is great resource to learn about different swords. You have makers, finishers, and all sorts of people who focus on swords. Japanese, chinese, european from all over the world. And there is always a debate over the katana versus *insert sword type here*.

MA

[Sphinx]

thanks guys! I love katanas, and Sais. I was given an old pair of sai from my grand dad. Im not sure wear he got them from. They need to be oiled coz there is no chrome plating. As for Katana, i would love to start kendo or something but i unfortunatly can't until i move. which i can't for 3 years. So i was just curious, if you want a katana that WONT break in real combat, what would the most suitable steel would be.

[Grenadier]

thanks guys! I love katanas, and Sais. I was given an old pair of sai from my grand dad. Im not sure wear he got them from. They need to be oiled coz there is no chrome plating. As for Katana, i would love to start kendo or something but i unfortunatly can't until i move. which i can't for 3 years. So i was just curious, if you want a katana that WONT break in real combat, what would the most suitable steel would be.

OK. If you're going to start learning, you really should start with a quality bokken. Before you start swinging around a shinken (live sword, sharp edge), you need to get the proper techniques down, not only for the sake of making you a better combatant, but also for the safety of yourself and others.

Once you become familiar with sword techniques, you'll get an idea of what your preferences are, whether you prefer a heavier blade, a longer handle, different balance points, etc.

I'm going to suggest that you take a look at Crane Mountain Dojo, and order yourself a nice bokken to start out. If you're going to be doing contact drills, then you would probably like a bokken made of hickory wood (very tough, and will easily outlast any oak ones).

http://www.crane-mountain.com/index_Page699.htm

As for blade steels (when the time is right), there are many good choices. 1090 seems to be a very popular steel, whereas 1050 might be a bit more economical. 1070 seems to be popular as well. 51xx series steels are nice, but might not be as readily available.

Folded blades are nice, but there's no need to get a folded blade these days, since the purity of the steel is vastly superior to what was available during the old days.

You would probably want a differentially tempered blade.

[Sphinx]

yeh thanx that sounds really good!

[Grenadier]

Just also wanted to throw in a couple more suggestions when getting that bokken:

You probably want to get one made of either jatoba (Brazilian cherry), purpleheart, or hickory wood. Any of those three woods are excellent for bokken, and will last you much longer than any oak one will. The purpleheart is a truly beautiful wood, that makes for a very nice looking bokken that has great functionality.

Many of the students here have red oak bokken (cheap, available at most discount martial arts places), and they quickly learn that most red oak is unsuitable for bokken to bokken contact drills. One fellow in my classes is a regular partner in the drills, and he keeps wondering why he's already cracked three red oak bokken, and why my jatoba bokken is unscathed.