How to Forge Samurai Swords

If creating ancient weaponry is a challenge that you'd like to try, then you might want to forge a samurai sword. The sword was considered the soul of the samurai and great care was taken when creating it. The sword had to be flexible for battle and hard enough to be sharp.

Things You'll Need

• Satetsu
• Charcoal
• Smelting furnace
• Billows
• Hammer and anvil

Instructions

1. Know that the Samurai sword is made of 2 different types of steel. The inner core is shingane, a soft and low carbon steel, and kawagane, a steel that is higher carbon and stronger.

2. Use satetsu, a special black sand, for your source of steel. Remove all impurities in the iron in the sand by smelting it. Add charcoal during the smelting process to provide the carbon that turns it into steel. This creates tamahagane, of which the blades are made. Vary the amount of carbon to get a softer or harder steel.

3. Burn charcoal in a special furnace and use billows to increase the airflow and heat. Prepare the shingane first. Heat a brick-sized piece in the forge until soft. Hammer the brick until it becomes elongated. Fold it over, heat, and hammer. Repeat the process 10 times until the impurities are removed. Set it aside.

4. Prepare the kawagane for the outside of the sword. Heat a metal brick, pound into the elongated shape and fold. The kawagane is processed with the heat, pound, and fold technique about 3,000 times.

5. Hammer out the outer steel one final time until it is large enough to wrap around the inner core with excess at the end. Define the shape of the sword. Heat the combination until it melts together. Heat and hammer until the sword is the desired length. Hammer a slight curve into the shape.

6. Paint the blade, katana, with a clay and charcoal mixture, heavy on the dull top edge and lightly on the sharp bottom edge and heat one more time. Thrust it into water furthering the bend in the sword.

7. Polish the blade with polishing stones. Fit with a guard iron. Hire a carpenter to apply a lacquered wooden scabbard. Decorate the scabbard with leather, gold or precious stones.

Tips & Warnings

• Pray for divine guidance if you are making the sword for a samurai.

• Make certain that there are no bits of debris between the two metals. This could potentially weaken the blade by creating air bubbles.